Top 4 Mistakes People Make When Juicing
Do you think of yourself as the epitome of perfection when it comes to juicing technique? Many people do, yet the reality for some can be quite different. So, what are the four most common mistakes made during juicing?
Using the Wrong Ingredients
Now, that heading is probably going to cause a lot of confusion. Surely if you buy a juicer it should be able to juice anything after all? Well to a point, yes, a decent juicer can extract juice from any ingredient that actually contains juice. However, there are many different forms of juicer, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Adhering to these strengths and weaknesses is a key part of correct juicing, and yet so many enthusiasts choose to ignore it.
So, what should you be juicing in each style of juicer?
- Vertical Juicers - Soft fruit is the speciality of vertical models, and they can also fare well with root vegetables and hard fruit. If you want to juice lots of leafy greens, horizontal or twin gear models make a better choice.
- Horizontal Juicers - Leafy greens and root vegetables are the best choices with these models. They can work with soft fruits, but they are less effective than their vertical counterparts.
- Twin Gear Juicers - A good twin gear model juices anything, but they tend to be especially good with leafy greens and root vegetables. Realistically you can’t go wrong though.
- Centrifugal Juicers - Frankly if you buy a centrifugal model, don’t bother with leafy greens at all unless you like throwing money away. Handfuls of kale can often yield just a few drops of juice in most centrifugal models. Instead, stick to soft fruits and root vegetables, but don’t expect yields as high as those seen in masticating models.
Finally, it’s important to note that certain ingredients shouldn’t be juiced at all. Bananas and Avocados, in particular, are two ingredients that should be avoided. Both contain low levels of juice and in many cases, they form a mush inside the juicer. That mush proves tough to clean and offers no real pleasure to consume, causing the ingredients to be wasted.
Poor Ingredient Preparation
Let’s say that you are juicing the correct ingredients. The next common juicing sin is preparing those ingredients poorly. Good preparation involves cutting down all ingredients into manageable chunks that don’t force the juicer to strain. If chunks are too large not only will it lead to worse yields, but it can also involve much more physical effort while leaving more general wear and tear on the juicing components.
Ingredient Overfeeding
Poor preparation may lead to increased risks of damage, but nothing is worse for the health of a juicer than cramming. Shoving lots of ingredients down a juicer at once is always going to lead to trouble, and even if those ingredients have been well prepared, the effort required from the motor to process them can sometimes simply prove too much.
If you’re guilty of overfeeding your juicer we recommend stopping immediately. Not only will it help your juicer to live longer, but it can help with producing higher juice yields that taste better. Furthermore, all of this still applies even if you have a wide feed juicer. Just because they can take a whole apple doesn’t mean they should!
Insufficient Cleaning
The final mistake made during the juicing process actually happens after juicing is complete during cleaning. Despite the cleaning stage being of critical importance, it is often overlooked and in some cases carried out to a very poor level. While many of the juicing components can still function if not fully cleaned, the juicing screen can easily become clogged and over time it can become impossible to remove any hardened remnants of ingredients.