Canny for the price (Kenwood JE356 Juicer Extractor)

Member Name: squanderler

Product:	Kenwood JE356 Juicer Extractor
Date:	22/07/04 (1131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Easy to use, Quick to clean

Disadvantages: Not very powerful

This Kenwood juicer is at the cheap end of the market and this is reflected in the quality.
Ideal for the beginner, this model offers a cheap and attractive way to fill up the cupboard with more never-used-gadgets. For the more serious juicer, this model would not be highly recommended by most.
Lets start with the looks. The JE356 is a modern, stylish machine that would not look out of place in any modern kitchen. Finished in a chrome effect, the reflective body is contoured with a distinctive flair. When first purchased, care should be taken to admire the styling of this juice extractor as it is an absolute nightmare to keep this way! I love looking in the style maazines and dreaming of the perfect abode. In the real world, these ideas make great magazines. The juicer continues with a see-through lid and black plastic stuffer thing. When complete, the juicer is actually quite nice to look at. The domes of the stuffer (sorry, I don't know how else to describe it) and the plastic lid are very modern looking. A popular idea with modern designers seems to be trying to recreate the home of The Jetsons and this juicer fits in with this idea. The plastic see-through lid does allow you to see the juicing process which is definately a bonus. You will undoubtably wonder at this when you first start to use this machine. Watching the fruit as it plumits to it's demise at the mercy of the threshing blades below might seem quite brutal but just remember how good the resulting juice is for you!
The motor of the juicer is not the most powerful. It has two speeds and it is recommended that you read the instructions supplied before you use this machine as different fruits require different speeds. The motor is powerful enough to cope with apples, pineapples, mangos and other firmer fruits but I recommend that you take your time with these. Don't rush the juicer. The softer fruits are juiced with ease, perhaps too much so. The JE356 is great
as a replacement to the traditional orange juicer. It will make a morning glass of juice a regular instead of a treat. However, the juicer is not as efficient as you may be used to with a traditional hand juicer. Where you can scrape every last drop out of an orange shell, you are left with a lot of pulp with this juicer. I recommend that you squeeze this through a sieve to extract maximum juice. Don't waste anything!
The juice is directed effectively to a spout which is only big enough to accomodate a small glass. This is great if this is what you want but makes a jug of juice a bit of a carry-on. I recommend that you use this machine on a draining board of a sink unless you are obsessively tidy. There are drips after juicing which, when left, are sticky! Urgh!
Apart from this, the juicer is actually very easy to clean. The simple construction makes disassembly easy-peasy. The main unit must be cleaned by hand as this is where the motor is. There are three detachable parts - the stuffer, the lid and the juicer. These are simple to locate and can be washed in the dishwasher. I recommend that you spend a bit of time on the juicer because the small holes, used to extract the juice, can collect a lot of the pith and pulp. If this drys on to the jucier, it can impair future use.
I don't think there is a great deal left to say about this machine. It is made by Kenwood and so comes with an excellent reliability reputation as well as worldwide service and support. It is a stylish piece of kit and is reasonably priced for a juicer. I have had mine for a few years now and it works fine. I was set on having fresh juice every morning but soon adopted the "I can't be ar**d" approach. The beauty of this model, however, is that the footprint is very small. It fits into any cupboard and the cord wraps nicely in the cavity of the machine.
If I can offer one word of warning to any NEW jucier, it is don't overdo the juice
! It might taste nice and you might like using the machine but if you are not used to a lot of fresh juice, you could spend the rest of the day juicing your bowels down the toilet. These machines are great for constipation! Also watch which fruits you mix as some combinations are not suitable.

Summary: