Juice extractors remove the juice from all types of fruit and vegetables by reducing them to a pulp and then separating juice from solids, usually by centrifugal force.

There are pricier models that produce juice by pressing the contents to a paste at high speed, then forcing it through a screen in the bottom. Pricier still are top-of-the-range models with a slow-moving twin-gear system for handling wheat grass.

Whatever type of machine, the resulting juice is wonderfully fresh-tasting and quite different from pre-packaged juice. It's fun to try out different combinations - carrots, cucumber and green peppers, or fresh pear and blueberry, for example.

Juice extractors are not the same as citrus juicers, which are designed to remove the juice from citrus fruit and nothing more.

Fresh juices are also great for making interesting low-fat sauces and salad dressings, as well as tasty soups, baby food and exotic cocktails. Some models can also crush ice or grind grains and nuts to make flours and nut butters.

Cleaning

Juicers are a nuisance to clean and some are worse than others. Flying pulp sticks to perforated surfaces and must be scrubbed off. It's well worth doing this straight after juicing, otherwise the pulp dries and gets even harder to remove. If you use your juicer regularly, keep a toothbrush (kept specifically for the purpose) handy for scrubbing the difficult bits.