What does a blender do?

If you do not know what the blender is doing and why you need this technique in the kitchen, this article will reveal all the secrets of such a kitchen appliance for you.

to the contents ↑

The history of the appearance of the blender

Many believe that a blender is a relatively new invention. But this is not so. Similar devices appeared in the last century. But their possibilities were rather limited.

The first blenders used only for whipping cocktails. In the late 90s of the 20th century, kitchen appliances were refined to the present level and began to provide hostesses with a great help in preparing not only liquid drinks, but also delicious food.

to the contents ↑

Why do I need a blender?

A similar device is an electrical appliance. Its main purpose is grinding, whipping and mixing products. Obviously, the kitchen processor will cope with such functions. But the cost of the latter is much more than even the most expensive and multifunctional blender. Yes, and the place in the kitchen the latter occupies very little, which can not be said about the combine. In addition, care for the blender is much easier.

So, what does a blender do?

to content ↑

Functions of blender

In recent years, people are increasingly trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But what is the healthy way of life without a balanced diet? Blender in this case, greatly simplify the preparation of delicious, nutritious and healthy food.

Often, the purchase of a blender is carried out with the advent of the child in the family, because for a long time the baby will need the grinded food. With this function, the blender will cope without problems.

Such advantages of such a device can not leave any family indifferent, since the scope of the unit is quite wide. With him you can easily prepare the following dishes without problems, saving both your nerves and valuable time:

• Mousse. If you have a blender, you will stop working on self-pushing and mixing products to make a useful mousse.
• Soup puree. In just a few seconds a similar dish will make for you this kitchen unit. You will forget what a lump is in the soup, as the blender will erase everything without "defects".Sauce and cream. Such products are made quickly and with minimal effort on your part. Simply place the tomatoes with vegetables or products on the cream in the bowl and press the button to turn on the blender.
• Pate. Delicious morning sandwiches with pate in the presence of a blender you will do more often than before.
• Ground crushed ice. With the help of special nozzles, which often come complete with the unit, you quickly make ice pieces of snow or divide the ice into parts of the required size.
• Cocktails. Blender evenly mixes all the ingredients for the cocktails. This function is especially liked by children, because milkshakes with the help of such techniques are simply amazing.

Important! And this is only the beginning of a large list of possible dishes, in the preparation of which you can help this kitchen unit. More high-tech devices can cut meat or make minced meat, grate vegetables, knead dough and much more. So, everything that a blender does depends on the flight of your imagination.

to content ↑

blender selection criteria If you intend to purchase a blender, then consider the following individual factors of its use:

• What food do you intend to use for cooking with the appliance.
• How often do you plan to use a blender.
• How many people does your family consist of?
• Do you have small children.
• Do you plan to prepare desserts or limit yourself to main dishes.
• How much money are you going to spend on buying a blender.

It all depends on the choice of the technology that will most satisfy your requests. Aggregates of this purpose exist in several types, they all differ in different parameters, and the functions of the blender of a particular model may be different.

to content ↑

Types of blenders

There are three main types of blenders in the modern market. Often buyers are interested in which one is better. But no one will give you a definite answer, because each species is designed for the preparation of specific products. Let's take a closer look at each of them, so you can understand what each type of blender is doing and what blender functions will be useful for you.

Stationary

Typically, a similar unit has a bowl with a volume of about 2 liters. It is placed on a special stand with legs. The engine and the control mechanism are inside the entire structure. In the bowl at the very bottom are knives that grind food. To carry out the washing of the bowl and knives, it is necessary to remove both of them from the stand and substitute it under a stream of warm water.

Functions of stationary type blender:

• Mixing.
• Whipping.
• Ice crushing.
• Preparing the juice.

Important! Stationary blender, though it will be more cumbersome, but its power is much higher. And this is the potential for different functions of the blender.

Submersible

The immersion type of the blender is similar in appearance to the pistil, at the end of which there is a nozzle with blades. The blades start to rotate when the button is pressed on the base of the appliance. The peculiarity of this device is the need to constantly keep it in hand throughout the whole work.

Important! Instead of a special bowl, you can use any container that is convenient for you, which gives a certain benefit in the preparation of portioned dishes.

Submerged blender functions:

• Grinding.
• Preparation of mashed potatoes in small quantities.
• Mixing of liquid and semi-liquid products.

Universal

Similar devices are also called multi-blenders. It combines a submersible and stationary blender, thanks to a large number of accessories that come with the kit:

• Beater for whipping.
• Knives of various sizes.
• Measuring cup.
• Multiple capacities.
• Cover.
• Graters.

Blender-hybrids

In addition to these basic types of blenders, there is another technique that combines the functions of blender and soupovarki or steamers. In such appliances, you can first grind the products, and then, without shifting the prepared mixture into another container, prepare them in the same bowl.

Similar kitchen devices appeared on the market relatively recently, but many have already managed to evaluate the merits of hybrids. They found special recognition in families where dietary food or families with young children are preferred, because steaming keeps virtually all the nutrients in any food.

to the contents ↑

Features of the blender

When choosing a blender, like any other technique, it is necessary to pay attention to its technical parameters. Their combination will determine what the blender is doing, which you are going to buy and which functions of the blender will be available to you.

Electric power

From this indicator the speed and efficiency of the blender directly depends:

1. For mixing of liquids and preparation of cocktails it will be enough power of 300-500 W.
2. To handle solid products, more serious power will be required - at least 800 W.

Important! Note that the more powerful the technique, the higher will be the energy consumption. Therefore, if you are going to cook often, but simple meals, give preference to the average parameters, so as not to overpay for excess power consumption.

Capacity

Most models of this small kitchen appliances come with a bowl. Its volume can be different: from 400 ml to 2 liters. Everyone should choose this parameter individually, based on the number of family members and the amount of food.

Important! Remember, you will never fully fill the bowl, as this will break the blender's work and will not give you the desired effect. Useful volume is always 200-300 ml less than real. Consider this factor when choosing the volume of special containers.

Blade material

The foot of the submerged blender can be made of metal or plastic. As a rule, the plastic version is cheaper in value, but the metal is more durable and safe.

Important! Plastic immersion blenders are not recommended for immersion in hot products.

Bowl material

The bowl can be made of glass, plastic or metal. To understand which one is best for you, consider the following features of each proposed material in the blender kit:

• The plastic version is the cheapest. Its main advantage is the relative strength of the material. But everything depends on the responsibility, decency of the manufacturer. The most inexpensive units can be equipped with bowls, which after a couple of months of operation give cracks, if the load is high.
• Glass bowls, despite a significant drawback - the relative delicacy of brittleness, perfectly washed and do not absorb the smells of the products. In addition, glass is an environmentally friendly material. And in order not to damage such a cup, it is enough only to be extremely careful when dealing with machinery.
• Metal containers are the most convenient option, because they combine the advantages of glass and plastic. Their only drawback is high cost. But here, take into account that the metal should be stainless steel, otherwise - there may be corrosion, which will negate all of your costs.

Important! Choosing the material of the bowl directly affects what the blender does. Therefore, in advance, think about how you plan to use this technique.

Additional attachments

The number of additional accessories increases the capabilities of the hostess. However, not all people use additional nozzles, they just lie and dust in the kitchen cabinet without any work. Therefore, it is worth knowing exactly what you are expecting from a kitchen blender. The optimal set is the presence of the following elements:

• whisk-whipper;
• nozzle for ice splitting;
• hook for kneading dough;
• shredder, vacuum pump.

Important! Vacuum pump - nozzle of expensive models of blenders. With its help from the special containers in which food is placed, air is sucked. Thus, the storage conditions of the product are improved.

Number of speeds

The more speed modes the device has, the more convenient it will be to use it. A good blender has at least three speeds that are switched manually during the process itself. The smoothness of the switching simplifies the adjustment of the required grinding quality. The number of speeds can vary from 2 to 16.

Important! Some models of blenders are equipped with turbo mode. Such a function allows for a short period of time to significantly increase the speed of the device.

Additional functions of the blender

In addition to all the basic functions in cooking, some manufacturers make their appliances more convenient and safe. For this they include such blender functions in the proposed models:

• Pulse. The essence of this function is to stop for a few seconds of blender operation. This time you will be enough to control the degree of availability of the product. After that, the blender starts working again in the preset mode.
• Automatic locking. This function prevents the device from turning on if it is not assembled correctly. This allows you to avoid troubles and serious injuries. How to assemble the blender correctly, is detailed in the instructions to any model.

Power supply of the

device. If earlier this issue did not arise at all, since all such devices had a cord with which power was supplied from the mains, from the end of 2010 innovative technologies appeared - a wireless blender. This device operates on battery, which allows you to use it far from the outlet.

Important! The main disadvantage of a wireless blender is short-term operation without recharging( approximately 20 minutes).

Cleaning and maintenance

Stationary blenders often have an automatic cleaning option in their functionality. It works as follows:

1. After use, warm water is poured into the blender tank and the corresponding self-cleaning button is pressed.
2. As the nozzle rotates, the water will treat the entire inner surface of the bowl, as well as knives.

Submersible blenders, in principle, wash is also easy, but all processes must be performed manually.

Important! Be careful when manually cleaning the knives, as there is a chance of getting injured from sharp objects.

to the contents ↑

Useful recommendations when working with a blender:

• A fixed-type appliance is not recommended to grind hot products. Such actions can lead to a darkening of the plastic bowl and overheating of the motor.
• Do not overload the appliance bowl. This can provoke contamination of surrounding surfaces, and the products will not be crushed as high as you expected.
• The submersible blender should not be switched on for a long time. The motor, which is located inside the base of the device, can quickly overheat, which will lead to a breakdown of the unit.
• Do not allow the immersion blender to work idle. Such an action can lead to failure of the device.
• Before processing the products with a blender, they must be cleaned and cut into small pieces. Such kitchen appliances can not cope on their own with large ingredients.
• After using the unit, it should be washed immediately so that the remnants of dried food do not affect the operation of the blender in the future.

Important! The part of the blender where the mechanism is located should not be washed with water. If it is still dirty, then wipe it with a damp towel, then dry it with a dry cloth.

to the contents ↑

Possible damage and breakage of the blender. How to proceed?

• In order not to face breakdowns and device malfunction, you should buy this equipment only in trusted stores and only reliable brands.
• The blender can break absolutely everything: from the whisk to the motor. To avoid damage to the nozzles, use them strictly for their intended purpose.
• If you want to customize the failed kitchen equipment yourself, but do not have the necessary experience and skills, then immediately discard this idea. It is better to spend money or take advantage of the current warranty and contact the service center. Restorative work can be extremely difficult.

If you use a blender purely for the purpose, and the material and assembly of the unit will not cause doubt, then this technique will last you for many years. It will greatly facilitate your work and reduce the time spent in the kitchen.