How to use a blender: what is it for and what can you cook with it + video with simple recipes

What is a blender and who invented it?

The word blender comes from the English blender - to mix. This unit is one of the oldest kitchen units. Only the meat grinder is older than him (25 years).

The first such device was invented by Stephen Poplawski in 1922. The idea for this device came to him in an attempt to automate the preparation of the soda fountain drink. In the USSR, such a drink was known as “soda with syrup,” which was sold everywhere in special vending machines.

The first of these units consisted of a container on a stand. At the bottom of the bowl there was a knife similar to a propeller, which could only mix the ingredients, but not cut. In fact, this was the first prototype of a stationary blender.

It became widespread during Prohibition in the United States due to the fact that establishments began to secretly serve alcohol only in cocktails (to avoid police claims). The blender at that time allowed bartenders to automate the preparation of drinks and meet the increased demand.

A modern blender can easily replace a food processor. Its main advantage is that it is quite small-sized and easy to handle, which allows it to be used without any extra effort. With this unit you can easily chop, cut and beat ingredients for dishes.

About

Types of devices and their differences

Existing types of blenders:

• submersible;
• stationary.

A stationary blender is a device that consists of a technical unit and a mixing glass with knives at the bottom.

The advantage of this type of device is that, unlike an immersion blender, you do not need to constantly hold the device in your hands to grind food.

The disadvantage of a stationary blender is that you can only mix the ingredients in the bowl supplied. But it is great for making various cocktails and smoothies.

An immersion blender differs from a stationary blender in having wider functionality. The device consists of two parts: a hardware unit and an attachment, while the number and functionality of attachments may vary.

Pros of an immersion blender:

• You can grind products in any container that is resistant to mechanical stress, which allows you to work with any volume of ingredients
• A large number of attachments that expand functionality (whisk, chopper, etc.)
• It doesn't take up much space in the kitchen

Flaws:

• You must always hold the device in your hands
• Not suitable for preparing liquid foods

Blender bowls and containers can be made of plastic, glass and metal. At the same time, glass, if handled carefully, is the most durable and environmentally friendly. Nozzles are made of stainless steel or plastic.

Professional blenders are a special type of device. They have large bowl capacity, power and high reliability, but their price is much higher. Also, as you can already understand from the name, such devices can be not only for home use, but also for commercial use.

As a result, the difference between devices for grinding products lies in their different purposes. The stationary one is better at mixing and whipping liquid mixtures, and the submersible one is better at slicing and grinding harder products.

About

Simple Recipes for Immersion Blenders

The advantage of an immersion blender is its ability to puree soup and grind other ingredients in absolutely any container. You can even process just the cooked dish into a tender and fluffy mush without pouring it into another utensil. Using submersible models of kitchen appliances, you can easily create masterpieces:

When chopping berries and fruits in a blender, use a lid or deep container. This will prevent the juice from splashing.

1. Cream for cake . An immersion blender can work like a high-speed mixer, beating the whites and yolks until smooth and foamy. The device perfectly mixes boiled condensed milk with sour cream, chopped nuts and other sweets.
2. Batter . After mixing all the ingredients in the required quantity, turn on the blender and enjoy its work. With its help, you can easily create a dough of liquid consistency for baking biscuits and airy cakes.
3. Berry mousses . An immersion blender perfectly processes berries with small seeds. Thanks to special attachments, you can simultaneously chop currants, blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries.

Do not process tree fruits that have not been pitted (cherries, cherries, plums, apricots). They can damage the blender blades.

Useful features of blenders

Here are the most popular blender functions:

• Mixing - one of the most popular functions allows you to mix and simultaneously beat liquids and suspensions until smooth. This function is basic for stationary devices.
• Shredding and slicing - allows you to grind food to the required consistency. In some models, the duration and intensity of cutting can be controlled manually, which allows you to achieve the optimal consistency of products for each dish, from slicing to purees.
• Whipping - many hand blenders have this mode thanks to the whisk attachment. In some cases, it allows you to replace the mixer, but it is still inferior in power.

Additional features and capabilities:

• Ice crushing.
• Preparing mixtures in a vacuum environment (allows you to keep cocktails fresh longer).
• Speed ​​adjustment and turbo mode (allows you to control the speed and intensity of the device).
• Grate food directly into the cooking bowl thanks to the grater attachment.
• Expensive models have the function of kneading dough using special hook attachments. Thanks to them, the dough is kneaded evenly and does not stick to the walls of the bowl.

About

Stationary blenders

Models of stationary blenders vary significantly in design and price (from simple and affordable Scarlett, Vitek, Philips to more expensive Bosch, Electrolux, Braun). But their capabilities are almost the same.

Articles on the topic (click to view)

• Rating of the best steamers of 2022
• Photos of curtains for kitchen design 2022
• Choosing curtains for the kitchen
• Metal kitchen rack for appliances
• Instructions for the electric stove "classic plus"
• How to choose an electric stove with 4 burners and an oven for the kitchen
• Sofa in the bay window for the kitchen

Stationary blender models have obvious disadvantages:

1. They occupy a dedicated permanent place in the kitchen.
2. They can only hold a certain amount of food.
3. There are no additional features.
4. They do not involve the use of other utensils - all ingredients have to be folded or poured into a bowl.

Their advantages include the fact that a stationary blender works autonomously (it does not need to be held in your hand and controlled), and the lid closes tightly, which significantly reduces the likelihood of splashing.

To ensure that your stand blender lasts as long as possible, do not put hot ingredients into the bowl. This leads to overload of the motor, yellowing of plastic materials and loss of transparency of the bowl.

When loading the bowl, be guided by the marks for the recommended volume of products, do not fill them right up to the lid and do not try to compact them. It is also unsafe for the blender to add too few pieces.

Using the blender is quite simple. Before putting into the bowl, all the ingredients of your planned dish need to be cut into pieces of any shape of approximately the same size. The knives located at the bottom will do the rest - chop and mix all the products to the desired consistency or beat into a homogeneous mass.

Do not open the blender lid while it is running to add anything to the blender.

What can you cook in a blender?

Using a blender you can prepare a huge number of dishes:

• puree soups;
• cocktails;
• sauces;
• salads;
• various desserts.

Here are some of the most popular dishes and the general principle of preparing puree soups.

The principle of preparing puree soups using the example of cream of mushroom soup

To prepare mushroom cream soup from champignons, you need:

• 500 grams of potatoes of any size.
• 150 grams of onion.
• 600 grams of water.
• 250 grams of mushrooms (fresh or frozen).
• 200 grams of cream 10-20% fat.
• salt (at your discretion).

First, finely chop the onion into cubes and fry in refined vegetable oil for 5 minutes at medium temperature until golden brown.

Mushrooms are cut into medium pieces (you can cut several pieces lengthwise “in the shape of a mushroom” for decoration). Chopped champignons are added to the fried onions and fried together for 7-10 minutes to enhance the taste and aroma.

Next, place a pan of water on the stove and prepare the potatoes (peeled and cut into the size of a walnut). After boiling, the potatoes are thrown into the water and cooked until tender for about 15 minutes.

Then add the onion-mushroom mixture to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, and then grind the pieces of vegetables in the soup with a blender until pureed.

The last step is to add cream to the prepared mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. The dish is decorated with pieces of fried mushrooms and herbs.

The general principle for preparing all such soups is to grind the solid ingredients to a homogeneous puree-like mass, and the base of the soup can be anything: vegetable, as in the presented recipe, or broth.

Curd

The recipe for making curd mass is extremely simple.

To make the curd mass, you need:

• about 500 grams of cottage cheese
• 4-5 large spoons of sour cream
• salt and sugar to taste

Proportions are approximate and may vary. Also, if desired, you can add various berries and jam.

An immersion blender works best for preparing this dish. All ingredients are loaded into a bowl and ground until smooth within 2-3 minutes.

Milkshake

A stationary blender will handle a milkshake better.

The principle of its preparation is to whip milk and ice cream with various fillings. Moreover, the ratio of ingredients can be very different depending on preferences. For example, for a classic milkshake, a glass of milk and a couple of scoops of creamy ice cream will be enough.

Of course, this is not everything that can be prepared using a blender; there are hundreds of recipes using this device.

About

Methods of application and areas of use

An immersion blender and a stationary blender are varieties of the same device, but their areas of use and methods of application differ. Some of their functions are similar, but their effectiveness when performing such tasks, for example, preparing pureed soups, is different. To choose the optimal device for your needs, you need to understand the purpose of this technology.

Immersion blender

An immersion blender is equipped with a large number of attachments and for this reason is a more versatile device. It is purchased if you need equipment that can perform many different tasks.

To understand how the device can be used, it is worth understanding the purpose of its attachments, which, depending on the model and configuration, may include:

1. Main leg. Used in the measuring cup included in the kit or in any container. It is used to mix sauces, baby food, pureed soups, and cocktails.
2. Whisk attachment. Designed for making cream, beating eggs, batter, cream. Some models have nozzles with two whisks.
3. Hooks. Designed for kneading dense dough or mixing minced meat with spices and onions.
4. Chopper. Bowl with a knife inside. Used for chopping herbs, vegetables, fruits, boiled meat, cheese, chocolate, preparing vegetable puree or pate. Can be equipped with an ice pick.
5. Multifunctional bowl with chopping blade and discs for slicing food. It has an increased volume compared to a conventional chopper and is suitable for processing a larger number of products. In addition, it may include grater knives, shredders, and a dicing attachment. Suitable for quick preparation of Olivier-type salads and preparations for the winter.
6. Leg for mayonnaise. Used for making mayonnaise and sauces. Compared to other attachments, it is much less common.
7. Attachment for mashed potatoes. A regular attachment will not cope with this dish - you will end up with a non-uniform sticky mass with lumps.

Thus, immersion blenders are universal equipment that can replace many other devices and accessories at home. Devices of this type become excellent assistants for young mothers, helping them prepare food for small children. These same devices are effective in the country, where they allow you to prepare vegetables, herbs, as well as berries and fruits for the winter to mix with sugar.

Stationary blender

In a stationary blender, cooking takes place in a glass, plastic or metal jug with blades. This device is perfect for lovers of pureed soups, smoothies, cocktails, and fans of healthy eating. It will provide better results in comparison with an immersion blender that performs similar functions, due to its higher power and operating principle.

In the jug of a stationary blender, the blade has two to four blades curved at different angles. This allows you to grab food even from the bottom of the bowl and does not leave unprocessed ingredients. The foot of an immersion blender will not achieve this result.

A stationary blender is good for crushing ice. This is possible due to high power, as well as pulse mode or ice crushing mode.

In addition to the bowl, a stationary blender, depending on the model and brand, can be equipped with other attachments:

• mini chopper. Performs the same functions as a similar attachment in a stationary blender;
• mill. Designed for grinding coffee, cereals, sugar or other solid ingredients;
• juicer with mesh filter. A stationary blender can make juice, and the mesh will help clear the liquid from the pulp;
• Vacuumator This design allows you to pump out air from a container with a lid. It can be used to store food for a long time or marinate meat.

Additional attachments are found less frequently on stationary blenders than on submersible blenders. You can find them on expensive models, while advanced equipment is available on submersible devices, even if they are budget equipment.

Despite the fact that stationary and immersion blenders perform similar functions, their main purposes are still different.

The first type of technique is suitable for fans of a healthy lifestyle, lovers of cocktails, puree soups, and smoothies. When choosing such blenders, you should pay attention to the high power, material of manufacture and volume of the jug.

Immersion blenders can make life easier for young mothers, and are also suitable for housewives who need a universal device for performing different tasks. These devices are more functional; today you can buy equipment with extensive equipment even for a small amount.

It’s rare that a kitchen these days is complete without small appliances, which greatly help facilitate the cooking process.

One of the most common devices is an immersion blender - a fairly simple to use and at the same time inexpensive device.

Using an immersion blender makes cooking much more convenient and enjoyable.

What can you grind in a blender?

You can grind many ingredients in a blender.

The most popular of them are:

• Vegetables, fruits and berries - cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, eggplants, zucchini, onions, pumpkin, apples, bananas, pears, etc. Almost any berries can be chopped. It is important to mention that when mashing boiled potatoes with a blender, it becomes more viscous and dense due to starch and this consistency will not be to everyone’s taste. You should also refrain from blending apples with metal attachments, since when it comes into contact with metal, the apple oxidizes and changes its taste.
• Various greens - parsley, dill, green onions.
• Nuts - peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds and others. At the same time, they can be ground into a paste.
• Meat - beef, pork, veal, lamb. The resulting minced meat has a slightly different, denser consistency, which makes the cooked meat more uniform, but less juicy.
• The blender can also be used as a coffee grinder - grind coffee and crush ice if you have a special grinder.

For better processing, it is recommended to pre-cut all products into pieces, and boil especially hard ones.

About

What does a blender do for first courses: a review of the most delicious recipes

When you are a worker in a large company and have little time for lunch, use a blender, which will prepare delicious homemade soup in a matter of minutes. Let's look at a couple of interesting recipes.

Gazpacho is a great idea in hot weather

A bright and vitamin-packed soup for any table. In this dish you do not need heat treatment of the products, which means they retain all the vitamins that tonic the body.

Delicious mushroom soup for a hearty dinner

If you like thick, creamy soup, then you can add less water or broth when cooking. We offer a step-by-step recipe.

The most important rules of use

Basic Rules:

• It is forbidden to wash the base handles and motor stands under running water or immerse them in it in any way, as the liquid will damage the electronic components. To clean these parts, use a well-wrung damp cloth or a special cleaning cloth.
• If a burning smell appears during operation, turn off the device immediately.
• Do not use a faulty device; if it breaks down, take it to a qualified technician at a service center.
• The use of the blender by children and persons who do not have the skills to safely handle the device is prohibited.
• When operating the blender, do not put your fingers into the container with the device running, and also be careful when washing, as the knives are very sharp.

These operating instructions for the device should be treated with extreme caution, as failure to comply may result in injury and damage to the device.

About

General step-by-step instructions

Instructions on how to properly use a stationary blender:

1. Connect the block rack with the motor to the electrical network
2. Place food in the mixing bowl without exceeding the maximum mark.
3. Attach the filled bowl to the motor unit and be sure to cover it with a lid.
4. Turn on the device using the required mode, following the time recommended for continuous operation (it varies for devices from different manufacturers, usually 2-3 minutes)
5. After mixing, pour the resulting mixture into a container, and carefully wash the bowl and wipe dry
6. Unplug the device from the outlet after use.

Instructions for the immersion blender:

1. Attach the required attachment to the blender
2. Connect the handle-base with the motor to the electrical network
3. Place food in a scratch-resistant container
4. Turn on the device using the required mode, following the time recommended for continuous operation (it varies for devices from different manufacturers, usually 2-3 minutes)
5. When you are finished mixing or grinding, unplug the appliance.
6. Detach the nozzle from the base handle for later washing

If you follow the correct operating mode, your blender will remain an indispensable assistant in the kitchen for a long time and will serve for many years.

About