When it comes to whipping up all sorts of delicious dishes, there’s no doubt that commercial blenders can be one of your best friends. These handy and powerful tools can handle a lot of food items and can also be used for different purposes.
While it is a multi-functional appliance, you should remember that it’s not meant to be used for everything! There are some items that you must never toss into your smoothie blender; otherwise, you’re running the risk of damaging your nifty little appliance. In some cases, you may even get yourself into dangerous accidents!
To keep your blender in tip-top shape and your loved ones perfectly safe, never ever blend these food items:
Although your commercial blender is meant to be strong and durable, blending large and tough frozen food items can break the pitcher, sending shards of plastic or glass flying everywhere—so don’t do it! Even if your blender doesn’t end up breaking, you’ll still most likely end up with random chunks in the finished product.
Save your appliance and thaw your frozen food, such as fruit or almond butter, first before you pop them into it. If possible, cut the food into smaller chunks before tossing them in.
Just like frozen foods, putting ice cubes in your appliance can also be a recipe for disaster, as blending them can dull the blades of your blender, or even break them! In the worst case, your container can also break—so avoid it as much as possible!
That said, it’s a smart move to first consult the instruction manual before blending ice. If absolutely necessary, rather than using whole cubes, it’s better to toss in ice that is already crushed.
Never, ever pour hot liquids into your blender. The high temperature can easily create pressure inside even when it’s not on, and it can cause the liquid to explode and start a fire.
If you need to prepare food with hot liquids, allow it to cool down for at least 10 minutes before blending it. Also, don’t forget to remove the lid and use a dishtowel to cover the opening instead to allow the steam to escape. If you have an immersion blender at home, it’s a smart idea to use that instead.
Adding sun-dried fruits to your smoothies or marinade can be exciting, but not so much for your smoothie blender. its leathery and tough texture can get stuck to the blades easily, possibly jamming or even damaging them!
If you really need to add them, however, you can either soak it in warm water first to soften them or chop them into small pieces.
Food items with pungent smells such as garlic or ginger often leave a lingering odor behind that clings to your blender’s cup. If you don’t want your next fruit smoothie to have an additional ingredient in the form of a strong garlic taste, be careful how you blend these ingredients in your appliance.
You can either cook them before blending to lessen the taste or smell, or you can blend them in small amounts along with other ingredients.
If you’re thinking of your next smoothie recipe with high-fiber food items, like celery and broccoli, you should know that tossing them into the smoothie blender while they’re raw isn’t a good idea. These tend to become straggly or ropy after blending, which can be problematic for your blender’s internals and blades. What you can do is to cook them first before tossing them in.
Your ever-reliable blender will be there for you for a long time—but only if you know how to take care of it. It’s one of the most versatile kitchen tools out there, and to keep it that way, you should pay attention to the items you’re putting inside it. Avoid blending items that can dull the blades or damage the pitcher and your blender will keep servicing you for a long time.
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