Moulinex is a popular French manufacturer of small household appliances from food processors and blenders to juicers and smoothie makers and are ideal for today’s busy kitchens.  The following review is about JuiceMachine Pro Whole fruit Juicer from Moulinex, perfect for someone just starting out into the healthy way of living with juicing without having to cut up the fruit.

Design features:

The Moulinex JU500815 JuiceMachine Pro Wholefruit Juicer looks good and comes in silver having a clear plastic top that looks stylish and is all you need to encourage you to juice day after day. From carrot, orange to ginger and lime, the JuiceMachine Pro will handle several whole fruits for you. The juicer is of sturdy construction and bit heavy, so it stays in place while operation. The height of the juice spout is a little low, but we managed to find a pack of mid-sized straight glasses that can actually fit underneath it perfectly. Another solution is to place the juicer on an elevated surface. We also felt that the base could have done with a small cut-out to allow the glass or jug to mount snugly against the machine.

Extra-large feeding tube:

The extra-large feeding tube can easily take in whole fruits and vegetables, so you do not have to remove the skin and seed, core or chop them first anymore. Thanks to the ‘Direct Fruit System’ that allows certain types of fruits including apples, tomatoes, pears, etc, fit nicely in the feed tube. However, choose the right type of fruit or vegetable, though the unique feed tube design enables to get the most out of smaller fruits too. Care should be taken not to put your fingers or any other object in the filler tube while the juicer is in operation. The pusher is specially provided for the purpose.

Powerful 600W motor:

A smooth, versatile 600W motor features two speed settings that you can select to extract juice from either hard or soft fruit or vegetable, including that of citrus fruits. But do we really need two-speeds when one speed is more than enough to cope with anything? Also, as a safety instruction, never immerse the motor unit or put it under running water. The juicer is quite noisy; we suppose it is normal from a powerful juicer.

Twin pusher:

The Moulinex JU500815 Centrifugal juicer has two pushers – a large and small pusher that comes with a reducer. This is perfect for use with tall foods such as carrots, celery, etc. The manufacturer in the instruction manual recommends the right type of pusher to be used for several fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, pears, pineapple, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes and celery. On testing with narrow fruits and vegetables, we found that it judders slightly. This is because the use of wrong pusher may cause the machine to vibrate abnormally. Also, never use the small pusher without its reducer and avoid pressing too hard on the pusher.

Micro-mesh filter:

As with most juicer appliances that we have reviewed earlier, this one features a Micro-mesh filter made of stainless steel to make sure your juice is pulp-free and filters anything else that will stop you from having a fresh tasty drink. It does the job pretty well by helping you extract the most juice from fruits and vegetables.

Large 3 litre removable pulp container:

There is a large 3 Litre removable pulp container that makes longer periods of juicing a breeze, without your stopping to empty. Having said that, there are chunky pulps in the pulp container and we need to clean it for more juicing. Always make sure that you fit the pulp container correctly to ensure smooth operation. The fruits and vegetables should be inserted while the motor is in operation and never remove the pulp collector while the appliance is running.

Anti-slip rubber feet:

Like most juicers, this Moulinex JU500815 600 watts Juicer comes with an Anti-slip rubber feet that gives extra stability and keeps your juicer steady without jumping about the worktop while it juices fruit and vegetables.

Safety system:

The juicer is fitted with a 2 safety mechanism that locks the removable components in place. When you start the juice machine, make sure the pulp collector is correctly in position with the cover properly secured by the clamp. The juice machine will stop when you open the clamp or remove the pulp collector. At the completion of a cycle, place the switch in the ‘0’ position and wait for the sieve to stop fully before you remove the cover.

Dishwasher safe non-electrical parts:

This Moulinex JuiceMachine Pro Wholefruit juicer also features automatic safety cut out and all of its non-electrical parts are dishwasher safe and removable including Large pusher, Small pusher, Reducer (for small pusher), Sieve, Juice collector and Pulp collector. As for us, cleaning up with a quick scrub of the parts and then popping them in the dishwasher made cleaning a lot easier. Another way to clean up is to rinse all of the removable parts under the tap.

Cleaning brush:

Try washing the mesh straightaway, otherwise the dried on gunk is pretty hard to remove. A little ‘toothbrush’ is provided to brush out the mesh and sieve; otherwise just make use of a standard nail brush.

Endorsed by the ‘Government 5 A Day Healthy Eating Plan’:

This juicer has been endorsed by the ‘Government 5 A Day Healthy Eating Plan’, a DoH strategy that motivates people to practice healthy eating habits by eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Adding fruits and vegetables together in one glass can give you with the government suggested daily intake of 5 portions in one tasty drink.

Use & Care:

This appliance is easier to clean right away after use. Never use scouring pads, alcohol (spirit), acetone, etc. to clean it. Handle the sieve with care and any mishandling may certainly damage it. Change or replace your sieve at the first sign of wear or damage. Always clean the motor unit using a damp cloth and the sieve with the help of the cleaning brush.

The appliance should not be used for sugar cane and very hard or fibrous fruit. Choose fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables as they will produce more juice. So, how do you go about removing the remaining of the pulp left in the pulp container? Just line the pulp collector using a pedal bin lining bag or use a small mesh sieve or muslin bag and you are done. Do not centrifuge over-ripe fruit as the basket will be blocked more quickly.

All juice must be consumed right away because they can quickly oxidize to bring about a change in taste, colour and nutritional value on contact with air. You might have noticed that Apple and pear juices tend to turn brown quickly. By adding a few drops of lemon juice to the juice, you can slow down the discoloration. Always use this appliance on a solid, steady work surface that is not subject to water splashes and do not turn it over.

Drawbacks:

We found that there is no receptacle offered to catch the juice. The height of the spout too is somewhat awkward, so not all jugs or glasses will fit beneath it. The pulp container is also large and so is the top/lid that makes you think if this size/capacity is really necessary for home juicing. Cleaning the appliance seems to increase with the smoother juice settings, although the parts are easy to dismantle.

The lack of a handle or something to hold onto when you pick it up comes as a disappointment. The addition of a ‘fitted juice jug’ might have prevented the juice splashing out. The juice is foamy, but there is no foam separator available like the Philips juicer. It chews up most fruit and vegetables without any problem, although bananas, blackberries, avocados, figs, strawberries and aubergines just do not go through the mesh well.

Conclusion:

From inserting the fruit in to taking a fresh glass of juice, it hardly takes about 30 seconds and that is pretty quick under any standards. The juice is very clear with no ‘bits’ in it and flows smoothly into a glass or measuring jug. Equally impressive is the speed of the juicer, ease of set-up and use. So, we felt it is a quality Centrifugal juicer with an excellent value for money, though it loses points for lack of some useful accessories.

Moulinex JU500815 Juice Machine – Technical Specification Table