Recipes - Blenders

The Blender

A blender does exactly what it sounds like – it blends ingredients together. You can use a blender to blend, mix, chop, or puree food or drinks. Most blenders offer at least three speeds (low, medium, and high) although some come with as many as five speeds.

Types of blenders

There are different types of blenders you can purchase. The standard blender has a glass or plastic jar in which you will blend ingredients, the lid to close the jar, and a heavy, motorized base.

The base has different speeds and methods with which you can blend the ingredients. These will usually mix, puree, chop or grind the ingredients using a blade at the bottom of the jar.

Combo types

Some blenders are a combination of a blender and a food processor. These include a chopping blade and while it is not as powerful as a stand-alone food processor, it goes give you many of the features of both appliances in one. The cordless blenders with rechargeable batteries are a little less powerful than the standard blenders, but they offer the convenience of being portable. You can carry these with you when going on a picnic, camping, or any other type of outdoor activity.

Hands not free

There are hand blenders that do not have a jar, you just dunk the handheld appliance into a glass or bowl of your ingredients and turn it on to blend. This is convenient and easy to use for making drinks, but does not work well if you are trying to blend vegetables or chop ice.

Volume varies

Most blenders you purchase with a jar will hold between 32 and 48 ounces. The controls may be in the form of a push button, a slide lever, a dial, or touchpad. The low speed can be used to mix batters or blending dry ingredients. If you need to crush ice, you will want to use a higher speed. The blades are found at the bottom of the jar and may be made of plastic, but stainless steel blades are the most common. Some detach for easy cleaning.

When considering purchasing a blender, you want to look for one that offers easy clean up. On standard blenders, the jar can be removed for cleaning and many are even dishwasher safe.

How much should you pay?

When looking to purchase a blender, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20 for a basic model to $120 for one that offers more advanced features. Most come with some type of warranty (usually one or two years) and many come with recipe books to help you get started.