By Elijiah Rampart

A kitchen blender is an absolute necessity for any serious cook. For every day use, an average duty blender will meet your needs quite well. Consider a heavy duty blender only if you are committed cook, and cooking in the kitchen is your passion. Having a blender in your kitchen is absolute must if you plan on making any type of frozen slush type of drink like a Margarita, or if you want to make a zesty pizza sauce, and especially if you want to make healthy fruit smoothies. The range of foods you can make with your blender is only limited to your creativity and cooking imagination. From creamy soups, to spicy salsa, and specialty desserts, your blender is a must have appliance. Let’s take a look at a few of the basics of kitchen blenders, so you can keep these things in mind the next time you are going to purchase a new blender.

Almost without exception, the more powerful your blender is the more expensive it will be. At a minimum you will want your blender to put out at least 400 watts, and if you can afford it splurge for a 1000 watt monster. The higher the wattage of your blender the more powerful it will bee, and the less likely it will be from seizing up. The lower power blenders will not enable you to puree ice cubes like you want when making icy type treats. Now, about speeds, you want your blender to have a wide range of speeds. Not all foods will require the highest speeds, and some foods need low speeds, and then there are times when you need maximum blending. If you are on a budget, however, you can probably do fine with a three speed blender, one that has speeds of slow, medium, and fast.

Modern blenders really come in many excellent designs, although this is usually where the price breaks occur. If you want a sleek design you are going to pay more money. However, since your blender will most likely be sitting on your counter top, you want to buy on that looks good and fits in with the colors of your kitchen. But if your blender is going to be stored in a cabinet, then you can save some money here by looking at blenders that don’t feature aesthetics as much. One thing is for sure, make sure the blender design is easy to clean, has a wide base for stability, and has some type of small opening where you can add ingredients during blending. Also, make sure the lid fist nice and snug, and has no apparent gaps with the seal. It should make solid contact with the jar all around the perimeter.

When you are out blender shopping, you need to pay close attention to what type of material it is made of. Glass and stainless steel have traditionally been the best materials to use for kitchen blenders. Glass is easy to clean, doesn’t scratch and can be sanitized, and you can see what is going on while blending. Stainless steel has the advantage of being lighter, it is impact resistant so it won’t break when you drop it, and it can be well cleaned as well. If your other kitchen appliances are stainless then you might want to consider using this material for your blender. Either way, you simply can not go wrong if you your choice is glass or stainless steel.

Technorati Tags: blenders, mixers, smoothie makers, smoothies

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4227463/Trail/searchtext%3ESMOOTHY+MAKER.htm

it comes with a smoothy book inside… which is very helpful.

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=4790002

All you need to do.. is take apart the top part of the smoothy maker ‘the jug part’ and then rince it under the tap.. please be careful of the sharp blades inside.. which u can unattach.. but sometimes there is no need.. just make sure u do not touch them.. then u shall be fine. don’t confused urself that a blender will be better, cos in the innocent smoothy book they do really recommend that u buy urself a smoothy maker.. and some hard fruits could go in to a blender.. if u buy the innocent smoothy book it has instructions on how to clean ur smoothy / blender…. it does also recommend to slam it with a hammer at one point. lol, which i found funny… and a fruit called Debbie. ehehhehee. The innocent smoothy book is realy worth buying… and it has loads of fun recipes to make… and it is also really funny to read… makes ur laugh from the very start…

Also the smoothy maker is really loud… :S when u press the buttons.. if u don’t mind the noise then it’s fine. =)

Best of luck with your smoothy hunt.. and cleaning it…

but it’s really easy to clean.. u just have to be careful with it…

Any advice and recipes appreciated! Thanks!

A juicer simply crushs the fruit, and removes the skin. A blender pulverizes everything, a smoothy-maker is a gimmick. Easily the most versatile thing is a blender, thats what I use.

Blender: Chops, grates, crushes ice, & makes food much finer to the point of like a smoothie

Smoothie Makers: are usually not as powerful as a good Blender. They are much more limited in there uses that either a food Processor or Blender

Juicer: Extracts & separates the pulp of the fruit or veggie from the juice.

I own a Blender with a small food processor attachement(Hamilton Beech) & a Juicer(Jack LaLanne). I find the 2 are what I need for my healthy diet & lifetstyle. Both are moderately priced & I am pleased with the work they do.
My daughter owns a Vitamix Blender & a Champion Juicer & luvs them both. They are much more upscale than I have.
I hope this was helpful.
Slainté (to your health)

And yeah, you need to peel the fruit, and, if its an apple, you really gotta de-core it too..

Just stick whatever you want in the blender and give it a spin!

Vitamin B – Green vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds, nuts and peas.

Vitamin C – Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, melons and berries.

Vitamin E – Avocados, rice bran, nuts, dark green vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

Vitamin A – Carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, cantaloupe and apricots.

Vitamin K – Seafood, dairy, figs, asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, brussel sprouts, cabbage, dark green leafy vegetables, oatmeal, soybeans, wheat, yoghurt, egg yolks and liver.

so for healthy shiny hair you are looking into a "liquid Muesli"… which then is good for your figure as well

Dive into summer with a refreshing smoothie machine that will make a splash at any event. Features a powerful 350-watt motor that grinds ice and fruit in a matter of seconds along with a large 40 oz. pitcher and a stir stick for even mixing. The dispenser spout is drip-free for simple cleanup.

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Product Specification :

Brand : Back to Basics
Type : Countertop Blenders

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