Choosing the perfect blender for making smoothies and smoothies

The question of which blender to choose - stationary or submersible - is perhaps the first and one of the most difficult questions when buying this device. The choice depends on how you are going to use this device. Since this article is about making smoothies and cocktails, then we will choose a blender for smoothies. Have you already visited the idea that you can’t enjoy your favorite drink without a special blender? Do not worry: in fact, if you already have a blender, then it will certainly work! It’s just that each type of model has its pros and cons - we’ll talk about them.

Smoothies vs Smoothies

The requirements that apply to a blender for making a cocktail and a blender for making smoothies differ, since the recipe for their preparation varies greatly, and the main thing is in the ingredients.

It doesn't matter what kind of cocktail came to your mind: most likely, it consists of basic liquids - milk or juice - and soft ingredients like syrup, ice cream, fresh berries or jelly. This rule works for both alcoholic cocktails at the bar and dairy from fast food restaurants. Why are there cocktails with strawberries or bananas, but rarely is there a cocktail with an apple? Because these ingredients are soft, easily mashed and mixed with a liquid base. Why is syrup added to the chocolate cocktail for taste, and the chocolate itself is used only as a decoration? The reason is the same: syrup is easy to mix with milk and ice cream, which can not be said about chocolate. In general, to prepare a cocktail (that is, mix liquid ingredients with soft ones), any mixer is able to, regardless of the parameters.

But with a smoothie, the situation is more complicated: dense foods like nuts, dried fruits, cereals or hard fruits and vegetables are always found in recipes, but the main problem is that in all classic variations of a smoothie, either ice or frozen fruits and berries are used. This is his "trick", and it is precisely due to this that his unique consistency is achieved. But smoothies without ice and frozen fruit are just as tasty. Yes, they have a different consistency, but this is a matter of personal preference.

It turns out that when choosing a blender for smoothies and cocktails, you need to focus on the smoothie, because any model can grind soft, but not everyone can cope with dense or hard ingredients.

Tip

If you want to use a blender also for making mashed potato soups, then the situation here is more like making a cocktail, since the ingredients become soft after cooking. The only thing to keep in mind is that the hand blender will be much more convenient simply because you can grind and mix right in the pan without pouring it into a special container, which is usually also small in volume.

Criterias of choice

The fact that it is more difficult for a technician to make a smoothie than a cocktail, we have already figured out. But then how to choose the right model? It all depends on whether you want to use ice and frozen fruits or not.

Power

Choosing a blender for making a smoothie is necessary first of all by power, and not by the principle of submersible-stationary! This question is actually not even the second. What really matters is whether the device can cope with pieces of ice by grinding them into ice dust. A power of 300 watts will be quite enough for any kind of shredding: firms of different price categories have them - from Scarlett to Brown. But the process will take several minutes, and in a warm room the “snow” will begin to melt quickly, which will ruin the whole consistency.Most Americans even use powerful blenders at home, at 1200-1400 watts each: they allow you to make smoothies with ice in a few seconds!

By the way

To make the smoothie “like in a cafe”, the machine will have to be bought with the appropriate capacity, which is a lot of money. Even if the blender is not industrial, but for home use. There are such models on our market, but we don’t think that you want to give about 30,000 rubles for the opportunity to enjoy the perfect consistency, so you have to find a compromise.

Capacity

With submersible models, this problem is not relevant: you can grind even in a steel glass! But the stationary blender for smoothies with ice should be durable. It is better if the capacity is made of durable carbon fiber, and this again is a characteristic of not the cheapest models. Strong, reliable glass will also be quite expensive, and flimsy glass and ordinary plastic in such cases are not trusted. Yes, it seems that the desire to feast on smoothies can fly into a pretty penny!

Type of

So which blender to choose: submersible or stationary? In fact, it does not really matter. It is believed that it is more convenient and correct to make smoothies in small stationary blenders.

• They allow you to achieve a delicate texture, and the puree will simply melt in your mouth.
• They often have more power, which means grinding will be much faster.
• Working with them, you do not need to control the process and make physical efforts.
• Such models often come with a bottle in the kit, as they are mostly intended for making drinks.

If you drink smoothies every day, then this model is rightly tuned for this drink. But she has a small number of minuses.

• Good and powerful stationary blenders are usually more expensive than submersible ones.
• Such models have low versatility: they can be used only for the preparation of cocktails, sauces and other small-volume dishes.

But with a submersible drink it can turn out no worse! Only there is a risk that you will get tired of standing over the container by holding the button and you will grind the ingredients to a puree consistency. Of the disadvantages:

• it will not be possible to achieve the most homogeneous consistency; small particles of ingredients will still come across in the drink;
• you have to hold it in your hand, and this is tiring, especially if the blender is not very powerful and grinds slowly.

If this is not a problem for you and you are not at all against small pieces of nuts and fruits, then the advantages of this type are all the more to your liking.

• When using this model, less dishes get dirty: you can drink immediately from the container in which you prepared.
• Such blenders have amazing multifunctionality: with their help, you can grind and mix dishes of different volumes and consisting of ingredients of any stiffness.
• Most hand blenders have a whisk included in the kit, as well as a small container for grinding in a closed volume, so that they can also be beat and grind, for example, a handful of nuts or a few cubes of chocolate!

So, if you are a foodie or if the presence of the same texture is important for you, you have to fork out for a powerful stationary blender, ideal for making smoothies and cocktails. But if small imperfections do not bother you at all, then you can either use what you already have or buy a model that will have the most functionality.

If you are not going to add ice to the smoothie, then the number of selection criteria is sharply reduced: any modern machine will cope with the task of preparing this drink. In this case, the blender can have a power of 300 and even 200 watts, have a glass or carbon capacity and can be both submersible and stationary.

Now you know what to look for when you go to the store for this little kitchen assistant. We hope that the result in the form of delicious drinks will please you and your loved ones for a long time!