Good Blenders?
I have always gotten great suggestions from Serious Eats whenever I didn't know what brand or what feature I should look for in a kitchen appliance. So now I have another question - with all the blenders in the market today, which one is the best one that's easy to use and that will last a long time?
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15 Comments:
I used to have an Osterizer that was a real workhorse - not sure of the model, but it had a chrome base. Though if you're in the market for a real industrial blender, I can highly recommend the Vita-Mix. They're super-pricey, but can do much more than your standard blender (including grinding grains, etc), and have a lifetime warranty.
producestories at 10:09AM on 05/21/08
Big fan of the Breville Ikon blender. It's quiet, powerful, and very cleanable. I've just been very impressed with it.
tchaike at 11:12AM on 05/21/08
Love the KitchenAid 5-speed. http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSB560OB-5-Speed-Blender-Polycarbonate/dp/B000CSNVE2/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1211384132&sr=8-2
bobcatsteph3 at 11:37AM on 05/21/08
The Braun PowerMax blows away any competition in the under $200 price range. It has 525 watts of power versus the 350 to 360 of machines like the Waring "Pro" bar blender. If you're crushing ice for frozen drinks - which is my application - the stainless steel blade design and motor size makes it a cinch.
If you jump up into the $350 to $400 range you can get into a Vita-Mix or Blendtec with a motor that is in the 1300 watt range. Waring has a new machine in that category but I have no feedback from end users to be able to offer useful comments on it. The Blendtec and Vitamix also have programmable cycles that will take the blend process through a cycle of acceleration and deceleration automatically - helpful in the commercial environment but not at home.
Having lots and lots of speed options is not a real benefit for the home blender - 4 to 5 speeds is about as much as you need. By the way - for heavy use there are known issue with the bearings in the base of the Blendtec jars. They seize up with heavy use and require replacement more often than the Vita-Mix jars (jars are about $60 to $100 depending on type and your source).
I use the Braun PowerMax at home and love it. My complaint is the plastic jar but they have long since switched to glass jars.
phaelon56 at 12:01PM on 05/21/08
P.S. I have no experience with the Kitchen-Aid but it's rated at .9 hp - about 670 watts - so it's likely to be even more powerful than the lower end Warings. I love the retro style of the Waring bard blenders but I think they're very underpowered for making frozen drinks.
phaelon56 at 12:06PM on 05/21/08
We also have the Breville Ikon and it does everything a fairly ambitious home cook needs. Easy to clean, too.
ricestein at 12:15PM on 05/21/08
What are you using it for?
For occasional use (some food, some beverage/ ice, shakes, breadcrumbs) i'm very happy with my glass-carafe Hamilton Beech from Target. I think it was around $40.
Waring makes kick ass bar blenders that will outlast us all. Narrow, glass carafes, huge motors, heavy as hell. Will blast your ice into oblivion. $100-$150 range, I think.
KitchenAid- really good for food use. Super-wide carafe, excellent for pureeing soups and getting your spatula in there to scrape it all out. Bad for smaller jobs, also because of wide carafe. Can't remember price.
My blender must-haves:
tempered glass carafe- need to be able to see the blending and put hot things in there.
can take it apart for easy cleaning
heavy=big motor and stable
Kerosena at 12:37PM on 05/21/08
The best blender is the one full of margaritas.
beth1 at 11:18PM on 05/21/08
I have to agree with beth1 - give me a good frozen drink (margarita baby) and I might be able to prevent the contents from leaking all over the blender, counter, cabinets, floor and getting me all sticky and unhappy. Seriously, I have given up on blenders because every single one has leaked.
I'll never give up on margaritas though, frozen or not.
PerkyMac at 3:23AM on 05/22/08
Vitamix is the way to go...www.metrokitchen.com offers free shipping on the Vitamix. It is superior!
DanielleS at 9:54AM on 05/22/08
If I could have any blender, I'd get one of these: http://www.blendtec.com/productDetails.aspx?id=28&gclid=CIvQt8SmupMCFRUdsgodlBS3Dg
peachfish at 10:20AM on 05/22/08
I also recommend the Breville Ikon. It does everything you need a blender to do and then some. It is super easy to clean and nice to look at if you care about counter-appeal!
Jennefur at 11:00AM on 05/22/08
I second the Osterizer. Excellent blender, especially for the price. Only has 2 speeds but I've never wished for another. I use it almost daily for 3 years now.
renzata at 11:38AM on 05/22/08
I have the Oster Professional. 2 speeds, but they never let me down. Got it at Costco.
izatryt at 5:21PM on 05/22/08
I ended up getting the Breville. It's not too loud, easy to clean, and very powerful! Thank you all for your suggestions!
PattyCho at 7:44PM on 05/30/08