The Jack LaLanne juicer is one of the most well-known on the market today because of its frequent infomercials on TV.
I mean, who can resist the seemingly ageless bodybuilder and his lovely wife? (they were in their nineties when the commercial was filmed.)
One of the biggest selling points of this juicer is its wide feed chute. This means that the vegetables and fruits you’re juicing don’t have to be chopped into small pieces. In fact, you can easily juice those gigantic organic Colorado juicing carrots or several regular sized ones; also whole lemons or limes and even small apples.
This factor is advertised as a timesaver for juicing prep and most people find it handy. You’ll want to be sure to use high quality fruit: one of the drawbacks of using whole fruit without chopping it up is that there could possibly be a rotten core. 🙁
This is a centrifugal juicer – it extracts the juice from the ground up fruit and vegetable pulp by spinning it at high speed. In addition, the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer also deposits the pulp into a removable “bucket” at the back of the machine. Which means that you can juice constantly without having to stop and empty the basket as you would on most juicers.
This unit is surprisingly quiet for a centrifugal juicer, because of the high quality of the motor. The blade is made out of surgical stainless steel and looks like a cheese grater for a food processor.
One of the safety factors is that it won’t turn on unless the pieces are put together correctly. And the unit must be allowed to come to full speed (a few seconds) before putting any fruit or veg into the chute.
Although the advertising says that the pulp is very dry, I find it to be still a bit damp (the drier the pulp, the more efficient the process). Don’t be too quick to toss it into the compost – the leftover pulp is great for adding to muffin or pancake batter.
Cleaning this juicer is easier than most, but more challenging than some of the more expensive juicers.
- First, you release a “lock bar” to remove the top of the unit,
- Flip the top upside down and wash out the pulp that stuck to the lid,
- Use the special magnetic key to unscrew the blade to be cleaned,
- Wash any remaining pulp out of the basket and the measuring cup.
Tip: Clean, or at least rinse the juicer before you sit down to enjoy your beautiful juice. If you let it sit for very long, it will be much more difficult to clean. Of course, this is true for any juice extractor.
Depending upon the type of food sent through the juicer this can take anywhere between 10 seconds to a couple of minutes. All parts are dishwasher safe.
This juicer’s motor has a lifetime warranty, but all other parts have a 90 day warranty. Don’t let the price fool you – This a powerhouse of a machine, as long as it’s not abused. I once used one in my health food store juice bar when my massive Ruby commercial juicer was out for repairs.
Bottom line: Drinking fresh juice will provide your body with living enzymes to improve your skin, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, and basically improve your overall health. However, it’s important to choose a juicer that fits your lifestyle and your finances. The Jack LaLanne Power Juicer is cost-effective all-around, and a great choice for a first-time purchase.
If you’re interested in a higher-end juice extractor, check out the Breville Juice Fountain or Omega Nutrition Center Juicer.
Maybe you already know everything about juicing. But if you don’t, take a look at “The Juicing Bible.” This isn’t just a recipe book, it shares what to juice for 80 health concerns from stress to lack of sleep! 350 great drinks from fruit and vegetable juices, and an editor’s pick at Amazon.
