Found at last: a vintage citrus juicer
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Ever since my faithful little Krug citrus juicer bit the dust, I’ve been juicing oranges by hand on one of those old-fashioned glass models you sit over a bowl. Or else, with a metal Mexican hand-held job, a slightly larger version of the lime squeezer.
Why? Because I haven’t been able to find a small compact electric juicer that works. I don’t like to keep small appliances out on the counter, so I want something that can be stowed away in a drawer. And I don’t want some big pig of a machine, however efficient.
I finally thought I’d found a compact electric model, ordered it online and returned it after making two glasses of juice. It had a design defect: The hole that the juice ran through kept getting clogged with pulp.
For larger juicing jobs, I’ve been borrowing a neighbor’s vintage Proctor Silex JUICIT J101W. This was last made in the ‘70s, I believe. The design is a bit lumpen, but it works beautifully.
Funny, when I was just in New York, my friend Mary complained how juicers these days don’t have a powerful enough motor: When you press the orange down on the reamer, the motor strains and sometimes stops. She got up on a step-stool to pull out her vintage juicer: the very same Proctor Silex model, 125 watts as opposed to 30 to 80 watts for some of the newer juicers.
OK, so I set up a search on eBay. The Proctor-Silex JUICIT does show up, but for weeks the ones I saw seemed too pricey or too worn. Finally, I bid on one in excellent condition and won the auction for $31, plus $10 shipping, which seems fair. It’s heavy duty. The body is metal, the reamer porcelain, and this juicer just rips through the oranges, giving out a steady stream with just the right amount of pulp.
Mornings are just that bit happier now.
ALSO:
Enter our Battle of the Burgers
First Impression: Beachwood Cafe
Open this weekend: Garagiste Festival satellite tasting room
-- S. Irene Virbila