The Best Kitchen Food Blenders and Liquidisers
Electric Stand Power Mixers for Smoothies and Juice Drinks
Sep 11, 2009
They are many different kitchen appliances that can puree soup, grind coffee and make baby food. However only a real blender has the power to crush ice cubes to make smoothies.
Standard consumer blenders start at $20 and can reach over $100. Popular brands include Oster (Osterizer), Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach and KitchenAid.
High-end commercial or professional blenders (Vita-Mix, Blendtec) cost around $400.
Blender Power (Watts), Speeds and Capacity
For crushing ice, more power is better. Standard blenders range from 300 to 500 watts. Premium $400 professional blenders reach over 1,000 watts.
Some blenders are rated with "peak watts". This is higher than the actual continuous watts and should be ignored. If the actual watts are not stated, the power can be calculated by multiplying the amperes and volts (watts = amperes x volts).
Jug capacities range from 40 to 64 ounces. Choosing the right capacity is straightforward and depends on the number of shakes that need to be made at one time.
Blenders can have up to 14 speeds but 1 or 2 speeds and a pulse mode should be enough for most purposes. The number of speeds shouldn't be a significant factor in choosing a blender.
Blender Jugs and Accessories
Plastic (usually polycarbonate) jugs are tough and light but:
- Scratch easily.
- Can discolor on contact with vegetables such as tomatoes and carrots.
- Can pick up odors.
- Can crack in the dishwasher.
- Aren't suited for pureeing hot soup.
- Are sometimes double-walled, allowing water to get trapped inside.
Classic glass jugs are odor and stain resistant, and stand up well to hot soup. They are however more fragile.
Some new jugs are single-piece designs. The jug and blades are contained in one unit. Cleanup is easier as there are fewer parts to clean. To clean the blades and jug, soapy water is blended. The disadvantage is that accessory jugs cannot be used.
Blender design involves making trade-offs in blade configuration and jug capacity. A smaller jug mixes better but can be too small for some uses. The more established brands have optional accessories that can make a difference in performance. Replacement jugs and blades also mean that old blenders can be upgraded to "like new" performance.
Having more than one jug allows the right jug to be used depending on the situation. Replacement/accessory jugs include:
- Stainless steel jug.
- Travel mug with a lid. For blending directly into the mug, like a Magic Bullet or other single-serve mini blenders.
- Mini-jar jugs for blending small quantities (baby food, spices, coffee). Standard mason jars can fit some blender models.
Specialized blades are available:
- Milkshake blades for better mixing of liquids.
- Ice-crusher blades for making thick smoothies from ice cubes.
An optional food processor chopping bowl can replace a dedicated food processor for simple jobs.
Blender Reliability
As with other motorized kitchen appliances, stripped gears and burned out motors are common complaints. Warranties range from 1 to 5 years.
"Classic" blender models are based on decades-old designs. While there might be some tweaks in the details, they should still basically be proven, reliable workhorses.
An easily replaceable fuse is a useful feature. What looks like a burned out motor is often just a blown fuse. In any case, the blender should be quickly switched off at the first sign of stalled or jammed blades.
How to Choose a Blender
Other considerations and features to look out for include:
- The height of the blender should be checked. Larger blenders can be too tall to fit under the kitchen cabinet.
- The power cord should be long enough. Some are as short as 2 feet.
- Heavy blenders with rubber feet should be more stable and less likely to "walk" on the kitchen counter when in use.
- All blenders are noisy. Finding a quiet blender is almost impossible.
- Newer blenders have a membrane-covered electronic keypad that doesn't trap dirt and is easy to wipe clean.
The Best Blender
Hand or immersion blenders can be a better choice for pureeing soup, conveniently blending right in the pot. But for crushing ice and frozen fruit to make smoothies, nothing beats the power of a conventional stand blender.
It is important to be realistic about the performance of blenders. Even premium high-performance blenders work better with small pieces of cut fruit (not a whole apple), and require some minimum amount of liquid to mix up and slosh the ingredients around. For example, the Vita-Mix comes with a tamper to push food down towards the blades, acknowledging that manual intervention is sometimes required.
High-end $400 blenders have a good reputation and should not disappoint. The only question is whether the increased performance is worth the additional cost. Those with spare cash should certainly get one.
"Classic" or retro model blenders are a safe choice, especially if backed up by optional specialized blades and jugs for optimal blending of different types and quantities of drinks.
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