'Surprise, It's Not $500' - This Old-School Juicer Made A Major Comeback In 2025 - Tasting Table

"We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Manual juicers are making a major comeback in favor of their electric counterparts. This is in part because old-school kitchen gadgets are often much less expensive, as well as easier to use and clean. One vintage kitchen gadget that has taken social media by storm is an inexpensive cast iron juicer that allows you to juice several oranges in minutes."

"Though called a cast iron juicer, professional manual juicers are actually typically made from cast aluminum. They are lightweight, easy to clean, and affordable. With fewer moving parts, they are also less likely to break down over time. And because this juicer is manual, you can use it anywhere, even if you don't have access to electricity. Best of all, compared to electric juicers that have many intricate parts that need to be removed for cleaning, manual juicers are simple and streamlined."

"After you're done juicing, just take off the press and strainer and wash them by hand. While electric juicers or blenders can take 20-30 minutes for juicing and clean-up, with a manual juicer the whole process takes less than five minutes. As one person commented on Jordan Howlett's Instagram post about these old-school juicers, "surprise surprise, it's NOT $500! let me go get one.""

Manual citrus presses, often labeled cast iron but typically made of cast aluminum, provide a lightweight, affordable alternative to electric juicers. Fewer moving parts make them easier to clean and less prone to breakdowns. Manual lever-style presses extract juice efficiently and allow several oranges to be juiced in minutes without electricity. Cleaning requires only removing the press and strainer and washing by hand, reducing total juicing and cleanup time to under five minutes versus 20–30 minutes for many electric machines. Handheld presses date to the 16th century, with a cast-iron lever juicer patented in 1860 and later home juicer innovations through the 20th century.

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