Blenders – Facts and Information about Blenders
When blenders were first invented in the 1900s, they were merely used to mix energy tonic for people who needed strength boosters. In the 1930s, it began to find its way into the crowd as a cocktail mixer. Not long after, a variety of uses for the blender was discovered. The wide variety of blenders sold in stores now is proof of how vastly developed and important a blender is to every family.
What is a blender?
A blender’s basic function, as its name suggests, is to blend ingredients and liquefy them. Its basic and perhaps most popular function is to crush ice. It is also popularly used to liquefy soft foods, turning them into liquid delights such as yogurt, salad dressings, and soups.
The basic blender has the following parts: housing, blade, jar, gasket, jar base, and lid. When interconnected together through their joints, you have a blender perfectly capable of doing the job. The jar base is where the fan, which rotates at high speed to blend food ingredients, is contained. Usually, the blade is attached to the housing, which is conjoined to the base. The gasket, blade and jar are all three pieces that should fit perfectly in the jar base. Lastly, the lid makes sure that the ingredients are well contained and not spattered all over the place.
How does a blender differ from a food processor?
While both process food ingredients and make sure that they are mixed, ground, crushed, or refined in whatever way you see fit, a food processor generally has more uses. A food processor can slice and dice food and retain its solid quality, while blenders would crush and liquefy the food ingredients.
Also, food processors are typified based on the size of its bowl. A blender has more varied categories and can be classified in different ways, which make shopping for one a lot harder.
What are the types of blenders?
One way of categorizing blenders is the wattage. This is based on how much power is consumed and generated by the blender. It can be as low as 400 watts or as high as 800. Does it make a difference? Generally, the higher the wattage, the better the blender’s performance is.
Another category is the variety of controls. There are blenders that have the three basic functions—low, medium, or high speed. Some will go farther than that and have as much as eight speed categories.
Last is the type of jar. It can be glass, plastic polycarbonate, or steel. Your choice of a jar really depends on how much effort you are willing to put in maintaining one and the price you are going to pay for it. Obviously, stainless steel blenders are more expensive. Glass blenders are classy, but they can easily break. Analyze the pros and cons of each type of jar, and base your decision on what you think suits you best.
Why should you get a blender?
This question should be a no-brainer, as blenders are easily one of the most versatile and multipurpose appliances any kitchen could have. For one, you can use it to mix drinks and come up with cocktails such as margaritas and Bloody Mary. Also, blenders are perfect for mixing non-alcoholic drinks such as smoothies or frappes—blenders are the single most important appliance used by coffee shops in creating your favorite blended coffee! Blending mixtures and powders with ice is also one way of using blenders.
As you can see, from all these uses, a blender is something that you need—whether you’re throwing a house party or simply enjoying a nice little dinner with your loved ones.
How should I shop for a blender?
Shopping for a blender will be difficult, given the many types of blenders and the varied options offered in stores. What you have to do is find a blender based on your own set criteria. The criteria in choosing a blender must necessarily include feedback from other people, the style and functionality, and the reliability of the brand.
Where does your opinion come in? Make a guesstimate on how often you plan on using it and what its uses will be. If, for example, you are going to use it to start a business selling smoothies, a heavy-duty blender is exactly what you need. Conversely, buy a three-speed blender if it’s simply for home use and will not be used as often.
You can start by sifting through blender product reviews and trimming your search to the best brands currently in the market: Black & Decker, Hamilton Beach, Oster, KitchenAid, and Blendtrec. These are only a few that have proven their worth time and again.
