Kitchen Blender: Smoothies to Soup
Professional Blenders are Versatile for Healthy Cooking
Jan 25, 2008
The kitchen blender is definitely an essential tool that is useful for so much more than blending margaritas. The blender, in particular a professional-quality blender, can be useful for a wide variety of kitchen tasks from smoothies to baby food to soups and even desserts.
It is amazing what you can create when using a blender. Fresh fruit is easily transformed into cold, delicious smoothies with the touch of a button. The addition of ice cubes, or frozen bananas, for example, will turn blended fruit into a refreshingly cool smoothie. Wholesome vegetables and a bit of broth can be made into soup in minutes. Some professional blenders even boast the ability to warm the soup, making the blender a one-pot meal.
The versatility of the blender extends throughout the day, and can be used to create a delicious raspberry syrup for breakfast pancakes and waffles, and can even by ideal for quick and fresh desserts.
From basic models to high-end professional blenders, there are literally hundreds of kitchen blender varieties and styles available. When choosing a blender, first assess your needs and determine how you will use the blender. If you are using it to make mainly blended drinks, your needs will be different if you are making a wide range of foods for the family – from babies to adults.
Whatever your needs, the base of the machine should be wide and stable enough to keep the machine from crawling across the counter during use. Look for a container that gives you the ability to fill fewer times (6 cups), since you will only fill the container halfway to blend. A carafe that is slightly tapered at the bottom will roll the food back down to the blade helping to ensure all the ingredients are blended.
Stainless steel carafes help maintain the temperature of the liquid and are useful if your main purpose is cold blended drinks. A glass carafe can be heavy, but will resist scratching that occurs with many plastic carafes, as will polycarbonate carafes that are available on some high-end machines.
It is essential that the calibrations on the container are easy to read. A pouring spout and a top that has a cover to open and add ingredients or to let steam escape are also helpful, if not essential, features.
Keep in mind that the best-performing blenders feature between 350 and 500 watts, but comparing wattage does not reveal the more powerful machine. A blender with high wattage can have an inefficient motor. Maximum performance is a combination of variables including motor, carafe shape and blade shape (and its quality).
A stainless steel blade will give durability and longevity. Look for a blade that is designed to cut on four different planes – as opposed to a flat blade – which will add to its efficiency. Be sure to visually check its sharpness.
Finally, all that is really necessary is a high and low button, along with a pulse feature that will help ensure some ingredients aren’t over blended.
The unfortunate thing is that you can’t determine a blender’s quality simply by looking at the machine. The best way to do so is to assess the fit, finish and feel of the blender along with the reputation of the manufacturer.
The best advice is to assess your options, take a look at your own needs in the kitchen, and buy appropriately. Get ready to blend your way from breakfast to dessert.
