How To Use A Blender

A kitchen is a place of inspiration and creativity. Your vision comes to life when you reach for the right appliance. You may wonder whether you need a hand mixer or a stand mixer. In truth, the answer is often: why not both?

Blenders are simple steps on how to operate a blender.

1. Set your blender on a cool, flat surface.
2. Fill the jar with your ingredients in this order: liquids, softer ingredients or powder, hard or frozen ingredients. Top it off with ice, if using.
3. Ensure that the lid is tightly closed.
4. Press or switch on the power/start button and then select the appropriate speed or preset recipe program. Depending on your model, you may also have a stop button or you may simply need to select your speed to start.
5. You may now pour the contents, blended to your desired consistency, into a container of your choice,  and enjoy!
6. For easier cleanup, immediately wash your blender jar with warm, soapy water. You can even add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to the bottom, fill ¾ full with warm water, run the blender, then rinse. Wipe down the base with a damp sponge or towel. Dry thoroughly before storing.

If you have a high-powered blender such as the KitchenAid® commercial blender or K400 blenders, you can use it to make fresh juices. All you need is a heavy-duty blender, a fine mesh sieve, and cheesecloth.

A blender does not create juice; it makes puree, so the juice needs to be separated from the pulp using a sieve or cheesecloth.

Juicing with a blender is as easy as following these steps:

1. Wash, cut, and peel all of the fruit that you desire in your juice. You can skip the peeling, but you’ll have more pulp to separate at the end.
2. Add roughly ½ cup [add XX ml] of juice (such as apple or beet), water, or coconut water for every four apples or similar hard fruit or vegetable. Add the liquid first for less chance of fruit or vegetable fiber gumming up your blender’s blades.
3. Then add your chunked fruits and vegetables to the blender jar.
4. Close the lid and begin on a low setting, gradually turning up to higher speeds as the ingredients puree. Add a bit more juice or water if the mixture is too thick.
5. Turn the blender off when your juice has reached the desired volume, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a measuring cup or bowl. Discard or compost the removed pulp.
6. Pour the strained juice into a glass and enjoy.

Arguably one of the most popular uses for a blender is to make blended drinks. A blender that can easily crush ice will be useful when you're making smoothies, daiquiris, margaritas and other frozen drinks with ice. The K150 blender features a specialized ice-crush setting, perfect for icy drinks. Higher-powered blenders like the Commercial blender can quickly transform tough ingredients like kale and seeds into smooth, delicious results. Drinks such as milkshakes and smoothies without ice or frozen fruits can easily be blended with an immersion blender. Or, make enough just for one with the new KitchenAid® Personal Blender Jar expansion pack for the KitchenAid® K150 and K400 blenders.

Smoothie
It is possible to make a delicious and nutritious smoothie bowl, such as this hearty green smoothie bowl. For a quick smoothie, follow these simple steps.

Milkshake
Make your own milkshake using the ingredients you like. For a tailor-made sweet treat, you can add fruits, syrups, nuts, or additions such as crumbled cookies or peanut butter cups.

A high-powered blender can be used to perform a few of the tasks typically done in a food processor. When using a blender instead of a food processor, you'll need to modify the way you process the food.

Small batches
Processing ingredients in smaller batches as opposed to all at once is the biggest difference when using your blender as a food processor. Only put about ¼ of your ingredients into the blender at a time and process to the desired consistency. If you add too much into a blender, the foods at the bottom of the jar will probably be overprocessed, while the foods at the top will likely be different textures.

Pulse setting
The pulse feature is a good choice for chopped vegetables since they can easily become purees if they aren't chopped very carefully. Using the pulse button on a blender will cause the blades to move quickly. Make sure you check the consistency of your mixture frequently and give it another pulse until the ingredients are blended to your liking.

Ingredients to avoid
Tomatoes, for example, shouldn't be blended unless you wish to puree them. You're better off dicing tomatoes manually rather than using a blender if you do not own a food processor. Blenders are able to chop smaller amounts of firmer fruit and vegetables, but cannot dice softer ones such as mango and tomato.

In addition to blended drinks, you can make many other recipes with a blender.

Here are a few to try:

“Grind” or “Grate” Hard Cheeses
Cut hard cheese into chunks and place the blender on high until the desired size is reached. Start with pulse, then move to high speed if necessary.

Bread Crumbs
Slice stale or dried out bread into chunks if you have any around the house. Place the dried bread in the blender jar and pulse until the desired consistency is reached. Make bread crumbs to top creamy crab cakes, salad, soups, and more.

Baby Food
Put cooked ingredients in the blender jar and puree on high until smooth. The new Small Batch Jar expansion pack for KitchenAid® K150 and K400 blenders is perfect for making just a few servings of homemade baby food. Keeping leftovers or preparing batches in advance with a sealed lid will keep them fresh. It's also perfect for breadcrumbs, sauces, and other toppings.

A blender is versatile, and the possibilities are endless. You can either follow these recipes and techniques or experiment with your blender to create new culinary delights.