Wedding Blog

Part 1- Pots and Pans
Part 2 - Knives
Part 3 - Coffee Makers

Alright. So I didn’t come up with a catchy name for this post. But it’s about blenders, ya hear? Blenders are one thing I actually don’t have to register for. Mr Penguin and I knew very well that after we moved in together (three years ago) that we would eventually get married, so we tried our hardest not to buy ANYTHING registry related. About 2 years into cohabiting, I burst into a crying rage in the kitchen and screamed “I NEED A BLENDER OR I WILL DIE” so we went out that day and bought one, mostly to ease Mr. Penguin’s fears that I would murder him with our dull, cheap kitchen knives.

Anyhoo, here’s a little blender shopping guide for ya… may all you Misters out there never experience the horror that is a wife with no blender.

Here’s mine, works like a charm! And only 2 speeds… cause really? Do I need a 15 speed blender? I need a blender that has speeds of “Margarita” and “Chimichurri“. That’s about it.

Waring 60th Anniversary Blender $130

First off, consider what you’ll be doing with your blender - Most blenders can handle “regular” cooking blending fairly well, but if you are looking to host lots of frozen drink parties, you really want to look into a higher end model that has lots of power. But, there’s no need to register for a top dollar for a high-end model if you don’t need all that power.

Capacity - Most models vary from 1 to 3 liters. Consider what you’ll be using your blender for. I like to puree soups, which would mean that I’d consider a higher capacity model.

Sturdiness - Check to see what the footing/base of the blender is made of, and if it is wide and stable. Stainless steel footings are usually rated as the sturdiest. Plastic is common, and the cheapest, but are lighter and significantly less sturdy. Carafes are usually made of glass or plastic. Both have upsides and downsides. Glass breaks easier than plastic, and must be handled with care. Plastic sometimes absorbs the smells of whatever you are blending, and often it’s hard to remove the scent, which means you might get a Chimichurri scented margarita, in my case. Gross. Carafes sometimes come in stainless steel, which are the sturdiest, and last the longest. The downside is that you cannot see the blending process happening, and it is harder to determine when you’ve perfectly blended your ingredients.

Power - Blenders range from 300-500 watts for small blenders and 1200 for larger blenders. Typical home blenders range in the 300-500 watt range. Blenders usually have anywhere from 3 to 16 speeds. Some people enjoy the range of speeds, but most users will find 3 speeds sufficient.

The lowest speeds on a blender are good for light batters and for incorporating dry or solid ingredients into liquids. Higher speeds are designed for stiffer ingredients…for example, ice and hard candy. If you’re looking for a model that will handle ice well, look for a higher wattage model…typically, the higher the better, for ice crushing purposes.

Controls - blenders with touch pads are the easiest to keep clean, because there aren’t any little nooks and crannies for your ingredients to fall into. However, I’ve found (and this goes for most appliances) that electronic controls often poop out faster than good ol’ appliances that have knobs, push buttons, or simple flip switches (like my blender, above). If the electronic controls break, often your machine is broken, even if the motor is still functioning just fine. So take this into account…sometimes newer ISN’T always better.

Here are Consumer Reports top blenders:

Blenders

Vita Mix 5000, kitchen-universe.com

1. Vita-Mix 5000 ($400)
2. Blendtec Total Blender ($400)
3. Breville Ikon BBL600XL ($200)
4. L’Equip 228 ($130)
5. Oster Counterforms BVLB07-L ($80)