If you want to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet, juicing is an easy option. Consumer Reports just tested more than a dozen juicers that you can use at home.
"In addition to juicing performance, we pay close attention to how easy these machines are to use and to clean," said Dan DiClerico, with Consumer Reports. "If they're really hard to use and clean, you might not take them out as often."
Consumer Reports says look for a juicer with a wide-mouth feeding tube, so that there's less chopping and prepping.
"In general, our tests found that the very inexpensive juicers, 50 dollars or less, tended to be lacking," said DiClerico. "They really fell to the bottom of our ratings."
Most inexpensive juicers don't extract as much juice as pricier machines. But that doesn't mean expensive juicers are the best choices, either.
For example, the $500 Kitchen Aid rated excellent for juicing, but testers found it came with too many parts, which can equal a lot of clean-up time after you enjoy your drink.
A better, less expensive option is the Breville 800JEXL for $300. It features professional touches like stainless steel, a wide-mouthed feed tube, and a container for juice. It's also very easy to clean.
For far less, Consumer Reports also recommends the Juiceman JM8000S for $100. It delivers a pulpier juice than the Breville, and while it's not all stainless steel, it has many of the same conveniences, like a wide mouth and a juice container.
Another option is a blender. Consumer Reports tests those, too. The very best, is also very expensive at $650. It's the Vitamix Professional Series 750. However, the Dash Chef Series Digital for $200 also did a good job blending up icy drinks.
Complete Ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars and trucks, and electronic gear, are available on Consumer Reports' website.
