Blenders

The wonderful world of blenders. Do we have your attention? Well we should, it’s a grand world, full of delicious, tasty treats and a ton of options. We mention the latter because pre-blender, cooking options were a bit limited. One could obviously cook but being able to add another layer to a recipe comes to life with a blender.

So now that you know you need a blender, on to the million-blender question – how do I shop for this darn thing? As we’ve said ad-nauseum on this blog (haven’t you been reading?), the world wide web is your best buddy for things like this. Hop on, check out some blender blogs, and get it crackin … err, blending. In all seriousness, prior to firing up the tablet, you need to know your budget. Second, how powerful does the blender need to be. Third, how much space do you have, and finally, how many folks are you blending for. This last one has you scratching your head, doesn’t it? Us too, but all kidding aside, every blender blogger (that’s an actual employment option) speaks on this. If you live by yourself and are occasionally dating, might whip up a smoothie every now and again or want to impress that special someone with a “to die for” meat sauce, that’s one thing. But if you’re Angelina Jolie with 10 kids in the house, better opt for something a little more industrial.

Once you’ve addressed these questions, it’s time to look at the types of blenders that await. We’re going to start with the fancy guys first. Blenders came to fame for being able to make a killer piña colada. From there they evolved into skilled and expensive high-speed machines, capable of some impressive stuff. The Vitamix is one such blender, an apparatus that is literally capable of blending anything – nut butter, ice cream, lean meat, sauces and even the occasional piña colada. An extremely flexible machine with a host of speeds, the Vitamix comes with a plastic tamper and while the things this machine can do are otherworldly, there is a downside – the cost. After all, it’s the fancy pants of the bunch so expect to spend upwards of $600. However, a blender like this one and similar ones will likely come with a 7-year warranty and even a 5-year one can be had on reconditioned ones.

Another fantastic option is the Blendtec. This one also comes in reconditioned models and the differences between the two are very little. A literal toss-up. The Blendtec is a bit shorter and lighter than the Vitamix, which is nice considering most blenders are stored in cabinets. However, because it is lighter, skittering across the countertop is a more frequent occurrence than with the Vitamix. One step below from the Vitamix and Blendtec are the KitchenAid, Waring, Cuisinart and Breville. While not nearly as powerful as the others, these are still great blenders that are moderately priced ($200 to $400).

And lastly, the mini blender. If you live in small quarters these are excellent options. Classics like the NutriBullet or The Magic Bullet have been pleasing blender fanatics for decades now. Got some counterspace challenges? Not to fear with either of these, you can blend to your heart’s content in tight quarters, guaranteed.

It’s a wide blending world out there. If you’ve got the ingredients then all you need now is the right machine!