Buying Advice

Freestanding blenders provide a simple way of blending whatever ingredients you wish into anything from soup to cocktails with crushed ice. There are a wide variety available from mini-versions to professional ones, plain white to designer finish. A freestanding blender may be a better choice for you than a hand blender if you have plenty of bench space and want to blend large volumes of ingredients.

To help you make the right choice and know what to look for, check out the following advice:

Blender action and attachments
The basic action of a blender is to puree and mix (principally soft) ingredients into whatever you choose. A basic model will allow you to blend most ingredients, but many also come with additional attachments such as grinders to allow addition of harder ingredients, herb choppers and ice crushers (as most blender blades can not crush ice). Consider what you’re going to be using the blender to make before you decide what attachments to look for.

Size
Blenders come in all sizes, from 200ml to 2l, but most hover around 1-1.5litres.

Containers
Freestanding blenders come with a container or ‘goblet’ made of plastic, glass or stainless steel. Whilst stainless steel is the most durable of the three, it has disadvantages in that you can’t monitor how your blending is going. Plastic is lighter and cheaper and also unlikely to crack on addition of hot ingredients, but glass is sturdier and less likely to get scratched. However, if you have young children or want to blend hot ingredients you may wish to go for the plastic option.

Speeds
Blenders come with widely varying speed, and some also have a pulse option. More than one speed is useful if you are going to be blending different types of ingredients, and a pulse option will allow you to add air into food or add extra power to break down ingredients. Some models also have variable speed, allowing even greater control over how food is mixed.

Power
This is the ‘strength’ in Watts with which the blender can mix food. The greater the Wattage, the more powerful the blender. Look for a minimum of 250W; blenders with a power of 350W or more should be able to crush ice.

Lid
Ensure that the model you buy has a tight fitting lid so your food doesn’t go flying everywhere! Some models also have a cap in the lid which will allow you to add in ingredients whilst the blender is still going.

Additional advice
Blenders can be tricky to clean as they have many parts, so check that the blender you buy will come apart easily for cleaning. It’s also a good idea to buy one that has easy to operate buttons. Safety wise, look for models with cord storage (especially if you have children) or ones that won’t start unless all the parts are locked on.