Juicing apples: Which apples make the best juice? What's the best way to juice them?

• Firm apples are the best for juicing.
• SOft apples yield very little juice. Instead they create applesauce.
• Apples which have been stored are usually softer, and are best juiced with a hydraulic press.

The best apple types to juice

Follow these guidelines for the best apple juice yield and flavor.

#1 Make sure to wash apples well (or buy organic apples).  Commerically grown apples are often treated with chemicals or pesticides.

#2 Don't juice waxed apples. They may look beautiful and shiny in the store, but the paraffin wax takes away the flavor, and can leave a coating on juicer parts.

#3 Don't juice the stem. It's very tough and can damage the juicing screen.

#4 Don't peel apples. The juicer will effectively separate the peel from the flesh, while still juicing the concentrated vitamins found in the peel.

#5 Don't juice the core with large amounts of juice. While a good juicer can handle apple cores, apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide.  While it would take more than 100 seeds to have an effect on the human body, we think it's better to be safe, especially if juicing for children.

#6 Use an apple slicer. A round apple slicer makes it very easy to remove the core, and it slices apples into a perfect size for effective juicing.

#7 Juice apples immediately after cutting them. Apples oxidize quickly, reducing their nutritional content. The brown color of an oxidized apple is also less appealing and tasty.

#8 Don't juice whole apples, even if you have a wide-mouthed vertical juicer. Some vertical juicers have a wide feeding tube (often called a "whole fruit" feeding tube). While it is possible to put an entire small or medium apple in it, often the motors cannot handle the strain.  More importantly, a sliced apple increases the surface area of the apple in the juicer, providing more juice and less wet pulp.

#9 Strain the foam. Apples naturally make foam when juiced, especially in high-speed juicers.  The foam will rapidly oxidize and turn brown, so we recommend pouring the juice through a strainer before drinking. Some juicers include a strainer on the juice container.

#10 Drink apple juice as soon as possible after juicing. Again due to the rapid oxidation of apples, it is recommended to drink apple juice within 30 minutes of juicing for the best flavor and nutrition. This applies even more when juiced in high-speed centrifugal juicers, which add a lot of heat and air during the juicing process.

#11 Add a bit of lemon or lime to prolong freshness. The natural ascorbic acid found in lemons and limes slow down the oxidation of apple juice, keeping it fresher longer.

We juiced equal amounts of apples in the four most popular types of juicers.  Here are our results:

• Centrifugal: Vidia CJ-002
• Horizontal: Sana 707
• Vertical: Sana 828
• Twin gear: Angel Juicer