# best juicer for beginner



## keena (Aug 9, 2012)

im curious on a juicer for juicing the fruit instead of using mesh bags. so, when i type in juicer on amazon i get juice extractors. this is the only type of juicer i have ever known about, until today.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MDHH06/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

now that i seen someone on the wine forum mention a steamer juicer, i looked it up. so i searched amazon for a steam juicer and found a bunch of them like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055Q2D2W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

so my question is why is the steam juicer better? what one will get the most juice out of the fruit? what is the downside to either one?


Edit: these are the 2 i was considering buying as well. so if anyone has opinions on either of the models, please let me know!


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## roadwarriorsvt (Aug 9, 2012)

I have the steam juicer in the second link. Plan on using it for the first time this weekend. One of the differences is the one in the first link uses a blade to chop up the fruit/vegatable/etc. The steam juicer uses the power of the steam to extract the juice only, leaving the pulp behind. For wine making, I think just the juice is more desireable than having skins, hull, seeds, etc. all chopped up in your must.


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## Duster (Aug 9, 2012)

I do not own one but I would love to have the Omega VRT 330 juicer. From what I have heard, better quality juice and better yield than any thing else out there today. the 10 year bumper to bumper warenty helps as well.


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## southlake333 (Aug 9, 2012)

roadwarriorsvt said:


> For wine making, I think just the juice is more desireable than having skins, hull, seeds, etc. all chopped up in your must.



I think this depends on the fruit. For grapes, you do want the skins. For Oranges, you want the zest (outer skin) and inner fruit but not the pith. By peeling and de-seeding first, you could get around the parts you don't want.

I personally have this juicer and love it:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FHQJ6C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I have not used it for winemaking but it makes great juice.


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## saramc (Aug 9, 2012)

I know many who use a steam juicer, but they only use it (for winemaking purposes) on red/black/blue fruits. If you use it with white/green fruits like apples-pears-kiwi it can give the juice a cooked flavor, etc. I just invested in a stainless steel steam juicer (great deals on Amazon right now!)--so it is one more tool in my winemaking arsenal. I also own and use a centrifugal juicer.

You really don't need a juicer to make wine. I would recommend if you do opt to juice consider putting the pulp in a straining bag and adding it to your primary ferment as you still pull a lot from that pulp when making wine. But experiment if you do own a juicer--you will learn what works for you and what does not.


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## UBB (Aug 9, 2012)

I found an old 'Juice Man' (remember that guy??) machine in my mom's basement. I figure I might try it with my blueberries.


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## keena (Aug 9, 2012)

Is the skin that important our can I use tannin and what not to replace it?


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## SBWs (Aug 9, 2012)

The most important thing is you don't want anything that will grind up the small seeds in fruits like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc. You will end up with a bitter wine. 

I use a steam juicer, even have a BLOG about it. The good thing about a steam juicer is you can drain the juice into canning jars and store it for off season. Also good for making mixed fruit wines when the fruits don't come on the same time of year. 

I've steam juiced elderberries, strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, plums, apples, and concord grapes. Made very good wine with all.

Last thing is if you put it in pint size canning jars, you can use a pint of juice and a cup or two of sugar to make a very good f-pac. Just put it in a pan and put it on the stove on low heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.


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## keena (Aug 9, 2012)

Love the f pack idea, and how did the rhubarb turn out? I have about 15 pounds ready for picking


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## SBWs (Aug 10, 2012)

The rhubarb was a surprise it juiced very well. I cut it up in 1 inch pieces froze it and then juiced it. I mixed it with a strawberry concentrate I got from Home Winery Supply (it was a bad strawberry year here). It's aging at this time, but by early taste test it's going to be a good one.


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## juicerhq (Apr 30, 2013)

Breville Juicer is the best now beside Omega and Phillip


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## stefan (Apr 18, 2017)

Couple of years I use centrifugal juicer, Breville BJE200XL, but after two years I start prepare most advanced recipes, first year I prepare simple citrus juice, couple of simple recipes, lemon juice, orange, and orange with banana or strawberry. However, with more experience I start to do more experiments with vegetables, wheatgrass and leafy greens. At finally my centrifugal juicer, do not satisfy all my needs, so I decided to buy masticating juicer for more efficiency, and I found that masticating juicer is better decision when you want to prepare juice from hard fiber produce or same type.
I buy Omega J8004 and now I am very happy with it.
For newbie I will recommend to buy centrifugal juicer, it is cheaper, is money is not problem for you then buy masticating. 
P.S. Masticating juicer need more space, so, before buy it look if you have enough space on the kitchen.


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## Scooter68 (Apr 18, 2017)

This is a very old thread. I would imagine a lot of the products mentioned are either no longer made or replaced by new models. 

Check the date of the first and last post. Last post was in 2013


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## stefan (Apr 18, 2017)

Scooter68 said:


> This is a very old thread. I would imagine a lot of the products mentioned are either no longer made or replaced by new models.
> 
> Check the date of the first and last post. Last post was in 2013



I agree, but many good juicers models is made even now, for example my Omega J8004 are on the market from 2009. I read loot about juicers. I found that good juicers is on the market for more than 7 years, thanks to good design and good quality parts.


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## mikewatkins727 (Apr 27, 2017)

UBB said:


> I found an old 'Juice Man' (remember that guy??) machine in my mom's basement. I figure I might try it with my blueberries.



I have one of those. Use it for apples, and not drinking apple juice! Have made several gallons of apple wine from the apples on my property. I used it because I don't have a press or any good means to extract the juice after primary fermentation. It works, just have to keep cleaning the pulp out frequently.


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## barryjo (Apr 28, 2017)

I have used my steam juicer for several years. It works well for apples, chock cherries, Nanking cherries and Aronia berries. It takes about 12 lbs of fruit per batch. From that I get about 5 qts of juice. I have been known to bag the mush from the juicing and thrown that in the fermenter for a few days. I use a knee-high nylon for the bag so I can pitch the mush when done. No bag cleaning involved!!


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## cmegaf (May 7, 2017)

Has anyone ever use the steamer for white peaches. Have some frozen and not sure how to process them for wine. Any suggestions?


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## barryjo (May 9, 2017)

cmegaf said:


> Has anyone ever use the steamer for white peaches. Have some frozen and not sure how to process them for wine. Any suggestions?



Never having worked with white peaches, I would try this. If they are soft when thawed and have been pitted, I would probably mash them. And I would use a pastry blender. One with flat tines, not the round tines. Steaming would take longer. Good luck.


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## cmegaf (May 11, 2017)

Thanks, I will give it a try!


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## Esmith (Oct 3, 2017)

Very informative thread.


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## Scooter68 (Oct 3, 2017)

I bought my juicer primarily for one type fruit - Apples. 
Chose the Omega Masticating juicer. Happens to be the 8008C (Refurbished unit)

Works great with apples fresh or frozen. The juice is great and I can strain out some of the courser particles if I want but - I want it all. The pulp that is left is just almost dry as cardboard. My apples are mostly home grown ugly ones that nobody would chose as 'eating apples' because I haven't gone in to spraying a lot at the right times. 

This particular juice is noted as improved over previous models with stainless steel screens instead of nylon/plastic found in their earlier models. Current cost for refurb model on Amazon is about $183.00 Not cheap but clearly well made and easy to clean.


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## puny (Sep 17, 2019)

I’ve got Omega juicer at home - pretty old fashion, but drains fruits hecking good. Nothing in my household can beat this machine as it has a super durable blade that gives me lots of jucie. I’ve just checked out the price - $219.70 on https://mcdonaldpaper.com/beverage-equipment . Well, when speaking of a price and quality, quality goes first. That’s my rule.


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## jdixon (Sep 13, 2021)

Out riding on Sunday and my buddy was telling me about juicers…health benefits etc…
So it got me thinking but…
After you brought a half decent juicer, then all the fruit and veg….wouldn’t you be better off just buying ready made off the shelf??

Juicer owners….do you still use yours 6 months later??


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## Scooter68 (Sep 14, 2021)

Remember that there are at least 2 different types of juicers. High Speed juicers with blades and Slow Juicers that crush and press the fruit/veggies/nuts. Juice extractors typically are of the first variety.

The one most folks are use to seeing use a blade to slice whatever you are juicing. The spin at very high speed and induce a lot of oxygen into the juice. This is great for immediate consumption but not so good for wine making as it accelerates the oxidation of the fruit/juice. 
I opted for the Omega Slow juicer that literally crushes the fruit/veggies and extracts the juice in that way. As a result it takes longer but I'm happier with the results. With apples, other than the skins and seeds (I core the apples to remove seed and the hard shells around them), everything get pressed hard. The result is a thick juice without skins or the very fibrous parts of the fruit. With peaches IF I use this juicer I go ahead and put those skins and pulp into my must. I just use the juice to totally destroy the pulp and free up all the sugar and flavor I can. There is also a price difference with the slow juicer typically costing more because they have to be tougher to withstand pressures of crushing harder things like nuts and tougher fruit and veggies. 
As to how often... I bought this slow juicer for wine making exclusively so that's when I use it.
As to buying off the shelf vs making your own.... Store bought - you don't really know what they did to get that juice, what was removed or added. Remember the bottom line for these companies is making money. Even those Healthy Living companies still have to make a profit to stay in business so they do what it takes to keep in the black on their ledgers. You and I, we want fresh and we want to know what's in there and doing it yourself gives you exactly that.

Best way to see the difference is to watch a few videos of each. Just be aware that YouTube is loaded with video from two hardcore supporters on a particular brand.


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## jdixon (Sep 17, 2021)

Scooter68 said:


> Remember that there are at least 2 different types of juicers. High-Speed juicers with blades and Slow Juicers that crush and press the fruit/veggies/nuts. Juice extractors typically are of the first variety.
> 
> The one most folks are used to seeing used a blade to slice whatever you are juicing. They spin at a very high speed and induce a lot of oxygen into the juice. This is great for immediate consumption but not so good for winemaking as it accelerates the oxidation of the fruit/juice.
> I opted for the Omega Slow juicer that literally crushes the fruit/veggies and extracts the juice in that way. As a result, it takes longer but I'm happier with the results. With apples, other than the skins and seeds (I core the apples to remove the seed and the hard shells around them), everything gets pressed hard. The result is a thick juice without skins or the very fibrous parts of the fruit. With peaches IF I use this juicer, I go ahead and put those skins and pulp into my must. I just use the juice to totally destroy the pulp and free up all the sugar and flavor I can. There is also a price difference with the slow juicer typically costing more because they have to be tougher to withstand pressures of crushing harder things like nuts and tougher fruit and veggies.
> ...


i agree with you.


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## jdixon (Dec 15, 2021)

So after getting done using my new steam juicer on Mustang Grapes I am not crazy about the color. It's a lot lighter. Could just be because it's just pulling the juice out which is not purple and leaving the skins pretty much intact. There has to be some water getting into also. Can't really tell about taste as I have not made any jam with it. I went out this morning hoping to pick 5 gallons. Would be enough to make jam, wine and give some to my buddy. I worked hard to get 2 gallons. A lady stopped and talked to me and said was a bumper crop last year. I did my normal method of cooking then straining overnight. Boy, the color is a bunch darker. Won't know until tomorrow how much have but guessing 3 quarts. Not going to make wine now. Thinking of mixing half and half-light with dark with about 4 quarts of light left over.

I let a friend use the steam juicer for 20 lbs peaches. He really liked it. Got enough juice for 5 gallons of wine. I think making wine would be the best use for it.


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## Scooter68 (Dec 16, 2021)

Esmith said:


> Very informative thread.



The one type of juicer not really mentioned in this tread is the slow juicers that crush not slice the fruit. Omega is the biggest maker of those for home use and while expensive they work well for smaller batches. Anything over about 3 gallons of wine is going to require a lot of patience. I've made apple and peach wine using an Omega juicer and the the only issue is that I to take it apart and remove the bits clogging the screens up after a bout 3-4 lbs. Tedious but very good. With apples I even scrape the pulp back into the juice and just leave the skins behind. I consider the course pulp to be like a fresh apple sauce without the cooking.


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## Willaim james (Dec 17, 2021)

Slow juicers, which crush rather than slice the fruit, are one type of juicer not discussed in this article. Omega is the most popular brand for home use, and while they are pricey, they perform well for little batches. Anything above 3 gallons of wine will necessitate a great deal of patience. I've made apple and peach wine with an Omega juicer, and the only problem is that after around 3-4 pounds, I have to disassemble it and remove the debris clogging the screens. It's tedious, but it's very nice. I even scrape the pulp back into the juice and just leave the skins behind when using apples. The course pulp, in my opinion, is similar to fresh apple sauce without the heating.


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## jdixon (Dec 18, 2021)

jdixon said:


> So after getting done using my new steam juicer on Mustang Grapes I am not crazy about the color. It's a lot lighter. Could just be because it's just pulling the juice out which is not purple and leaving the skins pretty much intact. There has to be some water getting into also. Can't really tell about taste as I have not made any jam with it. I went out this morning hoping to pick 5 gallons. Would be enough to make jam, wine and give some to my buddy. I worked hard to get 2 gallons. A lady stopped and talked to me and said was a bumper crop last year. I did my normal method of cooking then straining overnight. Boy, the color is a bunch darker. Won't know until tomorrow how much have but guessing 3 quarts. Not going to make wine now. Thinking of mixing half and half-light with dark with about 4 quarts of light left over Vitamix 6300 review.
> 
> I let a friend use the steam juicer for 20 lbs peaches. He really liked it. Got enough juice for 5 gallons of wine. I think making wine would be the best use for it.


no response of this question.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 18, 2021)

jdixon said:


> So after getting done using my new steam juicer on Mustang Grapes I am not crazy about the color. It's a lot lighter. Could just be because it's just pulling the juice out which is not purple and leaving the skins pretty much intact. There has to be some water getting into also. Can't really tell about taste as I have not made any jam with it. I went out this morning hoping to pick 5 gallons. Would be enough to make jam, wine and give some to my buddy. I worked hard to get 2 gallons. A lady stopped and talked to me and said was a bumper crop last year. I did my normal method of cooking then straining overnight. Boy, the color is a bunch darker. Won't know until tomorrow how much have but guessing 3 quarts. Not going to make wine now. Thinking of mixing half and half-light with dark with about 4 quarts of light left over.
> 
> I let a friend use the steam juicer for 20 lbs peaches. He really liked it. Got enough juice for 5 gallons of wine. I think making wine would be the best use for it.





jdixon said:


> no response of this question.



WADR, @jdixon , I don't see a question in your post. Can you tell us what your question is?


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## Willaim james (Dec 30, 2021)

Juicing is a popular way for an increasing number of individuals to reduce weight quickly, acquire sufficient nutrition, and support healthy lifestyles.


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## Willaim james (Jan 13, 2022)

Slow juicers, which crush rather than slice the fruit, are one type of juicer not discussed in this article. Omega is the most popular brand for home use, and while they are pricey, they perform well for little batches. Anything above 3 gallons of wine will necessitate a great deal of patience. I've made apple and peach wine with an Omega juicer, and the only problem is that after around 3-4 pounds, I have to disassemble it and remove the debris clogging the screens. It's tedious, but it's very nice. I even scrape the pulp back into the juice and just leave the skins behind when using apples. The course pulp, in my opinion, is similar to fresh apple sauce without heating. best juicer for celery


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## Mae4567 (Oct 28, 2022)

Willaim james said:


> Slow juicers, which crush rather than slice the fruit, are one type of juicer not discussed in this article. Omega is the most popular brand for home use, and while they are pricey, they perform well for little batches. Anything above 3 gallons of wine will necessitate a great deal of patience. I've made apple and peach wine with an Omega juicer, and the only problem is that after around 3-4 pounds, I have to disassemble it and remove the debris clogging the screens. It's tedious, but it's very nice. I even scrape the pulp back into the juice and just leave the skins behind when using apples. The course pulp, in my opinion, is similar to fresh apple sauce without heating. best juicer for celery



Yes. It is on the expensive side but if you’re going to take juicing seriously, there’s no better way to start than using this machine. You can think of it as an investment in your health. The massive benefit this has vs the others is that it has the highest juice yield and it’s super easy to clean. You’d clean it the same way you would any other juicer but with this, it has built in wiper blades that un-clog pulp from your juicing screen. Just pour some water in the spout, let it run and then when you take it apart you just need to give it a good rinse. If you’re a beginner and you want to start with safety and simple juicer for celery money can buy.


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## Mae4567 (Oct 28, 2022)

I bought my beginner juicer Choose the Omega VSJ843QS. Yes. It is on the expensive side but if you’re going to take juicing seriously, there’s no better way to start than using this machine. You can think of it as an investment in your health. The massive benefit this has vs the others is that it has the highest juice yield and it’s super easy to clean. You’d clean it the same way you would any other juicer but with this, it has built in wiper blades that un-clog pulp from your juicing screen. Just pour some water in the spout, let it run and then when you take it apart you just need to give it a good rinse. If you’re a beginner and you want to start with safety and simple juicer for celery money can buy.


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