

“This blender is industry-standard and used across most professional kitchens. “It comes with a 64-ounce container, but a few months ago I got a 32-ounce one, too, to make things like curry paste and hummus without having to triple the volume.” Finally, it’s got a lower profile that can sit underneath most regular kitchen cabinets. Nisha Vora, creator of Rainbow Plant Life, points out that you can buy additional compatible parts, too. “If any piece of it gets run down or stops functioning properly, they take care of it,” Frenkiel says. Plus, as with all Vitamix blenders, it comes with a great warranty - something noted by Green Kitchen Stories co-founder David Frenkiel and recipe developer Sophia Roe. And unlike the One, it can easily handle tougher ingredients like nuts and grains (which means it’s also extra-efficient at crushing ice for smoothies). It comes with five pre-determined settings for smoothies, hot soups, frozen desserts, purées, and a self-cleaning option (more on that below). It’s expensive, yes, but according to everyone who owns one, well worth the investment. Despite the name, it is beloved by professionals and regular cooks alike. On the lowest end, there’s the Vitamix One for $250 - a no-frills-but-still-powerful option if you don’t need or want a bunch of settings, buttons, and attachments. That being said, if you don’t use a blender with a ton of regularity, can’t splurge on something so pricey, or are living in a small space that doesn’t accommodate big appliances, there are plenty of other options with ringing endorsements to back them up.Ĭapacity: 64 ounces | Function: Automatic | Size: 8.5” x 8.5” x 17.25” Many of the people I spoke with own various models - it is, hands down, the most lauded brand across the board, making the kinds of pieces that will last you an actual lifetime. But there are also a lot to choose from, and in an attempt to narrow down the wide and overwhelming field, I asked a bunch of pros and avid cooks about the ones they rely on in their own kitchens.įirst things first: Vitamix reigns supreme in the blender universe. They’re truly so useful, as much of a staple for many people as a stove or microwave.

Yes, you'll need to keep watch and be a bit more hands-on, but it's easier to be sure things don't get too blended, overheated or stop before everything is truly mixed.Blenders can purée vegetables into soup, crush nuts into butter, whir dressings and sauces into silky emulsifications, chop ingredients into salsas, and, of course, make smoothies. While it comes down to preference, in my opinion, you'll have more control over your result without a preset. Others, like many Vitamix models, are variable, with speeds 1 to 10 on a dial. Some models offer simply low, medium and high modes. We found some modes to be effective and helpful, while other blenders worked better when we took over and chose a speed for my ingredients, watching for when to stop. Next, consider your preference for specific modes versus speeds. Ninja and NutriBullet make these kits for travel containers and processors. If you're blending larger, more dense foods for recipes, consider a model that has either a food processing bowl and wheel blade option or something with high-power wattage. If you'll be making smoothies and frozen drinks, a blender with a special set of travel blender cup containers makes getting out the door one step easier. This was usually around a minute on high.Ī tamper is included with some blenders and it's a useful tool for moving ingredients safely toward the blade assembly.

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If there was no smoothie blender function, we followed the blender's manual recommendation for smoothie making. Not all blenders come with presets, but the ones that do almost always include a smoothie function.

While many of these tests yielded very similar results, a few worked faster than others. We used two cups of orange juice and one cup of frozen strawberries to make the test smoothies. This shouldn't be a big stress test for any decent blender and so it really comes down to speed and consistency. SmoothieĪ classic blender recipe, fruit smoothies were high on my list of recipes to test. The three blenders we recommended above performed well. Counting the number of pulses it takes to get to fine, crushed ice gives a good indication of real-world chopping power. In a test of pure crushing power, we placed two cups of ice cubes into each blender. There are a lot of other recipes blenders work well for and these tests highlight how capable each model is when it comes to dry, large and coarse ingredients. Testing blenders isn't just making smoothies and crushing ice. Watch this: How we put food processors to the test
