When comparing only the specifications and performance of juicer brands, you’d probably expect the Chefs Star Juicer Wide Mouth Fruit and Vegetable Juice Extractor would be priced much higher than it is. It has a stainless steel housing, a big 3-inch diameter feed chute, and a two-speed motor that delivers a substantial 700 watts of juicing power, features that are normally seen on units that cost twice, or even three times as much.
Juice extraction often requires a lot of power, especially if you like juice from hard fruits and vegetables like carrots, beets, or apples. Inexpensive juicers are often underpowered, and are only able to handle soft ingredients without bogging down. The Chefs Star has a big 3-inch feed chute, so ingredients will often be put into the juicer whole, and its powerful motor is up to the task of juicing even the toughest ingredients quickly and efficiently.
Chefs Star Juicer Wide Mouth Fruit and Vegetable Juice Extractor
Specifications
- Centrifugal juice extractor
- 700-watt motor
- Two-speed operation
- 3-inch diameter feed chute
- Stainless steel housing
- Safety locking arm
- Removable parts are dishwasher safe
- Titanium-reinforced, stainless steel cutting blade
- 8 x 12 x 15 inches
- 32-ounce juice jug with integral froth separator
- Comes with cleaning brush
- Weighs 10.1 pounds
- 1-year limited manufacturer’s warranty
Features and Benefits
Many similarly priced juicers have only one speed, but the Chefs Star allows users to choose from two speed settings. The lower speed is great for softer ingredients, while the high speed makes short work of things like apples and carrots. One of the drawbacks of centrifugal juicers is the degradation of healthful enzymes that occurs when friction from the fast-spinning blades produces friction that can degrade the effectiveness of naturally occurring anti-oxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables. By juicing soft vegetables on the lower speed, users of the Chefs Star juicer can avoid blasting everything they put in the juicer at full power and degrading its natural benefits. The unit’s full power can still be brought to bear on harder ingredients as needed.
People who love to make delicious, fresh, healthful juices every day (recipes here) will appreciate several aspects of the Chefs Star juicer’s performance. Because the unit’s feed chute is so large, it saves on tedious pre-cutting of ingredients before feeding them into the juicer. The Chef’s Star also has a more powerful motor that can handle large pieces of fruits and vegetables, so it makes the larger feed chute practical as well as convenient. The Chefs Star juicer’s removable parts are all dishwasher-safe, so cleanup time is shortened. By making it easier to both make juice and clean up after, the Chef’s Star makes it more likely that you’ll use it every day instead of only once in a while. That’s an important feature for any juicer, as the appliance is most likely to be used during busy mornings, when getting out the door in time for work or school can be difficult. Fast preparation and cleanup for a juicer can be the difference between enjoying a fresh, healthy juice breakfast or ending up in a drive-through lane at a fast food restaurant.
Pros
- Very inexpensive
- Two speeds allows adjustment for hard or soft ingredients
- Attractive stainless steel finish looks great in any kitchen
- Powerful motor can handle really hard ingredients like carrots and beets
- Dishwasher safe components make cleanup easy
- Big capacity pulp bin lets you prepare several servings of juice without stopping to empty the pulp each time
- Locking safety arm guards against inadvertent starts with the lid off
Cons
- Unit is not designed for continuous use. You’ll have to let the motor cool down after three minutes of juicing
- Unable to effectively juice wheat grass
- Not certified BPA-free
Final Verdict
Reviewers are generally positive about the Chefs Star juicer. Almost seventy percent of users give the unit four stars or better. Reviewers mention the simplicity of the unit’s operation, and say that they like being able to make juice in a hurry without fussing over the controls or the ingredients. Users wonder if the unit couldn’t get more out of the ingredients than it delivers, and notice that the pulp seems fairly moist. Some users have tried putting the waste pulp back through the machine to extract additional juice, but say that it yields very little more.
On the whole, reviewers say that the unit is easy to clean, but some observe a small amount of leakage between parts even when they’re locked down securely, but not enough to affect their positive reviews of the unit. Users say they like the cleaning brush that comes with the Chefs Star juicer, and use it to pre-clean the mesh filter before they put all the removable parts in the dishwasher. Many other users report that they save additional clean up time by lining the waste pulp container with plastic grocery bags.
The most common comments from reviewers are the great performance of the Chef’s Star at such an affordable price, and say it’s a best buy.