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I'm attempting to get into juicing for the extra boost of vitamins and minerals.
I had planned to pick up the Montel Williams blender that acts like a juicer (around $300) but after reading poor reports, decided to check locally for something similar in case things went wrong.
I picked up a Jack Lalanne juicer on sale for under $100, BUT after taking it all apart, I'm not sure it was the right choice. That's a whole lotta cleanup for one cup of juice!
I think it's the high speed blender I'm really after. Kinda nice that the pulp stays intact and gets whipped up too. Vitamix appears to have a good name but the price is around $600ish. Yikes!
Maybe I ought to hang onto this juicer and have a cheapo blender for the smoothies I'd also like to whip up... I don't really know!
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Find a used Champion juicer. Some juicers extract the pulp and that makes cleaning easier. Some of the centrifugal types get the pulp dryer yet are more work in cleaning. Many think the nutrition really starts with the process of chewing and introducing the enzymes in saliva into the digestive process. Relax Donna, plant a few rows of carrots.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6714 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Donna, I used to use a high dollar juicer also; but as you said, lt was a nitemare to take it all apart and clean up.
Many of those infomercial miracle juicers are just terribly overpriced.
I just went out and bought a good quality blender (Hamilton Beach) that cost about $75. It works great and will even crush ice. I make smoothies with fruit, sometimes vegetables, sherbet, just about anything.
When using broccoli, cabbage, or the like....I use the whole thing, most of stems too. No sense throwing those nutrients away. Many folks don't care for pulp stuff, but I've read where there's nutrition there too, and fiber.
When you're done, just a quick wash and rinse. I've had this blender for five + years now, and it's still ticking.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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Whole foods....all that pulpy stuff is good for your digestive track.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Donna, we use a Breville blender. It is not a juicer but we put spinach, fruit etc in it and make it thick as a malt for breakfast daily. Very low care is needed and cleaning is a breeze.
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I have a Blendtec.. their website is so campy it almost looks fake but this is a very real product and it blends just about anything... including iPads.
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Blendtec all the way here– none of that health mush.
-------------------- Frank Smith Frank Smith Signs Albany, NY www.franksmithsigns.com Posts: 807 | From: Albany, NY USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I use both a Champion and a Green Life dual auger and although the Champion is faster and fine for hard veggies, the Green Life is best. The reason is that the slower dual auger machines extract more of the vitamin content because they produce less heat. They also produce more juice with leafy vegetables such as wheat grass and spinach where as the faster centrifugal machines cannot. For citrus I use a 50's kitchen squeeze down electric juicer I bought at a thrift store
The less heat, the more vitamin content there is
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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BTW, I also have a Vita-Mix which blends anything even woods and has no gears so instant reversal at a few hundred RPM forward to reverse is instantaneous for making cold to hot soup, This even makes Ice cream from beginning to end product in 30 seconds, soft of course, but put it in the freezer and in an hour its like store bought but as good as all your ingredients
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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Every tool has its purpose and I personally don't question its use and use what tool does what's needed, best.
Although my juicing experience is lengthy, 40 or so years, there are other things which effect a persons body as well as the food you put into it, exercise is the balance.
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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I get too involved in one question that I sometimes forget to add certain things like checking CraigsList and buy and sell newspapers for persons selling the their high dollar juicers and other tools which can make your life easier. I bought my Green Life around 10 years ago on CraigsList for $150, less than a 1/3 of what it sells for and I've been happy with its performance since.
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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Like Joey, we have had a Champion for many years, on the third set of blades. Had to replace the bearings once, but my wife juiced a lot of carrot juice. It is a real workhorse.
Have heard the Greenlife is better as it crushes the food slowly and creates less friction (heat) and all enzymes remain in the food.
We also have a Norwalk. This is really a commercial machine that can juice all day long without a break. Clean-up takes about 10 minuets though.
And we also have a Vita-Mix that gets used twice a day for smoothies and other tasks. These are great machines. The power switch began to act up and these are engineered so well that you need special tools to disassemble it. Ours was just within the 10 year warranty. Sent it in to the company and they repaired it and sent along a new container with new blades and cover. They are not cheap but they do stand behind the product.
Donna, if you are serious about juicing I would get a Greenlife juicer and keep the cheapo blender blender until it dies, then look at a vitamix and you will be set for years and years.
-------------------- Curt Stenz Graphics 700 Squirrel Lane Marathon, WI 54448 Posts: 590 | From: Marathon, WI 54448 | Registered: Dec 1998
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Curt, I've had my Vita-Mix for daily use since 1985, its the original one they made since God knows when and has stainless steel with spout instead of a glass container and although it doesn't have 10 speeds, I've found 3 to be enough and never a problem. I think they only updated the original so it would cost them less to manufacture ( its the American way )
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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Keep the Jack La Lane! Then get a blender and just keep it right by the freezer and drop those frozen melons in with fresh strawberries and bananas! It's like a sorbet, and the juicer is a great juicer. They all have cleanup Donna, but that Jack LaLane has the entire fruit able to be dropped in!
Carrot juice and apples, my kids loved that together and you can freeze the pops, also, add to the blended! Just enjoy and save your money, gal!!
I have 2 Vita Mixes, 1 ACme supreme juicer (and I keep losing a part every 10 years but they can be replaced very reasonably), and a blender or two).
You're going to laugh at me but I use my grandmother's ancient coffee grinder to grind organic dry cat food to mix with the wet food for one of my cats that doesn't eat dry anymore, now he is getting the decent nutrition that way. I add some carrots or sweet potatoes I make enough for myself and him too.. okay so call me a person that sees a purpose in an old coffee grinder.
[ April 30, 2011, 10:02 PM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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Thanks Deb. I'm debating on doing that. At least if I hate drinking the stuff, I haven't invested too much into this. LOL
Guess I'd better get my blender out too...
Guess now I just need to try and figure out what one juices and what one blends. There's a learning curve to everything in life, even with juice.
Thanks all! I appreciate the advice more than you know. I guess I should have clarified, it's important I up the vitamins and minerals I'm currently just getting from food. Juicing is one way to do that and it's my bet I'll be enticed to down more this way as well.
LOL on the cat food, Deb. That's smart!
[ April 30, 2011, 10:17 PM: Message edited by: Donna in BC ]
Replaces our cupboard full of blenders and a juicer that a a pita to clean up.
The cups on the Majic Bullet are also microwave oroof and you can cook or preheat in them. Even comes with a perforated top for sprinkling grated cheese etc.
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Good memory Donna! Yes, I still have my juicelady, and I still use it. I use more my Oster blender tho. (almost daily) I have been researching the stronger blenders now for a long long time, but still can't cough up the dough for them. I did land on the Blendtec and the Vitamix as my picks tho. I almost sprang for the Ninja at Target a couple of weeks ago tho, because of the cost. But held off. I may end up with the Ninja yet. haha
-------------------- "When Love and Skill Work Together ... Expect a Masterpiece"
I did inherit my two vita mixes and don't use them like I should, but am keeping them for soups, etc.
The acme supreme I bought in 1978! Still have it and it's the stainless steel.
My sister bought a ninja and they use it all the time; it freezes and they make nutritious drinks for the kids and nutritious margaritas for the adults. LOL. She makes her green drinks in the day for herself to keep on top of health.
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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