Blenders are one of the most popular small appliances in the home today and for good reason. Blenders are extremely versatile and helpful in the kitchen. If you're in the market for a blender, you probably feel a little indecisive when faced with the sheer number of choices available. This blender buying guide will help you figure out how to buy the best blender for your needs.
Blenders come in a variety of sizes, styles and price ranges. Before you shop, ask yourself what you need your blender to do for you. Do you need a blender mostly for crushing ice to make drinks, or do you need it more for making soups? Maybe you just need a blender to process foods quickly for cooking. Or maybe you need a blender that does all of the above and more. From chopping and pureeing to crushing, the right blender for you is out there.
The main types of blenders are countertop blenders and handheld or immersion blenders.
Countertop models are the most popular and common type of blender, and there are many features and styles to choose from. If you need a blender of all trades, choose one with a few different settings and a style you like. If you need a bar blender for your home bar, look for a stylish flip switch or pulse button on a blender with plenty of ice-crushing power and enough capacity to make drinks for the whole party. A few other features you might want to consider for maximum convenience are easy-to-read measure markings on the pitcher, an easy-to-clean detachable blade and an easily accessible wide-mouth container.
Hand held blenders are thin and long and are meant to be submerged in a drink to blend milkshakes or smoothies. Immersion blenders can also be used in a saucepan to puree cooked vegetables for soups or sauces. Immersion blenders are handy to have around for quick, small jobs; they often come with multiple mixing attachments, but you shouldn't expect a hand held blender to be able to replace a countertop blender.
Controls
Many of the high-price-range blenders come with programmable keypad controls. The upside of a keypad is that it's easy to clean with no tiny crevices where food can get stuck. The downside is that if all you need is a bar blender to make margaritas, you might find yourself spending more time navigating the high-tech controls than actually crushing the ice. If you need a blender for multiple, specialized jobs, then navigating the controls might be worth it.
Many low- to mid-price-range blenders come with push-button controls or a single flip switch or pulse button. Push-button controls are simple to use and offer just as many options for specialized tasks as the high-end keypad blenders but may be harder to clean. Flip-switch and pulse-button controls are the most straight-forward of all, but they don't offer multiple options for a variety of different needs.
Power
When shopping for the right blender, pay attention to how much power it has, particularly for handheld blenders. If you're shopping for a handheld blender, look for something with more than 100 watts of power. The 100-watt immersion blenders are cheap, but you may not be able to do more than mix juices with one. Most countertop blenders have somewhere around 500 watts, which is perfectly sufficient for a typical blender workload. It's not necessary to pay more for a ridiculously high number of watts. You may just end up with a louder machine. Many lower price range blenders with 300 to 500 watts are just as capable of crushing ice and making smooth purees as the expensive blenders with 1000 watts.
Looks
Looks aren't everything, but when it comes to a countertop appliance, like a blender, looks can be pretty important. If all your other appliances are brushed steel, you'll probably want to consider a brushed steel blender as opposed to a shiny chrome blender or a white plastic one.
Aside from the color, you might also take into consideration whether you prefer a plastic, glass or stainless steel container. While plastic is the least expensive, it can retain smells from different foods and may become scratched and scuffed. Stainless steel is durable and looks sleek and cool, but you can't see through it to check on the progress of whatever you're blending. The only real downside of a glass container is that glass is breakable. But glass blender containers are usually so thick as to be pretty difficult to break. Other upsides of glass are that it doesn't retain food smells and it's see-through, so you can keep an eye on the contents. Also, the weight of the glass is helpful for keeping the blender stable and steady while the motor operates, so you get better results.
Like almost every product in the world, blenders come in low-, mid- and high-price ranges. In some cases, the blender with the highest price may not be the right blender for you. When choosing a blender, don't let price dictate which one you choose. Just look for the one with the features you need.
What's the difference between a food processor and a blender? Do I need both?
Blenders and food processors do similar things, but you may still want to have both depending on how much you cook. It may not be necessary for you to buy an electric food processor at all; you might only need a hand-powered chopper to quickly process nuts, garlic, herbs or other small jobs. If you like to make your own salsa or you process a lot of vegetables in your cooking on a regular basis, a food processor is worth buying in addition to a blender for making drinks, smoothies and soups. Some multipurpose blenders even come with a separate food processor attachment, so you can use the same motor base for both things.
Are more settings better?
Blenders with more settings are not necessarily better quality; it's definitely unnecessary to pay more for tons of settings that you may not even really need. In fact, a blender with thre to five settings can often be much easier to use than one with upwards of 16 settings. Think realistically about what you need your blender to do and you will get a good idea of which settings you really need.
Should I buy a refurbished blender?
Absolutely! You can get brand-name, high-end blenders at huge discounts when you buy refurbished. Refurbished blenders are returned appliances that have been restored to like-new or almost-new condition. The quality of refurbished and reconditioned blenders is just as high as new appliances.
Customers return appliances for many reasons, so this means there are a few refurbished categories:
Opened box: The product shows no signs of use, and the customer only opened the box.
Customer returns: The customer opened the appliance box and may have used the item briefly before returning it. The blender may show a small amount of wear and tear.
Customers may have returned the item because they changed their minds, didn't like the color or found it too difficult to use. We still call the appliances refurbished, even if it hasn't been used. And this means great things for you! Refurbished and reconditioned items are priced way below retail compared to new small appliances, especially at Overstock.com.
Food processor
For fresh salsas, dips and quick, easy chopping of vegetables and fruits, food processors can't be beat. For big discounts on quality food processors, shop Overstock.com and find the food processor of your dreams for less.
Hand mixer
Overstock.com has all the small appliances you need for a fully functioning kitchen, including hand mixers at bargain prices. Browse our selection of mixers today and see how much you can save when you shop online at home with the "O."
Juicer
Blenders are perfect for making smoothies, but if you really want a gourmet, healthy smoothie, try adding fresh squeezed juice from your own home juicer to your smoothie. With a juicer you can make your own fresh-squeezed juices any time. From classic orange juice to wheatgrass juice, you can make it all in the convenience of your own home. Find top brand juicers on Overstock.com and save bundles with our discount prices and flat-rate shipping of just $2.95 or less every day. Overstock.com is your online shopping outlet for kitchen appliances and much, much more!
