A good blender is an important component of any kitchen, regardless of whether you're making smoothies and margaritas or pureeing summer tomatoes from the garden for homemade marinara. Despite the popularity of food processors and hand/immersion mixers, blenders are still the most effective option for crushing ice, whipping up a smoothie or other frozen drink and pureeing soups. Use this blender buying guide to aid you locate the best blender for all of your culinary tasks.
Durability
When you are researching blenders, pay special attention to what supplies the base and gear assembly are made of. Blenders with these components made of plastic and tend to get lower marks for durability. Stainless steel and other metal-based blenders hold up far better over time.
What kind of jar the blender comes with (plastic, glass, polycarbonate or metal) also contributes to how long your blender will probably be of very good service. Above all, pay attention to the warranty that comes with your blender just as you'd with a far more costly buy. Some manufacturers might supply only six months, while other people provide up to six years of protection. Lastly, whilst many blenders are advertised as dishwasher-safe, delicate parts, like rubber gaskets, tend to break down a lot more swiftly. We recommend washing by hand as much as achievable.
Power
Not all blenders are developed equal and also the way manufacturers advertise this is with wattage claims. Counter top blender wattage can range from 300 to 1,500 watts, but this is not as important as they'd have you feel. While it is true that the a lot more wattage a blender has, the greater it can work with tough substances like ice or large quantities of nuts, in case you won't be utilizing your blender for those things, you don't need to pay for the extra power.
For normal daily use, a blender with 300 to 600 watts should be fine. Similarly, blender speed options run the gamut from 2 to 16, but just before you go spending the additional $50 for a fancy model with as several gears as Lance Armstrong's bike, some experts say that any more than 3 speeds is overkill. Regardless of how many speeds you feel you would like to have, you will probably want your blender to come with a pulse button. The brief bursts of speed and power it delivers aren't just for ice crushing anymore. Pulsing gives you much more control over the ingredients you are working with and ensures you do not over-process.
Blender Jars
Blender jars are normally made of 1 of four diverse materials: plastic, glass, polycarbonate and metal. Plastic jars are the least-expensive choice and their lightweight design makes them easy to deal with when full. Even so, they're prone to scratches over time and could retain food odors. An excellent option if all you're going to use the blender for is pesto, but if you will be making use of the blender for a number of recipes you'll want to take into account other materials.
Glass jars are the heaviest and thus the most stable blender jars, a big advantage when it comes to evaluating durability over time. The only caveat is in case you drop it and it breaks, you're out a blender jar. Glass jars are more scratch-resistant than plastic and won't retain odors or strong flavors.
The newest blender jars are made from polycarbonate, and manufacturers claim they're shatterproof. That's an advantage over glass blender jars, especially in a busy kitchen, but polycarbonate jars are so new that there's little information as to how well they hold up over time. We're not convinced that new means much better, but if you wish to try the newest and greatest in blender technology, you could be interested in blenders with polycarbonate jars.
Lastly, stainless steel and other metal jars offer the advantages of being lighter weight and much more durable than glass or plastic. You'll pay additional for these advantages, so if sleek, shiny blender jars are catching your eye (or match your other appliances), keep in mind that you simply can't see by means of metal when you are blending, which makes checking for uneven mixing a challenge.
Regardless of which blender jar sort you select, you'll need to be sure it's also the proper size and shape for what you'll be doing. If you are making anything in big batches, the more capacity the blender jar offers, the far better. Jars that are tapered (tall and deep) are designed to funnel ingredients toward the blender blades for more even blending. Contemplate what you will use the blender for most frequently and make your choice accordingly.
Noise
No question - blenders are noisy. Generally, the far more power a blender has, the louder it's going to be when running (an additional reason not to choose a blender for wattage alone). If you feel you have found the perfect blender and you're hovering over the "buy now" button, take a few minutes to read user reviews to see what they say about noise and maintain in mind that noise a relative thing if only 1 out of 10 users says it sounds like it's breaking the sound barrier, you're probably okay. Blender noise might appear like a minor point, but it could make a distinction in how frequently you will really use your blender.
Ease of cleaning
How effortless it is to clean your blender will undoubtedly affect how you really feel about and in fact use your blender.
Entry-level blenders come with switch or dial controls that contribute to ease of use but not necessarily ease of cleaning spills and grime might collect around the buttons or even in the switches. Touch pad controls are simple to clean but are typically only offered on higher-end models, and some users locate them far more difficult to control than conventional buttons or switches, but we think the ease of cleaning makes it a wash. Removable blades also make for simple cleaning, but blenders that feature these may be a lot more prone to leaks than their non-removable counterparts. Is there a clear winner here? It is a matter of preference more than anything else.
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