8 Easy Food Blender Tips

A blender is the unsung hero that exists in every kitchen and plays an essential role in our daily lives.

You can use a blender to make your morning green smoothie for a quick pick-me-up, a sugary milkshake, ice cream on a summer day, your own homemade dips, or some tasty apple butter. Almost anything solid that you have can be liquified with a blender.

The point is that the possibilities are endless with this one appliance, which can play a part in all of your meals, snacks, and drinks. Because a blender is so vital, many people wonder how it does its job, and we’re here to help you find out.

Basic Parts of a Blender:

Lid
Filler cap
Blending jar
Blade base
Blades
Blender base
Motor
Switches and controls

How They Work

We all know that we put the stuff that we need to be liquified, chopped, emulsified, or shredded into the container, and the blender does the job. Here are the details of how the blender does so.

Part One

After you put your ingredients of choice inside the blending jar and close the lid, you create an airtight seal on the jar. When you turn the blender on, the electric motor that exists inside the blender base spins the stainless steel blades at the standard or chosen speed.

Part Two

The blade spinning causes a phenomenon called “cavitation”, in which a vacuum happens that pulls the liquids, which pull the food with them, from the top down to the center in a “mushroom cloud” or tornado type of motion.

Part Three

Then, the food hits the blades, which proceed to cut and liquefy the ingredients. The force of the spinning movement and the vacuum at the center spreads the ingredients everywhere to the sides of the jar or makes it float.

This motion of pulling then spreading the liquified ingredients keeps repeating itself as long as the blender is turned on.

Part Four

This final part is where all the ingredients properly mix to reach the desired consistency, and you turn off the blender to pour the homogenized mix into whatever container you have ready.

Tips for the Best Use of Blenders

While blenders exist in every house, many people either misuse them or don’t know how to utilize them to the fullest. These lists of do’s and don’ts will help you.

Do’s:

Cut solids into smaller pieces to make things easier and safer for the blender.
Skip the ice and go for frozen fruits for better-tasting smoothies.
Keep your hand on the lid while blending to secure it shut and avoid messy accidents; this is not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of appliance.
Try to leave the top third of the jar empty while putting the ingredients.
If your blender has different speeds, start at the lowest and gradually increase the speed when needed.
Utilize the removable filler cap to measure ingredients and add them while blending little by little.
If the consistency feels too thick, add more liquids.
Layer your ingredients correctly. Follow this order: liquids, powdered ingredients, soft ingredients, leafy greens, and finally, frozen items or ice.
Utilize the forgotten pulse function if your blender has it to grind up herbs, pulverize nuts, soften frozen ingredients, turn toast into breadcrumbs, and more.

Don’ts:

Put frozen ingredients directly out of the freezer into the blender; give them a bit of time to partially thaw instead.
Put hot liquids inside unless stated otherwise in the instructions. Instead, allow the liquids to cool down before you blend them, then reheat them.
Over-blend the ingredients; as an alternative, pause and check the consistency of the mix if you’re not sure.
Blend the foods that aren’t supposed to be put in a blender such as ginger, dried fruit, potatoes, coffee beans, raw high-fiber foods, dough, meats, and whole spices. These ingredients can harm the blades or jam them, and the outcome won’t be pleasant.
Put any utensils inside the blender while it’s blending because it may lead to horrible accidents. Only put utensils inside when the appliance is turned off.
Clean the blender while it’s still plugged in; unplug it, then proceed to clean or wipe. Another hack would be to blend water and dish soap together then rinse the blender clean.
Blend without a lid on.
Wash the base because you will harm the motor. The safest way to clean it is to wipe with a wet cloth only when needed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why Should I Buy a Blender?

Because of the versatility they have to offer. There are blender models that allow you to blend, chop, mix, puree, emulsify, powder, whip, and grind. Since the blending happens in a closed appliance, you don’t have to deal with a mess. The cleanup is also much easier than with a juicer.

Finally, blending allows you to consume many nutrients and maintain your sugar levels in one drink if you’re trying to be healthy.

How Long Should You Run a Blender?

It depends on the ingredients that you’re blending. That being said, you should blend around one minute or two maximum. Exceeding that may lead to overheating, as the small and air-cooled motor would work longer and harder than it should.

Plus, it is always best to turn off the blender and check the taste and consistency to decide whether you want to keep going or not.

The best thing to do would be following the manufacturer’s instructions for each blender, of course.

How Powerful Should a Blender Be?

It differs from one type to another and depends on what it’ll be used for.

You will find that personal blenders, which are the new thing for health enthusiasts, start around 200 watts and tend to have one speed. Low-powered countertop versions are around 600 watts, mid-powered ones are around 1100 watts, and high-powered beasts are around 1500 watts.

If you’re going to use it for smoothies only, stick to low-powered ones and vice versa.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, this appliance forms a tornado-shaped vacuum at the center that pulls the ingredients to the motor, then dispels them, and repeats. You can make sure that it stays in shape by following our list of do’s and dont’s.

Happy blending!

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Brazen Kitchen

Tuesday, November 3, 2020