Which is The Best Juicer in India? We Find Out

We find out which juicer in India is worth your dime.Fluid, fruity and refreshing - juices are the best way to get raw liquid nutrients into your body. Yes, nothing beats the taste of a chilled glass of juice but the main objective of drinking juice has always been to take advantage of all the vitamins and minerals in fruits to enhance your health. "A juice cleanse can reset the system by clearing the body of toxins and acidity to reduce cravings and promote lasting weight loss and improve overall health", according to the authors of the book 'The Juice Cleanse Reset Diet'. Side note: Always drink freshly prepared juice because even when it’s stored in the fridge, it can turn brown - a mere indication that the nutrients are oxidising.What is a Juicer?A juicer is basically a kitchen appliance designed to extract juice from fruits and vegetables, a great way to get your 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. Pretty much all juicers have at least two basic jugs that come with it, one to collect the juice and one to collect the pulp. Be aware that a good juicer doesn’t come all that cheap, because juicing is very hard on the motor, and a high-quality juicer is built to last. There are in fact, 2 main types of juicers - masticating juicers and centrifugal juicers. This guide will tell you the difference between types of juicers, how much you need to spend to get a great model, and what other features to look out for.A centrifugal juicer is the most common type of juicer, and definitely a more economical option. The blades spin fast in order to grate fruits and vegetables quickly. They work by grating the produce into a pulp and then spinning the liquid out of it. However, centrifugal juicers do not work as well with leafy greens. A masticating juicer is more efficient than a centrifugal juicer, and more expensive too. It extracts extra juice while retaining more fiber as well and can also be used to make fruit sorbets, nut butters and baby foods. It tends to run slower though, since it extracts as much usable material from the food being fed into it. It also works well with leafy vegetables. Of late, a new juicer is on trend - a triturating juicer in which the fruit or vegetable is exposed to minimum heat, almost zero oxidation, making cold-pressed juice that is more fresh, pure and nutrient-rich.
  
Now there are some things that user manuals and product descriptions won't tell you, like how long the juicer will take to produce a full jug of yummy juice, how noisy it is and whether it's a nightmare to clean and store. Fret not, we’ll make sure you won’t end up wasting you money on a model that ends up gathering dust in the kitchen cupboard. Because ultimately, you want to own a machine that adds value to your everyday life, simplifies the process and gives you quality service and the satisfaction of money well spent.After several trips to retail stores, connecting with brands and analysing products available online, we realized that the first thing that pops up once you ask about a juicer is a centrifugal juicer. Why? Because it’s the easiest to assemble and not too tough on the wallet in comparison to masticating and triturating juicers. It’s easier to find on shop shelves and the most common too, which is why we decided to find you the best centrifugal juicer in town.Basic Features You Must ConsiderDesign: The simplest machine can be the best machine, with no complicated features to make it irksome to use. If your juicer is compact and only has a few simple parts, it will be easier to assemble and also, motivate you to use it more often.Juicing Yield: You obviously want a juicer that extracts a good amount from fruits and vegetables. Note- Wet pulp is an indication that the machine is not effective in extracting a high yield of juice.Speeds: Centrifugal juicers come with variable speeds so you can select a slow speed for soft fruits like berries and fast speed for harder fruits and vegetables like carrots. The slower the basket spins, the more juice is extracted from the fruit or vegetable, which makes this a definite advantage of these types of juicers.Cleaning Time: There are many plus points for juicing, but cleaning a juicer is definitely not one of them. When purchasing a juicer, consider the cleaning method and the amount of time it would take to clean the gunk off after juicing.Juice Level Indicator: A see-through container is great, but nothing beats visible markings to indicate the amount of fruit or greens that has been juiced. A feature which is not universal amongst the products we have tested, it is one that you must look out for.Feeding Tube: The larger the size of the feeding tube, the larger pieces of produce that can be juiced. This feature makes the preparation easy because the food doesn't require cutting and chopping. A good size for the spout of a centrifugal juicer feeding tube is 3 inches or wider.Pulp Container: Look out for a juicer with a large pulp container because you don’t need to stop and empty it if you want to juice large amounts.Safety Switch: Almost all juicers have a safety lock lid. This means the juicer won't work unless the lid is clicked into place securely.Drip-Stop Pout: An added feature, but very useful. This prevents any remaining juice inside the machine from dripping out onto your kitchen counter, when you’ve removed your glass or jug from underneath the spout.Noise: Before buying a juicer, get a demo and make sure it isn’t noisy.Storability: A juicer that is compact and takes limited space is ideal, so you can store it in your kitchen cabinet easily or even display it on the counter.Customer Service: It is best to choose a juicer which offers you aspects like a long-term warranty, or exchange or return of the item in case it is faulty.The ContendersSince there are a dizzying array of juicers to choose from - we picked the basic and latest model of various brands available in the market based on user preferences and popularity. All juicers were physically tested to make carrot juice, keeping in mind the above factors. The price range varies from Rs. 4000 to Rs. 8000, depending on the power consumption that went up to 700 W.

Brand	Model Name	Yield	Power	Features	Warranty	Price
Morphy Richards	Juice Plus	3 glasses	600 W	* juice level indicator * multiple speed control * anti skid feet * dishwasher safe * special safety clamps	2 years	Price Rs. 4195
Philips	Viva Collection HR1832/00	7 glasses	400 W	* drip-stop pout * easy to store * anti skid feet * dishwasher safe * special safety clamps	2 years	Rs. 7495
Kenstar	KJE70W0A	4 glasses	700 W	* multiple speed control * wide feeding tube * special safety clamps	2 years	Rs. 6490
Usha	3240	6 glasses	400 W	* drip-stop pout * auto shut off * multiple speed control * overheat protection	1 year	Rs. 4495
Prestige	PCJ 7.0	5 glasses	500 W	* wide feeding tube * multiple speed control * drip-stop pout * safety interlock	1 year	Rs. 4295
Black & Decker	PRJE650	4 glasses	700 W	* wide feeding tube * multiple speed control * safety interlock	2 years	Rs. 7895

Go on, squeeze juice and fruits into your diet with our top picks.1. Morphy RichardsThe swanky Morphy Richards juicer comes with a partially transparent body which lets you see the juice froth up and also a juice level indicator. It has multiple speed control but doesn’t crush fruits and greens easily so you have to soak them before juicing (which can get tedious). We also found that the machine tends to heat up if you take out more than 1 glass at a time, and is tough to clean. However, it has special safety clamps which ensure the device cannot be used unless it is completely assembled, and it features anti skid feet which keeps it steady.
 
2. PhilipsThe body is mostly made of plastic, and the lid and pulp container are transparent so you can see your fruits being juiced but it has no juice level indicator. It is compact in design and can easily be stored or left on your kitchen countertop, occupying hardly any space. You can place your own glass under the integrated tap and directly pour the juice without creating a mess. The juicer can make up to 1.5 L in one go, without needing to empty the pulp container. It also has a really cool added feature i.e. drip stop which prevents the juice from dripping. We loved the polished sieve which makes it really easy to clean with a standard kitchen sponge. The only drawback is that you have to cut the fruits before juicing. So if you’re ready to spend a little more, we suggest the next model - Philips Viva Collection 1863 - which doesn’t involve any pre-cutting thanks to the XL feeding tube.
 
3. Kenstar
The Kenstar juicer has a plastic body but is very bulky and difficult to store. At first, we were unable to dismantle it due to the lever. The juice made from the juicer was nice and frothy, but left a lot of pulp (leading to nutrition loss). Also if you’re not careful, you may cut your hand while cleaning the sieve since its surface is rough.4. UshaThe Usha juicer comes with an anti-drip spout, added safety features and a juice level indicator. It can yield up to 1.2 L of juice without heating up and has a large pulp container for convenience. The parts can be easily detached and cleaned, minus the fuss but is slightly bulky to store. It features auto shut off, works smoothly and is very user-friendly. But note, the warranty on the product is only of 1 year.
 
5. PrestigeThe Prestige juicer packs quite a large capacity and an extra wide mouth which makes it easy to feed whole and half-cut fruits into it. It has an anti-drip feature which doesn’t work all that well, but the sieve is easy to clean. However, it was very difficult to juice carrots in comparison to its contenders and warranty on the product is of 1 year unlike its contenders.6. Black & Decker
The juicer was not visually appealing compared to its contenders, and comes with an extra wide feeding tube. But the sieve of the juicer is very fine which makes it difficult to juice and clean thereafter. Also, it was very difficult to juice carrots in this particular model since the grater was not sharp enough.

ConclusionOut of all the juicers, Philips 1832 had the lightest body and was the easiest to clean. It yielded the maximum amount of juice and left behind very little pulp. The juicer is elegantly designed with curved and smooth surfaces which can fit one on top of the other and can be detached easily. Even the spout was very easy to detach and clean. This model is sleek and attractive to look at, sure to add oomph to your kitchen set-up. But if you’re looking for a juicer that is value for money, you’ll want to grab Usha 3240, also of 400 W - a winning combination of speed and ease.Things to Keep in MindNow that you’ve got the juicer of your dreams, here are quick tips to handle the gadget with care.1. Most of these juicers come with basic safety features but as a practise, make sure you switch it off after use.2. You must always clean up as soon as you have finished making the juice, or rather drinking the juice. It will easily rinse off with warm water if you do it there and then.3. In case you got busy or lazy - you will have to use hot water and scrub till you get the dried pulp off. Clean the pulp container with a spatula, keep scraping and you’ll succeed. Needless to say, the most difficult part to clean is the sieve so use a toothbrush for the job.4. Do not place the base of the juicer in water.5. Once you’re done, allow all the parts to dry up, reassemble the juicer and then store, until it’s time to juice up again!