BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Choose a Blender

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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A blender is one of those essential countertop appliances. Used for making smoothies, shakes and malts, it also comes in handy for pureeing, chopping and even crushing ice.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Blenders

Step1

Measure the space where you plan to store your blender. Pay special attention to height.

Step2

Decide on a metal or plastic base. Metal is more durable and keeps the appliance more steady when it is in use, but generally costs more.

Step3

Choose a glass or plastic jar. Blenders with glass jars are generally more stable, but also more expensive. A glass jar is also quite a bit heavier than plastic.

Step4

Check the number of settings available and decide which most closely fit your needs. A pulsing function is especially useful.

Step5

Look for special features on the lid that will make it possible to add ingredients while the blender is running.

Step6

Choose the color you want. Colors are generally available only if you choose a plastic base.

Step7

Study warranty and service options.

Step8

Before buying, read the manufacturer's instructions to be sure the blender has all the features you are looking for.

Tips & Warnings

Blenders with push-button controls are notoriously difficult to clean. Check for special cleaning features that will make cleanup easier.

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Comments

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Get familiar with all your blender buttons/functions and become comfortable using them. Spend time for this. Each blender function can help you make $50 to $350 worth of products over a year.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 We started making smoothies every day and our regular household blender quickly wore out. We purchased a "commercial grade" blender with over 1 hp of power and expect to get years of use out of it. So, if you plan to use it heavily, it pays to research the unit's power and pay a little more.