Black & Decker CJ525 Citrusmate Plus Citrus Juicer: Review

After being not so satisfied with previous Norpro handheld citrus squeezer, Progressive International Citrus Press and the Kitchenaid Citrus Attachment, I almost lost hope on the citrus press and finally purchased the Black & Decker Citrusmate Plus Citrus Juicer as a last try. Despite the mixed reviews quoted by the users in the forums, I went ahead with the Citrusmate and pleasantly this has turned out to be one of my favorite kitchen mates. This is a simple and user friendly citrus juicer that can be used effortlessly to press loads of citrus fruits.

Electrically driven Citrusmate requires least amount of effort and there is no need to squeeze the lime with the same amount of pressure that you require in a conventional press. Even the disabled people with restricted hand movements can use it without feeling any strain. Problem with most of the citrus press in the market is that they come in standard size and are fit for only medium sized lemon and oranges. This issue is well taken care by Black & Decker and they have brilliantly designed with two separate cones specifically for small and large sized fruits. These are ideal to press small, medium and large sized lime, lemon, grape fruit and orange irrespective of their shape and form. This is provided with a cover for added safety.

Another impressive feature is the pulp setting and this comes with three options to strain the juice in a customized fashion. You can set the Citrusmate Plus to flow down pure watery diluted crystal clear juice or semi thick juice with intermediate pulp or fully pulpy thick citrus juice with lot of fiber. The strainer beautifully screens the skin, pulp and seeds allowing only the juice to pass down. Accepted that it is made of plastic and some of you might have reservations against using this material, but trust me this is different from other regular plastic citrus press and it is made of high quality. The sturdy construction makes it durable and resists everyday abuse. Since only less effort is required, the plastic does not crack or shear. Moreover it does not have typical chemical smell and does not rust like metallic press.