Top blenders for 2016

When I was a little girl blenders were for mixing and pureeing. Ours spent more time in the cupboard than out because we really only used it for special treats like smoothies and milkshakes, at least that’s what I remember.

In my home now the blender lives on the counter because I use it a lot more often. One of the reasons being that
smoothies seem to be the go to breakfast for me, and my kids love to make them too. It’s so easy to make a healthy smoothie full of fruits and with no extra sugar so I don’t mind them having them often either.

Now when you think about blenders there seems to be a lot more to consider, they aren’t all the same anymore. You can now buy blenders that can can puree your homemade soups and heat them all in one. They can blend whole fruits and vegetables, grind your fresh coffee beans, and make frozen smoothies and treats.

I use my blender the most to grind homemade crumbs out of organic rice crackers to make chicken nuggets from scratch. I love that my blender allows me to make healthier homemade foods instead of buying pre-made frozen foods.

If you’re in the market for a new blender this year, take a look at the top blenders for 2016.

Vitamix Professional 200

If you’re looking for a blender that has a lot of power, then I know you won’t be surprised to hear the word Vitamix. They have a rather long line of blenders and you’ll be sure to find one that will meet your needs. My sister recently treated herself to one, and I’ve been seeing all the foods she’s made with it on her instagram feed.

This Vitamix Professional 200 1.89L 1380-Watt Stand Blender has quite a lot to offer and I think I would get a lot of use out of it. It can chop, cream, blend, puree, grind and heat. Yes, I said heat. You can puree your soups and heat them all in one dish, and I love that because the less dishes the better in my mind.

KitchenAid Diamond

Having a great pitcher that will hold up over time is really important in a blender, and you’ll find this with the KitchenAid Diamond 1.77L 550-Watt Stand Blender. The pitcher on this blender is scratch proof, stain proof and won’t shatter when dropped. This KitchenAid also comes with five pulse settings such as puree, chop, stir, mix and liquefy. What I love most about this blender is the colour variety it comes in. If you’ll be using your blender a lot, it’s nice to have an accent colour so it looks stylish on your counter as well as being functional.

Breville Stand Blender

This Breville 1.5L 750-Watt Stand Blender is the perfect blender for crushing and whipping. The combination of the pre-programmed ice crushing and smoothie settings with the central blades make this blender a smoothie lovers dream. It also has five different speed settings to make sure you get the right consistency of the foods you’re blending. It’s available in three different colours and the style of the blender is very sleek and modern to look at, and will look good having a permanent home on your counter top.

Salton Harley Pasternak

This Salton Harley Pasternak 2L 1500-WattPower Blender has pretty much everything you could possibly want in a blender and then throw in a few extras. This bad boy can blend whole fruits and vegetables as well as crush, emulsify, chop and puree. With it’s 2 HP motor and eight blade technology, there’s nothing this blender can’t do. I also love that this blender can heat as well. How convenient to make soups and sauces and be able to blend them and heat them all in one place. You can have fresh homemade foods and be able to save time on dishes too.

Cuisinart Compact Blender

If you’re looking for a compact blender that also doubles as a great smoothie maker for quick and easy to make breakfasts, then this Cuisinart 0.95L 350-Watt Compact Blender might be just what you’re looking for. It comes with a 32 ounce blender jar for larger jobs, but also has four 16 ounce travel cups with a sipping lid for taking on the go. You can make breakfast smoothies for the whole family; just make sure your kids bring the jars home with them at the end of the day.

Breville Boss

The Breville Boss 2L Stand Super Blender is called the boss for a reason. You can blend up to 2 litres in the BPA-free jug, perfect for making drinks during entertaining or dinner parties. The ProKinetix blade and bowl technology makes sure you get the smoothest texture for your soups and smoothies so you won’t have those unwanted chunky bits. There’s also 12 speeds to choose from depending on what you’re looking to blend, puree, chop, mix or grind. I love that this one has an LCD display and already comes pre-programmed with a smoothie, soup and frozen dessert buttons.

I love that this blender also comes with a recipe book too. I find having tried and tasted recipes on hand makes it easier when you get new appliances. Using one of them as a starting point allows me to get more creative and try out new recipes.

Now that you’ve got a new blender picked out, here’s my favourite berry smoothie recipe to try when you’re all set up:

Directions

Here’s the best part about smoothies, you just have to put all the ingredients in the blender and mix. I usually start off my blender on low and once the frown berries have started breaking up, I increase the speed to high to make sure I won’t be left with any lumps.

I think in 2016 a lot of people are going to find out what blenders can really do. Essentially a lot of them can make a meal quickly and easily and I think that’s alone makes them awesome. We lead such busy lives it’s hard to sometimes get a healthy meal into the family, but with a blender on your counter, you know you’ll always have an appliance that can whip something healthy and delicious up in a hurry.

smoothie image @ www.dishmaps.com