Learning how to choose a blender does not guarantee the lasting quality of your blender. To maximize its life-span, check out these handy hints on how to maintain your blender in tip-top condition.

• Always clean the pitcher after using it. Just press the ‘pulse’ feature after adding a squirt of washing liquid and water that fills half the pitcher. Wait for a few seconds and then switch off. Remember to put on the lid, or else you’ll be taking a kitchen bath
• If you have spare time, try to hand wash the plastic pitcher, the gasket and the blade assembly individually. This will aid in lengthening their life-span.
• A particularly effective way of cleaning under and around the blades is to pour hot, soapy water into the machine.
• Don’t forget to dry the blades! You don’t want it turning rusty.
• Do not interrupt the blending process by sticking a spoon in the blender. If you need to give it a little stir, always wait for the blades to stop first.
• Blending hot food right after a chilled blend and vice versa is a definite NO-NO. Likewise, always exercise extra care while adding hot food into the pitcher since glass pitches can crack.
• Even if you are in a hurry, wait for the motor to stop before lifting the kitchen pitcher off the blender.
• Remember this! Always add liquid while crushing ice. Why? When you crush dry ice, all kinds of damage can be done to not just the blades but also the container!
• A blender is only good if the blades are sharp. Use the tip above. The rationale? Liquids will soften the blow on the blades and this will ensure the longevity of the blades.
• Keep a lookout for the time spent when you run your blender. Give it a rest in between blends. Blend motors are designed for short period of blending. For example, try to let your motor rest for a minute or so when you have blended for at least 2 minutes or more.
• If you have an old blender that is making a last stand, don’t throw it into the dustbin just yet. They are quite useful. For instance, you could put it into a work shop or a garage for dirty mixing jobs. Want a good, solid mix of paint? Use the old blender! It might not work well enough on food for your liking, but it can do wonders on liquids like paint!

Regardless of whether you have bought a cheap or expensive blender, these maintenance tips will maximize the potential of your blender. This is one of the ways to make your money’s worth. Only a bad workman will blame his tools. I hope this helps.

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• Make Hollandaise Sauce with a Blender
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I was trying to make some dips and sauces to bring to a friend’s party sometime ago, and was suddenly hit with a brainstorm to make some Hollandaise sauce. It was probably remembering the delicious Eggs Benedict that my grandmother used to make.

I went online and found many recipes for Hollandaise sauce, but after experimenting with several of them, I find that using a whisk for Hollandaise is just way too troublesome. Instead I just use my best blender. Here’s my fool-proof way of making Hollandaise sauce with a blender:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter (one stick)
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
cayenne pepper or Tabasco/hot pepper sauce

Actually it’s super easy. Just separate the yolks from the whites and put the yolks into the blender, and melt the butter in a saucepan. When the butter is fully melted – you can stir it to make it melt faster – turn on the blender to mix the yolks. Then while still letting the blender run, slowly pour the melted butter into the blender in a thin stream.

The mixture should begin to thicken by now. When the butter has all been poured in, add in the lemon juice (I prefer fresh lemon juice so that the tang of the lemon is sharper), and cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce. Sometimes I like a little of both. You should stop the blender to add the pepper if you need to open the lid. Then turn it back on to blend it in.

You can add mustard too, if you like that, or substitute the lemon juice with white wine. If you think the sauce is too thick, you can add more lemon juice.

After everything has been blended, stop the blender and serve the delicious Hollandaise sauce either on Eggs Benedict, steamed vegetables, steak, or as a dip.

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Welcome to the world of blending! There are so many types of blender and different manufacturers that we are spoilt for choice. So, to get you started, we’ll start with the difference between a food processor and a kitchen blender. Food processing machines work best with solid food while blenders are best seen in use behind the bar. Some high-tech blenders, though, are a fusion of both a normal blender and a food processor.

Kitchen Blender Main Purpose

The main purpose of a kitchen blender is to grind, chop and puree food and beverages. There are various types, namely, gas powered blender, the immersion blender and the hand blender. Why should you get a blender? It is your very own time-saving assistant in the kitchen! It helps you churn out soups in a jiffy, crush ice, prepare smoothies for your children, shakes, malts and it makes sauces quite well too. Here’s a quick summary of blenders:

The Immersion Blender
- Also known as the Hand Blender, it is long enough to make a tall glass of a blended drink or some soup. If you’re on the go, this is suitable because only the detachable wand needs to be washed. The rest can be put in the dishwasher. This blender is very popular for stirring soups, pureeing and chopping vegetables.

The Food Blender
- This is another key for time-saver while retaining the quality of blended things. You can basically blend anything. The best part is that the jars do not retain the odours of yesterday’s vegetables while blending today’s smoothies. With its hardy exterior and stylish finish, you can expect it to last you. To ease your busy lifestyle, this blender is simplistic in its operation.

The Gas Powered Blender
- Are you always traveling? This portable blender with no cords is ideal for sporting events outdoors, camping or when you’re on a job that requires you to travel and have a healthy meal at the same time.

Blender Types

Now I’ll introduce you to the basic two types of blenders: handheld and work top.

Work Top Models
- This work top blender rests on the kitchen counter and is easy to blend with just a push of a button. This is mainly a traditional design of blenders.

Handheld Models
- Manually operated and suitable for kitchen enthusiasts, this is a modern and recent addition to the work top models. They are stick-shaped small and lightweight. As such, it is popular because it is easy to use and can be stowed in a drawer or cabinet. If you work in the kitchen a lot, both types of blenders are pretty useful.

Blender World

With this essential knowledge, you have begun your journey into the world of blenders. To keep pace with technology, the current most popular type of blenders around are the stainless steel blenders, chrome blenders, cordless blenders, hand held blenders, food processor blenders and commercial blenders. Now, you can go on to look at the different information involving blenders. I have divided them into tips on buying a blender, using a blender safely and correctly, maintaining a blender, and a few reviews of one of the best blenders around.

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• Best Blender – Main
• Best Blender – Introduction
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Blenders are not just for blending or cutting ingredients. They can chop, ice, grind coffee beans, whole spices, crackers or nuts and even make nut butters. Improvise and you’ll have a very fun meal! (e.g. smoothies, ice-coffee, shakes and cocktails)

Do keep in mind that blenders are best used to add air into a mixture such as a frothy drink. So, depending on the size of your blender, it can process up to four cups of liquid and that includes soup, sauce and many types of drinks.

Don’t waste your time grating fresh coconut the old fashioned way. Use your blender! It can grind poppy seeds, reconstitute dry milk and frozen fruit juices, dissolve gelatine, and prepare instant puddings and shakes.

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• Blender World Introduction

Before you take a look at the tips below, try to ascertain what tasks you intend on doing with the blender. So, when you are shopping for a blender, choose one that performs the tasks you have aimed for. Below are a few suggestions:

Blender Reviews – How To Select Your Best Blenders:

Power

• The higher the wattage, the quicker and easier the blending would go. The downside is that more powerful blenders which have 1200 watts cost more.
• Try to choose a blender that has various speed and pulse actions. This will aid you in mixing various ingredients at different textures.
• If you are just blending fruits and drinks, you don’t need a very powerful blender. Check out my recommendations for Best Smoothie Blender.
• Speed settings vary from 3 to 16. Most blender reviews state that 3 speeds are more than sufficient.
• On the other hand, a blender below 750 watts is ideal if you want to cut down on your electricity bill since you will be using the blender frequently.
• Bar blender for crushing ice: Waring Pro Professional Bar Blender – 500-watt
• Powerful 1200-watt blender for heavy duty blending: Vitamix 5200

Capacity

• The majority of the blender’s capacity could vary between 1 and 3 litres. If you have a big family, a bigger blender would be suitable and vice versa.
• Besides that, consider how much food you intend to blend at any one time. Bear in mind that when blending, you can only put up to ¾ of the jar at any one time. This will help you in determining the ideal blender’s capacity that you want.
• Pay attention to the height of the blender so that it can fit in the maximum height of your kitchen’s storage or upper cabinet.
• Small blender for personal use: Tribest Small Personal Blender – 16-ounce
• Mid size blender: Breville BBL600XL – 51-ounce
• Large blender: Blendtec Wildside HP3A – 96-ounce

Durability

• The best material would be undoubtedly stainless steel. Preferably, the jars should preferably be made of glass to ensure sturdiness. The downside is that they are expensive, heavy and would require extra care.
• Plastic carafes would absorb the pungent smell of your food and would be a cause of irritation in the long run, so it is still better to get the glass jars.
• Always check the footing of the blender. It has to have a stable and strong base to ensure that it does not topple off the table when the motor is running.
• A blender should be made of a material that will not stain, break or scratch easily.

Functions and Features

• Blenders that come with multiple attachments and features are bound to impress a prospective buyer. However, it is advisable to analyze your need for all the features. After all, it will not be worthwhile if you are paying for features that you will seldom put to use.
• If you need to change attachments as part of your cooking processes regularly, try fitting and taking off the attachments before buying to make sure that the attachments are easily detachable and replaceable. Additionally, check if these attachments have certain sensitive or fragile parts that may get damaged if they are properly attached.
• Some blenders come with an opening at the top fitted with removable lids to facilitate the addition of liquid or food while in the midst of blending. Some buyers love this feature as they consider it useful.
• Nowadays, blenders come with food processor attachments. Depending on your needs, this might address most of your blending and food processor needs.

Safety

• Since most kitchen blenders are left on the countertop, it is ideal that the blender should have cord storage spaces with lids to avoid the cord from getting wet.
• Check if it comes equipped with safety locks to stop the machine from accidentally starting. This is important especially if you have small children in the house.
• Longer cords may be quite useful as long as they have ample storage space.

Warranty

• Remember to check the warranty. Usually, the more expensive a blender is, the longer the warranty will be.

Try the Blender before Buying It

• It is always preferable to check its multiple functions. However, it is not possible; make sure that you can return it if it does not function as promised.
• There are some customers who have experienced blenders which promised to crush ice but only liquefy it.

Looks

• If you plan to place your blender on the countertop, it should be good looking (not just in color but also in its shape)
• Blender in wonderful looking chrome finish: Oster Classic Beehive Blender

Friendly Controls

• Blenders with touch pad controls are easy to keep clean because the surface is flat and smooth. Those with program settings are very easy to use since time and speed are already pre-determined. However, some users find it difficult to read.
• Blenders with push button controls are very easy to use. However, when it comes to maintenance, they are difficult to clean. Keep in mind that the grooves might attract spills on a permanent basis no matter how frequently you clean them.
• Blenders with dials (to move from one speed to another) are easy to operate and clean. However, they do not look as sleek or as trendy as touch pad control panels. The same goes for blenders with switches. The further drawback is that switches limit speed choices since only two positions are possible.

Price Range

• They depend on the manufacturers as well as the sophistication of the blender. Handheld blenders (Faberware, Toastmaster, Cuisinart and Braun) are within $11and $30.
• Top names like Braun, Hamilton Beach, Oster, Cuisinart, Back to Basics and Black & Decker are roughly in the $35 – $50 price band, which have a capacity between 40 and 56 oz.
• A good tip to remember is that as the price soars higher, blenders become better in terms of quality and motor capacity rather than in terms of carafe capacity.
• As such, some top class blenders can be purchased as long as you are willing to spend above $100.
• However, do keep in mind that this is not necessarily true. There might be discrepancies in manufacturing. Not all high prices will guarantee quality.

Removable Blades

• Blenders with non removable blades are harder to clean.
• However, blenders with non removable blades are less likely to leak.
• Removable blades allows for replaceable parts.

Hot and Cold

• The best blender will not crack when blending hot ingredients immediately after blending cold ingredients.
• Neither will the lid fly off when blending hot ingredients. This is part of the safety precaution that you should look out for.

Look for a Tapered Jar or Pitcher

• Tapered jars funnel food down to the blades, yielding silky soups. The wider the mouth of the pitcher, the easier it is to clean and to pour.
• This makes cleaning easier since it is easy to scrape out the contents.
• Additionally, you may want easy to read measurements on the outside of the carafe. The print should be big and a different colour from the container.

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• Best Blender – Main
• Oster 4093 Classic Beehive Blender – Best Blender
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Hi, welcome to my Best Blender Reviews blog! I’m Mandy and I have a small restaurant where health conscious young people nowadays like to come to drink their favorite smoothies. Our cream soups are very well-liked too! This is because I spent a lot of time researching on the best blenders to use in my business.

If you think all blenders are the same, then you are wrong! A good blender and a so-so blender makes all the difference in the world when it comes to making yummy smoothies and pureeing foods. That’s why I decided to write blender reviews and some articles about blenders – to share with all of you!

A blender is made up of a few parts:

• housing
• motor
• blade assembly
• container and lid

Simple blenders have one speed while most newer models of blenders have multiple speeds. Speed control is important if you’re blending different kinds of foodstuff and a pulse button is great for crushing ice with your blender.

Some blenders are handheld. That means they don’t have a container and are usually designed as a long stick which you hold in your hand and immerse the blades into the bowl or container with food. These are also called immersion blenders.

Well, I hope you will find my Best Blender Reviews blog helpful. Come back soon for my recommended food blender reviews, kitchen blender reviews and hand blender reviews, not to mention some other tips and guides for how to choose the best blender and using a blender. See you soon then!