It’s harvest season, and a juicer can help you make the most of the bounty | Canada Voices

With all due respect to summer, fall might be the juiciest season, especially here in Canada. It’s when some of our heartiest, tastiest produce comes into its own. Exhibit A: apples – with what feels like a zillion varieties. But there are also carrots, pears, beets, kale and herbs such as mint and parsley.

It’s enough to make some people forgo their pumpkin spice lattes. But the question is: What’s the best way to get the juice out?

There are two main types of juicers – centrifugal juicers and slow juicers (which include masticating and cold-press models). Centrifugal juicers operate using fast-spinning blades and high-speed mechanisms to separate juice from pulp. Slow juicers, on the other hand, extract more juice by gradually compressing produce through a twisting auger or between metal plates.

“People who are really into the intricate details of maximizing nutrient conservation may prefer masticating-type machines,” says Pat Crocker, Canadian author of The Juicing Bible. That’s because slow juicers tend to limit oxygen and heat exposure, which helps preserve nutrients and extend shelf life.

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Crocker herself, however, swears by her centrifugal Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed. “I used it to test all of the recipes in The Juicing Bible,” she says. “And it’s still working perfectly after 23 years.”

Centrifugal machines tend to be more affordable and faster to use. And they’re improving. Crocker points to an update on her own model – the Breville Juice Fountain Cold – which still uses centrifugal technology but features a specially designed motor that “almost eliminates heat,” she says.

Hana James, co-founder of Greenhouse Juice Co., a Canadian brand based in Toronto, uses only industrial-strength cold-press machines for her products. “It really does make better juice,” she says. “I’m not a scientist, but I swear you feel the difference with superfresh, nutrient-packed juice. When I was recipe testing before we launched Greenhouse 11 years ago, the cold-pressed juice gave me a bit of a buzz, it felt great.”

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That said, James acknowledges that the cost of top-tier cold-press juicers – often double or triple that of a centrifugal machine – can be daunting. For beginners, she recommends starting with a standard blender and straining the blended produce through a sieve. “It’s perfectly fine to try juicing with an appliance you probably already have,” she says. “That way, you’ll know if juicing at home is something you actually enjoy. I mean, some people are surprised by how much fruit you need just to make one glass of juice. It can be a lot.”

For those ready to invest, Crocker recommends, where return policies allow, test-driving juicers and performing a pulp test with the results. “Pinch the ejected pulp to gauge the amount of juice left in it,” she says. “It should be fairly dry.” Wet, soggy pulp suggests an inefficient machine.

“The second-best way is to watch a demonstration of the machine handling hard fruit or vegetables as well as leafy greens,” she says. Many juicers have been reviewed on YouTube, TikTok and other social-media sites.

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Motor power is another key factor. “Low-wattage motors tend to be the least expensive,” says Crocker. “But at 700 watts or higher, most juicers can handle tough produce – like beets, carrots and apples – without requiring you to chop them up first.”

Easy clean-up also matters. Lindsay Cameron Wilson, host of The Food Podcast and co-author of Juice! Over 110 Delicious Recipes, has used the same Breville centrifugal juicer for 20 years. “It’s noisy,” she admits. “But it’s fast, and relatively easy to clean.”

Part of that comes down to the number of moving parts – max three or four, says Crocker, so it’s not a hassle to disassemble. “Mine comes apart quickly and just needs a good rinse,” says Wilson. “I try to clean mine before I even drink the juice. And if you clean it right away, you won’t slip into a depression at night when you’re staring down a dried, crusty machine before bed.”

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When looking for a new juicer, try to find one that fits within your kitchen, budget and overall commitment to juicing.