Blenders are a must-have kitchen appliance. No kitchen is complete without it. After
all, you should be able to treat yourself to fruit smoothies and icy pina coladas
at will. There are also wonderful things you can do with vegetables, such as creating tasty soups and purees.
Blenders come in various sizes and shapes. The right blender can make all the difference
in the amount of effort you put in for preparing food and drink at home. If you
are a cooking enthusiast, you may need more than one type of blender to optimize
the time you spend in cooking.
Basic blender tasks in the kitchen
Crushing ice is one of the most common tasks that a blender is used for.
The traditional carafe blender has been performing this task efficiently all these
years. Several improvements in design and the addition of several attachments have
made blenders more versatile and adaptable for several other tasks.
The other task that a blender helps users with is the task of combining liquids
and solids into smooth purees. For instance, a blender can make easy work of
whipping up soups and sauces. And, of course, making delicious smoothies is a very
popular use of a the blender as well.
Blenders with multiple features are available in the market. All those new features
are bound to impress a prospective buyer. However, it is advisable to take a small
step backward and analyze your need for all the features. After all, there is no
point in paying for features that you will seldom put to use.
Capacity of the blender
Capacity of the blender generally refers to the size of
the blender carafe. This capacity may vary from one liter to three liters. Depending
on your family size, and the amount of cooking you do, you can decide upon the ideal
capacity required for your blending needs.
If you plan to stow away the blender after every use, you should figure out the amount of
space needed for storage and whether the blender will fit into your cabinet. Small
blenders are easy to put away and suit people who are very particular about having
clutter-free kitchen countertops. However, small blenders will complicate usage
and involve multiple runs if you need to blend large quantities frequently.
Looks and sturdiness
If you plan to leave the blender on the kitchen countertop,
it had better be good looking. This factor is taken into account by manufacturers
who make blenders with stunning looks, in fact, looks that you will want to show
off by leaving them atop the counter.
When it comes to analyzing sturdiness, look at what material is used for making
the blender body and the carafes. The footing of the blender should be especially
sturdy and stable. This is basically to ensure that there is no toppling over when
the blending process is on. Stainless steel footings are generally rated as the
sturdiest.
The carafes may be made of plastic, glass or stainless steel. Glass carafes look
good and are heavy and sturdy. They are also more expensive than their plastic counterparts.
The only downside is that glass carafes need to be handled with extreme care. Both
glass and plastic carafes add an element of interest to the blending process, as
they are see-through and one can see the blending process take place. This visibility helps
the user decide when the contents have been blended enough and can be removed.
However, one major minus for plastic carafes is that they sometimes absorb the smell of
pungent foods and this scent may be difficult to remove.
Carafes made of stainless steel are the sturdiest and last for a long time. The
only downside is that the blending process cannot be seen. Still, some people consider
that a small price to pay for a long lasting carafe.
Most blender carafes or jars, as they are also known, have a capacity of 5 to 8 cups.
However, it is not advisable to fill the blender jar with more than three-fourths
of its capacity. This should be kept in mind while deciding upon the ideal size
of blender jar.
The range of blending functions
Blenders are used for a variety of purposes in the kitchen.
A blender’s functions could range from whipping cream, making smoothies, blending
ingredients for a soup to tough jobs like crushing ice and milling grain. Choose
your blender based on what you want to do with it. Some blenders have an ice crushing
button that switches it on to ice crushing mode. Some models may come with various
attachments for different functions. Try fitting and taking off the attachments.
This will tell you a lot about ease of use. Complicated procedures for changing
attachments are not welcome when one is in the midst of cooking. While you are on
the task, check to see whether there are any sensitive or fragile parts that may
break if attachments are not fitted properly.
Some blender carafes come with small openings at the top, fitted with removable
lids to facilitate the addition of water or other ingredients while blending. Some
users find this feature very useful.
Several blenders in the market now come with food processor attachments. Depending
on your needs, such combination blenders have the potential to address most of your
blending and food processing needs.
How powerful should your blender be?
Blenders come with wattage of around 300-500 watts for
small blenders to around 1200 watts for larger models. The generally preferred wattage
for most homes is the 300 to 500 watt power range. Speed settings can vary from model
to model. The number of speed settings may range from a basic three to sixteen.
Most users report that three speeds are more than sufficient for most blending
needs.
Controls - how friendly are they?
Blenders with touchpad controls are easy to keep clean.
This is because the surface of touchpad controls is flat and smooth. Some models
are very easy to use as the touchpad has programmed settings. Time and speed are
taken care of as long you choose the right programmed setting. However, some people
may find the displays on a programmable touchpad a bit difficult to read.
Blenders that have push button controls are also very easy to use. Changes between
different speeds can be done with the push of a single button. However, when it
comes to maintenance, push button panels are difficult to keep clean. The grooves
seem to attract spills on a permanent basis no matter how frequently you clean
them.
Some blenders have dials to move from one speed to another. Dials are easy to operate
and clean. The only drawback is that they do not look as sleek as pushbutton and
touchpad control panels.
Some models have switches to change time and speed settings. These switches do not
look very trendy. As only two positions are possible, switches limit the speed choices.
This problem is, of course, easily surmounted by the use of multiple switches.
Types of blenders
There are two basic types of blenders –
work top models and
hand held models.
While work top models are the traditional design of blenders, the hand held models
are recent additions.
Both have their own uses and several homes sport both types of blenders.
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Latest features
Technology has been used by several companies to give us
features that are hard to resist. Each new model that hits the shelves, has an improvement.
People who complained about glass jars being too heavy can now find lightweight glass
jars. Hated seeing your fingerprints all over the glass jar? Get a fingerprint resistant
finish. Fears of getting hurt if the jar lid slips off can be placed to rest as well. New
safety features ensure a total stoppage of blade movement if the jar lid is not
properly placed.
Those of you who found cleaning blender jars and blades a big chore will be interested in removable
and dishwasher safe parts. Cleaning your blender becomes easy and effortless.
Found your plastic blender jars flimsy? Well, it's time to smile - unbreakable and
scratch resistant plastic jars are here.
Price ranges for blenders
Handheld blenders from manufacturers like Faberware, Toastmaster,
Cuisinart, Back To Basics and Braun can be bought in the $11-$30 price
band. The speed variation could range from a single setting to a whopping eighteen
settings. A few manufacturers like Hamilton Beach also make work top blenders in
this price range.
All the top names like Braun, Hamilton Beach, Oster, Cuisinart, Back to Basics and
Black & Decker make work-top models for customers shopping in the $35-$50 price
band. The blenders in this price range generally have a capacity ranging from 40 oz
to 56 oz. The speed settings could vary from two to eighteen with additional features
like a pulse feature thrown in. A few powerful hand blenders are also available
in this price band.
Oster, Cuisinart, Braun, Hamilton Beach and Emson make work top models that cost
$50-$60. Carafes with larger capacities are the hallmark of this price range. However,
smaller capacities like 40 oz carafes also find a place here. The price is then
justified by the addition of a few interesting features or by just providing excellent
quality that guarantees trouble-free usage.
As the price tag shows larger numbers, blenders become better in terms of quality
and motor capacity, rather than in terms of carafe capacity. Powerful motors that
can tackle tough jobs can be bought in the $70-$100 price range. Waring, Cuisinart,
KitchenAid, Oster and Hamilton Beach are among the leaders in this category
of blenders.
Top class blenders can be purchased if you are willing to spend upwards of $100.
Large blenders with capacities ranging from 60 oz upwards can be purchased in the
$125-$175 price range. Needless to say the motor strength will be commensurate
with the jar size. Multiple jars, several attachments and sleek looks are all compulsory
features once you step into the $200 plus segment. All leading manufacturers like
Waring, Cuisinart, KitchenAid, Oster, Vitamix and Hamilton Beach have a presence
in this sector.
Those of you who are concerned about whether or not you will be able to utilize a feature-packed blender properly can lay your worries to rest. Most top of the line blenders
come with instruction booklets and videos on how to get maximum performance from
your blender. Soon you will be mixing bread dough and milling grain besides doing
the entire range of normal blender functions. Feature-packed, top of the line blenders
are sure to please any cooking enthusiast.
Stephen Poplawski did us a great service back in 1922 when he fitted a spinning blade
to the bottom of a container. Several enterprising individuals picked up on this idea
and, as a result, we now have a wide range of blenders to choose from.
Top Manufacturers