To speed up and facilitate the cooking process, there are many devices. We have been using some of them for a long time, some of them are still new. With a certain stretch, blenders can also be attributed to new products (they appeared a long time ago, but few use them). Although this is a very convenient and useful device, it can greatly facilitate the preparation of dishes and expand their range.
But what is a blender? What he really is? Blender is a device for grinding and mixing products (from the English blender - mixer). It combines the properties of a mixer (mixing) and some properties of a food processor (chopping with knives). The undoubted advantage of the blender is its compactness and ability to grind products of various hardness. With its help, it is easy to bring the paste, mashed potatoes to a homogeneous state, turn homemade cottage cheese into a mass without lumps, etc. You can also quickly grind vegetables and greens, some models allow you to grind ice.
The choice of blender: types, device and features
Blenders come in two types: submersible (hand) and stationary. We will determine what their differences, advantages and disadvantages are.
Stationary blenders consist of a base (base) and a removable bowl with knives. With their help, it is good to knock down cocktails, mashed soups, creams, mix sparse dough. And chopping or mixing a small amount of food will be inconvenient.
Hand blenders are elongated. In the upper thickened part
the appliance has a motor; knives are located at the bottom. This form allows you to use it in any container: in a pan, in a large cup or in a regular jar. Another advantage of submersible blenders can be considered the possibility of using various additional nozzles. Often in the kit are a whisk and chopper, which will quickly and easily make creams or chop any amount of vegetables and herbs.
Although hand blenders are more functional, they have several disadvantages:
• You need to hold in your hands while cooking, while the stationary blender can be turned on and engaged in something else.
• If the dishes are used low, you can splash enough. In stationary models, this problem is solved by the presence of a bowl with a lid.
Choosing a blender is not an easy task: there are a lot of nuances that you need to pay attention to: power, speed of rotation of the knives, additional features, etc. Let's consider some parameters in more detail.
The main characteristic that determines the performance of a device is power. This parameter varies from 100W to 2300W. The higher the power, the faster the knives will rotate and prepare the dishes. High rotation speed allows you to grind products to a homogeneous pasty state, which is very convenient when preparing baby food. For good performance, choose models whose power is not less than 700-800W.
The number of rotational speeds of the knives is also a rather important characteristic. In the simplest models, there are 2 speed modes, in the more expensive ones up to 14. The more modes, the easier it is to choose the speed for each particular dish.
The choice of a blender is also affected by the presence of a function such as smooth adjustment of the speed of rotation of the knives. This is much more convenient than a spasmodic change, and allows you to more clearly control the cooking process. Another useful feature is the turbo mode, which allows you to significantly increase the speed of rotation of the knives for a short period of time.
These are, perhaps, all the characteristics that affect the choice of a hand blender. But if you decide to purchase a stationary device, then pay attention to the material from which the bowl is made (plastic or glass). Glass bowls do not darken, do not absorb odors, do not scratch, but they break easily enough, plastic ones are more difficult to break, but they can become cloudy and scratched.
Often, the choice of a blender depends on trifles: not all models provide soft legs that will not allow a stationary blender to move during operation. And if you have to hold it, then you lose the main advantage - the ability to do other things while it works.