A Kitchen Blender !

Great Choices

Important Kitchen Appliance

I kept a Blender (four actually) running seven days a week, 364 days a year. The machines got one day off a year for good behavior. :-)

So I know about "heavy-duty" blending. I owned a restaurant and lounge or over 30 years.

I used different ones for different jobs. I have two smaller units in the lounge for making all kinds of drinks.

A one gallon Waring Commercial was a work horse in the prep kitchen for making salad dressings, sauces, soups, making breakfast shakes for large groups, etc.

It served me faithfully for many years.

Kitchen Blender Information

The other kitchen unit ... a KitchenAid Pro Line Chef's Unit I used frequently for smaller jobs and as a backup.

I had two brands in the lounge. One was a Waring and the other was a Hamilton Beach.

Both are pictured here. Both are good appliances for making a large variety and number of beverages.

One of my friends has a Vitamix. She likes it a lot.

What you need (or want) to buy depends on how often you intend to use it and on how much volume you need at one time.

If you only cook for one or two people, you may not need a countertop unit at all.

Instead, you might want to consider a hand model like the ones pictured.

If you are interested in an immersion appliance, do your research and buy a really good one.

Regardless of what you need, when you purchase a small kitchen appliance I encourage you to "slightly over buy."

What I mean by this is simple: buy one that has a reasonably sized motor and a container that is a little larger than what you think you need. You don't want a motor burning out and you don't want the contents spilling over. Besides, you do have company over once in a while, right? :-)

Here is what you should look for:

A 350 watt or 3/8 horsepower motor is minimal. My bar appliances are that size. A wide base is good for stability.
Buy one with at least a 32 ounce container (one quart). 48 ounces is better for soups.
What material do you want the container to be made out of? You have three choices: plastic, glass, stainless steel. With glass and clear plastic you can see what you're doing or how your blending is progressing. Glass is heavy and can break. Plastic is lighter but will get scratched easily.

I use stainless steel or plastic containers with my bar units for obvious reasons.

Make certain your appliance can "pulse." This is important for some food recipes as well as some beverage recipes. I don't think most people really need 18 speed settings, however. You need a "fast," a "slow" and a "medium," plus the "pulse" ability.
Absolutely critical is the ability to remove the blades for cleaning.
If your appliance is going to sit on your counter top or your bar, if you have one, you might be concerned about color and design. Otherwise, you don't need to worry about it.
Price must always be a consideration for most of us. Often times you can get a good unit on sale.