Blenders

The kitchen blender is a very versatile tool in the preparation of many foods that require ingredients to be finely ground and mixed or pureed. A traditional blender contains a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lid which will either have four revolving blades built into the bottom or a rubber "O" ring to prevent food spillage when the ingredients are mixed. This container then fits on top of a heavy base which has the motor encased in it to power the turning of the blades. At the speeds a blender attains, a whirlpool effect causes the enclosed items to pass from the top of the mixture to the bottom where the blades will cut it fine.

The patented "Magic Bullet" food blender is a variation on this design. The food to be mixed is placed in the container and the "top" which has the blades built in is screwed onto the food container. It is then turned upside down and placed on the motorized base. Pressure on the motor spindle activates the rotating shaft to chop the food. This design makes it safer and prevents spilling from the container. The Magic Bullet blender offers tutorials and free blender recipes on their website.

Immersion blenders handle the process differently. Rather than have a special container to put the food in, the blades are in an enclosed area on the end of a hand held shaft. They are sometimes alternately referred to as "stick" blenders or "torpedo" blenders. With an immersion blender you can mix right in the cooking bowl or pot. They are very effective for mixing and stirring soups and sauces while they are being cooked. Immersion blenders are made in both electric and cordless battery powered styles. Most blenders have multiple speed settings to aid in creating different textures of food. Low powered blenders may require the addition of some water to aid in the flow of food to the blades in the bottom.

While the blender is very similar to a food processor, a blender is used more for recipes that are geared to smoother liquid like dishes and the food processor works better for thicker items like mayonnaise, hummus or baby foods.

Some of the more popular brands of hand held immersion blenders and countertop blenders are KitchenAid, Braun, Oster and Waring. All these manufacturers make high quality blender appliances and offer quality assurance warranties for their products.