How to Compare Juicers and Blenders for Smoothies
Smoothies are frozen, blended concoctions of fruits, juices, and other healthy additives such as bee pollen and vitamins. When making smoothies at home, it is important that you buy the right blender. Does this Spark an idea?
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Motor Power
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The motor power of a blender directly determines how quickly and effectively the blender can puree fruit. Chunks of ice and fruit that get stuck in the blades can make smoothie-making very tedious. The Oster Classic Beehive Blender ($69 as of August 2010) is regarded by the Wall Street Journal as an excellent choice for making smoothies. It has a 500-watt motor, and it's affordable relative to the $200 Waring Pro Professional blender, which features only a 400-watt motor.
Ease of Cleaning
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Certain blenders are designed to be easy to clean, but often this comes at a sacrifice of either size or durability. Many easy-to-clean blenders feature interlocking plastic parts. A good compromise between these is the Hamilton Beach 51101 ($24 as of August 2010), which features a 175-watt motor and a 14-ounce blending jar.
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Other Considerations
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The Oster Fusion BRLY07 ($80) features very useful features, such as reversible blades (for when objects become stuck). If convenience is a more important factor, you may want to consider the Hamilton Beach 51101 Single Serve ($20), which takes up only four inches of counter space, and makes 14 oz. of liquid. Some people may be tempted to buy more expensive juicers instead of blenders. Juicers are designed for making fresh health juices from things like carrots, kale, and other vegetables. They are excellent at making juices (though often difficult to clean), but to make a true smoothie, it is advisable that you pick something more like a blender, which is capable of blending ice into the drink as well. May raw food theorists claim that you should juice vegetables, but eat fruit.
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References
- Photo Credit blender with milk cocktail image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com
