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Blenders (and other kitchen gadgets!)

addictivepersona

addictivepersona

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Haven't done much research as of yet--Figured I'd start here before going any farther. :P

I'm looking for a blender to use for chopping everything from hard foods like ice and frozen fruit to soft/mushy foods like dates and bananas. Would also be nice to have a blender that could grind flax seeds--though I think I'm going to need a separate grinder for that.

The current blender I have doesn't do much blending. It's technically a smoothie maker, so it works pretty well when all the ingredients are wet, but if any dry ingredients are added, it doesn't work well at all.

Cost isn't an issue though I'd like to keep it under $200 USD.

So, let me know what you would suggest. If there is a blender that can also be a grinder, that would be awesome, but if not, I need grinder recommendations as well.

Thanks for any help you can provide. :) If you need more details on what I'll be using it for, ask away. :P
 
i have ninja blender that i really like.

21nO%2BSbHDHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


i mostly cook only for myself and my husband, so i like the small size of the containers. and they double as storage containters if you leave the top on them. which means less dishes for me if i am prepping stuff the night before cooking. its not very powerful and only has one speed tho.
 
Cuisinart has decent products

bfp-603.jpg

http://www.cuisinart.com/products/blenders/bfp-603.html

NSFW:
3-cup food processor attachment with feed tube and pusher, reversible slicing/shredding disc and stainless steel chopping blade

Sleek 4-speed electronic touchpad controls with blue indicators: High, Low, Pulse and Ice Crush controls

48-oz. thermal shock-resistant borosilicate glass blender jar

High-performance 600-watt motor

Die-cast metal housing with stainless steel collar

Patented ultra-sharp stainless steel blade

Standby mode; automatic 2-minute auto-stop feature

Limited 3-Year Warranty
 
i've always wanted a bad ass kitchen aid mixer, since it does everything short of cleaning the dishes. most especially since i saw it comes in pink *oh my* and is also known for it's long life and reliability. but, i am not that much of a chef and don't think the investment is worth the few nights of chopping i actually do.
 
Well, I'm going to Bed Bath and Beyond today, along with Macy's. So, we'll see what they have--I probably won't end up buying something, but I might. CusinArt seems to be the type of brand I need as their knife set has served me well--Was told to get a better quality one. 8)


New question that relates to other kitchen gadgets: Will cooking tomatoes in a wok destroy the patina/seasoning? I have a carbon steel wok that is nicely seasoned (has a deep black patina) and sometimes want to add cut up grape tomatoes to the stir-fry... But I was always told to never do tomatoes in the wok... :-/
 
If it's well-seasoned, it'll be fine. If it's not, it'll rust, guaranteed. Tomatoes are quite acidic, and classic woks are made of plain old steel/iron. As long as you're quick with the tomatoes (as in toss them in right at the end of the dish), and as long as you wash and re-season the wok right away, you'll be fine.

Cuisinart is okay for appliances, KitchenAid is pretty good too. I'd go with Henkels for knives though-- they cost a bit more, but they're good quality for the price. If you want insane quality, as in never needing to buy another knife again, I'd go with something higher end like Global, Shun or Mac. IMO of course.

If cost really is no object, then go for a BlendTec blender. You can find entry-level ones for about $600, and their flagship model is around $1K iirc. But those fuckers will blend anything incredibly smooth.
 
^ Ah okay, so it's not so much that it'll take off the coating--It'll just make it rust. No biggie--I've had my wok rust and it's easy to get most of the rust off. :P

Going to check that video later, lol. I don't think I need something quite that powerful though.

And as far as knives, I bought some Cuisinart knives and they've suit my needs for half a year now. :)
 
Cuisinart knives are not bad by any means. I've got a couple of Cuisinart santokus that I use pretty regularly. But I do love my little Shun 'in between' knife; not quite a paring knife, but definitely smaller than a chef's knife. Looks like this:

Shun-Kinfe.jpg


Sharpens like a dream, holds its edge pretty well, and is manoeuvrable and well-balanced.
 
What blender should I get?

Hi girls and boys!

A few years ago I purchased a blender/food processor combo at Sam's Club. Its actually the same one I've seen in one of the PPK episodes.

After much sputtering and protesting, it finally died yesterday.

I've been checking some online reviews like http://best10picks.com/the-best-10-blenders-for-your-kitchen/

So, now I am wondering if it's Cuisinart PowerEdge really worth its money or shall I look for something else.

What do you say it's currently best buy when it comes to blenders?

Please advise me.. me and my family can't imagine kitchen without blender :)

Ps: I am not willing to spend over $250 :\

Sonia
 
^ Welcome to BL, Sonia! Thanks for posting that link. :) Unfortunately, I can't be much help: The blender I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond was nowhere near what I needed/wanted, so I took it back. Found a blender in our cupboards that is quite possibly from the 70s (it's at least from the early 80s) that works like a charm. I couldn't believe the blades cut me when I went to clean it--They're actually sharp! I think that sharp blades are what you should look for in a blender, but that's just my opinion. And I don't know if you're going to find any that have that nowadays with safety-everything. 8(
 
any juicers?

I had a juicer years ago, and I loved it. I made basic drinks, carrot, apples, oranges...that was about all the machine saw. Though I do recall trying a beet juice one day. Anyway, I was thinking of getting another one, but there are so many options I was hoping for guidance on here. I don't want to spend more than 200. I want quality, it will be used daily. Also any recipes or your own experiences with fresh veggie and fruit juicing, please share!
 
I do enjoy beet juice, and find that it mixes well with others. A nice combo is beet, bell pepper, parsley/cilantro and carrot. A bit more savoury, and surprisingly satisfying as a snack.

I use an old-school machine from Sears, that was probably made in the early 70s. Works well enough, but is loud as all hell. Some blenders come with juicing attachments, which is fine for starting out, but if you're planning on doing it a lot and are considering wheatgrass, then I'd recommend getting a screw-style one. Otherwise, a good-quality centrifugal juicer would work just fine, and would probably cost a bit less.
 
thanks to the link to that green star. i like that it doubles as a food processor. i haven't experimented with wheat grass yet, but i can't wait to get a little more adventurous than the typical fruits i played around with before.
 
Oh, man! I tell everyone (in all seriousness) that juicing will change your life.

To be honest, and you might laugh at me for this, but the Jack LaLane power juicer is probably your best bet and the best bang for your buck. It yields an incredible amount of juice; it's fairly quiet; but I'm not going to lie to you... clean-up sucks.
 
i actually recently purchased an Omega auger-style juicer. i can't recall the model number but it was between $200 - $300. i think they have several models which might fall under your price range, DarthMom. i went with the auger-style because it seemed to be the best option for yielding the most juice, driest pulp and as Dave said, you can even juice wheatgrass with it. there are other attachments too (that i have yet to use), that allows you to make ice cream, homemade pasta and other foods. also, clean-up is a snap and all the parts are dishwasher safe. my only complaint is that if you're juicing a lot (my boyfriend and i went on a 3 day juice-fast) it takes forever since you’ve got to cut up the fruit/veggie in small enough pieces to allow it to fit into the feeder.
 
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