Blenders, meals processors and electrical mixers — freestanding or in any other case — are all small kitchen home equipment whose core operate might be distilled right into a easy idea: to mix. But all of them independently exist, with completely different designs and seemingly for various functions.
For those who discovered your self eye-rolling on the headline right here, ask whether or not you’ll be able to really delineate every of their distinctive traits and the way they really do what they do. And should you’re a cooking and baking beginner with little thought to start with, welcome in.
For those who’ve ever needed to justify the necessity for myriad home equipment (maybe with somebody like a roommate or partner who shares kitchen house with you) or should you’re newly outfitting a kitchen and questioning what may be obligatory and what may find yourself being merely ornamental to your cooking repertoire, entering into the nuance of those home equipment is essential.
For the needs of kitchen relationship concord, then, or to allow you to justify one other small equipment buy — to your self or anybody else — here is an examination of the distinction(s) between a blender, meals processor and stand mixer.
Blender: How does it work?
A blender is a real energy machine, whipping components right into a high quality consistency however with little management or precision.
Blenders usually include a heavy base with a motor and a plastic or glass jug with a set of rotating blades on the level the place the jug connects with the motor. The blender combines no matter components you add with a singular objective: to liquefy. The historical past of the blender, in truth, begins with its operate as a milkshake maker. A vortex created by the speedy rotation of the blades creates a vacuum that pulls no matter is within the jug towards the blades, pulverizes it, then funnels it again up, advert nauseam, till you hit cease.
Our favourite small smoothie blender, the Ninja Tornado, is subsequent to a full-sized mannequin.
For those who’ve ever put varied elements within the blender and had the combination rapidly come to a standstill, clinging desperately to the edges of the jug out of the attain of the blades, the catch-22 of a blender’s operate is that it often wants slightly liquid to start with in an effort to successfully kick off the liquefaction. Sure stable gadgets which might be gentle or have small items, resembling nuts or bread cubes, might be put within the blender; nevertheless, on this case, the blender’s operate is to grind.
Good for the blender: smoothies, shakes, cocktails, sauces, gravies, fluid nut butters, moist batters for pancakes, crepes or coatings.
Blenders are finest for mixing components right into a easy consistency. They don’t seem to be pretty much as good for course mixtures like pesto and salsas.
Excellent meals to make in a blender
- Smoothies
- Protein shakes
- Frozen drinks
- Soups
- Sauces and dips
- Nut butters
- Child meals
- Pancake batter
Meals Processor: How does it work?
Meals processors are just like blenders however supply extra precision and even mixing of coarse components.
Like a blender, a meals processor usually depends on blades, however may additionally make use of discs or different inserts particular to the job you are asking it to do. The container in a meals processor is extra of a bowl or cylinder than a jug, and liquid and gravity are much less essential to its correct operation. Whereas it may be thought-about an equipment that mixes varied components — as with salsa or hummus — it usually does so by chopping all the things collectively, although not as finely as a blender, and may also be used strictly for that goal on a single merchandise.
An excellent meals processor could make recipe prep a lot simpler.
Varied meals processor attachments may additionally will let you shred, slice, julienne, or juice, with a large entry channel that allows you to add components and push them by the attachment, which is usually mounted on the high of the bowl. Some fashions may additionally embrace inserts that connect to the motor base that whip or knead. Although a blender usually leads to extra of a high quality puree than a meals processor can do, a meals processor is extra versatile when it comes to the assorted shapes and textures which might be attainable with its use.
Good for the meals processor: grating or chopping stable components resembling greens or cheese, chunky or thick sauces resembling pesto, hummus, or salsa, thick nut butter, pasta or pastry dough.
For exact management over a mixture’s consistency and coarseness, a meals processor is right.
Excellent meals to make with a meals processor
- Chopped greens for sofrito, mirepoix, and so forth.
- Pesto and sauces
- Hummus and dips
- Shredded cheese
- Nut butters and nut flours
- Cauliflower rice
- Power balls and no-bake treats
- Breadcrumbs
- Floor meat
Stand mixer: How does it work?
Stand mixers are a baker’s finest buddy, however these machines can do greater than combine dough and batter.
Stand mixers are strictly mixing gadgets that may mix components, however do not break them down into smaller items through blades. On a stand mixer, a heavy base holds a bowl in place whereas a motor rotates an attachment resembling a paddle, dough hook or whisk. (Hand mixers carry out the identical operate, however your fingers are each the aspect that retains the bowl in place, and that which holds the motorized attachments.)
GE Profile launched a wise stand mixer in 2023 that weighs components as you add them.
At greater speeds, a stand mixer may also introduce air into the combination. The motion of a stand mixer is gentler and simpler to regulate than that of a blender or meals processor, making it preferrred for cake batters that require minimal mixing, the place the objective is just to mix. Armed with a dough hook, nevertheless, the mixer may also strong-arm gluten improvement for crusty breads.
Stand mixers may additionally have varied attachments accessible to extend their utility, together with ice cream makers, pasta rollers, meat grinders, spiralizers, juicers, and even choppers that begin to creep into meals processor territory.
Good for the stand mixer: dough for bread, pizza, pasta, and cookies, all batters, icing and frosting, meringue or whipped egg preparations, whipped cream.
If kneading dough is your least favourite a part of making bread, a stand mixer will step in gallantly.
Excellent meals to make in a stand mixer
- Bread and yeast doughs
- Cake batter
- Cookie batter
- Whipped cream
- Meringues
- Frosting
- Mashed potatoes
- Pasta dough
- Shredded rooster or pork
- Pizza dough
Crossover use between them: The mashed potato experiment
Mashed potatoes might be made creamy with just some seconds within the meals processor.
Naturally, there are issues that could possibly be achieved in any of those home equipment, given desired outcomes. Egg whites or cream might be whipped, batters might be combined, and sure doughs might be shaped in all three of them. This isn’t a case in opposition to a stand mixer, nevertheless. Although its operate tops out at “combine,” it’s nonetheless the mandatory equipment for sure sorts of cake or cookie doughs. To not point out the shortage of blades and its stainless-steel bowl, which makes it a lot simpler to wash.
I made mashed potatoes in all three
Making mashed potatoes illuminated every machine’s strengths and weaknesses.
To finest illustrate the outcomes of those varied home equipment when given the identical process, I selected mashed potatoes, which might be efficiently achieved by both liquifying, chopping, or just mixing its elements. Potatoes had been cubed and boiled, after which (as a result of I am not a monster) put to the take a look at together with a splash of milk and a dab of butter.
- Meals processor: required just some pulses to show cubed potatoes into mashed potatoes. I like them with slightly texture, however just a few extra pulses would provide you with a easy puree.
- Stand mixer: requires essentially the most time however permits essentially the most quantity. You will by no means get a silky puree if that is what you are going for, and it’s possible you’ll find yourself with some bigger chunks, however this technique might most simply feed a crowd with out the elbow grease of hand mashing.
- Blender: required additional milk in an effort to get going, and in very brief order turned cooked potatoes into one thing that extra resembled pancake batter than mashed potato, a powerful consideration should you’re really making gnocchi.
