Blenders are something almost every household should have in their kitchen. There are so many uses for them and it just takes a little creativity to get the maximum potential out of them. Some fun uses for them can be healthy fruity smoothies, late night margaritas or making your own pizza sauce by pureeing fresh tomatoes. There are many different types of blenders know including your traditional blender, food processors and hand immersion blenders. Below you will find some tips to help you select the right blender for your kitchen.
Quality Components are a very important thing to consider when buying a blender. You want to be sure to see what the blenders gear and base is made of. After a lot of use if the parts are not of high quality, they will start to break down and you will have to replace them. It is better to get a better quality blender that may cost a little more but will last over the years. The jar portion of the blender is another thing to watch out for and to see if it is made from glass, plastic or metal.
Having a good warranty is the mark of a good blender because it shows the manufacturer stands behind their product whereas if a company only offers a 6 month warranty it may be because they tend to break and wear down in a short amount of time. So be sure it has a lifetime or at least a few years warranty before you purchase.
One thing a lot of people leave out when searching for a blender is the amount of power the blender puts out. This is important in knowing that whatever you try to blend will not get caught in the blender and burn out the motor such as frozen fruits and ice cubes. The typical ranges for consumer blenders are around 300 to 1500 watts. If you just use your blender for simple daily blending like smoothies then you are OK with a blender that has 300 to 600 watts. More important than a lot of different speeds is to have a pulse feature on your blender that gives short bursts and allows you to control how much everything is ground up.
One of the parts of a blender that needs to be made from a good quality material is the blender jar. This is what you put the contents in when you are blending. Blenders usually come with blender jars made of glass, metal or most popular, plastic. While plastic is cheaper and lighter weight it is also prone to getting scratched up sooner which can lead to bacteria getting in the scratches and odors. Glass is usually the material used in most high end blenders and a very thick glass is used to prevent it from cracking. While the glass is a good quality there is still always a chance of it breaking if dropped to hard and then you have to replace it. Stainless steel is another material used and can also be light weight and very durable but you can see through it to check the consistency all the way through.
Hopefully this article has shown you some of the pros and cons of each type of blender and what to look for if you are replacing an old blender or getting your very first one.