Juicing is wonderful. But – when you’re not in the midst of a diet – you’re not going to be juicing ALL the time. That’s where a blender comes in! so you can make all of these delicious almond and cashew nuts milks. They’re a great kitchen tool to have around to make smoothies, and all sorts of other healthy recipes. But where to begin?
Well, just like with a juicer, there are all kinds of blenders (if you’re REALLY new to blending, a blender is a kitchen tool that is used to mix, puree and emulsify food, and crush ice). One thing you want to look at is power – the higher the wattage, the more powerful the blender. And the more powerful the blender, the finer it will blend. You’ll also want to pay attention to capacity (does it hold 2 cups or 7?), speeds (do you really need 15 speeds or will 3 do?), and design (do you like the way it looks?!).
As long as the blender you chose fits your individual needs, you can’t go wrong! So asses some of your blending needs with our blending questionnaire, then check out some blenders we recommend!
Before You Buy a Blender:
1. What is the main use of your blender? Crushing ice, mixing smoothies, gourmet cooking? If all you’re doing is crushing ice, you don’t need a blender with as many bells and whistles as someone who will be using it for many different cooking needs.
2. How much do you care for the design and the noise? Especially if you’re going to leave the blender on your counter, you need to make sure you like the look. And you need to make sure the noise level suits you – especially if you’ll be using it early in the morning while others are sleeping!
3. How often will you use the blender? For a daily smoothie or just on special occasions? If you’re not going to use it often, it doesn’t make much sense to invest a ton of money (unless you have the cash to spare!).
4. Speaking of which, how much are you willing to spend? Do you want the best of what’s out there, or the best for what you need within your price range?
5. How long do you plan to use the blender? Is this your one big blender purchase, or will you be upgrading later in life?
Hopefully thinking about these questions will give you a better idea of what kind of blender is right for you. If you want to know some of our favorites, here they are:
Vita-Mix 5200
If you are serious about blending this is your machine, nothing gets better than this blender, low and high speed, power, everything you can dream about in a blender. if its good enough for the folks at the CIA (http://www.ciachef.edu/) it should be good enough for you. This is more than just a blender, it’s a treat!
KitchenAid 5-Speed Blenders with Polycarbonate Jars
Comes with a verity of speeds and colors, very affordable and reliable, if you had KitchenAid products before, you know that you are paying for a product that will last for a long time. get everything you were looking for in a commercial blender at a home price. This model is the favorite among our practitioners.
Cuisinart SPB-600MR SmartPower Deluxe
This is a great simple blender for those news to blending, this blender lets you mince herbs just as easily as you crush ice. It has a 600-watt motor and four speeds. Very nice details and design features.
I went through the 999 Power Drop with my old Oster blender, it is not as fancy as some of the other models, but it was enough to make great nut milks!
True, you do not need a fancy blender to go through the 999 Diet, simplicity is with in the core of our beliefs and we apply it to our blending strategy as well.
Isn’t it a pain to take out a whole blender just to make a smoothie?
You might think so at first, but today’s blenders are so easy to use! It’s really no more work than taking out a plate to eat your sandwich on. In most cases, you can just throw it in the dishwasher when you’re finished blending and be done!
a great trick to clean a blender is simply to put some dish detergent and water in it and blend!
Sometimes when I’m blending something, the food just sticks and doesn’t turn.
This could happen even with the best blenders. Add some more liquid – like milk, juice or even water. If that doesn’t work, shut the blender off, mix your food up a bit with a spoon, then try again.
Can I just blend instead of juicing?
No! juicing gives you all the nutrients of produce without the pulp, which is important during the cleanse phase of your diet. When you blend, you are consuming the whole food.
My husband got me the VitaMix 5200 last year for Christmas, it is the best blender I ever had, I absolutely love it!