No matter if you’re trying to find an appliance to help you get the most citrus juice to drink or for baking, you’re going to be faced with the choice between a citrus press vs juicer.
There are plenty of benefits that each device has to offer, but depending on the type of food you’re preparing, your budget, and your physical capabilities, one may be slightly better than the other.
In this guide, we will compare juicers and citrus presses to ensure you know everything there is to know before you make your final choice.
What Is a Citrus Press?
A citrus press is exactly what you’ll need if you’re working with a recipe that only requires a couple of fruits, such as two or three lemons and limes. They are entirely manual and typically come with an ergonomic handle that is easy to hold on to, making them a little more comfortable than designs that were popular in the past.
With a citrus press, you will typically add half of the citrus fruit into the bottom half of the device, with the rind facing upwards. You will then close the top half of the press, which causes the flesh of the citrus fruit to be pressed against the bottom half of the press, forcing juice out of the fruit, and this can be done over a bowl, glass, or as a delicious garnish.
Since a citrus press is manually operated, you can surely expect that they are going to fall on the lower end of the pricing scale, which makes them easily accessible to every homeowner. Although you’ll have to spend a lot of time getting the juice out of multiple fruits, by using one, you’re protecting your hands from the stinging of citrus juice, and it also helps keep seeds out of your mixture.
What Is a Juicer?
If you’ve been circling around any healthy living communities over the past decade, you might have heard about juicing, especially as it’s a huge trend. Juicers are entirely automatic kitchen appliances that are specifically designed to extract juice and remove pulp and rinds from fruits with minimal effort. Unlike a citrus press, you won’t have to do any of the manual work, depending on the type of model you choose. However, they are going to be far more expensive than a traditional citrus press.
- High-end juicers
If you don’t have a budget for a juicer, you can guarantee that you’ll benefit from a high-end model, as they are specifically designed to get you the most juice out of your fruits with the least effort. The biggest difference between a citrus press and juicer is that high-end models allow you to throw an entire fruit into its chute and it will automatically extract the juice, separate the pulp, and get rid of the rind. In most cases, there will be a secondary chute that leads to a pulp/rind bucket where all of the waste will be stored.
- Low-end juicers
It’s important to remember that even though these models are less expensive than high-end models, they are also more advanced than citrus presses. With lower-end juicers, you won’t be able to put an entire citrus fruit into the machine, as the rind may clog the device.
Instead, you’ll have to remove the rind and then you can put the fruit into the juicing chute, and it will still remove any excess pulp. Cleaning low-end juicers can also be a little more difficult as there are plenty of parts that you’ll have to clean.
The Main Differences Between a Citrus Press vs Juicer
Now that you are aware of what both kitchen appliances are used for and their basic differences, it’s time to take a look at both devices in a more in-depth meaning when it comes to performance, the amount of juice you’ll get from both, and whether it’s a reasonable investment for your needs or not.
- Performance
Saving time is of the utmost importance, especially if you’re trying to extract juice as quickly as possible so that you can get on with your day. Juicers will give you the ability to get a lot of juice in less time, especially as the machine will extract all of the liquid from a citrus fruit in a matter of seconds. Depending on the model you choose, you may be able to simply wash the fruit and put it into the machine, getting all of the juice you need in under a minute.
- Amount of Juice
Juicers are specifically designed to extract all of the moisture out of fruits, making sure that nothing is left behind. The machine will separate the juice from the pulp, seeds, and rind with ease, allowing you to take advantage of everything the fruits have to offer.
With that being said, a citrus press also helps you get a sufficient amount of juice from a single fruit, but it certainly won’t be as much as a juicer. This is because a citrus press doesn’t tear the entire fruit apart in an effort to get all of the moisture, you’re simply manually pushing juice out of the fruit.
- Time and Effort
The amount of time that you put into using a citrus press or a juicer is all dependent on the number of fruits you need to use such as if you have a recipe that requires one lemon versus a recipe that requires 11 lemons. If your recipe calls for less than three citrus fruits, it’s recommended that you rely on a manual citrus press, whereas if you’re going to need to juice multiple fruits, it’s far more time efficient to use a juicer.
It’s also important to think about the amount of effort you’ll need to put into the job, as you’re not going to want to deal with hand cramps all day because of the fruits you’ve been working with. If you’re someone who has dealt with arthritis, wrist issues, or hand discomfort in the past, you’re going to want to stay far away from a citrus press and opt for a juicer.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, choosing between a citrus press vs juicer is dependent on what you’re trying to create. Ideally, if you’re working with multiple fruits, you’re going to want a machine that is specifically designed to handle a large load, which would be a juicer.
However, if you’re simply garnishing or adding a little bit of flavor to a meal, a citrus press is a better alternative. Either way, you’ll be able to add the perfect tangy zest to anything your heart desires.