Every morning I wake up to the pleasure of my buzzing machine. He is French and very powerful. He looks smart and has a very solid sturdy body. He takes everything I feed him although he does like me to cut it up into chunks. He is fussy though and likes to be hand fed.
I am of course talking about my Le Duo by
Magimix. This is a
juicer just in case you hadn't noticed the category heading of my opinion. I am always buying exotic fruits for Laurel and Hardy
my baby tortoises, and often have loads left that normally end up being thrown away. I like to try different combination foods so a juicer seemed an ideal way to mix the odd pieces of
fruit together.
I already had been given a "smoothie" maker and although I am able to blend some delicious drinks it does not extract the juice from the fruit/vegetables. For years I had used a lemon squeezer glass dish to try and make my own orange juice but wanted a quicker and easier way.
The Le Duo by Magimix meets all my needs, as it is both a juicer and a citrus
press. It is expensive and is currently priced at £113.00 from Kelkoo. I have had mine for about three years now and paid £99.00. You do get a part and labour guarantee covering three years and a motor guarantee covering 12 years included so I hope to have a few years of use yet for my money.
Magimix is a well-known household name and has a good reputation for producing well-made products. My juicer had to find a permanent place in my kitchen as it is really heavy and not a model you could shove in a cupboard and take out daily. It is very stylish to look at with its silver/chrome bottom and black top so I don't mind having it on show. The extent of counter room it takes up is no more than a blender and because of its weight and four little rubber feet it never moves even when being used.
One of the reasons I chose an expensive juicer was that I had been watching some adverts on Sky. The cheaper juicers all did quite well in extracting a small amount of juice, but this looked more like thick sludge and seemed to separate into different layers very quickly. For instance a glass of orange would look like thick pulp at the bottom, followed by a watery liquid, followed lastly with what looked like scum floating on the top. This did not look very appetising at all. Whenever a more expensive model was demonstrated the juice was nearly clear with no pulp or scum included. Also I would not have to peel any of the products that I fed into my machine. That did it for me. The centrifugal force rips the food apart and the spinning extracts the juice.
With its very quiet motor I felt confident that the Magimix Le Duo could fulfil the claims made by its manufacturer and would be able to juice literally any fruit or vegetable I fed it. Well so far it has lived up to its promise and for the sake of research yesterday I even fed it some grass just to see what if anything was extracted. No honestly I am not taking the pith I really did do this. I got a small glass of pale green juice but didn't fancy trying it out for taste.
It did do as it promised and if there are any obscure items you would like me to feed it then please let me know.
It is better not to juice citrus fruits as I recently found out that the skins contain some toxic substances, the white and pithy part just below the skin contains bioflavonoids and
vitamin C. (Bioflavonoids:
vitamins that maintain the resistance of cell and capillary walls to permeation). There is no need to peel as the wonderful Magimix comes with a
Citrus Press attachment with a lever arm to hold the fruit in place whilst you press your fruit. It comes supplied with two different sized cones. The smaller of the two cones is for lemons and limes, and a larger one for oranges and grapefruit. The non-splash lid does work well.
The stainless juice extractor basket removes for easy cleaning, as do all parts that require cleaning including the non-drip spout. If you have a dishwasher just chuck it in with the rest of your washing up. I don't have a dishwasher but found the parts easy to clean anyhow. I keep a toothbrush handy for the more stubborn pieces of food that hang on to these parts. A cloth would just be ripped to bits because of the sharp teeth so don't even try and use one for this purpose. Clean immediately after use otherwise the food will dry hard and will be a real pig to remove. Also it will start to smell and attract flies on a warm day.
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The lid easily locks into place and the machine will not start until this is correctly done. It is idiot proof so no worries there. A great big on/off switch sits bang smack on the front of the machine. No fumbling for little knobs there. The spout is a brilliant idea; it is anti drip. This really does work and all you have to do is push it upward to stop the juice flowing. Pull it back down again when you want the juice to flow again. The pulp is easy to dispose of and a spatula is supplied to lift/scrape this out. I have the happiest slugs in the country as their food is already mashed for them when they find their way into my compost bin.
The
health benefits of drinking
fresh juice really interested me as one eight-ounce glass of fresh juice can provide the same benefit as eating a whole pound of fruit or vegetables. It can also help as part of a
diet. If you drink a glassful before each meal it will not only fill you up but it will also reduce your desire for sweets and other high-calorie foods.
You really do need to wash all fruit or vegetables before using them. Make sure that any traces of soil are removed if you do not plan to peel your vegetables. I never peel my vegetables; this is one of the benefits of having the Magimix. One should chop all vegetables into large chunks and feed the machine. It really is that simple. Just make as much juice as you are going to drink, as it is not any hassle to make more. You should drink the juice while it is as fresh as possible in order to gain the greatest health benefits.
The correct usage of the machine produces no vibration at all but it will vibrate if not placed on a flat
surface or if the pulp drum is full and needs emptying.
I would highly recommend the Le Duo. The only real downside I can honestly find is that the feeder funnel could have been wider. The basket does need emptied frequently if you are making juice for all the family. I have forgotten to do this a few times. The users manual is very clear and easy to understand with sections on set-up, cleaning, maintenance and general care. A small recipe book is also included.
Whilst
surfing the net for new juicer recipes I found the following information, which I feel should be included with all new juicers. Just type the words "juicer recipes" into your
search engine and you will be amazed how many different recipe sites that there are.
♣ Apple seeds contain some cyanide, so be sure to remove the seeds before juicing.
♣ Do not juice carrot greens or rhubarb greens because of their toxicity
♣ The skins of fruits such as kiwi and papaya should also be removed prior to juicing, as should large fruit stones such as peach or plum.
A couple of quick and easy recipes
Carrot Tonic = 4 Carrots, 2 stalks celery, handful of parsley, 1 garlic clove
Cool Vegetable = 1 tomato, 2 stalks celery, 1 cucumber, 1 sprig parsley
Pineapple Spice = 1/4 pineapple, 1/2 apple, 1/4 inch sliced ginger root
Method for above
Juice all ingredients into a glass. Drink slowly and enjoy!
There are many different juicers currently on the market. Brand names like Kenwood, Breville, Magimix and Russell Hobs. A huge range is available, both the cheaper and more expensive ends of the market are covered but I always think you get what you pay for when buying such items.
After nine months of use at least once every day, and sometimes twice a day, I would definitely miss this machine if it ever broke down. I would have to get another one straightaway and I would go for this brand again. I am a highly satisfied customer.
If you would like to contact Magimix
Magimix UK Limited
115A High Street
Godalming
Surrey GU7 1AQ
Tel: 01483 4274111
Thank you all for reading. Fionaxx
Sip some Citrus but dont take the pith 
Congrats on the diamond xx