Blenders & Liquidisers

A blender (or liquidiser) normally consists of an upright narrow goblet with a set of cutting blades at the base. It can be used for blending soups or making smoothies, purées and baby food, and gives excellent, smooth results. As the blades are set low in the container, it can process small quantities of food, such as one or two egg yolks for mayonnaise.

Although perfect for blending, pulverising and chopping, a liquidiser is not as successful in dealing with mixtures that need aerating, so should not be used for whipping egg whites or cream.

Choose a blender with a clear, toughened glass or heavyweight plastic goblet - lightweight plastic containers can crack or scratch easily. A glass goblet is less likely to retain unwanted food odours that a plastic one. Look for a container with a large capacity, as liquidizers rarely work well when they are more than half-full. You may find it useful to select a goblet that has a lid with a 'trapdoor' in, as this will enable you to pour in additional liquids without spattering.

The base of the machine should be heavy enough to remain stationary when in use.

Hand-held Blenders

These devices (also known as immersion or stick blenders) are used to blend ingredients or purée food in the container in which they are being prepared. They are most often used for puréeing soups and emulsifying sauces whilst leaving the food in the cooking pan, thus saving on washing up. They are also very useful for making mayonnaise, whipping cream and blending small quantities of ingredients, such as baby food.