Champion
by Dave Hershorin
(Stanhope, New Jersey)
The only way to go! CHAMPION by Plastaket
Juicing and juicers: Champion the only way to go!
For those of you who may be interested in improving your (family’s) health by juicing – you know, that crazy idea extolled by ageless Jack LaLanne in his infomercials - here is the direction you need to go when purchasing a juicer.
Sure enough, Jack is amazing, and his virtues of juicing are pretty sound. But his product is not nearly as industrial as Jack himself is, and you consumers need to know which juicer will make it so that you’ll WANT to juice every day and keep juicing after the honeymoon with your new juicer ends.
For those lay people just catching up, drinking “live” or “raw” juice is the key for optimizing this efficient intake of fruits and vegetables. These two terms are used to help describe how the beneficial enzymes that all fruits and vegetables contain – which are systematically killed as a general practice so that corporate America can keep its products on the shelf longer – are still present in self-made juices.
Enzymes build amino acids, and therefore they also help each of us to create our very own proteins. Yes, juice can help you consider how to lessen your meat intake, as well as other dietary adjustments that are possible since you have juice on your side.
Moreover, juicing helps to strengthen our cellular profile. You’ll find extra energy when juice can replace a meal, and juice “fasts” will actually help to heal your colon. The benefits are endless.
Let’s talk turkey. The juicer you want is the self-described Champion, made by the Plastaket Manufacturing Company out of Lodi, California. Made reliably in the U.S.A. since 1955, here are the two main reasons for why their machines are superior for anyone’s (from consumer to commercial) juicing needs.
1.M astication over centrifugal force – Most current juicers, including the Jack LaLanne and the Acme (to name a few of the more popular ones) send marginally chopped fragments of fruit and/or vegetables into a larger, circular chamber that forces the juice out via a fast, spinning action – a.k.a centrifugal force.
Unfortunately, these machines need to be stopped often and emptied of pulp. Tedious describes this repetitive action. You get about 40-60% of the juice available, and a gallon of juice can take up to (and sometimes well over) an hour, depending upon the model.
The Champion’s circular-spinning blade and small area in which the fruits/vegetables are processed is much tighter and has two basic outlets, one for the juice, located directly below the chopping area, and the other for the discarded pulp, which opens to the side.
Since it operates on the mastication process, the Champion’s blades chew the fibers and breaks up the cells of vegetables and fruits. This give you more fiber, enzymes, vitamins and trace minerals, and means a darker, richer color of the juice and a sweeter, richer, more full-bodied flavor.
Efficiency rules as juices pours out the bottom screen and subsequent bio-matter easily leaves the processing area. You get approximately 90% of the available juice, with some vegetables yielding lower amounts due to their density. The Champion will yield about three (3) gallons of juice per hour of use.
2. Ease of use and cleaning – Besides the Champion’s base unit that houses its 1/3 horsepower motor, there are five basic working parts you’ll deal with. They assemble simply and are easily replaceable.
Other juicers struggle to match the Champion’s convenience these ways. Why? Other juicers are too often manufactured with cheap plastic that lasts…well, as long as it lasts.
And if you have to find vital parts that may not be easily replaceable...you obviously get my “buyer beware” sentiment. I have had my same Champion – with all of its original parts – for 10 years now. It is the standard juicer for most chefs, private or commercial.
Eight years ago, I was forced to use a competing brand (with centrifugal technology) when I was separated from my Champion for about two months. All I can say for my modest juicing needs (I make about three gallons every two weeks) is…NEVER AGAIN!
Now all you need to know is that the Champion comes with a decent 10-year guarantee. For the novice juicer who may be looking to juice once a week or less, this information may not pertain as much. But if you want to incorporate juicing for daily intake, and for those who need to make substantial amounts of this nutritious staple, this machine will make juicing easy and fun.
Please be sure to ask any questions you may have about juicing. We will feature e-mail questions in future columns about juicing.
