The blender boom dates back to 1949, when – with the advent of television – was dedicated to him a spot of well 30 minutes. Since then, this small appliance has become an integral part of our kitchens. But how to choose?

Decisive factors for choosing the blender

Power and engine type

The first factor to consider when choosing a blender is related to the type of engine available and its power: These numbers, combined, help to give an idea of a model capacity and performance that can offer. So let’s see these two characteristics.

Motor type

The motor type of a blender is one of the least known data to most consumers, yet it most affects performance. Therefore, the business models fitted almost without exception a motor DC type, i.e., DC, a type that requires careful use to avoid damage from overheating.

The motors DC are particularly susceptible to this type of problem. Therefore, they should be used intermittently for short work locations, often below the continuous minute, and need cooling pauses once every 3-4 work locations.

In contrast, the AC motors (alternating current), which are located on blenders designed for intensive professional use, can withstand without overheating work sessions even several minutes long, absorbing, among other things, a lower power level than the blender’s business without losing performance.

In summary :

• DC Motor: commercial blender, short working times, high absorption for high performance.
• AC Motor: Professional blender, work long shots, moderate uptake for high performance.

Finally, the blenders that mount the most efficient motors AC are also considerably more expensive than those with motor DC.

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Power

It refers to the amount of energy in Watts when it comes to engine power, which it picks up from the power supply during operation. It would be effortless to say that a greater number of Watt absorbed correspond with higher performance in terms of speed of the blades and smoothie ingredients’ possible hardness. Still, we must remember the differences between direct current motors and alternating current in this case.

The DC motors require, in general, a much higher absorption than more powerful must be the blender: for example, a blender capable of reducing hazelnuts and peanuts in pasta hardly absorbs less than 1200 W, while models wattage lower, around 400-500 W, blending well-cooked fruits and vegetables but have a harder time with the toughest foods.

In contrast, alternating current motors, which, remember, are less susceptible to overheating, require less power absorbed to work even hard foods. So, for example, a good professional blender 800 W can blend and grind the same ingredients of a commercial blender from the top nominal power.

We recommend always considering power consumption and type of engine along: the only power consumption is not always enough to give an idea of blender performance.

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Feature’s blades and carafe

A second essential feature to be evaluated regards the characteristics of the cutter block and the carafe. Consider these two factors together to complementarity: the jug’s design and the blades complement each other.

Lame Blender

In reviewing the blades of the blender, we should pay attention to their number and their profile. The number of blades alone can make a significant difference in the efficacy of the blender’s action, as more blades are equivalent to a larger surface area of contact with the ingredients to be processed.

The vast majority of mounts four-blade block blenders on the market, but you can find models with six blades, particularly those of band and higher performance.

Regarding the profile, the blender’s blades should be sufficiently long to leave no ” pockets ” inside which ingredients can be deposited without being reached by the blades themselves.

Also, it is an effective design providing different angles for each blade so that the certainty of reaching all foods in a wider area and be quicker and more effective.

Finally, the profile of the blades is much more effective on different foods as much as it is varied: an alternation of smooth blades, serrated, and ” hammer ” can ensure that each food to be ” attacked ” in the most effective manner.

Carafe

The aspects to consider are two: it is capacity and the material in which it is realized.

The capacity is significant just for the number of ingredients that you can enter in the blender: prepare smoothies or soups homogenize for one to two people or for a whole family, requiring course jugs of various sizes.

Most mixers on the market have a jug 1-liter, but it is not difficult to find models with jugs up to 2-liter between those of a more high-end. The material is important for several reasons—first, commercially available carafes-resistant plastic or tempered glass, with obvious differences, advantages, and disadvantages.

The plastic jugs are very light and easy to handle but, conversely, are very easily scratched when machining hard ingredients and are generally more fragile. On the other hand, the glass jugs are much heavier but do not become scratched and resist longer due to the stresses derived from foods’ processing.

It must not be forgotten the speech on the security of the materials from the point of view of health: plastic, unless certified BPA or bisphenol-A, can release, in contact with hot food, such as soups, this potentially dangerous substance. Glass, on the contrary, is perfectly safe in contact with any ingredient.

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Delivery mode

Another important aspect to consider in the choice blender regards supplying power, namely which and how much it is possible to exert control on the speed at which the blades rotate. The simplest models, typically those from the lowest power, often provide a single activation speed, continuously operated, or pulse by holding down a button or turning a knob.

As models become more elaborate, they also increase the speeds available: many models in the medium-low let you choose between two speeds, with fixed or pulse drive, while a medium to a high-end model can get to have a selector to 10 or even more speed. Finally, it is possible to find a knob of the completely free speed adjustment, progressive, not bound to predetermined power shots among the most sophisticated models.

The preference for one or the other of the delivery modes depends on the use you intend to do the blender: if you only fresh fruit to prepare cooked shakes and smoothies and vegetables, for example, in a soup, hardly you will need more than a single power level. On the other hand, if you want to use the blender for more demanding preparations, such as crushing ice or make peanut butter, you can choose between different speeds that will be very useful.

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Functions

The fourth factor that we suggest you consider is that the functions and programs have a blender. This aspect affects virtually only the high-end models and medium-high, which exhibit a higher level of complexity and versatility. Among the programs and functions that you can find, these are the most common:

• Ice crusher Function: Enables the blender to the speed, and the intervals are ideal for reducing the ice grain, slush, and cocktails.
• Smoothies Program: Enters the blender to the speed and the intervals to prepare a smooth smoothie.
• Cleaning Program: It requires water and detergent and allows us to carry out a wash cycle of the blades and the carafe.

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Easy to use

Finally, it may be interesting to evaluate all those little details to make it a more or less comfortable and practical blender.

An examination of the lid will reveal, for example, if it is equipped with a nozzle for the addition of ingredients during processing, and because the nozzle is wide, if equipped, in turn, of a stopper or a measuring spoon.

You can then observe the length of the power cord to determine whether it is adequate to its work plan and a cable winder compartment integrated into the motor body that allows to coil the cable in good order when the blender is not in use.

Another interesting aspect to consider may be that appropriate to the engine body legs: virtually all blenders are equipped with non-slip feet, but it is important to determine how many there are. Legs, which grip the soft rubber has on the work surface. Some mountain blenders fact very effective small suction cups, while many others will only serve classic rubber feet.

A further detail concerns the handset: activation keys and knobs with a non-slip coating are more pleasant and easier to use than the buttons and knobs in smooth plastic, especially if some sketch on the end panel.

Recommend attention to the jug’s locking system and its lid for obvious safety reasons: some mixers do not include any of the carafe fastening system on the engine block, which remains resting on it, and models instead providing an interlocking torsion rather firm and safe. On the other hand, the lids are both Twist lock and pressure: the latter may be more difficult to remove.

Finally, but not in order of importance, one can also consider certain characteristics that can make the maintenance of the blender, such as easier and faster the possibility of extracting the blade assembly to clean it separately or the possibility to wash the carafe in the dishwasher.

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Other factors to keep in mind for choosing the blender

The materials are important?

As we have said above, the material, at least as far as an essential component as the jug, can greatly influence the blender’s choice. We have seen how the pitchers of the current blenders can be either plastic or glass, and we also remembered as the first is lighter and impinges less on the final cost of the blender. Simultaneously, the latter is heavier but also more resistant to scratches, and It involves price leavening.

Perhaps most interesting is food safety: it is good to make it a plastic jug individually labeled ” BPA free ” or ” BPA. ” Otherwise, it may release bisphenol-A, a substance potentially harmful to male reproductive health, once you are warm upon contact with hot foods such as soups. The glass, in contrast, is a safe material, odorless and tasteless.

The brand is important?

How often we repeat, it may be worthwhile to consider carefully the blender brand you want to buy. We have often repeated as the best-known brands are often able to offer good-quality products thanks to the increased availability of resources invested in the development of appliances placed on the market, and how the big brands, such as Breville or NutriBullet, can offer a nationwide service and easily accessible.

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