The Perfect First Juicer...My New Obsession!
Check out the awesome cutting board that Meg’s dad handcrafted HERE
In full disclosure, I am a skimmer by nature - I scan product reviews for relevant info…so this review is a skimmed version! Just the information you really care about. Is it cheap, easy to use and clean, and does it work?
If you’ve been thinking about entering the world of juicing, but have serious sticker shock - you are not alone! I am right there with you. It’s hard to imagine sinking $300-500 dollars into something that you may…or may not actually use. We all have the best intentions of using every new gadget and kitchen appliance that hits the market, but I’m sure I am not the only one with a dust covered spiralizer. If the price commitment for a juicer is just too much, then I have the perfect juicer for you! The Breville Juice Fountain Compact does a fantastic job extracting juice and is sold at a reasonable cost of under $100. It’s surprisingly compact too!
I have done some serious researching on juicing….and my head aways ends up spinning. There are triturating, masticating, and centrifuge juicers, and after reading all the information, I generally decide that I must have the $450 juicer to make juicing worthwhile. For something I’m not sure I’ll use regularly, I was not willing to commit to that kind of investment…I mean a Vitamix blender is worth every penny, but I just wasn’t convinced I would use the juicer enough to warrant that price tag. That’s when I came across the Breville Juice Fountain Comapact! Being less than $100, it’s the perfect opportunity to try juicing for the first time! It is possible to venture into the world of juicing without spending a fortune. (You can find it here)
Here’s the rundown…
Ease of Use
This juicer is simple to use! It has a feeding shoot that leads directly into the main extraction area, and the spout drains from there into a pitcher that is included with the juicer. It’s fast and it seems to do a good job extracting the liquids from the pulp. As you can see from the picture below, the pulp is pretty dry and there really doesn’t seem to be much juice remaining. Both fruits and vegetables feed easily through the shoot, and the juicer does it’s job really fast. I am sure since it is moving at such a fast speed, there is a slight temperature change, but it seems to be very minimal. When I try the juice coming directly from the juicer, I can not detect any temperature change.
The pulp gets stored directly in the main container, which is good and bad. On the plus side- it doesn’t have a separate pulp container that needs cleaned and takes up more counter space, and it also allows the pulp to continue to drain as you are juicing. The biggest negative to this design is that if you are juicing a large amount, the pulp needs to be removed during the juicing process to clear it out. I don’t mind doing that because of the sheer amount of counter space I save, but that might be a bothersome you.
Clean Up
Seriously, the clean up on this juicer is about a simple as it can be. The main container is the only thing that needs to be hand washed. I stick the juice pitcher in the dishwasher and hand wash the main container and mesh filter basket. The basket is part that requires the most work, but Breville includes a stiff brush that quickly washes away the pulp that gets stuck in the filter. It’s a fast and easy clean up!
Is It Worth It?
Absolutely! This is such a great way to experiment with juicing for under $100! The Breville Juice Fountain Compact takes up less counter space than most other juicers, and is easy to operate and clean up. I am loving having the ability to make a variety of vegetable juices without having to leave home or pay $10-12 a serving. Actually, that is partially how I justified even spending the $100. I love splurging on freshly made juices while I am out shopping, but the cost is outrageous. For what 10 servings cost at the health food store, I can buy this juicer and make my own. I definitely recommend trying this juicer and would love to hear abut your experiences as well! Let me know if you like it and share your favorite recipe too!
A Word About Juices Vs Smoothies
I hesitate to write a review on juicing without addressing the health benefits of fiber. Fiber is super important to your overall health and wellbeing for so many reasons, and juicing removes all fiber from the fruits and vegetables. So is it even healthy? Yes! While juices are still packed with the antioxidants, vitamins and phytonutrients that are great for your overall health, it doesn’t contain any of the fiber…which gives smoothies a slight advantage over juicing. When you blend the vegetables, you keep all the fiber, but break it into smaller pieces. Since juicing removes the fiber, it also allows your body to process the sugars of the juice super fast, so it does raise your blood sugar faster than a smoothie as well. If you are like me and primarily only juice vegetables, then this isn’t a great concern because the veggies don’t contain much natural sugar, however if you like to juice fruit, then this is definitely something to consider.
So why would I drink juices instead of green smoothies? I eat tons of vegetables in my normal diet, so I eat more than the daily recommended amount of fiber. When I add the extra fiber from a green vegetable smoothie, it irritates my stomach quite a bit. There are a lot of people that would like to add more vegetables to their diet, but their body has a hard time digesting that much fiber - so for those people, juicing is a great alternative!
Looking for a good juicing recipe? Check out these recipes for yummy juices packed with healthy nutrients!
Purchasing the Juice Fountain Compact through our links does earn us a small commission, but that in no way influences my recommendation of this product.
