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Whether you're mixing chunky salsa, creamy sauces or slushy maragaritas, the right blender is a must in today's kitchen.
When it comes to small appliances, few work as hard as the blender. Over the years, it has stirred, mixed and whipped its way to must-have status in the kitchen. But if you have choked on ice cubes in a badly blended Piña Colada or watched béarnaise blow through a poorly fitting lid on its way to coating your kitchen ceiling, then you know not all blenders are created equal. There’s no question, choosing the right blender can be a stirring challenge. We’re here to help.
KNOW YOUR NEEDS
The trick to selecting the perfect blender is to first identify your needs. Home-based bartenders require rugged machines that pulverize ice at the push of a button. Chefs, on the other hand, need blenders with a softer touch ideal for mixing soups and sauces or methodically chopping ingredients for the perfect gazpacho or topping. Health nuts want everyday machines for whipping up fruit smoothies while new Moms covet blenders that puree cooked carrots in a flash. The truth is that most blenders (just like the individuals who use them) excel in certain types of food-prep skills and not in others. Once you determine the required skill set of your ideal blender, you are ready to match it to the perfect machine. Be forewarned, a blender’s price, power and performance don’t always correlate. What’s more, depending on your culinary endeavors, you may need more than just one.
KNOW YOUR OPTIONS
With your needs in mind, now it’s time to decide which blender type best suits your style and the types of foods you plan to prepare.
The Everyday Workhorse
Most basic blenders are perfectly capable of mixing a mouthwatering milkshake or chopping nuts. And while many may not master perfectly crushed ice or the silkiest sauces, these stalwarts perform competently at most mixing tasks. A reasonable price and the ability to function consistently across the board make the basic blender perfect for most everyday cooks.
Try :
Braun PowerMax MX2050 ($50) – boasts a nice price-point and icons indicating which foods blend best at each of the machine’s five speed settings.
GE Die Cast ($80) – features a single, three-speed knob, a clean-lined design and a powerful motor. Available at Walmart (walmart.com)
VillaWare Moderno Pro Infinity ($200) – offers superb performance and a single, easy-to-operate knob. Available at Zaccardis (zaccardis.com)
The Countertop Beauty
Because blenders often occupy prime real-estate on the kitchen counter, good looks can often be a key consideration in choosing a bar-top beauty. Today’s fashion-forward blenders offer a range of colors, metallic finishes, shapes and styles. If you favor form as much as function, consider:
Cuisinart SmartPower ($60)
This 7-speed electronic blender offers plenty of power and boasts sleek Italian styling, a unique control panel and eye-catching finishes that include brushed steel and pink enamel. Available at Crate & Barrel (crateandbarrel.com)
Waring ProBlenders ($150)
This classically styled, two-speed blender offers a cloverleaf glass carafe and a heavy-duty metal base. Available in eye-catching colors including red, white and retro green. Available at Kohls (kohls.com)
The Handy Helper
This handheld, stick-shaped immersion blender features a blade at its base that whirls and whips to help you puree the perfect stove-top soup or sauce. More than with any other type of blender, the immersion blender’s power is paramount—the more watts, the better its performance (pass on the weaker 100-watt models). Many offer unique attachments and accessories including beaters and whisks. Try:
Breville Cordless Immersion Blender ($100)
A rechargeable, two-speed, easy-to-maneuver handheld blender. Includes smoothie/whisk attachments that are dishwasher safe. Available at Sur La Table (surlatable.com)
Viking Immersion Blender ($120)
This 2-speed handheld features a stainless steel design and ergonomic grip. The five-foot power cord provides plenty of leash to work. Blending and whisk attachments included. Available at Sur La Table (surlatable.com)
The Bartender
If you have a taste for daring daiquiris and mind-altering margaritas, then you need a blender dedicated to quenching your thirst with style and ease. These specialized drink-making machines will shave ice and stir up chunk-free libations, while whisking away any watered-down puddle that everyday blenders leave at the bottom of the pitcher. Try:
Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker ($270)
Simply measure the ice and ingredients and this mechanical bartender does the rest (including shaving, not chopping, the ice for the perfect cocktail.) Easy-to-operate controls allow you to determine the beverage’s strength and thickness. Available at Kohls (kohls.com)
The Terminator
Chefs are notorious suckers for wanting the biggest and best of everything for their kitchens. If you covet a blender that does everything but answer the door and walk the dog, then today’s manufacturers have created some bodacious blenders for you. You may never use these models to do everything they are capable of doing, but sometimes it’s just enough knowing you can.
Breville Die-Cast 800 Blender ($300)
An impressive 67-ounce pitcher and extra-wide stainless-steel blades makes this heavyweight, two-speed machine a crowd-pleaser. Brushed stainless steel housing and easy-to-clean controls add to its appeal. Available at Zaccardis (zaccardis.com)
Vita-Mix Professional Blender ($500)
A large, 64-ounce pitcher, heavy-duty construction (including stainless steel blades) and variable mixing speeds makes this powerful machine popular in the kitchen. Choose from three colors. Available at Sur La Table (surlatable.com)
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DEVELOPING A CRUSH
Six things we look for in a blender
A GLASS CONTAINER
When it comes to the best blender pitchers, seeing is believing. We prefer glass blender containers over opaque metal and scratched-up plastic. Glass allows you to watch your work as the blender whisks and whirls your ingredients and, what’s more, durable glass cleans easily, accommodates hot and cold ingredients, and stays scar and dent-free for years.
SMOOTH EASY-TO-CLEAN SURFACE CONTROLS
Even the most skilled chefs misjudge the contents they throw into their blender. The result is overflowing goop that oozes into every surrounding crevice and crater. Blenders with simple knobs and smooth surface controls make clean-up a breeze and help cooks avoid the sticky appliance syndrome that hard-to-clean buttons can perpetuate.
ADEQUATE VOLUME
Unless you limit yourself to mixing up single serving smoothies, choose a blender that offers a large container that’s adequate for your needs (at least 32-ounces or more).
A HEAVY BASE
A well-weighted base anchors a blender and keeps it from tipping. But don’t confuse beneficial weight with unnecessary size. Overly large bases can over consume valuable counter and work space.
EASY-TO-READ CONTAINER GRADATIONS
A pitcher’s highly visible measurement markers (in both English and metric) makes mixing in the right quantities a snap.
A POWERFUL, QUIET MOTOR
This is an appliance, not a revved-up muscle car. While we prefer plenty of horsepower, we like the strong, silent type. Put the brakes on overly loud blending machines.
Good Morning Fruit Smoothie
1 serving
One of the best foods to jumpstart a morning is this classic fruit smoothie. Lose the ice cubes entirely; they just water down a good thing. Use nothing but a banana, your favorite frozen fruit, a touch of milk and yogurt for a tart snap. Add sugar if you like (choose sugar, raw sugar, honey or even low-calorie sweetener).
1 ripe banana, sliced into chunks
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 tsp. sugar
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and thick. If smoothie is not pourable, add milk to thin it. Serve immediately.
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