Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer

I have a stand mixer (which I will leave unnamed) that I received as a gift several years ago. I’ve used it for all different things from cookie dough to pudding to bread. It works ok, but I’ve never really been pleased with it.

With the constant raising and lowering of the bowl to add ingredients, detaching the mixing paddle in order to remove the bowl, and kneading dough by hand–I was sick of it!

I know, I’m complaining. But I knew there had to be something out there to fit my needs. So I went on a search and found the Cuisinart SM-55 5-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer.
It does everything I want it to do, so now I’m going to share my Cusinart Stand Mixer Review with you..

Why the Cuisinart Stand Mixer?

Tilt-Back Head
The Cuisinart mixer’s hinged top will save you time and hassle! It allows you to tilt back the whole top of the mixer. This gives easy access to the bowl, so you can add ingredients without removing the mixing paddle and bowl (that used to be a hassle). It also makes it easy to attach accessories. When you tilt it back, it locks the stand mixer into the raised position.

Splash Guard and Pour Spout
The Cuisinart Mixer has a splash guard with a pour spout to allow you to easily add ingredients to the mixing bowl once it is already on the stand. Of course you can always tilt-back the top, but this is even easier and faster. No more odd maneuvering to add more flour. Good-bye splashes and spills!

Gentle Fold Function
You know when the recipe says “fold in egg whites” or “stir in chocolate chips?” That’s what this function is for–delicate ingredients (such as egg whites) and last minute additions (nuts, fruit,chocolate chips). It mixes at the lowest speed and has two mixing options: continuous blending or pulse to simply combine ingredients.

Slow-Start Function
Cuisinart’s brilliant idea! It starts the mixer slowly, then gradually increases speed to prevent flour poofs, and cake-batter splatters, keeping your kitchen cleaner.

12 Mixing Speeds
This mixer has 12 speeds. Now I don’t know what I would ever make to use all 12 mixing speeds, but better to have over-kill than under-kill. With so many options, you’re bound to find the perfect speed to mix everything just right.

Why do I need a Timer and Auto Shut-off?

The Cuisinart mixer has a 15-Minute Countdown Timer with Auto Shutoff. Now here’s a function I had to research a little bit to find out why I even need it.

It’s great–you can set the Cuisinart mixer to time the blending or kneading of your mixture, then it automatically turns off when you’ve reached your desired mixing time. This would be very helpful when kneading bread or rolls because while you’re busy doing something else, you let the mixer do the work for you, for just the right amount of time.

How Powerful is the Cuisinart Stand Mixer?

The Cuisinart SM 55 Stand Mixer has an 800-watt motor, compared to Kitchenaid’s 325-watt motor. It’s powerful enough to handle the heaviest mixing jobs and thickest doughs, but it’s not too noisy.

What other Attachments Work with the Cuisinart Stand Mixer?

Check out the Cuisinart SM-55 Stand Mixer product pictures on Amazon.com. The options are impressive! You can attach 5 different appliances (sold separately). I like the idea of combining power bases and saving storage space in the kitchen. The attachments that fit the Cuisinart SM-55 model include:

• Blender
• Citrus Juicer
• Food Processor
• Meat Grinder
• Pasta Maker

The top cover hinges open revealing three power outlets where you plug in the different attachments:

• The high-speed outlet is on the rear, top of the mixer and is for connecting the Blender or Food Processor attachment (sold separately).
• The Mid-speed outlet is located on the front, top of the mixer and is for the Citrus Juicer attachment (sold separately).
• Finally, the slow-speed power outlet is on the front of the mixer head and is used for the Pasta-Maker and Meat Grinder attachments (sold separately).

How About the Size of the Mixing Bowl?

The Cuisinart mixer’s 5.5-Quart bowl is plenty big enough for doughs and double-batches. If you often make multiple loaves of bread, then you might consider a larger model, like the Cuisinart 7-Quart mixer.

The bowl also has handles so it’s easier to remove and hold.

Is Clean-up Messy?

The bowls and tools are top-rack dishwasher-safe, something I can’t say about my current mixer. Clean-up time just got easier!

What are Others Saying?

Cooks Illustrated did a review of mixers, and the winner, “Highly Recommended,” was the Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer. They go into detail about how it pushes through heavy tasks, has modern updates, an efficient dough hook, how its splash guard has a feed tube…
(source: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0815062018796.html)

But what means more to me are the consumer reviews. These are people who own and use it regularly. It has a ranking of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 100 reviewers.

“Definitely glad I chose Cuisinart over Kitchenaid.” — A lot of reviewers mention how they were hesitant to switch from a KitchenAid but how glad they are that they took the chance.

They also talk about the splash guard preventing flour or powdered sugar poofs all over their counters and floors.

Also, the ability to handle heavy loads without unbearable noise.

What’s in the Box?

• Flat mixing paddle for mixing, beating, or stirring
• Spiral Dough Hook for mixing and kneading yeast doughs for breads, pizza, and rolls
• Chef’s Whisk for whipping and adding air to mixtures
• Splashguard to prevent spills

Does it Have a Warranty?

The Cuisinart SM 55 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer has a 3-year product warranty and a 5-year motor warranty.

Where Can You Get the Best Price?

I’ve seen the 5.5-Qt Stand Mixer for $299 almost everywhere (including the Cuisinart website), but you can find it much cheaper on Amazon.com

Watch for rebates. Often they run specials where you can get the food processor attachment for free. Even if you purchase it without the rebate, keep checking back at Amazon because they sometimes honor rebates even for recently purchased mixers.

Read more about it and the customer reviews on Amazon here.

Well, there is one big mistake when buying a juice extractor that can ruin your day. Make sure you avoid and don’t get caught up in this mistake!

But, why get a juicer in the first place?

Many people like to skip the effort and just buy juice from the store (or worse, skip the juice and go straight to soda).

There is a growing trend, however, that households across the nation are taking part in, and it is juicing from home. It’s becoming a lifestyle change instead of just a fad and the reasons are many:

• People are tired of pills and want natural solutions
• Juice made at home is fresh
• It feels good
• You have control over what goes into the juice (no nasty preservatives)
• There’s no plastic garbage from a bottle (which should be recycled anyway)
• It’s fun to share with neighbors and friends. They’re most often impressed by the juicer and your decision to be a juicer.

There are many more reasons to buy a juicer, but you get the idea.

So how do you know if you’re getting a great juicer? How do you avoid the number one mistake when purchasing a juicer? Well, the number one mistake is straightforward: settling for poor quality.

It’s unfortunate to anticipate getting a juicer, save up, buy the juicer and then be utterly disappointed to the point that you don’t even use it. Very sad. The best way to keep using your juicer throughout your life is to get a quality juicer, even a high-quality juicer, and you wont be disappointed.

So what’s the key to finding a high quality juicer?

The answer to that is fairly easy: Brand and Price. We all know that “you get what you pay for.” Think about the juicer as something you could potentially use every day and that you want to have last a lifetime. If it is something that you’ll use everyday, wouldn’t you want something that is of high quality? High quality juicers are more expensive, but they’ll last longer, do the job better, and be more fun to use which makes it better for you because you’ll receive the benefits of juicing more often. As far as brand goes, Breville makes great juicers, but you can check out other brands too in our list of Top 10 Juicers.

One of the best juicers out there is the Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain. It’s our pick and the one we recommend.

Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain Elite

It’s a favorite of juicers all over because it’s sturdy, looks great, is powerful and fast, and has a high juicing capacity.

For more information, you can find our review of the Breville 800jexl here.

We’ve briefly some of the pros and cons as well as review counts as of this writing. We’ve rated these based on their popularity, value and function. There are lots of different functions, so check out the juicers that interest you the most. Anything less than 4.5 stars customer rating didn’t make our list because we want to look at top juicers, not 2-star juicers.

Some things to consider are the number of reviews from Amazon. The more reviews can indicate the more popular the juicer is among juicer customers and that it is a better selling juicer. We’ve listed the price range, but you’ll want to check Amazon for current pricing. Just remember, you get what you pay for.

#1 Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor

Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain Elite

The Breville 800JEXL is one of the top (if not the top juicer available for the home). To read an in-depth review of the Breville 800JEXL, click here.

Reviews Count:

• 375 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $289-299

Pros:

• Faster and more powerful than almost every consumer grade juicer out there at 1000 Watts and 13,000 RPM
• Pulp leftovers are dry
• Put in the whole fruit or vegetable even without pealing
• Dishwater safe
• Stainless steel and titanium plating makes it sturdy and easier to clean

Cons:

• A little pricey, but you get what you pay for

#2 Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain

Breville BJE200xl

If price is a big problem, then the Breville BJE200XL comes next as #2 as a great value at a low cost. It wont be near as good as the juice fountain elite, but if you need something over nothing, it’s a good way to go for the tight budget.

Reviews Count:

• 406 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $89-99

Pros:

• Still very powerful at 700 Watts
• Great value for the price if you’re low on funds
• Not as much capacity as the Breville Elite with only 8 ounce capacity
• Dishwasher safe parts

Cons:

• Not as much capacity as the Elite with only 8 ounce capacity

#3 Breville BJE510XL Ikon 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractor

Breville BJE510XL Ikon 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractor

The BJE510XL is a good choice if you’re going for something in between the Elite and the compact.

Reviews Count:

• 168 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $176-199

Pros:

• Pretty powerful at 900 Watts
• Great value if you want something more than #2 but not as much as #1
• Dishwasher safe parts

Cons:

• Not as many reviews as choices #1 and #2 which means not as many people have purchased it. It’s a step between the #1 and #2, so many people if they’re going to get one in the price range of the BJE510XL, they opt for the Juice Fountain Elite (#1).
• Not as powerful and lower RPMs

#4 Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor

Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor

This option has us climbing again in price, but it does offer great capacity and a sturdy build.

Reviews Count:

• 297 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $124-129

Pros:

• Very easy to clean
• Large capacity
• Dishwasher safe parts
• Lots of reviews to read from

Cons:

• Not as powerful at 600 Watts

#5 Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Commercial Masticating Juicer, Black and Chrome

Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Commercial Masticating Juicer

We’ve moved back up in price in this example, but a lot of people like this juicer.

Reviews Count:

• 56 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $278-299

Pros:

• Quiet
• Sturdy build
• Long warranty 10 years or more

Cons:

• Not as powerful as other juicers in the same price range
• Not a large capacity

#6 Tribest Citrus Juicer

Tribest Citrus Juicer

Okay, now on to a popular choice on the far end of the low price range. If you’re looking to do just orange or citrus juice. You can go with this one.

Reviews Count:

• 52 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $39-39.95

Pros:

• Quiet Motor
• Helps prevent drips

Cons:

• Not nearly as versatile as the other juice fountains
• Not a large capacity

#7 Breville 800CPXL Die-Cast Stainless-Steel Motorized Citrus Press

Breville 800CPXL Die-Cast Stainless-Steel Motorized Citrus Press

If you want the higher-end version of a citrus press, this would be it. Just take a look at the number of reviews. If I were to go for a model like this, I’d probably seriously consider the juice fountain, but if a citrus press is all you want, go for it.

Reviews Count:

• 123 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $172-189

Pros:

• Sturdy, stainless steel
• Helps prevent drips
• Quiet motor

Cons:

• Not nearly as versatile as the other juice fountains
• Not a large capacity as the juice fountains

#8 Breville JE95XL Two-Speed Juice Fountain Plus

Breville JE95XL Two-Speed Juice Fountain Plus

A less expensive Juice Fountain from Breville if you’re not ready for the 800jexl model.

Reviews Count:

• 195 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $170-299

Pros:

• 850 watts
• Dishwasher safe (not the motor)
• Large capacity

Cons:

• Not as sturdy as 800jexl

#9 Cook N Home 9-1/2-Quart Stainless-Steel Juicer Steamer

Cook N Home 9-1/2-Quart Stainless-Steel Juicer Steamer

Okay, if you want a different approach to juicing, you can go with the Cook N Home. You set it on your stove and place the fruit in and it extracts the juice over time.

Reviews Count:

• 19 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 5 Stars

Price:

• $79-119

Pros:

• High juice volume capacity
• Quiet

Cons:

• Slow

#10 Norpro Stainless Steel Citrus Juicer

Norpro Stainless-Steel Citrus Juice Press

Just had to through this one in there; hey, it’s a juicer isn’t it? Well, sort of. Actually finding number 10 on the list was pretty hard based on our requirements for finding the best and most popular juicers.

Reviews Count:

• 80 Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

• 4.5 Stars

Price:

• $26-29

Pros:

• Little bit of exercise with every squeeze
• Quiet, unless you make noise when squeezing

Cons:

• Slow
• Lots of effort required
• Low capacity

So what is our pick for the best juicer?

Our pick is the number one juicer out there: the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor

Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain Elite

We did an in depth review of the juicer that you can check out by clicking here.

Why make homemade juice?

Who likes that stuff anyway? Right? Well, you might be surprised how much you like the benefits such as feeling better, longer life expectancy, and better overall health.

But why does juice (green or vegetable juice) have to taste so bad?

It’s those vegetables that people have tried to feed you ever since you were a baby that are so gosh-darned good for you. So, why does it have to taste bad? If you’re like me, you’ve often thought, “If it tastes this bad, it must be good for me.”

Is there a way to make homemade veggie juice taste good?

In-deedy there is! It’s a secret that’s been passed around the juicing industry for a long time. As more and more people get juicers for their own homes, the secret is getting out.

Calling it a secret may be a little dramatic, but if most people don’t know it, then it is a secret until it’s…REVEALED…dah-dah-duuuh!

So what is the secret to making homemade vegetable juice taste good.

See if you can figure it out with this clue:

When you go the store and buy juice that might have a strong taste or bite to it, what does the juice product advertise? Usually, it’s written 100% real juice. So if it’s 100% juice, why doesn’t the store-bought juices taste like homemade juice?

It’s because they added sweet tasting fruit juice into the juicing mix! That’s the secret, and now that you know it too, guard it well against never-do-wells.

Can that really be the secret to better tasting juice?

Yep. All you need to do when using your juicer at home is to add in some of the following fruits, and your vegetable mixes will start tasting much better.

Fruits to add:

• Apples
• Oranges
• Lemons or Limes for some zing!
• Grapes
• Kiwi
• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Mangos

You may want to add other fruits such as cherries or pomegranates. You could also add some sweet tasting melons to the mix (I’d suggest cutting them up before trying to add them to your mix).

Where to make homemade juice?

Well, start first off in the home. Second, you’ll want a good juicer.

If you use a sub-par juicer, you’ll spend loads of time chopping your fruits and veggies to get them to fit into the juicer machine. You’ll also likely be frustrated with the speed, capacity, and efficiency.

Our pick is the 800 jexl by Breville. Send in the fruits and veggies and it can take care of it all.

We wrote a detailed review of the 800 jexl here that you can read here for more on the juicer.

Included below for your viewing pleasure is a video showing the Breville 800jexl in action but also how it comes apart:

She’s not calling everything by the right name, but you get the idea of how fast the Breville 800jexl works.

What are the parts that come with the Breville 800 jexl:

• The juicer body itself
• Pulp container to catch the residue.
• Juicing pitcher that catches the good stuff.
• Defrother to go on the pitcher.
• Recipe Book with the user manual
• Scrub brush, a good, stiff one to scrub out the mesh filter and cutting blades.
• Food Pusher – that you use to push the food down

What’s awesome about Juicing with an awesome Juice Extractor

1. It’s fast…almost too fast
2. It’s good for you:  Juice + Drinking Juice = Feel Better
3. It takes whole fruits and veggies (you don’t have to peel, just toss it in)
4. More juice. The left overs are dry. It takes almost all the juice out
5. Looks good in the kitchen
6. Impresses friends – really try it out in front of some friends, they’ll like it

If you’re crazy for more video and reviews of the Breville 800jexl you’ll want to check out the recent post we did (it’s thousands of words, but don’t worry, there are videos if you want to skip the wordy details).

You can view our review of the Breville 800jexl here.

Although the video is a little old, it’s demo of the Click to see our =====>  Breville 800 jexl Review

Juicers have come a long way in the last 5 years. We were using an Oster, and it was leaking and making a mess. The capacity wasn’t all that great either.

The Breville 800 jexl Outshines other Juicers

The Breville 800 jexl really shines (no, really, it does) compared to other juices. I probably couldn’t have made a better video review of it than the one above.

The great thing about reviewing a juicer is that you can see it in action much easier than other items, and the outcome is sooo tasty.

A Great Juice Extractor Makes Great Juice, but add some Fruit to the Veggies

We made some juice today with a number of vegies, but adding a few fruits really helps to liven up the flavor.

Apples make a great addition to any juice you’re making, you can also add grapes and other fruits. Apples are just so easy to add and they have a lot of juice in them.

The great thing about the 800 jexl is that you can put the whole fruit in. Got an apple? Just toss the whole apple in. No need to peel the fruit or cut it up to fit better because the whole thing fits in the Breville.

It’s a lot of fun to try different juice mixes with the family and see what they think, and you’d be surprised in the varied tastes within a family.

Best Reviews of the Breville 800 jexl

Recently, we posted a detailed review of the Breville 800 jexl. In the review, we posted more videos of the juice extractor in action.

Those video demos aren’t as exciting as the one above, but Martha Stewart shows us how to use and invites her associate to come taste her latest creation.

You can view that review here.

Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain Elite

We’ve had some family members face some pretty serious health issues as of late and had some of our own.

Of course when these things creep up on us and surprise us, we look for everything we can do to overcome it.

We heard of all the benefits of juices and had been fans of antioxidant natural juices, but just recently, we became excited about what Green Juice can do for us and our family.

To make Green Juice and other healthy juices requires a good juicer to do it right. So after a lot of research, I finally decided on the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite Juice Extractor.

Hopefully, what I’ve put here will be helpful to you in your decision. I was really impressed with the Breville 800JEXL.

I watched Breville’s youtube demo video of this juice fountain, and I fell in love!

It has a 1000-watt or 1 1/3 horsepower motor that can move at 13,000 RPM, so we’re talking major power and speed. In the video, they were stuffing in whole apples, 3 carrots at a time, and pineapple with the rind. And juice came out instantly!

You can have an 8 oz glass of fresh, healthy juice in 5 seconds flat. That’s super fast! To see how fast the juice flows out of the machine, how fast the pitcher fills up, is absolutely amazing.

Here’s a video I found on YouTube to show you what it can do:

How fast and powerful is it?

The Breville 800 JEXL has 2 speed controls:

High Setting (13,000 RPM) for hard fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and apples. It’s even powerful enough to juice pineapple with the rind.

You don’t have to wear out your finders with excessive peeling and cutting, and it saves loads of time.

Low Setting (6,500 RPM) for soft fruits, such as cantaloupe, oranges, and leafy vegetables.

The Breville Juice Extractor is also equipped with an electronic “smart chip” that regulates power to the blades depending on what you are pureeing.

It gives extra power when you put in your carrot, then slows back down for the pear. It varies depending on the juice load.

This is so important because it produces just the right mix making a superior drink compared to other juicers.

How Durable is it?

The Breville Juice Fountain Elite is made of tough stuff. It has a die-cast steel housing, and the parts are stainless-steel.

This makes the juicer:

1. Look awesome (it looks so good in the kitchen).
2. Stronger and much more durable than juicers made of plastic.

The plastic juicers I looked at just wouldn’t cut it.

Plastic juicers are easily stained from vegetable juice and the plastic parts eventually crack from too much strain. Neither of these are issues with the Breville 800 JEXL.

The stainless steel on the Breville will not stain, and because it’s so sturdy and solid it easily handles the pressure. Compared to other juicers, you won’t get tired arms because the 1 1/3 horsepower motor does the work for you. You just put in the items you want to juice.

The cutter is a titanium-plated, stainless-steel disc, encasing 115 dual-action, diagonal knife blades–Does that sound cool, or what?. The micromesh filter is also made of stainless steel. I don’t anticipate that wearing out any too soon.

The Breville 800jexl  is all about speed, strength, durability, and longevity. Plus the look is sleek and sophisticated.

I’m looking forward to a juicer that will last for decades and one that will be the envy of the whole family.

Martha Stewart featured the Breville 800jexl on her show:

Easy to Use

The juicer is powerful and easily processes rinds so you don’t have to peel. That makes it soooo easy to make juice in seconds.

What about chopping? The feed tube is circular and three inches across to accommodate whole fruits and vegetables, and easily fits a whole apple or orange!

I just couldn’t believe it when I saw you could put whole fruits and vegetables in the juicer.

This is an important feature for me because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and it’s sometimes difficult for me to peel and chop all that produce. But thankfully, I won’t need to spend the time or effort with this powerful juicer.

How the Juicer Makes Magic

It’s really simple the way the juice extractor works.

The feed tube is located on the top of the juicer. Put the fruit or vegetable in the tube, guide it down with the pusher, and from there it passes through the cutter.

The Breville Juice Fountain has the feed tube centered right over the cutter so it can process large amounts of fruits and vegetables instantly.

After going through the cutter, the pulp is then forced against the stainless-steel micro-mesh filter, pressing out as much juice as it possibly can.

The residue, which is less than you would think, is then extracted into the pulp container.

So much of the juice is extracted from the fruits and veggies that the left-over pulp is surprisingly dry.

You can tell by the pulp that the Breville 800JEXL is nothing shore of awesome. When I was investigating at first, I saw lots of reviewers raving about the smooth and virtually pulp-free juice.

What’s Included with the Breville 800JEXL

The Breville 800JEXL juicer comes with:

• Pulp container to catch the residue. It’s large and holds up to 100 fluid ounces so you can make lots of juice without having to constantly empty the residue.
• Juicing pitcher that catches the good stuff. It holds 34 fluid ounces (or 1 liter) and has measurement markings on the side. It is made of clear plastic and has a handle and a spout. It also has an opening to insert the spout on the juicer where the juice comes out so there is no overspray. Watch for the “MAX” fill marking–look out, it fills up faster than you realize!
• Defrother to go on the pitcher. The 800 JEXL is so fast and powerful, it can produce a lot of froth. The de-frother is a nice addition because you can get rid of any froth you don’t want.
• Recipe Book with the user manual, to help you know what’s going to taste good together. Being a newbie juicer, I welcome all the tips I can get.
• Scrub brush, a good, stiff one to scrub out the mesh filter and cutting blades.

What About Clean-up? Does it Make a Mess?

Now this surprised me, but these parts are dishwasher-safe! That makes clean up easier than ever. If you choose to hand-wash the parts, use the scrubber brush that comes with the Breville Juice Fountain to make it easier to get all the pulp off the mesh filter and other parts.

The smooth, stainless-steel parts make for easy clean-up, and the assembly/disassembly is a cinch.

The parts easily clamp down, so you don’t have to worry about screwing things apart like with other juicers.

A hint that will save you some effort: Wash the juicer immediately after use, before the pulp has a chance to dry and harden.

One more hint: You can line the pulp catching container with a plastic bag, so when you’re done, you simply throw away the residue. One less dish to wash! What will I do with all the extra time?

Where to Store the Juice Fountain?

Before deciding on a juicer, I pictured where in my home this would go–probably on a counter corner because we would use it almost every morning. Would I mind having it there? No, it’s sleek, sophisticated, and it would be the best-looking appliance I have. In fact, I think it will the perfect addition to the kitchen.

It’s dimensions are 8 x 9 x 19 inches

What about the Warranty?

If you do happen to have any trouble the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite includes a 1 year warranty, so you can rest at ease knowing you’ll be taken care of.

What Others Are Saying:

A lot of people are talking about the Breville Juice Extractor. Last time I checked, there were over 360 reviews on Amazon alone!

Buyers of the Juice Extractor have rated it with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars on both Amazon.com and the Breville website too.

Here’s a sampling of what they’re saying:

• “For the fantastic quality and rugged construction you are get far more for your money than any other juicer on the market.”
• “You may think this machine is a lot of money, but if you want to have a juicer with real speed and a strong motor, this is the way to go. Not only that, but it’s very attractive to look at as well. This is money well spent in my opinion”
• “I’ve owned other juicers, but this one is a monster. At high speed, it’s loud no doubt, but it’s power is without equal. I make a monster glass of juice (close to a quart) with 7 fruits and vegetables. It rips through all of them as if it were a joke. All the vegetables take about a minute, then i’m done.”

It was a lot of fun to see a number of juicer owners say that if their house were on fire, their Breville juicer would be one thing for sure that they’d save.

Any Complaints about the Breville?

Breville explains that one minor issue comes when you quickly feed several fruits or veggies with high water content through the juice extractor. Sometimes a little juice leaks out between the juicer cover and the filter bowl. This is because the juice is extracted so quickly that the force may cause a bit of leaking.

So, if this happens, just make sure the juicer is on low speed and press the food pusher down more slowly. Then you shouldn’t have any more leaking problems. It’s hard to harness all that power!

One person mentioned she had a little juice flowing back into the pulp-catcher, but then she realized she hadn’t been cleaning her screen filter like she should have. Once she scrubbed it clean, she no longer had a problem.

So be sure to use the stiff brush that’s included with your juicer to make sure the screen is clean.

Even though the Breville is a top of the line juicer, I was a little hesitant because of the price. The videos I watched helped and I hope this review has been helpful to you. If you want to see more about the juicer, click the links below to view it on Amazon’s website.

It’s durable, long-lasting, fast, easy cleaning, and one person mentioned how she saves money in the long run on produce because the Breville Juice Fountain extracts so much more juice than her old juicer. Less produce is wasted. Sometimes quality means much more than a few extra dollars.

Health Benefits of using a Juicer

So, like I mentioned earlier, the health benefits are what attracted us to a juicer that can make quality juice, is easy to use and makes juice with almost no wait time.

I look forward to more healthy eating while being able to make tasty treats in no time!

Just think of all the yummy juices you can make with the juicer and how good for you those juices can be.

I’m not an expert on the health benefits of all the juices you can make, but I sure know that they’re better than all the sodas, energy drinks, and slurpees that are out there. Just by getting the juicer, you’ll have great drinks to replace those un-healthy drinks with. Think of all the health benefits of just doing that!

Now think of all the research that is being done and has shown how good the natural vegetable and fruit juices are for you. If those juices can help you prevent major sicknesses or maladies or just plain make you feel healthier, it’s worth it compared to the mounds of health related bills for not taking proper care of ourselves!

Where Can You Buy the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite?

I looked around online, and when I checked Breville’s site, the Juice Fountain Elite was out of stock.

I checked Martha Stewart’s store, since she recommended it, and it was out of stock there, too. I couldn’t believe it!

Luckily, I found it on Amazon.com. I found Amazon had the best deal, too, because they offer free shipping.

If you see it available, you oughta go ahead and buy it because it seems like a popular item.

Click here to see the Juice Fountain Elite on Amazon.

Where Can You Read More Reviews for the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite?

To really get a feel for what people think about Breville Juicer, check out Amazon.com.

When I checked they had over 360 reviews with an almost perfect user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Click here to read more about it on Amazon.com.

Using Liquid Nitrogen to Make Gelato

You could try the Liquid Nitrogen Method which is really a cool (no pun intended) method for making Gelato.

I’m not so sure this is the safest method for making Gelato at home, but making it with Liquid Nitrogen is possible and fun to watch at least.

Check out the video below to see how it’s done by professionals.

Making Gelato with Liquid Nitrogen is not common, but it is fun to see.

How to Make Gelato with a Gelato Maker

The Gelato Machine Method is a much safer way to make Gelato at home compared to using liquid nitrogen.

The video below shows how easy (and safe compared to liquid nitrogen) it is to make Gelato.

Recently, we posted an in-depth review of our favorite, the Delonghi Gelato Maker. Check it out to see what you should look for in a Gelato Machine and what others are saying about it.

So why is Gelato so good? Gelato is similar to ice cream, but differs in a few key points.

1. Gelato has less fat than ice cream so it’s healthier
2. Gelato is more dense so it has more flavor per bite
3. Gelato is novel and fun to share with friends and family
4. Gelato can be easier to make with the right equipment

I remember the days of making ice cream in our noisy ice cream maker (the one that looked like a half-sawed barrel) and adding lots of ice and rock salt if I remember right.

We’d have to refrigerate the ice cream for hours or overnight to get the right consistency.

Nowadays, it’s so easy to make Gelato and have it ready in 25-30 minutes without sticking it into the freezer and waiting forever.

Enter the self-refrigerating Gelato machines. The self-refrigerating Gelato machines make it so you can have Gelato in half an hour because of the good seal and refrigerating mechanism in the machine. They’ve come down in price now and are a kitchen item that many families use on a weekly basis because it’s so easy and fun to whip together a great tasting yet sophisticated dessert.

For example for Vanilla Gelato, there are only a few ingredients that you need to get started:

• 2 cups of whole milk
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract

You mix the sugar and milk until the sugar has fully dissolved then add the vanilla extract.

Then you place the ingredients in the bowl of your gelato maker and close the lid and run the machine for 25-30 minutes.

A self-refrigerating Gelato machine will make all the difference because the treat will be ready to eat right after you take it out of the machine.

Ever since we had our first Gelati we’ve been interested in Gelato and we stumbled upon Gelato machines that you can use right in your own home that are made specifically for Gelato. Just don’t tell that to our local Italian restaurant that makes Gelato! So we researched and researched and found the Gelato Maker that we liked the best.

The one you select will depend on how it will look in your kitchen, how well it makes Gelato for the price, and so on, but our pick was the DeLonghi GM6000. We wrote a detailed review so you can decide for yourself if it’s the right one for you:

Click here to see our review of the DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato Maker.

Gelato has a history that dates back centuries, but has only recently gained popularity throughout the United States.

A Gelato looks at first glance much like Ice Cream, but when tasted, it’s a world of difference.

Gelato is more dense than Ice Cream and doesn’t have some much fluff/air in its mixture. That makes Gelato pack much more flavor per bite than does ice cream.

Lose Weight Eating Gelato? …Maybe

Because Gelato is more dense and packs more flavor per bite, it’s plausible that you’ll eat less servings than if you were to eat ice cream.

We’ll leave that up to you. However, the serving size for Gelato is generally smaller than ice cream. So not only is it much lower in fat, you’ll probably eat less of it than you would had it been ice cream.

Gelato contains less fat than ice cream and is a lot more fun to share with friends. Lots of people share their surprise at how good Gelato tastes compared to ice cream.

The History of Gelato

From Wikipedia on Gelato’s History:

The history of gelato dates back to frozen desserts served in ancient Rome and Egypt made from ice and snow brought down from mountain tops and preserved below ground.

More recently gelato appeared during banquets at the Medici court in Florence.

In fact the Florentine cook Bernardo Buontalenti is said to have invented modern ice creams in 1565, as he presented his recipe and his innovative refrigerating techniques to Caterina de’ Medici.

She in turn brought the novelty to France, where in 1686 the Sicilian fisherman Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli perfected the first ice cream machine.

The popularity of gelato among larger shares of the population however only increased in the 1920′s-1930′s as in the northern Italian city of Varese, where the first mobile gelato cart was developed.

You can find Gelato in an authentic Italian restaurant or a Gelato shop if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby.

Once you try it, you’ll be hooked.

Making Gelato From Home

You can make Gelato history at home by being the first to introduce this tasty treat to your family.

With the right equipment, you can make Gelato in 25 to 30 minutes rather than waiting for ice cream to finally freeze. (You’ll need a self-refrigerating Gelato Maker to be able to make (almost instant Gelato in about 30 minutes). If you want to make instant Gelato, you’ll need liquid nitrogen, but that’s another story.

If you want to make Gelato from home, check out our review of the Delonghi Gelato Maker.

So lots of people have been asking what’s the difference Gelato vs Ice Cream?

Gelato is a popular European treat. It is similar to Ice Cream but packs much more flavor per bite.

From Wikipedia:

Gelato differs from ice cream in that it has a lower butterfat content, typically gelato contains 4-8% versus 14% for ice cream. Gelato generally has slightly lower sugar content, averaging between 16-22% versus approximately 21% for ice cream. Non-fat milk is added as a solid. The sugar content in gelato is precisely balanced with the water content to act as an anti-freeze, that is, to prevent the gelato from freezing solid.

In other words, Gelato is healthier than Ice Cream because it contains less or no cream and is lower fat.

Because Gelato doesn’t have as much air mixed into it, Gelato is much more flavorful because with an equal sized bite, you get more.

Gelato in a Store

Is Gelato healthier than Ice Cream?

Because Gelato contains less fat that ice cream, you claim that it is healthier than ice cream, but since it tastes so good, wouldn’t you eat more of it?

Being a European treat, somewhat sophisticated, or at least a little more sophisticated than ice cream, the serving size is generally smaller than ice cream. So in theory, you could eat more, but generally, you don’t because of the smaller size. Also, because it is more dense and has more flavor per bite, Gelato is more fulfilling than ice cream, so it takes less Gelato to get the same flavor mass than it does with ice cream (not sure if that logic would hold up in a science experiment, but maybe a taste test).

Gelato can also be made without eggs and with no extra cream. Ice cream is, well, iced cream, so you’re going to get a lot less fat content with Gelato.

Is Gelato Better tasting than Ice Cream?

What’s the best way to determine if Gelato is better than ice cream? Have your own taste test!

Find an authentic Gelateria, and give it a whirl. Note, not all places that sell Gelato provide authentic Gelato. Try to find a real Italian shop, and you’ll have a better chance at tasting some really good Gelato.

Gelato is a more sophisticated treat. Make Gelato for special guests or a special party. It’s taste will have people asking, “Is this ice cream?”

What about making Gelato from home? Is it easier to make than Ice Cream?

Gelati (plural for Gelato) are easier to make than ice cream. With the right Gelato equipment it only needs to take 25-30 minutes with a self-refrigerating Gelato machine. Compare that to making ice cream and having to refrigerate the bowl for hours or throughout the night just to get your dessert!

Some Gelato machines double as an ice cream maker as well, but once you get into tasting Gelato, you’ll want less ice cream and more of this sweet stuff!

If you want to make Gelato from home, you can do so with the right machine and have it ready from start to finish in 30 minutes; to see how, check out our review of the DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato Maker.