Types of Blenders-Everything you need to know about Blenders

It is important to know the various types of blenders so you can make a wise purchasing decision.

Blenders

A blender is a kitchen appliance that offers the healthiest way to have your veggies, fruits etc; it blends the fiber and skin so you don’t end up losing any nutrients.

You get to enjoy superfoods more easily when they are blended. Additionally, blended foods are packed with vitamins, healthy nutrients and antioxidants.

Besides blending fruits and veggies, blenders can be used to prepare purees , make  soups, prepare creams, prepare pesto, vegetable milk and even crush ice.

Types of Blenders and their Uses

1. Handheld blender, stick blender or immersion blender

Handheld blender, also called a stick blender or immersion blender is a stick like appliance with blades that you immerse in your bowl with ingredients that you want to blend.

As the name suggests, you need to hold it in order to use it.

This version of blender is affordable compared to the other types of blenders.

Best Handheld Blender

Cuisinart Hand Blender or Cuisinart Stick Blender

- cuisinart stick blender features 2 speeds; low and high -Its motor power is 200 watts -the hand held design is able to reach bowls, pots and pitchers -has 3 year warranty - Cuisinart hand blender Comes with a 2 cup beaker

                             

handheld blenders or Immersion blenders can further be categorized as;

a. Corded Immersion blenders

Corded immersion blenders are purchased with a power cord that will limit your movement. However, lacking batteries make them lightweight. This type of immersion blenders is the common type.

b. Cordless Immersion blender

This is a cordless immersion blender that uses a battery to power them. It will offer you flexible handling as you can use it anywhere in the kitchen. Some could be a little heavier to lift and have limited operating time. However, most use a rechargeable battery.

c. Heavy Duty Immersion blender

This is an immersion blender used in professional kitchens. It is usually bigger and made of good quality materials. It usually performs harder tasks when compared to other immersion blenders. It usually processes larger amounts of foods because it is powerful.

2. Jar/ jug blenders or Countertop blenders

This is a blender with a fixed jar or jug. One places it on the top of a counter and is a bit heavier than immersion blenders.

They not only blend soft foods but are capable of blending harder ones and can be used too for grinding, chopping, mixing and pureeing.

Jug or countertop blenders are further classified into;

a. Personal Blenders or Portable types of Blenders

The most argument about this type of blenders is that they are small, easy to operate, clean, cheap and easy to carry from home to your working place.

Some of the jars of these personal blenders have been designed to be used as a smoothie cup hence ideal for someone who travels and would like to take a personal blender with them.

Personal blenders are surely a great way to maintain your healthy living and at the same time to enjoy your favorite healthy drink and smoothie.

You can blend lots of recipes using this portable blender. After using blenders for 2 years now, and then analyzing other 10 models , I can confidently recommend the best personal blenders on the market.

Best Personal Jug Blenders

1. Oster Blender-The Oster® Blend-N-Go® My Blend® Blender

-Has 250 watt blade -The Oster® Blend-N-Go® My Blend® Blender crushes ice nicely with 400 watts -Has travel sport bottle that doubles as a water bottle or serving jar Oster blender is Dishwater safe -Cord length is 16” - Oster blender is good for smoothies, café frappes and protein shakes -3 year satisfaction guarantee

      2.  Bella Blender- BELLA Personal Size Rocket Blender

-Has 240 watt power -Bella blender has stainless steel blending blade & grinding blade for pulverizing dry foods. -Has additional accessories that are dishwasher safe; 1 tall blending cup, another short one, 2 shaker tops,2 lids,1 drinking cup and 2 comfort lip rings. -Bella blender can mix, chop, blend, whip & more. -Sleek& attractive blender -Can handle vegetables, nuts, fruits, spices and coffee beans.

 

b.  Smoothie Jug Blenders

Smoothie blenders are mostly designed to make smoothies and soups. They blend nutritious drinks that will boost your immune system and at the same time, you get to enjoy a drink with your preferred ingredients.

Best Smoothie Jug Blenders

1. Vitamix 6300

-Vitamix 6300 is a powerful kitchen equipment with 3 pre programmed settings -It makes hot soup, smoothie and frozen dessert recipes -Vitamix 6300 lets you have control of speed, you can make smooth puree or chunky salsas with variable speed control -Has 64 ounce container for large servings too -Make natural nut butter with Vitamix 6300 -Cord is 6 ft with stainless steel cutting blades

       2. Oster beehive- Oster 4093 Classic Beehive Blender

-Oster beehive blender has 600 watts ice crushing power -Has toggle switch that controls 2 speeds -Its dishwasher safe glass jar has 5 cups capacity -Oster blender has stainless steel -1 year warranty -Perfectly makes smoothies, sauces, soups and nuts

c. Heavy-duty Blender -Commercial Heavy Duty Jug types of Blenders

Commercial heavy duty jug blenders are specifically designed for professional use. They are usually big, heavy and powerful for multiple purposes and perform large tasks, unlike personal blenders.

Best Heavy-duty Blender/Best Commercial Blender

-This is a very powerful blender with 1800 watt motor and 3 horsepower -Cleanblend blender has 64 ounce container -Has 8 blade assembly that are stainless -Cleanblend has tamper wand for processing of nut butter, soups and ice creams -Makes hummus too in minutes -Great for green smoothie or protein mix

Blenders are best suited for a smoothie or nut butter. They liquefy ingredients in a few minutes and this includes foods like vegetables, fruits, oats, nuts, and ice.

If you are one of those people that love homemade smoothies, then you are required to buy a blender than a juicer or a food processor.

Before buying a blender, there are considerations to take which will be discussed later on. Do you want a heavy duty blender or a personal blender? Will you be using it frequent or occasional?

Factors to Consider when buying any type of Blender

Size; Are you looking for a personal blender or a commercial blender serving many people?  You should put into consideration how many people you will be making a smoothie for before buying a blender.

Personal blenders are usually small in size compared to heavy duty or commercial blenders.  If you like making parties, go for a heavy duty blender.

Blenders with more feature and function; some types of blenders have juicer and chopper attachment. A blender with juicer attachment is an added advantage in that you won’t need to buy a separate juicer for making your juices.

The type of blenders with chopper attachment function like a food processor and so you will not be required to buy one. They will have enough power to chop hard foods and will come with chopper bowl.

Blender with food processor/chopper attachment like the one reviewed here will  save you money from buying a food processor.

A point to note is that; always make sure these attachments are actually working and can be detachable before buying.

Jug; there are glass jug blenders and plastic jug blenders. Glass jug is easy to clean internally and most double as a detachable cup where you can consume your smoothie straight from it saving you time to look and clean another cup to use

Lid; When buying your blender, check if the lid is tight to prevent ingredients from spilling while blending.

Base; It is advisable to buy a blender with a metal base so it can be stable when blending is going on. Plastic base lacks the weight that is needed to stabilize a blender and so it rattles when blending and this creates inconveniences as you are forced to slow it down.

Power; The higher the power, the quicker the blending will be. 250 watts power is enough for a personal blender, same with 350 watts etc for normal blending. For commercial blenders, go for higher power.

Juicers

Its official, everybody needs a juicer in this era. This is because most juices in the shops are getting less nutritious and fresh by the day.

It is therefore important to own a juicer that will meet all your needs especially for all those patients that need to boosts their immune systems.

A juicer separates the liquid and the fiber from fruits and vegetables. This results in a juice that is easy to drink.

Juicers ensure you adhere to a healthy lifestyle while at the same time you consume your favorite or recommended fruits and vegetables in the form that makes them easy to swallow, an example being carrots that are needed for healthy eyes.

Juicers are further categorized into fast juicers/centrifugal juicers and slow juicers/cold press juicer/masticating juicer.

Best Juicer on the Market

Kuvings Juicer-kuvings wide mouth slow juicer

-Has a wide mouth so no precutting when feeding kuvings juicer -Features slow speed to preserve nutrients and extract more juice, reducing noise emission. -has a 240w motor -Kuvings juicers comes with a cleaning tool set, recipe book and smart cup -Easy clean, easy assembly system -Kuvings juicer has 10 year limited warranty -Its made in Korea

Food processors

A food processor is an energy and time-saving kitchen appliance. It chops, grates, shreds and slice foods that are difficult to do by hands or take time to prepare.

You can have a look at this link where alot has been discussed on food processors.

They are less powerful than juicers or blenders because they don’t pulverize foods to liquids.