What do you use your Blender for ?

[mrboilwash]

When I grew up my mother had a 60`s Kenwood Chef and the only thing she used the liquidizer attachment for was to make us kids a banana shake or maybe grinding nuts for baking.
I only have a stick blender now because space is precious in my kitchen and admittedly it doesn`t get much use.
But still curious what others use their handsome countertops for on a regular basis.

 

[tolivac]

Choco-banana smoothies and fruit smoothies-real fruit and frozen-My collection of Vita Mixes handles those jobs with no problem!Blendtecs as well.Also peanut butter-planters cocktail peanuts or Carolina nut brand flavored peanuts.Use my rare SS containers for this.Do not want to scar up my lexan containers.Also have made hot cocoa with the VM-just run it for about 6 min.DElicious!!!

 

[turquoisedude]

You'd be surprised.... I use mine most for recipes where ingredients have to be chopped and mixed into liquid. Muffins are a good example - you mix the liquid ingredients (milk, eggs, oil) then add any fruits or nuts that you want chopped. Full disclosure - I still pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones and mix by hand!

I make my own mayonnaise and variations thereof in the blender, along with salad dressings which benefit from the 'chop in liquid' approach above.

Soups are a something I make a lot - not just Vichyssoise or Borscht in the hotter months, but vegetable/meat combinations made with fresh or leftover veggies.

I have a couple of cake recipes (adaptations of European torte recipes) that have ground nuts in the batter and I make these in the blender too. I prefer making a regular shortening-type case with one of the mixers, however I do make a few with the blender just to prove to people that you can... LOL

I could write a book about what I make with the blender.... Oh wait, I did! It has been rejected by every publisher I sent it to so far though....

 

[launderess]

Frozen daiquiris, margaritas...

 

[polkanut]

Homemade Irish Cream

 

[joeekaitis]

 

Double-strength Abuelita or Ibarra Mexican hot chocolate.

 

Grind a whole Abuelita or Ibarra Mexican chocolate puck to a powder.  Turn off the blender and add 2/3 cup powdered nonfat milk, a pint of just-boiled water, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 heaping teaspoons of instant decaf.

 

Hold the lid in place with a folded dishtowel and start the blender on low, working your way up through the speeds to minimize splashing and overflow.  When you've reached the ideal speed (no overflow), let it run for 2 to 3 minutes.  Switch off the blender and quickly divide the contents into 2 20-ounce mugs so both get the same layer of foam on top.

 

When it's really cold outside, pour a jigger of coffee liqueur into the bottom of each mug.  DON'T stir after pouring in the hot chocolate.  You want those little pockets of coffee liqueur as you sip.

 

[tomturbomatic]

In the 70s, the book that came with the Panasonic blender had a recipe for banana bread. It was pretty neat to add the bananas at the end through the hole in the top and watch the fruit spiral around as it got pulled down into the swirling batter.

I still like it better than the food processor for cole slaw where you chop the cabbage in water and then drain it into a colander. The water seems to remove the strong flavor from the cabbage.

I must admit that newer appliances have taken over the blender's duties, but I used it a lot when it was the only appliance like that.

In the 60s, at a friend's house, we used to make what we called Billy's Bubbling Burpee Brew in their Waring Blendor. We would dump a can of frozen orange juice on top of the blades in the jar then turn it on and slowly add water. The resulting orange juice would have a really good head on it and a really sweet, mild flavor. The collapsing bubbles in the gut produced tremendous burps, belches and eructations when the brew was consumed rapidly.

I read that the band leader Fred Waring first saw the drink mixer at a resort where the band played. He was so impressed that he bought the patents and rights from the bartender-inventor. That is why only the Waring machine can be spelled "Blendor."

 

[gusherb]

For years I was using a Nutri Bullet for my vegetable smoothies in the morning, then I stayed with my sister for a bit and used her Vita Mix E310 and realized how much better of a job that thing does at blending. It tasted like I was drinking a creamy smoothie and not a cup of vegetable pulp that would make me gag like what comes out of the Nutri Bullet.

Since then I dug my grandmas 1975 Harvest Gold Osterizer in near mint condition out of the closet and started using that, does a much better job than the Nutri Bullet blending the vegetables into an actual smoothie. Also was using it to make my mocha frappe’s

The Osterizer is decent, but needless to say a Vita Mix is going to be my next big purchase.

 

[rp2813]

Save Yourself Some Money

If you own an Osterizer of any vintage, you can get a "Fusion" blade for it and effect results nearly as good as from a Breville or Vita-Mix.  There's also a milkshake blade available.

 

Osterizers are the most versatile of blenders IMO, offering a few different blade options depending on the task, and the ability to fit any size of standard-mouth mason jar onto the blade assembly for either small jobs or instances where you want to blend and then store.

 

I don't "regularly" use my blenders, but when I do it's almost exclusively for drinks, be they non-alcoholic smoothies (a beautiful  black/silver/blue Lady Kenmore Osterizer clone -- thanks Nate!) or typically blended cocktails such as margaritas, grasshoppers, pina coladas, various fizzes, and when I feel inclined, slightly slushy gimlets like my friend's mom used to make.  

 

My bar blender is a vintage Waring that consists a "rocket ship" type base and "waterfall" carafe with an unusual blade that crushes ice with ease.  Its slim footprint takes up less space than any other blender, which allows me to keep it out on the bar to admire.

 

I did recently use my LK blender to make sauce for shrimp culichi.  That was the first time I'd used it for cooking purposes in I don't know how long.

 

[moparwash]

We store coupons in it

 

[DADoES]

 
I've used mine twice. For a packaged smoothie mix (that was kinda gnasty) and a cheesecake recipe that instructs for blender prep (was lovely except it has no crust so leaked out of the springform pan until it set-in).

 

[lordkenmore]

Currently, it's used to collect dust...

 

[lordkenmore]

Thinking back, the only thing I can remember using a blender for is pureeing soups.

 

[xraytech]

I have an Osterizer Cyclomatic 50th Anniversary and a Lady Kenmore blender
I use it pretty much only to make an occasional chocolate-cherry milkshake and to make vinaigrette dressings.
On rare occasion I use while making a small batch of applesauce, usually I make so much a Foley food mill is easier.

 

[countryguy]

I use mine to make margaritas as well as sorbet and instant ice cream.

Gary

 

[thomasortega]

I Have a Kitchenaid "Diamond jar" blender and also the Kithcenaid 5-speed hand blender.

I use them very often, always with excellent results.

THe blender i use if more often to prepare Toddy (Yes, toddy still exists in Brazil and every time family opr friends come to the USA I ask them to bring a 2kg box) It tastes MUCH better than Nesquik, similar to 100% cocoa and a bit of sugar.

The hand blender I use for toddy if the blender is dirty or in the dishwasher, and I love to use it to "pull" chicken straight in the pot I'm using.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I have an older KitchenAid Ultra Power and a Hamilton Beach single serve. I used to use the Hamilton Beach for protein shakes.

The K-A I thought I would like but I haven't used it much. Mainly because stuff always manages to drip between the jar and base cover, and I didn't like having to take it apart each time to clean. It also needs a new gasket. The one I have was an aftermarket item and leaves black specs in what I'm blending.

 

[frigilux]

My Breville is most frequently used to make Salsa Verde and Jell-O recipes that incorporate cream cheese.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The Oster ice crusher blade is superior to the regular blade for everything, not just ice.