Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Kyle Schurman,Owen Burke,Kylie JoynerJan 18, 2019, 00:46 IST
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
When selecting a blender for your kitchen, you're going to want one that's powerful enough to do whatever job you need, whether it's creating a simple smoothie or crushing ice.
The Calphalon Auto-Speed Blender is the best one you can buy with its powerful motor, decent price tag, and easy-to-use preset blending functions.
A blender seems like a simple kitchen tool, and for the most part, it is. Blenders give you a variety of settings to help you achieve the consistency you need for a particular recipe.
Even if you don't use it specifically for cooking, a blender is handy to have in your kitchen. When you want to make kale smoothies or homemade vanilla milkshakes, a blender is a must-have tool. (My blender much prefers vanilla to kale, but that's just me.)
Although blenders all seem to perform the same task, there are a few different kinds of blenders and each version offers unique features. We'll help you figure out which type of blender will give you the performance you want. The most common types of blenders include conventional, multi-purpose, immersion, and personal.
Advertisement
A conventional blender is the most common type for use in your kitchen at home. This type of blender can perform a variety of functions from making soup to blending smoothies. Multi-function blenders are more high-end ones like those you'd find in a restaurant. Finally, there's the personal blender, which is a small blender that makes single servings and may run from a battery for portability. Hand blenders, also called immersion blenders, are a popular alternative to the blenders most people are familiar with, and we have a full guide that you can check out here.
In this guide, we highlight a mix of conventional, multi-function, and personal blenders. When choosing a blender, you should also note that blenders vary in the power they provide, the quality of the components, and the variety of functions available. Think about how you want to use the blender, and you'll have better success in picking one to meet your needs.
The motor is the most important part of any blender, and the higher the wattage, the better the performance. Always get a blender with a motor that's more than 500 watts. If you want to make frozen drinks, you may need one with 1,000 watts of power.
You'll also want to look at the type of blades on each blender. Some blenders have blades made for solid objects like ice, while others make use of a chopping type of blade. Stainless steel blades are best. The size and material of the blender jar are also key factors, as is the tightness of the lid.
Here are our picks for the best blenders you can buy:
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
Why you'll love it: True to its name, the Calphalon Auto-Speed Blender automatically senses the correct speed for the ingredients you’re blending and can be used for smoothies, dips, and milkshakes.
The Calphalon Auto-Speed Blender has four preset functions, 10 adjustable speeds, and a 1,100-watt motor that automatically senses the thickness of your ingredients. It applies the power necessary so all the manual guess-work is taken out of blending, making it convenient to use and resulting in a great final product whether you’re making a smoothie or a salsa.
Having tested this blender myself, I can personally attest to how well it works. Call me a creature of habit, but my morning smoothie is an almost daily ritual — one that’s been going on for close to eight years now — so a high-quality blender I can count on is a must.
I put the Calphalon Auto-Speed through its paces, and it’s held up well to daily use, resulting in thick, silky smoothies. I can tell you firsthand how unpleasant it is to encounter an unexpected spinach leaf or chunk of banana in a poorly blended smoothie, but that hasn’t happened once since I’ve started using this blender.
The Calphalon Auto-Speed can do much more than make smoothies, which makes it a great multi-purpose tool to have on your kitchen counter. The pulse feature allows for food prep and chopping — and results in a great salsa. There are also four preset functions for dips, milkshakes, frozen drinks, and smoothies as well as adjustable speeds for more hands-on control.
I especially like the addition of the reverse pulse button which helps pull the ingredients further down into the blade if necessary to prevent any jams and resulting in a smooth blend. The 6-point stainless steel blades are both durable and easy to clean thanks to the way they’re angled.
Each part of the blender that attaches to the base is also dishwasher safe for further convenience. I’ve cleaned each of these parts in our own dishwasher multiple times with no issue.
With such a powerful motor, this blender is much quieter than I expected. It’s by no means silent, but it’s much less deafening than others I’ve used in the past, making it a little less grating to listen to in the morning if you’re a breakfast smoothie fanatic like myself.
When blending, you can either use the 2-Liter pitcher for larger quantities, or the convenient 25-ounce Blend-N-Go Jar for single serving sized smoothies and drinks. While I liked using the Blend-N-Go Jar for smaller serving sizes, I did find the drinking lid that comes with it slightly awkward to use. It prevented any spills, but the attached cap sometimes was more of a nuisance than anything else.
For this reason, I often used one of my own containers for drinking, but still liked to use the Blend-N-Go jar when blending smoothies and drinks for the simple fact that it meant a smaller container to clean.
As far as quality and ease of use go, I was not disappointed. The lids to both the pitcher and the jar seal tightly, and I had no issues with any splatter or leaking while blending. The blade attachment fits easily onto the base, and removes just as easily when you’re finished blending.
While this blender is on the expensive side, if it’s a tool you know you’ll be using often, it’s a worthwhile investment that you’ll be able to rely on for durability, great results, and ease of use. Presets and speeds are controlled by a dial on the front that’s clearly labeled, and you can start, pause, pulse and reverse pulse at the push of a button.
The easy to read digital interface is also a nice touch, showing you how long you’ve been blending, or counting down to the finish if you choose to use one of the preset functions.
Pros: 1,100-watt motor that automatically senses ingredients and adjusts for best results, four preset functions, 10 adjustable speeds, easy to clean, features durable stainless steel blades, comes with a Bend-N-Go jar for added convenience
Cons: On the expensive side, lid that goes with smoothie cup is slightly awkward to use
Why you'll love it: The affordable Ninja Professional Blender delivers plenty of power to crush ice and blend a variety of ingredients to create perfect smoothies every time.
If you’re looking to create great-tasting smoothies at home, you’ll want a blender with plenty of power to ensure the ingredients are well mixed and delivered at the desired texture. The Ninja Professional Blender has the features needed to pulverize ice and create the highest quality smoothies possible.
It boats 1,100 watts of power with three speeds, a pulse setting, and a single-serve function. Ninja also includes two 16-ounce to-go cups so you can take your breakfast smoothie with you. The blender's 72-ounce pitcher is a good size and it has a form-fitting lid and a nice big handle.
The Ninja blender does a great job with all kinds of blending needs, including crushing and pureeing for smoothies, according to the Healthy But Smart review. It's the perfect versatile blender for people who don't want to spend $300 on our top pick but still need a powerful blender.
In its review, Easy Healthy Smoothie says this blender makes perfect smoothies and it's very affordable, considering the power it offers. One Amazon reviewer agreed, explaining that even though the blender is limited to 1,100 watts of power, it still performs as well as more expensive blenders.
Another Amazon customer says you’ll save twice with the Ninja BL660 because it's affordable and you won't have to pay for smoothies anymore.
As for downsides, the Kitchen Gear Pro says the Ninja blender is difficult to take apart and clean, in large part because of the sharpness of the blades. The lid also has some crevasses that are tough to clean properly. But otherwise, this is a great blender for $100.
Pros: Perfect option for creating smoothies at home, blender sold at a good price point, offers many different kinds of blending options, works to crush ice, blends many kinds of foods successfully
Cons: Unit’s lid can be difficult to clean, blades are sharp when you take blender apart for cleaning
Why you'll love it: The Vitamix Professional series 750 offers everything you need in a blender, but its proven longevity makes it worth the price.
We know $600 is a lot to spend on a blender, or anything, really. But if you want the most consistent consistency, and you use your blender on a daily basis, it's easily justified. When you go to a smoothie shop, you're probably paying well over $5 per drink, and if you do so even two or three times a week, that adds up (I'm a writer, so I'll let you do your own math).
The Vitamix 750 is a professional-grade blender built to last the better part of a decade, and Vitamix's 7-year warranty is enough to attest to that. Sure, you may have some 20-year-old anvil of a thing living on your counter that still works, more or less, but I'll bet your smoothies turn out to be laden with large, neglected chunks of your chosen fruits. I'll also bet it's not the prettiest thing in your kitchen, either.
Do you need to spend so much on a blender? No, but if you're willing to spend even $200, you might find that blender cutting out on you within a couple of years, no matter how shiny and stainless-steel-clad it may be.
For those that use their blender only every so often but still demand perfection, the Vitamix 5200 is of comparable quality, just with a less technical interface and no automatic drive for setting your blender to smoothie mode and walking away. But on the other hand, if you're running a smoothie shop or a cafe or B&B with a juicer, it's hard to ignore reasons for the automatic feature.
Around the web, Forbes and New York Magazine stand by the Vitamix 750. Meanwhile, nearly 300 Amazon reviewers give it a solid 4.6/5-star rating. — Owen Burke
Why you'll love it: The KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender is a solid, affordable blender that can make soups and smoothies easily.
Although you certainly can spend hundreds of dollars on a blender, you don't have to if you only want an occasional smoothie, soup, or blended dessert. The KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender costs less than $100 when you get it on sale, and only $100 when it's normal price. I've owned one for several years, and it's still going strong.
The Die Cast Metal Base is sturdy, so it doesn't shake as it blends, which is something that a lot of cheap blenders tend to do. Although it's not as powerful as many of the blenders in our guide, the KitchenAid has a perfectly capable motor that helps the stainless steel blades blend just about anything with little effort.
KitchenAid's Intelli-Speed Motor Control tech ensures that ingredients are blended equally. The 56-ounce BPA-Free pitcher is easy to clean, as is the two-piece lid. Years of use haven't harmed the sturdy plastic pitcher or the lid, which still fits snugly.
Most buyers on Amazon love this blender, too, though some say they received defective units. Expert reviewers praise the KitchenAid blender, too, citing its low price as the main attraction. CNET and Good House Keeping were impressed with it, and Wirecutter also recommends it as the best budget blender. — Malarie Gokey
Pros: Sturdy, affordable, makes good smoothies, decent motor, five speeds
Cons: Still more than $70, not as powerful as others
A great juicer can help you create better eating and drinking habits to ensure you get enough nutrients for the day. The best juicer for most people is the Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus because it's durable, easy to use, and extremely powerful. Here are our picks for the best juicers you can buy:
True espresso only comes from high-end machines, but now you can have your very own espresso machine at home. The semi-automatic Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine is the best one you can buy. Here are our top picks for the best espresso machines:
Toaster ovens serve as a miniature version of the traditional oven and they offer an array of functions, including broiling, roasting, toasting, and convection cooking. The Breville Smart Oven with Element IQ is at the top of our list because of its durability, patented heating technology, and stylish, easy-to-clean design. Here are our picks for the best toaster ovens you can buy:
Panasonic's NN-SN651B microwave is our choice for the best all-around microwave for most kitchens. It's a simple design, a standard size, and cooks evenly enough to accommodate most dishes. Here are our top picks for the best microwave you can buy:
