We went to Waitrose today and came home with a Sage Heston Blumenthal Nutri Juicer as we have so many apples and pears to deal with. We decided to read about it before opening the pack and were amazed to find it was £17 cheaper on the John Lewis website!
We thought Waitrose belonged to JL so I rang them up. I was told that they were only agents for them and that if I ordered the juicer from JL to pick up at Waitrose tomorrow, I could then return the one we purchased today and get a refund.
I feel really cross about it. It would entail a 20 mile return journey to take it back. I now find I can get it online from Lakeland or Amazon much cheaper than at Waitrose.
I am also beginning to doubt whether or not I have bought the right one. It was a lot of money. Can anyone recommend one please that will deal with whole apples and pears, is dishwasher proof and will not get overheated if there is a lot of fruit to juice?
We want to use the juice not just for drinking, smoothies etc but for making wine and cider.
I can't recommend one but I have been looking to buy one too. I have looked at many online and I think I have found 'the one'.
http://www.ukjuicers.com/lequip-xl-juicer-black?gclid=CKeX3r2cjboCFQTHtAodTiMA7g
duke
I really feel confident here. I have had several juicers over the years and far and away the best is the one I have now which is made by Breville. I just looked it up to see if it available in the UK and it is but the company that makes it there is Sage-Heston Blementhal. There are several models and they are not cheap but take a look on Amazon UK and view the models and comments.
XX Jeannine
Duke, the one you are looking at is only 600watt and may not be strong enough for our requirements.
Jeannine, sounds like the one we bought! It's going back for a refund though as I am not prepared to pay over the odds for one. I will then purchase the same model but somewhere such as Amazon or Lakeland where it is cheaper.
I might just pop into the library whilst in town and have a look at the Which Magazines and see what they recommend.
I do not use a juicer, why throw away all the rest of the fruit?. I know, not many people would have the blender that we got at Gardeners world at a special price of £200. Normal price is over £500 Which is the Vitamix total nutrition centre. It is a lot of money to lay out. But if you can find a similar clone that will work with ice cubes or mill flour, get it.
These machines reduce whole fruit and veg down to a thick liquid, nothing thrown away, if left on for a few minutes the friction will even heat the veg up into a soup. A cup of warm water afterwards and a quick blitz and it's clean. Blimey! I am starting to sound like a salesman, have a quick look at the link. and you will get my gist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbwHry2oH5I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbwHry2oH5I)
Mine is 1300 watts but there is a bigger one I think, would cost about 250 sterling I would guess. \XX Jeanninre
QuoteWe want to use the juice not just for drinking, smoothies etc but for making wine and cider
Ah... perhaps you would need something like this instead..
http://www.lovebrewing.co.uk/wine-presses-fruit-crushers/wine-fruit-presses/
The resulting pulp can still be used for making fruit leather or jam if you take care of seed before crushing..and no electric used neither.. :icon_cheers:
another good site for bit more info.. http://www.vigopresses.co.uk/default.aspx
Do you make cider, Goodlife? If so, which press do you find works well enough?
My first husband made cider every autumn, but we had a friend with a full size professional/traditional press involving apples wrapped up in sacking, a huge manual screw, and everyone going away with gallons of apple juice which we just placed in large wooden barrels (ex sherry and whisky, lovely flavours) and left to mature. There is no way I could replicate that these days, but I do hanker after the drink we enjoyed so much.
QuoteDo you make cider, Goodlife? If so, which press do you find works well enough?
No I don't...though I do enjoy odd bottle in a year. My cider consumption is so small that if I would make some....somebody else would end up gulping it down..
I grow such a number of apples and every year there is so much un-used fruit around that having press and making some juice would be good idea, but for time being birds around here are being well fed.
I've been looking into fruit presses for some number of years...every autumn I check the variety of presses and prices and I'm totally tempted. Machine numbers available are increasing and prices have come down to more affordable level.. :icon_cheers:
So far I have resisted the temptation...I simply have too much to do so adding yet another 'hobby' is something I don't have time or energy.
I'm sooooo tempted though......
Like Ace, we have a Vitamix, which will deal with just about any fruit and veg that you throw into it. But although it will blitz anything to a pulp, it very much depends on what you want to do. If it's smoothies, then Vitamix wins hands down.
But if you want apple or pear juice, or to make cider or perry, then the Vitamix doesn't separate pulp from juice. You need something that presses the fruit much more slowly, such as an augur juicer aka masticating juicer.
Single augur juicers are much cheaper and do a pretty good job eg: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oscar-Vitalmax-900-Juicer-White/dp/B001IH8P0Q/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1381490139&sr=1-4&keywords=Vitality+4+Life (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oscar-Vitalmax-900-Juicer-White/dp/B001IH8P0Q/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1381490139&sr=1-4&keywords=Vitality+4+Life)
But if you search, you'll also find double augur juicers which really are the bee's knees. But they're jolly expensive. http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/juicers/masticating/greenstar-elite-juicer.html (http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/juicers/masticating/greenstar-elite-juicer.html)
ETA: We've had various centrifugal juicers over the years, but none have been much good. I think they're an unsatisfactory compromise.
I've got a matstone (also known as dong-a-Oscar!!!) it works well for a lot of things and I use the grinder for coriander seeds etc. No good for making passata though, but that's because you want a different result. It is very heavy and sturdy.
Quote from: Melbourne12 on October 11, 2013, 12:14:03
But if you search, you'll also find double augur juicers which really are the bee's knees. But they're jolly expensive. http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/juicers/masticating/greenstar-elite-juicer.
(http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/juicers/masticating/greenstar-elite-juicer.html)
Oh no seems like its back to the drawing board for me.
How long does it take for a masticating juicer to produce a small glass of apple juice compared to a centrifugal juicer?
Duke
I had a Vitamix and found I rarely used it, whereas the juicer I use all the time and always have. XX Jeannine
Quote from: Duke Ellington on October 11, 2013, 14:15:04
Quote from: Melbourne12 on October 11, 2013, 12:14:03
But if you search, you'll also find double augur juicers which really are the bee's knees. But they're jolly expensive. http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/juicers/masticating/greenstar-elite-juicer.
(http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/juicers/masticating/greenstar-elite-juicer.html)
Oh no seems like its back to the drawing board for me.
How long does it take for a masticating juicer to produce a small glass of apple juice compared to a centrifugal juicer?
Duke
I think the problem with ALL these devices, even my beloved Vitamix, is that they take loads of time and effort to make a small glass of anything. By the time you've set it up, fed in some fruit to fill the mechanism (some of which'll get wasted) then more fruit to actually make your glass of juice, then dismantled and washed it, you could have gone to your local health food shop for a glass of the very finest ready-made fruit juice.
If you're going to make a litre or more, then they're probably worth it. Here's an informative and amusing video comparing the two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgzxuJ-BCqU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgzxuJ-BCqU)
Quote from: ACE on October 11, 2013, 07:57:36
I do not use a juicer, why throw away all the rest of the fruit?. ................
These machines reduce whole fruit and veg down to a thick liquid, nothing thrown away, if left on for a few minutes the friction will even heat the veg up into a soup.............
Ace and Melbourne, thanks for your replies. I don't really want a thick liquid for cider or wine making and I assume that if I want a smoothie or soup, I could always put the juice and the left over solids into my blender and mix the two together.
Quote from: goodlife on October 11, 2013, 08:28:59
Ah... perhaps you would need something like this instead..
http://www.lovebrewing.co.uk/wine-presses-fruit-crushers/wine-fruit-presses/
The resulting pulp can still be used for making fruit leather or jam if you take care of seed before crushing..and no electric used neither.. :icon_cheers:
another good site for bit more info.. http://www.vigopresses.co.uk/default.aspx
We have looked at wine presses, Goodlife, but I don't think they are as versatile as the juicer and they tend to be a lot more expensive.
In the August issue of the magazine "Home Farmer", there is an article on cider making by Dr Nevin Stewart. He recommends using a Breville juicer. There is a link to the article here: http://issuu.com/goodlifepress/docs/home_farmer_august_2013_cider_extra#
Thank you everyone for your replies as they have helped me to decide exactly what I want. I now know that the one I bought ie. the Sage Rosen Blumenthal, is the correct machine for me though I will take mine back to Waitrose when I am in Salisbury next week and buy another one from Lakeland or John Lewis and save between £15 and £17. Had it only been a few pounds dearer, I wouldn't bother to exchange it, but the difference in price is just excessive.
Will you let us know how you get on with your chosen juicer. I'm particularly interested how yours perform when you make different 'products' out of the juice.
You never know if I 'need' to make a juicer purchase near future :happy7:
Quote from: goodlife on October 12, 2013, 12:43:39
Will you let us know how you get on with your chosen juicer. I'm particularly interested how yours perform when you make different 'products' out of the juice.
You never know if I 'need' to make a juicer purchase near future :happy7:
Yes, I will certainly let you know how I get on with it.
Goodo, you will be very happy with that one I have always been with mine XX Jeannine