A green smoothie is a complete meal, that provides you with antioxidants, minerals, proteins, and the fiber that’s in whole fruits and vegetables. Green smoothies promote energy, boost our immune system, encourage the elimination of toxins, and support weight management. They are quicker to prepare than salads and they are much easier to digest.
To make the perfect green smoothie you should choose the freshest fruits and vegetables, but you should also have a high-quality smoothie blender. Not all machines can make a highly nutritious fruit and vegetable green smoothie.
What Good Smoothie Blender Can Offer?
A smoothie blender has become one of the most popular kitchen appliances. The quality blender will enable you to make your favorite smoothie at home easily and fast. This way you will incorporate more greens into your diet. With a good blender, you will get more nutrition, because powerful blenders can rupture the cell walls and release maximum nutrition from wholesome foods. Unlike juicers, all the valuable nutrients, including the fibers are retained.
Blending helps “pre-digest” the foods, so your body does not have to work hard to absorb all valuable nutrition. A good blender saves you time, especially when you are on the go, and do not have time to prepare and thoroughly chew a salad. Having a smoothie blender in your kitchen makes it easier for your children to get their daily vegetable and fruit intake.
How to Choose a Quality Smoothie Blender
There is a wide selection of blender models available on the market. If the primary reason for your purchase is to include smoothies in your daily diet, you need to consider several things before you purchase the right machine to get the job done.
1. Blender’s Type
There are two basic types of blenders- stationary countertop blenders, and handheld /immersion blenders. Countertop blenders come with a container and base and they are more powerful than immersion units. Immersion blenders are battery-powered and do not have the power to blend heavy ingredients. The two most popular countertop blender brands are Vitamix and Blendtec.
There are portable, mini smoothie makers that can easily be carried anywhere. Personal-size smoothie makers can work on one smoothie at a time. The most popular and convenient mini-blender brands are Hamilton Beach, Magic Bullet, Cuisinart, and Emeril.
2. The Power
When shopping for a blender, the most important requirement is the motor power. A weak blender may not be able to blend the toughest foods and produce smoothies without any chunks. You will need a powerful and efficient machine to break down ice cubes, nuts, kale, carrots, and other tough ingredients, including the parts of fruits and veggies that are usually discarded.
The high motor power will allow you to turn your vegetables into a liquid without any graininess. You don’t have to pre-chop vegetables or grind seeds like you would with less powerful blenders.
The best blender will demand a higher horse-powered motor, with a minimum of 1000 watts of power, to be able to quickly and thoroughly blend even the toughest ingredients.
The best types of motors such as Vitamix Professional Series 750 maintain cool motor temperature to consistently deliver the power you need to process tough ingredients.
3. Construction and Size
The machine should be made of solid materials with a heavy base to remain completely stable during use. It shouldn’t shake or move around on the counter no matter what you throw in.
The size of the blender is one of the first considerations. Make sure the model has the capacity that best suits your needs, as well as to fit your available space on the counter. A taller container might not fit under some kitchen cabinets, while the short pitcher makes the machine more compact and easy to store.
Countertop models usually have the pitchers’ sizes of 32-ounce, 48-ounce, and 64-ounce. Generally, the more capacity the pitcher offers, the better. The container capacity should allow you to mix the ingredients without filling the entire pitcher. If you have a large family or intend to blend a large batch of smoothies all at once, you may have to buy a bigger model with at least a 64-ounce container. If you have a small family, you could manage with a smaller container.
4. Pitcher / Jar
A good smoothie blender should have a durable glass pitcher or one made of BPA-free plastic. Glass jars are scratch-proof and easy to clean, compared to plastics, but the glass is heavy and fragile. Glass is considered healthier than plastic, especially when you make hot soups.
Plastic is more durable, lightweight, and easy to handle. The BPA-free polycarbonate pitcher is shatter-proof and doesn’t scratch easily.
The stainless steel jars are lightweight and more durable than glass or plastic ones, but you can’t see through metal and monitor the blending process.
5. Speed and Settings
Quality machines have variable speed settings that allow you to make smoothies of different desired textures. Look for a blender with multiple speeds and a pulse button. The pulse option gives you even more control over the texture and thickness of the ingredients you’re working with.
Pre-programmed modes eliminate guesswork, ensure consistent results, and offer a walk-away convenience.
6. Noise Level
Traditional blenders can be very loud. The good smoothie blender should be reasonably quiet so you can use it at night without waking up in the neighborhood. There is a newer type of blender with a quiet shield that helps cut down noise levels when placed over the jar.
7. Cleaning
You will be less likely you use the blender often if cleaning is difficult. If you make your smoothie daily you need a brand that offers easy and quick cleaning. Areas that cannot be cleaned easily can collect bacteria and grow mold. High-quality blenders have removable blades for easier cleaning.
Blenders with pre-programmed settings offer the most convenient way of cleaning. You just need to add warm water, add a few drops of dish soap, and hit the pre-programmed clean setting.
8. Safety
Check for a blender with a safety lock feature where the power will be off before the lid fits properly. The base should firmly stay in place at the highest running speed.
9. Warranty
When you purchase a blender, make sure it has a reliable warranty for the unit and the replacement parts available. This way, you can have your blender fixed when it breaks down or fails to function properly.
Just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this article. I want to make smoothies for myself and baby food for the youngest family member and was driving myself crazy trying to find a blender that could do all that with glass jars. Plastic simply isn’t safe. Thanks again!