A very pleasant and necessary for the body cocktail of vegetables, nuts, fruits - smoothies - can be made at home in the kitchen. To do this, you need a special device - a blender, with which it can be done quite simply. But not every model of such a device will do. How to choose it? To determine the suitable one, it is necessary to carefully study its parameters and principle of operation.
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Drink features
To determine the choice of a device that meets certain criteria, you need to understand what a smoothie is.
This is a mixed drink with a very thick consistency of fruits, herbs and herbs. In addition, its filling should have a uniform mass, that is, the ingredients are crushed so much that they will be similar to a cream. It can consist of a large number of products filling it, including flakes, nuts, chocolate, roots of various plants, lemon zest, dried fruits, which have different densities, but must be carefully chopped and thoroughly mixed, can be added to a cocktail.
This work is not for all blenders. Which device will do the job most?
Smoothie blenders can be of two types: submersible and stationary. Consider the features of the functioning of each.
Hand blenders
These are portable machines that need to be immersed in a nozzle in a bowl with ingredients, holding them by the handle containing the control panel. There may be several nozzles for various types of products. They can grind vegetables and fruits to various degrees and grind them to a creamy consistency. Submersible blenders for smoothies will not always be able to achieve a good effect, especially if the cocktail contains frozen berries or parts of nuts.
They cook well mashed masses or cut soft foods. But their different density may not be processed to the right extent. And the drink will contain small pieces of various components.
In addition, the device puts additional load on the hand that holds it, and also presses the switch button, while the other will hold the dishes in which everything is blended.
Therefore, preparing them a smoothie is not the best way. In addition, mixing them in large quantities will also be quite difficult. But such a mechanism is not bad for making fruit mixes in the form of mashed potatoes.
Stationary devices
They work on a different principle of processing products. They are an improvised flask, covered with a tight lid, which is mounted on a massive base containing a motor inside. The container is filled with cutting elements, grinding ingredients of different hardness into a uniform mixture.
Such machines are capable of preparing a large number of smoothies for several people. The best have great power and can switch to different speeds of the knives. A homogeneous mass can only be obtained with very fast moving cutting elements, at a very high speed. The presence of such parameters in a stationary type device is perfectly suited for the manufacture of thick cocktails and mashed potatoes.
Some models of such devices come with cups and bottles, closed with tight lids. You can pour the product into them and transport it with you.
The undoubted advantage of the device is its autonomy. You just need to load all the constituent dishes into the blender's container and turn it on. He will do the rest himself.In other mechanisms in the lids there is a hole for adding the right products when cooking dishes.
What to look for when choosing
When choosing a household appliance, first of all it is worth studying the following characteristics:
- Its power. The quality of the resulting product depends on it. A small force will not be able to ensure effective grinding of products and will contribute to its unnecessarily rapid breakdown. The processing of dense components will require considerable power of the motor, approximately 600 watts. The most powerful mechanisms exist, but their price can be much more expensive than standard models.
- Speed selection. Motor power has a direct effect on the speed of rotation of the knives. The larger it is, the better the product will be crushed, and accordingly, the resulting high-density mass will be more uniform. It is desirable that the gearshift modes were at least two. Today, manufacturers offer blender options in which speeds can be up to ten different types. In addition, the modes of operation of the device can be regulated - from short-term to enhanced.
- The size of the mixing container and what it is made of. It is very important that it is not small, and its volume reaches at least one and a half liters. Since a smoothie is a complex food that contains a large list of its components, it makes no sense to cook it in a small volume, and the resulting product will still be smaller in size than the bowl itself. In addition, it is necessary to choose a device made of durable material, since sufficiently solid fillers are processed on it. It is better if it is a glass product, it is more durable than plastic, and retains a decent appearance for a long time. However, its damage is possible during operation. Plastic wears out very quickly and is impregnated with an unpleasant taste. At the moment, there are options for the implementation of the container of particularly resistant plastic, but products having this design are included in a higher price category than standard devices.
- Modern blenders, in addition to the functions of slicing ingredients and mixing them, are provided with additional options that expand the range of their capabilities. For example, it can be an ice crusher or a self-cleaning mode.
No need to choose what is cheaper, because this does not mean that such a mechanism will last a long and high quality. Sometimes it is better to take a more expensive option and be sure of the effectiveness and quality of the purchased blender.
Useful Tips
When choosing a device, you need to check the following points:
- What are chopping knives made of? To grind solid raw materials, such as nuts, ice and others, cutting elements from high quality hardy material will be required. By the way, in the stationary version of the grinder it is impossible to change the nozzles, while in the submersible there are several options.
- Availability of functions for counting time and stopping the process.
- High power of at least 800 watts, which will make it possible to prepare mashed potatoes from dense products.
- The manning of the mechanism with special devices and additions.
Before deciding which blender is best for a smoothie, you need to carefully study the capabilities and technical parameters of various models. In addition, it is worth buying the reviews of other purchasers of such products and their recommendations and tips before buying.
