Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

When I was looking into juicers, I heard good things about Breville. Although I didn't buy one of the high-end models or brands used by true raw foodists, I feel pretty happy with my Breville Compact Juice Fountain. On the plus column, it's a nice size for two and fits under the counter. It's a breeze to assemble and disassemble, it juices quickly and easily, and cleaning is a cinch. Breville includes a brush for cleaning the juicer's mesh interior screen, and that is very handy. I clean the whole juicer as soon as I'm done, and I haven't had any problem at all getting to the machine's nooks and crannies, unlike some kitchen appliances I've had in the past. Most of the juicer is even dishwasher safe, although, I don't clean it that way most of the time. It's easy enough to do by hand, and then it's always ready for my next juice craving. On the negative column, it's not great at juicing leafy greens. I'd looked forward to that, but this type of juicer just doesn't do a very thorough job. It seems to just immediately throw the leaves to the inside of the pulp container. Being a leafy greens fanatic, I hate to just waste leaves that could have made a marvelous meal. Luckily, outside of leafy greens, there's still plenty that it is good at juicing - fruits and vegetables like celery, bok choy, broccoli stalks, cauliflower stalks, cabbage, carrots, pears, apples, peeled citrus fruit... I like to do an 80/20 mix of vegetables to fruit. I often plan to bring extra juice with me to work for an afternoon pick-me-up but I've yet to have the restraint. I can't help but drink it immediately. The crisp and thirst quenching juice is irresistible. I can't compare the dryness of the remaining pulp to other juicers since this one is my first, but I can say that it isn't completely dry afterward. It has the feeling of mashed potatoes. I've tried running it through the machine again, but the few droplets of juice it produces come out like sludge. For the most part I like the juicer, and so I've started finding other uses for the remaining pulp. One thing I've done is make my own vegetable broth. Before adding any fruits, I juice only the vegetables. Then I remove all of the vegetable pulp from its catcher and put it into a pot with water. I bring the water to a boil and then lower it to a simmer. I let it simmer for about an hour and add in any additional herbs I like. (I often choose homey herbs like thyme, rosemary, and basil.) Once it has finished cooking, I run the broth through a fine mesh sieve to catch all of the pulp. I use it in any recipes calling for broth or when I want to add more color and nutrients to my cooked grains. (Most people stay away from using green vegetables for broth because of the color, but I don't mind it.) If it's more broth than I want to have on hand, I pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze it, and then I can use just as many cubes as I need at a time. Another way I've used the pulp is by incorporating it in smoothies. After I'm done juicing, I mash the pulp into an ice cube tray and store it in the freezer. When I'm making green smoothies, I just add a few extra cubes for extra nutrition, flavor, and texture.