Kitchen Appliances Reviews

Breville je95xl Juice Fountain Review

2009-12-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

All I can say is, “This thing is fast!” I can juice an 8-ounce glass of juice in five seconds. The Breville je95xl juice fountain plus has an 850-watt, 14,000 rpm motor, which has the horses to maintains the selected speed when juicing under heavy loads. It has a stainless steel, micro mesh filter separates the juice from the fiber and seeds so that you get the most juice possible. Prep time for fruits and vegetables is reduced with the unique, extra-wide, centrifugal feed chute. I can throw in whole fruits and vegetables without chopping them into pieces first. There are two speeds; low speed for juicing soft fruits and vegetables and high speed for more textured fruits and vegetables. Clean up was a breeze, with all the juicer's parts dishwasher safe except for the motor, and for added convenience, a disposable plastic bag can line the large pulp container and then thrown away. A 1-liter juice jug with a froth separator and a large-capacity, 2-1/2-liter, easy-to-clean, removable pulp container are included with the je95xl Breville juicer.

Top things I liked about the Breville je95xl two speed juice fountain plus

Juices fast and extremely efficient
Easy to assemble
Looks great
Comes with a good cleaning brush
Quieter than JackLalenne Juciers
Two speeds - slow for soft stuff/fast for hard stuff

I love the large feeder tube - it is a huge time saver because I don't have to cut everything. Now I even try to purchase smaller apples that can fit into the tube whole.

An interlocked pitcher, you won’t lose any juice and see the scale of how much juice you made. Plus it has a lid; no need for a valve over the spout, just leave the lid on it. Perfect for me!

The down fall of all juicers I have owned was the difficulty in cleaning them. The Breville juice fountain juices with magnificent speed and the juice it extracts is wonderfully healthful. AND, the clean up is quick, easy and efficient. A quick rinse and then right into the dishwasher. The only time it takes is to use the included brush to get the last particles out of the screen surrounding the blade. It doesn't take much work and I prefer to clean it well each time I use it to prevent bacteria build up.

Breville has done their engineering homework as the construction is top notch - the machine is very sturdy, it has a very powerful motor, and they even designed their own juicing basket. The first time I used the machine on its high setting my eyes got wide as saucers; I was surprised by the motor's power and the fact it sounded like a jet engine. I even called up my juice-loving neighbor to come over and share the experience. The motor has so much power that I rarely use the high setting.

The juicing basket has a different type of mesh filter than you see on most other juicers (it's like what you might find on a high-end coffee filter), it can be totally disassembled with three screws, and sports some wicked metal prongs used to rasp the food you put into the juicer. Be mindful of the prongs; I finally learned my lesson after the third time of getting poked.

I had been using a borrowed Jack LaLanne to see if it would hold up to daily juicing. I respect Jack LaLanne, but his juicer just didn't have the power. After days of it bogging down and the juicer shaking all over the counter and cleaning up messes, I decided to check on this Breville juicer.

Jack LaLanne Pros: clearer juice, little to no pulp or froth in juice.

Jack LaLanne Cons: Spout location is too low (only allows for a small, perhaps odd-sized, catch container, which, as someone else aptly mentioned, is not convenient if you're juicing more than a cupful; as compared to the Breville, the cleanup takes a little longer since you have to detach the blade from the filter and wash them separately; non-drip spout would frequently get clogged and cause the liquid to leak from the sides (a mess) or especially with harder items like pineapple, the machine would find it too much to handle at times & shut off and you'd have to wait a while for it to recover before it would work again (the main reason for the return.)

Breville Pros: Very attractive (the reason I bought the JLL Pro is because it was more pleasing to the eye than the basic JLL juicer, as there are no differences in motor. I'm sorry, I can't pay money for ugly things!), handles pineapples, carrots, beets, etc. like a champ- no problems whatsoever. Spout height is user-friendly, not to mention that it comes with a tall catch container with a cover (no splashing on the counter) and a spout (which is wonderful. True, I could just as easily use a large measuring cup, but the cover is nice, and it fits the machine.) I'm no engineer, but I wonder what role the difference the wattage increase & the 2 speeds plays in the better performance for me (in which case, I would wonder if a similarly-credentialed juicer (but lower priced), the Juiceman, Jr. is competitive. Faster cleanup with the blade attached to the filter basket.

Breville Cons: Juice is thicker/frothier/pulpier than that of the JLL, even in switching speeds according to the hardness of the fruit/vegetable (Isn't really a 'con' unless you dislike it. I don't mind, but the difference was notable.) But I should add that there is an attachment to the catch container to separate the froth from the juice.

Overall, I am very happy with this juicer, I have tried several different juicers throughout my life - a few Juiceman Jr.'s, a cheap Samsung and now this Breville. This is definitely one of the best juicers I have ever owned.

Tips

I've heard people complain that their juice tasted nasty the next day. That has nothing to do with the pitcher or the juicer. Only make as much as you need for the day. Keep juice away from light and in the cold, many vitamins are light sensitive. Any juice you make should be finished the same day and kept in the fridge. By the next day, all the vitamins will be gone.

Add a drop of oil if you make pure Veggie-juice. The vitamins in Veggies are all fat soluble, which means your body can only absorb the vitamins if mixed with fat. Fish oil capsules are sufficient to take with the juice.

Use lemon juice on any stains to keep it new looking.

Breville BBL600XL Ikon 750-Watt 51-Ounce Blender Review

2009-12-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

When I think of blenders, I want power. And after owning two crappy blenders, I wanted one for our family that was powerful, sturdy, relatively quiet, easy to clean and good-looking. The Breville BBL600XL Ikon blender is simply the best blender we have ever owned. After you use one of these, you'll never go back to a whimpy blender.

First, the Breville bbl600xl ikon 5 speed 750 watt stand blender has the power. You should have no problem using it for everything including crushing ice, which it does amazingly well. The ability of the Ikon 750 to crush ice is almost beyond belief. It will start right up under a heavy load of solid fruit or vegetables. Try that with the standard blenders most folks use. This feature is important if you're making healthy shakes or smoothies. Lesser blenders will wear out soon with steady use of these heavy loads. It has a separate smoothie button that is fantastic: it varies the speed during the blending process and helps you create perfect smoothies, with no effort on your part. When it's done the smoothies are truly smooth. The blender shuts off automatically after using the smoothie or other preset functions, and has a digital display that counts down and tells you how long it will take to finish blending.

Perhaps most importantly, the curved blades and concave container are designed in such a way as to reduce or eliminate the amount of food that gets stuck in the bottom of the blender. In fact, after using it a few times, I was pleasantly surprised to find NO unblended pieces of food at the bottom of the blender. Everything was blended.

Regarding Breville bbl600xl ikon blender noise, this is by far the quietest blender I have ever encountered. With such a powerful motor, I'm not sure how they did it. I am a professional composer and have very sensitive ears, and the relative low volume of this blender is something I definitely appreciate. Don't get me wrong: it's a blender, so it still makes noise, but it is definitely NOT as loud as inferior blenders priced less than $100.

The base and container are quite heavy and will stay put when you are blending. It giggles a little when blending on a high setting (there are sturdy rubber feet that help to reduce noise), but it won't move on your counter. The container is made of thick glass, and you can wash the whole base in the dishwasher (the glass part in the bottom rack, the other parts in the top rack). The container lid has a sturdy ring that makes it very easy to pull off the tight-fitting lid. Don't let the pics fool you: that little ring is thicker than it looks.

Some blenders have plastic containers and some have glass, like this one. The advantage of plastic is really just the (usually) cheaper cost and lighter weight. The disadvantage is that plastic containers may crack (as ours did) and leak plastic molecules into your food over time as the container ages. Most plastics are carcinogenic, so I like to avoid plastic containers if at all possible, since this one is glass, and very thick, it is relatively safe. The markings on the side of the container are easy to read, so it's not difficult to use it as a measuring container when adding food, particularly liquids.

The blade housing is also very sturdy and much larger than on a typical cheap blender. It fits on so tightly that you need a turning handle (supplied) to unscrew the base. If I had only ONE complaint, this would be it. I don't like the idea of having to use anything other than my hands to disassemble the blender. But since I'll take a tight-fitting assembly over one that might leak any day, this really isn't a complaint at all.

Regarding Breville bbl600xl ikon blender 150 cleaning, the buttons are slightly raised under a one-piece pad that is extremely easy to clean. If any food does spill, which is unlikely, all you need to do is wipe it up with a soft rag or paper towel. You will need to thoroughly wash the blender once you get it out of the box. It still has the factory manufacturing smell, but that clears up with a good wash or two in the dishwasher.
Lastly, this is a fine-looking appliance. It's much sleeker than others made my KitchenAid and so on, and is industrial-quality, without looking like it belongs in a restaurant kitchen.

I really have started to appreciate the Breville bbl600xl ikon hemisphere lcd blender more and more. It is truly a quality product. It blends everything great, even on the low setting. An added bonus is the ability (due to the width of the base and blade) to make a shake so thick you cannot pour it out of the glass! I highly recommend this blender now that I have had a chance to experience it. All in all, I am extremely happy with this blender and enthusiastically give it five stars. You get what you pay for with this high priced blender.

Breville bov800xl The Smart Oven Review

2009-12-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, our old toaster oven died and we upgraded to the Cuisinart which, like this Breville bov800xl Smart Oven, is a convection oven / toaster / broiler. We liked it so much, that we gifted several more to friends and family. Ah, if only this Breville had been available then. The Breville is so vastly superior in every way - function, capacity, ease of use, and ease of cleaning. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The oven itself, when compared to the Cuisinart TOB-165, is visually more modern and appealing, with better engineering, functionality and very well thought out.

I consider the Breville bov800xl Smart Oven as a must have kitchen appliance. For most baking needs, it can serve as a replacement for the conventional oven, with an added bonus. The Smart Oven is much more energy efficient (using roughly 50% less electricity than a full size oven) and has a small footprint that can fit into the smallest of kitchens.

The features that really sold me on the Smart Oven were the ability to manage the temperature zones in the oven. It can be a toaster oven and a convection oven. This helps to ensure perfect cooking for different dishes. The magnetic door has kept me from being burned on several occasions. The door seals nicely, reducing wasted electricity and heating up your kitchen. 9 programmable settings plus you can make custom settings depending on your individual needs. The stainless finish and assembly is of high quality, and the oversized handle and control knobs give a feel of quality as well (and match current upper to high end major appliances). The stainless steel finish looks nice and is easy to clean. Three pans included - Pizza - Baking – Broiling.

The timer on the Breville turns the oven off at the end of any kind of cycle as you would expect - toast, bagel, bake, broil, pizza, etc. This is wonderful compared to the Cuisinart unit which only turns itself off after toasting - you have to remember to turn it off when in any other mode. (The Cuisinart's timer is 'dumb' - just a beeper.) Also, each Breville cycle has smart default settings, and can remember your own settings for temperature and time, or slices (toast) and darkness, etc.

The BOV800XL accomodates a 13" pizza pan (included). We made two pizzas tonight to test the oven, one fresh (deli) the other frozen. I dialed the 'pizza' setting, dropped the default 450 temperature to 425, accepted convection mode, and accepted the default 12" size for the fresh pizza and pressed the on button. Once preheated, the oven beeped for the pizza to be inserted. At the end of the timed cycle, the oven turned off and beeped again: perfect pizza!

I then did a 9" frozen Amy's pizza. Similar procedure as above, but dialed the size knob down to 9" and pressed the 'frozen food' button. Again, perfect at the end of the cycle.

Toast setting works great - up to 6 pieces of toast, as does the bagel setting, which toasts the top at a higher temp then the bottom to make the top crispy and the bottom warm but still soft. Frozen waffles come out great - crunchy outside and moist inside, instead of all dried out.

For baking, a 13" x 9" baking pan easily fits inside as does, of course, the larger pan that comes with the unit, loaf pans and small muffin pans.

The crystalline-looking heating elements (three on top, two on the bottom) seem to heat faster, and more evenly, than the metallic elements in other counter-top ovens. Depending on the mode/cycle, the oven enables or disables certain elements, and changes the wattage of others.

The crumb tray in the front answer another of my big complaints about the Cuininart. No effort to pull the tray out at any time to brush off crumbs, or wash off accidental spills. (The Cuinsart's crumb tray slides out of the rear of that unit, requiring minor gymnastics - enough to put it off until it is really gross.)

The large door handle is easy to grab and open, and stays cool to the touch. The oven door has magnetized areas that pull the oven rack about half way out when you open the door. It's a great concept, and guess what? -- it works! Makes it so handy to get your food out without reaching in and risking a burn. The glass door has markings on it to tell you which position to put the rack in (bottom, middle or top), depending on what you're cooking.

The LCD display is very easy to read (esp for someone who needs reading glasses like me). The temperature, function, and time controls are knobs -- similar to stereo control knobs -- and I like that you don't have to keep incessantly punching a button to go up or down; you simply twist to get where you want, and you can go slowly or quickly. Also, there are a minimum of icons (there are 3 buttons for frozen food, convection, & temperature conversion) on the controls -- most functions are spelled out so that you don't have to use a "cheat sheet" to figure out what picture stands for what!

The top of the oven gets hot during cooking, so you can keep food warm on a ceramic plate(s) on top while other food cooks. There is also a "cutting board and tray" that can be used on the top but I was unable to find it on Breville's website. (You can also get a pizza stone and pizza crisper.)

As great as I found the Breville bov800xl Smart Oven, there are areas that I would like to see improved. The power cord is a little short (less than 3 feet). This may be necessary because of the power the Breville draws. While many people may appreciate a short cord it does mean that you have to have outlet near a space where you plan to use the oven. You may not be able to plug in other appliances on the same electrical circuit. At full power the Smart Oven will pull between 15-20 amps. I would suggest that a small interior light would be helpful.

I have always liked toaster ovens, no need to heat up your large oven to bake or cook a meal. And I don't think most of us have convection ranges, so having this feature on a toaster oven is great. I really do have to give this oven 5 stars because it is designed so incredibly well. I may never use my stove again - except for a full-sized turkey! I believe that you can purchase the Breville bov800xl Smart Oven with confidence. It will provide years of reliable use. No doubt I'll have more comments after we use the Breville BOV800XL for a few months, but for now, I can only sing its praises.

Boring details:

Dimension Comparison to Cuisinart TOB-165/195:

The Breville being slightly larger permits it to be used for items that otherwise would have to go into a regular oven. The interior of the Breville is 13 1/2" x 11 1/2" x 5" high (to clear the elements), with a curved recess in the back so that a nearly 13" pizza pan fits. The Cuisinart is 11 1/2" x 9 3/4" x 5" which cannot accommodate pizza, nor a 13 x 9 pan and toasts only 4 pieces of bread.
The small increase in interior space which results in so much greater versatility is at the expense of only an inch of counter space required. The Breville exterior is roughly 18 1/2" wide x 16" deep x 10 3/4" high compared to the Cuisinart 17 1/2" wide x 14" deep x 10" high.

Electrical Notes:

As others note, the oven uses a maximum of 1800 watts, which is basically all that a 15 amp circuit has to offer (most home kitchens will have either 15 or 20 amp circuits). So, you shouldn't use other power hungry appliances on the same circuit as the BOV800XL. As noted in the owner's manual, you must have a grounded 3-prong outlet, which any modern home will have. Even though my kitchen is 20 years old, I'm fortunate that the electrician had included three circuits for appliances so no problems here.

Installation note:

The Breville smart oven bov800xl is a counter top oven. When operating, nothing should be within 4" of any side. Because some people are accustomed to GE/Black and Decker toaster ovens that mount under cabinets, do note that that is NOT an option here because of the high heat and clearances required. You really do need to have enough counter space to accommodate the unit.

Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain Elite 1000 Watt Review

2009-12-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this juicer but before getting into the details of the Breville 800jexl juice fountain elite 1000 watt juicer, I’d like to give you some background on what I have been using. I have had a top of the line Green Power juicer for a few years. If you know juicers, you know this is one of the best. It’s seen use on a daily basis for 10 years and it is still going strong. It puts out a high juice yield (dry pulp), great at juicing grasses and greens (wheatgrass, parsley, spinach etc.), and juice oxidation is reduced because the unit doesn’t have much heat build up.

I picked out the Breville 800jexl was for 2 reasons. One, twin-screw type juicers like the Green Power require a lot of force to push items into the juicer, because there is no cutting blade action, only squeezing action of the twin screws. Frankly, after 10 years of pushing hard on this thing, we've gotten tired of it, even though it makes great juice. Two, I decided to buy a juicer that would make good juice in reasonably high yields but with emphasis on speed and ease of use. My intent was that this juicer would complement but not replace the Green Power.

After a lot of research and reading reviews, I decided to buy the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite. I like it for the fast juicing speed, relatively easy cleanup, and the widemouth (3" round) opening. The stainless steel exterior was also a plus, as the Green Power's white plastic parts became stained long ago (vegetable juices can do that!).

My biggest concern with the Breville fountain juicer was the limited warranty period (1-3 years) compared to other juicers in its class (which go as high as 15 years). After calling the vendor about concerns about the lifetime of the motor. And discussing some concerns about how efficiently it would extract juice compared to Green Power (how it would work on spinach and other leafy vegetables, and whether the juice would stay fresh as long). Though I'd have preferred a better warranty, after talking with the vendor, I decided the features were attractive enough to try it. It is a lot of money to throw away if it fails just after the warranty. But if the ease of juicing was as good as claimed, it would almost be worth it!

The new Breville 800jexl juicer arrived and was simple to put together. The instructions were clear and after washing the parts in the dishwasher (they are dishwasher proof).
I proceeded to make one of my juicing favorites, apples and carrots. This juicer met my expectations and more! The apples were large, so they had to be quartered despite the 3" opening. However, normally in the Green Power, I have to cut them into 9 pieces, requiring 4 knife cuts instead of 2 for the Juice Fountain. The apples fed into the juicer easily and very rapidly. Apples feed into the Green Power without too much force, but can be hard to feed because of the pulp they generate (you make apple sauce in the screw feed area and it backs up the chute). I usually use Granny Smiths to minimize that problem on the Green Power, but the Juice Fountain had no problem at all, so I tried some Galas and they also fed in beautifully. In the Green Power, you have to alternate carrots with soft fruits to avoid stalling the screw conveying action; there was no such need with the Juice Fountain. For ease of feeding pulp-producing or juicy fruits and vegetables, I give the Juice Fountain an "A+" compared to the Green Power a "C".

Then came the celery challenge. In the Green Power, celery strings wrap around the end of the screws and plug the end plug. The cutting/centrifugal juicing mechanism of the Juice Fountain eliminates such issues completely. The celery fed in very easily and produced plenty of juice. In the Green Power, celery that is small or somewhat old (limp) can be hard to feed into the chute since the stalks don't feed into the screw that easily and the plastic crammer tends to jam them in the chute rather than push them into the screws. In the Juice Fountain, celery of all sizes, including tips and leaves, fed in easily. For ease of handling fibrous vegetables or long, flexible vegetables, I give the Juice Fountain an A+ and the Green Power a B.

Already by this time I knew the Juice Fountain really does make juice fast! I couldn't wait to try the carrots. I put them in whole (minus the cut off tops) and for smaller ones, in bunches of 2 or 3. They just zipped into the juicer! The instruction manual says that juice yield is higher if you feed them slowly, so I didn't push the limits of feed speed, but suffice it to say, it was MUCH faster than the Green Power, on the order of just a few seconds. Furthermore, there was almost no force required to push the carrots in, a welcome change from the 2-handed, "lean your body weight into it" effort required on the Green Power. What a delight this was! For speed of juicing, I give the Juice Fountain an A+ and the Green Power a C. For ease of feeding, I give the Juice Fountain an A+ and the Green Power a D.

Then disaster happened, with the juicer still outputting juice, the juice container (pitcher) overflowed and bright orange carrot juice poured out over the countertops and down the face of the white cabinets, staining them orange. I didn't realize how much juice had made in so short a time! Had I been using the Green Power, I'd just be getting started. I hit the well-marked red STOP button on the front of the juicer, then sponged up the mess, using 409 cleaner to get the orange stains off the cabinets. The stainless steel Juice Fountain Elite cleaned up easily.

What about noise during juicing? Many have suggested that the Juice Fountain is noisy. I didn't find it so at all. I have a flour mill that sounds like a jet plane! I have a Vitamix blender that makes a racket (on highest speed). By comparison, this juicer is quiet. Not as quiet as the Green Power, but not at all annoying. For noise, I'd give the Juice Fountain a B and the Green Power an A, with a Vitamix blender a D and our grain mill an F (requiring ear plugs).

Now for the taste test. The defrother on the pitcher seems to work OK. The juice was excellent, not oxidized tasting in comparison to juice from the Green Power. In fact, maybe it was my imagination, but I think it tasted fresher. The Green Power may use lower speed and incorporate less air, but because it takes so long to make the juice, by the time you are finished, the first part of the batch may be 20 minutes old. With the Juice Fountain, it may be just a couple minutes old. For taste, I give the Juice Fountain an A+, the Green Power an A.

I dislike pulp in our vegetable juices. With the Green Power, the amount of pulp in the juice is not bad, but I still have to strain it through a wire screen strainer to get pulp-free juice. With carrot-Granny Smith apple-celery, a quart of juice will leave at least 2-3 tablespoons of pulp in the strainer. By contrast, the Juice Fountain juice was virtually pulp-free. I didn't bother straining it, there was so little. This is great, since wire screens tend to plug and back-up, and are a pain to keep clean. Yet another time saver for both juice production and clean-up! For pulp-free juice, Juice Fountain merits an A+ and Green Power gets a B.

What about juicing efficiency? I don't have any hard numbers on this, but the pulp felt about as dry as that from the Green Power. That suggests that the efficiency was similar. The Green Power is claimed to have one of the highest extraction efficiencies of any juicer on the market, short of the Walker or other press-type juicers. That seems to be a fair claim. However, actual practice may vary. The dryness of pulp in the Green Power is controlled by how far you screw in the end plug, which creates back pressure and controls the pulp flow rate. If you screw it all the way in, you get very dry pulp. However, the juicer feeds poorly, and if you have anything like apples you'll just backup the pulp into the chute and the screw won't be able to generate enough pumping pressure to overcome the backpressure of the plug. Thus, in practice, I kept the end plug of our Green Power screwed out about a half turn. This resulted in better screw feed action but somewhat wetter pulp. Some Green Power users will push the pulp through a second time to get higher yields, but I didn't bother. By comparison, the Juice Fountain seems to make pulp of similar dryness to what I were getting on the Green Power, but without having to mess with optimum end plug settings, screw backups, or feeding pulp through a second time. Thus, I give both Green Power and Juice Fountain an A for efficiency, but the Juice Fountain gets there more easily. Perhaps in the future I'll do a more quantitative comparison.

Cleanup of the Breville 800jexl juice fountain elite 1000 watt juicer was a breeze. Rinsed all the top parts and throw them in a drying rack or the dishwasher. The wire mesh and cutting blades were easily cleaned with the supplied brush. I found cleanup easier and faster than with the Green Power. The Green Power has mostly plastic parts, and these are stained with vegetable juice stains which don't disappear with any of the manufacturer's recommended treatments. I anticipate no such problems from the Juice Fountain's stainless steel parts. The plastic on the Juice Fountain is not in places where stains are expected to build up (the pulp container or pitcher). The elimination of wire screen straining further eased cleanup. For ease and speed of cleanup, I give the Juice Fountain an "A" and the Green Power a "B".

A few comments on durability. I wasn't going to write a review on this juicer until I'd used it at least for several months. However, I was so impressed by this juicer I just had to write now! I felt like I already had enough hard facts to compare with a top-of-the-line competitor that some of you would appreciate reading my comparisons. Nevertheless, the big question on this machine is the limited warranty. I'm hoping that durability won't prove to be the Achille's heel of this machine.
Discussions with vendors suggest that the motor is the critical part that may fail, so I'll be watching it, hoping that it outlasts the warranty, and that the new, more powerful motor in the Elite will prove durable. Warranties aren't everything, though. The Green Power had a 5 year warranty. The motor is robust and going strong after 10 years of almost daily use. However, the plastic parts on the Green Power seem inadequately designed for the high stresses placed on them in an extrusion device. I saw stress-cracking of the front piece within the first few years (which I eventually had to replace when the cracks propagated to the failure point). Stress-cracking is also visible in the main screw housing. Other plastic failures include partial separation of the feed crammer halves (so that pulp gets stuck inside the hollow crammer), chipping of the hopper tray so that it doesn't seat snugly, breakage of the plastic cross-piece on the base that the pitcher tray fits over, and stress-fracture leading to failure of one of the plastic knurled knobs used to tighten the chamber assembly.

By contrast, the Juice Fountain's stainless steel bowl assembly shouldn't fail unless I severely dent it. The wire screen/cutting assembly will probably need periodic replacement, I'm guessing. The housing lid and feed chute are plastic (looks like polycarbonate) and may eventually chip if dropped, but look stronger than the highly mineral filled plastic of the Green Power. The pitcher is plastic, which some people would not like as much as the glass of the Green Power, but at least it won't break as easily (I had to replace our Green Power pitcher once). If you prefer glass, you could use a glass container instead on the Juice Fountain without a problem except increase risk of splashing and no defoamer. Overall, I think the housing of the Juice Fountain will hold up very well compared to the Green Power. Thus, the only big question mark for me is the motor, and I am hoping that the short warranty is not a reflection of issues in that department. Stay tuned.

The other issue is the ability to juice grasses and leafy greens. I am planning to keep the Green Power because I don't expect this juicer to do a great job on those. I often don't include those in our juices, however, so it will be worth it to have this extra juicer for the many times when I don't need the other capabilities. I expect it to juice spinach OK, but probably not with as good an efficiency. However, I will withhold comments until I can do quantitative tests, which I may report later.

CONCLUSION-- I love this juicer. It is every bit as fast as the manufacturer claims. It is easy to use and clean up. It makes great tasting juice at high yields. It compares very favorably with a more expensive, top-of-the-line Green Power juicer. The biggest concern is the limited warranty, but I'm having so much fun with this juicer that I would probably buy another one even if it failed just after the warranty period.

The above comparisons are somewhat "apples vs. oranges". It might be fairer to compare this to other centrifugal juicers. Some of the advantages in ease-of-use would pertain to other centrifugal juicers when compared to the Green Power. But I think the 3" mouth, the high rpm, and the stainless steel housing are worth considering. I can't compare to other centrifugal juicers, but the Juice Fountain does compare very well with the top notch Green Power juicer.

The Breville 800jexl juice fountain elite juicer saves so much time and effort, I will probably suffer any juicing inefficiencies that may arise with spinach and such rather than bother with the Green Power. I'll probably put the Green Power on a high shelf and pull it down only when doing grasses, which I rarely use.

Sorry about the length of this review, but hopefully you'll find the comparisons helpful.

My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

2009-12-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

I like to cook elaborate meals, and take joy in preparation and feeding my guests. I like any appliance that makes my life easier, fast and efficient. That said, I’m going to give you my honest, personal kitchen appliances reviews. I’ve got two categories: essentials and toys. The former are appliances that I quite simply could not live without. The latter are appliances that help me immensely in the kitchen, but which I consider supplementary, rather than indispensable.

The Essentials

A Microwave or Convection Oven

With all of life’s modern conveniences it is hard to imagine a kitchen without a microwave, but go a step further and you have the first essential appliance, the convection oven. While microwaves are used essentially for thawing and warming, a convection oven can do that plus cook, bake, and roast. Convection ovens use forced heated air via fans that cooks food evenly while requiring 20% less cooking time than your normal oven. These ovens can be purchased in a variety of sizes from freestanding full-size to counter top versions no bigger than your average microwave.

A Food Processor

Food processors, in my opinion, are essential kitchen. They chop, grate, mix, blend, grind, and even knead dough. They’re essential for thick, creamy, emulsified salad dressings, and great for minimizing your chopping and vegetable prep time. They’re sturdy, last a long time, and amazingly versatile.

A Blender

For the home baker a good quality stand mixer is a must. A good stand mixer usually provides between six and twelve speeds and has a motor powerful enough to knead bread dough. Bowl sizes range from three to six quarts and most mixers come with a whisk, paddle, and dough hook attachment. Most models will allow for multiple functions and attachments such as a meat grinder or a pasta shaper. While the stand mixer will cost more than the traditional hand mixer, it provides more versatility and is well worth the extra money.

Electric Food Chopper

Electric food choppers can be purchased as an attachment to a blender or as a stand alone appliance and are relatively inexpensive, ranging in price from five to fifty dollars. Some choppers are powerful enough to chop raw meat, while others are made especially for vegetable. When shopping for your chopper, keep in mind what types of food preparation you will be using it for. This will help you choose the right machine for you. Food choppers are not only easy to use but easy to clean and should have a permanent place in your well-stocked kitchen.

Toaster/Toaster Oven

The toaster is yet another one of those everyday appliances that makes life simpler. Toasters have evolved over the years and yet have also retained some of their original look. Manufacturers have improved on the first toaster by adding larger slots to accommodate bagels and large breads, and have made clean up easier with pullout drawers on the bottom. The traditional toaster is not the only way to go. If you are short on counter space, an under the counter toaster oven will not only toast your bread but can be used to heat, bake, and broil. Toasters come in many sizes, and are even compact enough to store in a cupboard.

My Toys

A Mandolin

I love my mandolin, it allows me to slice vegetables grate carrots, cucumbers, and beets. It’s not essential, but I’m glad to have it.

A Dehydrator

They allow you to make lots of cool things, but they’re not essential. It’ll let you make raw breads, crackers, pizza crusts, and cereals galore. If you’re a creative chef who wants to move far beyond basic soups, salads, and pastas go ahead and get one.

A Juicer

I love my juicer and use it almost every day. This is because juicing is part of my lifestyle. If you’re like me, I can tell you honestly that the cost of a juicer is worth it. It will pay for itself again and again if you are a green juicer. If you juice at least 3 times a week, I highly recommend considering one. The model I use is the Breville Two-Speed Juice Fountain Elite, and it has never let me down.

With all of the above, I encourage you to examine your lifestyle realistically before investing in any appliance. Are you really going to use the dehydrator on a regular basis or are you going to try making jerky once and get tired of the hassle? Do you really need a big mixer and attachments or will a hand blender do the job? The answers to these questions can save you a lot of money and stress. Be realistic about what you want and need the most, and invest money in the appliances that you’ll use most frequently. Remember, you can always invest again as new models and features come out. But I cannot stress enough how smart it is to invest only in the basic kitchen tools as you begin: they’ll be much more useful to you than the fancy toys. (No matter how fun those toys can be!)

Kitchen Appliances Reviews Privacy Policy

2009-12-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

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