Difference Between Centrifugal, Citrus and Masticating Juicers

Juicers today are available in varied price ranges, starting from a mere $50 to all the way up to $400. So, which one would you go for - a low-priced option to save money or a highly expensive one for a better build or a mid-range option? Well, you certainly don’t want to splurge a small fortune on a juicer. On the other hand, you don’t want to end up with a non-functioning option only after 3 months of buying it just to save money. The most important thing to do here is to get a thorough study on the different aspects of juicers to ensure an informed decision.

The Difference Between Centrifugal, Citrus and Masticating Juicers

Now, when you will head to study about the juicers, you will come across 3 forms- Centrifugal, Masticating and Citrus. Though all the juicers look more or less similar externally yet there are some fundamental differences between them. You must get a clear idea on each of these types of juicers to find out the most compatible match for your needs. You must gather proper knowledge on their abilities, speed and noise level as well as the cost for an easy comparison study between the three.

The good thing is the post below has laid down everything you need to know about these juicers to understand their compatibility quotient as per your needs. From their operation format to their amount of food waste to their prep time to their speed to their noise level- this article has shed light on all major facets of these juicers.

How do these juicers work?

Let’s start with the form of operation.

In fact, the primary difference between the centrifugal & masticating juicers lays in their way of breaking down food particles while extracting the juice. The Centrifugal option is designed with a single blade that rotates at top speed for slicing & dicing food. It works somewhat akin to a blender where it slices down your food to extract juice.

The Masticating juicers use gears and not blades. Unlike the previous option, they don’t slice food- rather they work to grind food for better juice extraction. Some of these juicers come with single gear while you will also find 2-gear options.

On the other hand, citrus juicers work with spinning reamers. You must have worked with manual reamers before to squeeze juice out of citrus fruits. The Citrus juicers work in a similar way but relieve you of the manual pressure. You will simply have to cut a fruit in two halves, place them (individually) on the juicer reamer and the juicer will automatically extract the juice out of it.

Food waste

If you compare between centrifugal & masticating options, the former one is known to waste more amount of food. These juicers are unable to break down food which does not allow them to extract maximum amount of juice from the fruits. As mentioned earlier, these juicers work with blades and blades can’t squeeze. As a result, you will have to get multiple veggies or fruits for just one glass juice. On the other hand, masticating juicers can grind out almost 2 juice glasses with the similar portion of veggies or fruits. One of the most common complaints among centrifugal juicer users is food waste.

Thus, if you want to save food, it’s better you go for masticating juicers.

We can’t really make a comparison with citrus juicers here since these devices work in a different manner. However, it can be said, these juicers create almost similar quantity of food waste as centrifugal options. But still, with citrus juicers, you can only squeeze citric fruits since it can’t work with fruits & vegetables. Thus, a proper comparison is not possible here.

Preparation time

If there is one point where centrifugal juicers score the highest, it is certainly the speed factor. Yes, these juicers assure the shortest preparation time. It’s because, you can pile up bid food chunks inside these juicers easily. In fact, if you want apple juice, you can insert the entire fruit inside the juicer comfortably. Thus, with the centrifugal option, not much time is wasted in cutting or slicing the fruits before placing them into the juicer.

However, it’s not the case with masticating juicers. As mentioned earlier, these juicers are unable to slice and cut the fruits. It means, you will have to cut the veggies or fruits into small pieces before placing them into the juicer. If you put too many big food chunks inside a masticating juicer, it will only get clogged and will be unable to function. Worse, you may end up with damaged gears as well.

You will also enjoy less prep time with citrus juicers. You will simply have to cut fruits into two halves and then just place them on the reamer to squeeze out the juice.

Speed vs. quality

The Centrifugal option is designed to slice fruits and not grind them. As a result, the juicers assure a much faster performance compared to masticating juicers. So, if you want speed, a centrifugal juicer is the best thing for you.

But wait, speed is not everything. Yes, we are living in a super-busy world today where we want everything in a lightning-fast speed. However, we can’t forget the fastest is not always the best.

The bottom-line is, centrifugal juicer is great if you mostly take to soft foods like strawberries and grapes. But when it comes to hard foods like apples or carrots, faster isn’t exactly the better. It’s because, centrifugal juicers can’t extract maximum juice when it comes to harder fruits which leads to food waste. But Masticating options can extract as much juice as possible from the fruits or veggies. Yes, the process takes time because the juicer has to break down everything inside. But still, it’s better to wait for some time than to waste food. Isn’t it?

The noise quotient

Centrifugal juicers are comparatively noisier than their masticating counterparts. As mentioned previously, it’s the speediest option but the speed here comes at the cost of noise. The centrifugal juicers assure a speedy operation due to the rapid movement of their blades. But this pacey rotation leads to a noisy environment around, much to the discomfort of the users. On the other hand, masticating juicers work by grinding the fruits which is a slow yet steady movement. As a result, the noise level is always much lower with a masticating juicer.

Other uses

Citrus and centrifugal juicers can only be used to make fruit/veggie juices. But with a masticating juicer, you can make ice cream, sorbet as well as baby food- added to juices. Thus, if you want a versatile juicer, masticating juicer is the thing for you.

Cost factor

For obvious reasons, a masticating juicer is any day 2-3x more expensive compared to a centrifugal juicer. But then, you will need a masticating juicer when it comes to processing hard foods and that too in a quiet environment.

Put simply, you should consider your needs first before buying your juicer. While cost is a major parameter but it should not be the only one. You should also the motor wattage of your chosen juicer as the device’s performance is largely dependent on its motor.

Citrus juicer devices are the cheapest of the lot. But they can only be used for citric fruits. So, if you love various kinds of fruits, it’s better you concentrate on centrifugal & masticating ones.