Works great if you like thick, chunky juice (and lots of cleanup)!

If you're a "juicer-type" person and drink a lot of fresh juice, this might be the juicer for you; read on! If you're not a juice person, you might be better off buying a multipurpose appliance, like a blender, that can do many of the same tasks, but not limit you just to juicing.

Choosing the Braun:

This was a present, so price wasn't the only issue, but not knowing one juicer from another, I was pleased that this one was so affordable. It's also small enough that it will fit into almost any kitchen.

I also chose it for the Braun name, but it has languished in cupboards for several years for a number of reasons.

I guess juicing isn't a big part of my life, so buying it was kind of wishful thinking. Or else, maybe, I expected owning a juicer to convert me into a "juicer type" of person.

Anyway, I recently hauled this out again and decided that, for the most part, it does work well and pretty much accomplishes the job at hand, and for that it should get some credit.

HOW IT WORKS:

You do some minimal preparation on your fruits and/or veggies, then push them down into a feed slot. A centrifuge cutter/mesh screen "chews up" the stuff you feed in and spins it such that the juice goes through the screen to trickle into the collection cup. The pulp gets - mostly - spit out into the (much larger) pulp cup. It is not unusual to get a HUGE amount of pulp for a relatively small amount of juice.

What kind of prepping is needed?
For the most part, peels and seeds are no problem, so apples just need washing and cutting. Carrots and beets don't need to be peeled, but you want to trim the ends off because that stuff would taste yucky in juice. Citrus fruits should be peeled, but don't need to be segmented. Just cut them like apples or tomatoes and drop them in.

Why I love it:

Hey, fresh juice - can't argue with that! It's good for you, tasty, delightful. You can also heat up juices to use as delicious bases for soups or reduce them to make healthy non-butter-laden sauces.

As an appliance, the Braun is solidly built and works well, now that I have it sitting on the counter and it's actually seeing some use. The switch is very simple to operate and feels sturdy enough to last for years and years.

Because I use it mostly for veggies, not fruits, I don't mind a little extra pulp. However, the one time I made apple juice, I found it was too thick and cloudy and full of pulp to be useable without extra filtering.

Why I don't love it:

Prep work. The hole in the top is fairly small, and everything has to be prepped to fit through it. A few carrots will fit; half an apple will not.

OK... any juicer is going to need cleaning. To clean the Braun, you have to open the top and clean the following:
- Juice cup
- *Mesh cutter/filter
- *Plastic "catcher" around mesh filter
- *Inside of lid
- Pulp cup
- Outside, if any spatters

Areas indicated with * are hard to clean because pulp becomes wedged and "hidden" in several places on its way out, plus the mesh filter really needs a toothbrush to get it nicely clean.

That said, Braun makes disassembly and reassembly relatively easy; there's only one way everything fits together, and it does snap together nicely when it's all clean. Plus, all parts are very slick white plastic and caked-on gunk, even if accidentally left for days, comes off in a jiffy!

And although it's annoying that the juice cup sits separately and is kind of small, it does fit conveniently inside the pulp cup for storage.

HOWEVER... there are times when I'm juicing away and all of a sudden notice bits of fruit or veg plopping out the juice tube and into the finished product. Not nice. Plus the juicer can't really handle large quantities, and if the pulp areas get too clogged, you'll need to do some amount of disassembly, cleaning and reassembly in the middle of your batch.

Sometimes, juice or bits will also spray out the tube at too high velocity and land on the counter or around the outside of the machine, which is easily wiped down, so not too many points against it for this one. For its occasionally messing up the counter, however, I do grumble a bit.

Another downside is the amount of waste, seeing endless pulp collecting in the container and dumping it out. There are things you can do with the pulp - in theory - like make carrot-pulp muffins or whatever, but really, if I'm in the mood for juice, I don't stop to bag and freeze the pulp that's left over.

(Just as an aside, I did try making potato latkes (pancakes) once using potato pulp, but it was SOooo dry (because the potato water had all been sucked out!) that I had to add back in a ton of eggs, oil and water to get it to a batter-like consistency (I usually use 2 eggs and a couple tbsp of oil for 6 potatoes... this was more like a cup of water, lots of oil and 4 eggs). Interesting experiment, but not all that practical!)

NOTE: Looking for a "family" juicer?

Consider a heavier-duty, pro-quality juicer! Kids don't like the juice because even with the built-in filtering screen, there is too much pulp in the finished product. You will have to filter it at least once on your own to get something they will enjoy, and even then - although it's healthier - they may prefer the clear, colourful commercial stuff. Natural juices have a pretty murky colour that takes some getting used to.

Bottom line:

This is a good entry-level juicer. Buy it if you want juice and either have the time/energy for extra filtering or a hankering for chewy, chunky juice! For family solutions, look to a heavier-duty juicer that might filter a bit better -- or something like the Vita Mix that can liquify anything in seconds. :-)

SUGGESTED RECIPES:
Red Lightning - adapted from Big Carrot Organic Juice Bar in Toronto - 1 carrot, 1 celery, 1 beet, 1 bit of ginger, 1 bit of garlic... I think that's it. Careful - this does have a "zing" from the raw ginger/garlic... go easy until you know you like it.

Classic Veggie - 2 Tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 celery, add salt/pepper to taste and drink up!