Juice bars serving up freshly squeezed drinks attract people looking for a wholesome snack -- fresh squeezed juice is healthy, satisfying and low in fat.
A juicer at home can help you pack more fruits and vegetables into your diet without paying juice bar prices. To see how home juicers measure up, Consumer Reports testers evaluated 11, including the heavily advertised Jack Lalanne's Power Juicer Pro, which promises juice bar results for pennies a glass.
"The Jack Lalanne juicer goes for $150. The other juicers ranged in price from $70 to $300," said Dan DiClerico of Consumer Reports.
Testers made orange juice and carrot juice, as well as tomato and apple juice. They measured just how much juice each machine could squeeze out of the same amount of produce.
Some created a lot more juice than others.
Many of the juicers were very noisy. Jack Lalanne's Power Juicer Pro promises it's quiet, and it was the least noisy juicer in the tests.
But it was also the only juicer tested that had a problem with jamming.
Consumer Reports says there's a better choice for about half the price. It's the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro. And at $100, it's a Consumer Reports Best Buy.
When making fresh juice, buy produce that isn't bruised and thoroughly wash and dry it with a clean cloth or paper towel even if you plan to peel it to reduce the risk of bacteria.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen.
