When it comes to making things like baby food, smoothies, soups and other things like this, an immersion blender is an excellent tool to put it all together quickly and easily.
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What are the factors to consider while buying an immersion blender?
Before you make up your mind and decide that you want to buy an immersion blender, there are very essential factors that you need to consider so that it can fit your needs. Some of the key features that you need to determine are; the type and length of blade, speed of the motor, the shape and material of the container among others. Models with a better RPM motor like Blend-Tec and the Vita-mix blender performs best and they have a long lasting service as compared to the low quality blenders.
It is also good to first of all determine whether you have adequate space in your kitchen cabinet. This is because it will determine the size of your blender. Consider going for the biggest shape of the container if your kitchen cabinet is too spacious to accommodate the blender. Small blenders are also fit for use at home, but they are not reliable when bulk blending is required. This is because they will force you to make repetitive blending therefore consuming much of your time while in the kitchen. The wasted time can be used in another productive activity.
You should also ensure that the best immersion blender of your choice has adjustable speed blending. This will enable you to set the recommended speed blending for various fruits and foods since they are blended at different speed rates. There are premium models that have the ability to automatically change to various blending speeds depending on the substance being blended. These immersion premium blenders have different modes that’s made them unique from the ordinary ones.
The puree mode is a mode specifically designed to enable you to make the purees while the smoothie mode is specifically designed to give the product a smoothie like texture. In case you decide to buy a premium model, other special features that you will ensure are; churn, grind, chop among others. It is highly advisable that you use them for vegetables and fruits that contain high water content. Also, you should not try and confuse between an immersion blender and a juicer since they are different.
If you are having a look around, the following features can help you find the best immersion blender that fits your preference.
Power:
The power potential of a blender determines how strong and powerful the device will be. Most stick immersion blenders usually have an average of about 25hp when using about 200 watts of power. Others range from 4.0 to 8.0HP when they use 300-600 watts of power. The premium models usually use close to 2.0HP when using 1500 watts of power. Types that use battery can only operate for a very limited duration. In case you decide to use them, you should always remember to keep on charging so as to ensure that the blending process is interfered with.
The Size of the Power Cord:
It is good to determine the size of the power cord. The power cord should also be retractable. The immersion blender should have a long power cord that is flexible in case you will require moving around your kitchen or even bending it down so that you can operate at your convenience. Models with retractable cord ensure that the blender is clean and can be stored with care.
Capacity of the immersion blender:
One of your main considerations must be the capacity. What will determine the best capacity of immersion blenders is the number of people that are likely to use it. It can be determined by self-assessment of the number of family members that are likely to use the appliances. Immersion blenders are of varied capacities and the bigger the capacity, the larger the size of the product. Spacious kitchen cabinet is also another factor that should be put into consideration before deciding on the best size, as different sizes have different capacities.
The materials used:
The material composition of a blender also prays a very important role in defining quality. Footing is a factor that should not be ignored while selecting immersion blenders. This feature ensures that they will not topple off countertop in the process of mixing the ingredients. The best recommended footing is the stainless steel.
Glass containers should be the most considered since they are strong and at the same time they are heavy. Glass immersion blenders should be handled with care as they are costly. The plastic containers are available at an affordable price, although they should be handled with care because they are prone to breakage. It is also recommended to try the dishwasher-safe.
The shaft material is also another important factor to consider. Check whether the shaft is made up of either plastic or chrome. Research has shown out that chrome shaft, usually cleans more easily as compared to the plastic ones since they don’t have stains.
Check for Guarantee and warranty:
It is always advisable to have a branded blender. An example of such include; optimum 9900 and 9200 optimum blenders. This branded model comes with good warranty offers. This can also be achieved by making sure that the manufactures have an active customer care Centre so that incase of any malfunction, you can return it and have it fixed.
The type blade that comes with the blender:
Blades are generally of two types, the plastic and the stainless steel. The blade type is important as it will determine the durability of the appliance. The stainless blades are stronger and likely to you for a longer duration without any malfunction. The plastic blades, although they are hard, they can easily break, melt or even crumble while blending. Blade type is also important because it determines whether your blender can be easy to clean, whether the blades can be easily replaced or removed. Always go for immersion blenders since they have the best blades that are durable.
Blending process:
Always try to find the immersion blender that gives you an easy time. Check whether it has a smooth blend or whether it is hard to blend. In your blending process, you should never submerge the motor especially the hand held part in water or any other liquid. In order for you to get the best blend, this area should never get wet and it is always advisable to only submerge to the length of the wand.
Blender size and ease of use:
Can the blender fit in your hand or is it too small or big to hold in your hand? Always go for the size that can fit your hands because you will always have an easy time when blending. Also check whether the blender is slippery to hold and whether the control units are easily accessible. Most stick immersion blenders are designed to fit the normal hand size, but since you will be the one who will use it, it is always advisable to go for one that is compatible with your hand size as the size and comfort matters.
The blending speed:
Some blenders have just one speed and others have variable speeds. As long as you mix your soap for the right amount of time, making sure all ingredients are thoroughly blended, having the variety of speeds doesn’t really matter that much. Having faster speeds may decrease some mixing time. Having variable speeds is just convenient.
Ease of cleaning:
Does your immersion blender give you a hell time during the cleaning process? Always check whether the blades and shafts are easily removable to enhance the cleaning process. It is also important to go for a blender that contains shaft or blades that are dishwasher safe. When cleaning the product make sure that you have turned the lights off or unplug the power cord. This helps to clean the outside part apart from the blade, the shaft as well as the underneath. This helps to clean out the blade, shaft and underneath the guard. When the blender is switched off, you can just run hot tap water or even warm water over the shaft as well as the blades. The point to note is that you should never insert the immersion blender, especially the electronic part and the motor into the dishwasher as it can have a great impact on the blender thus interfering with its future blending performance.
Noise production:
In case you fill irritated by noisy blenders, always consider buying the immersion blenders that produces less noise. This will give you an easy time and ensure that you enjoy the whole process.
Storage:
They usually come with a wall storage bracket. With such blender, you can easily mount it on the wall for easy use and accessibility. Medium sized blenders can be easily stored in your preferred area in your kitchen cabinet together with other accessories.
In conclusion, the best immersion blenders can greatly save you time spent in your kitchen to prepare drinks and meals. The above clearly explained features make this special type of blenders to be the choice of many as they enhance the blending process and also making it more enjoyable.