Care and Cleaning of Your Kitchen Blender

For scratch cooks and bartenders, a blender is one of those multi purpose kitchen appliances that we just can't live without. Not to be confused with a hand mixer (which mixes up food with a pair of rotating paddles), a blender is a counter top kitchen appliance that looks a bit like a juice pitcher with a chopping blade in the bottom. These blades can be set to rotate at different speeds which gives the blender versatility in food preparation. The blades can chop, mince, or liquefy solid foods, chop ice, or mix and blend liquids.

A decent kitchen blender starts at $50 with professional grades topping out at $200. Because they are expensive, it's worth the extra effort to take care of them properly.

The kitchen blender assembly

A counter top kitchen blender has several components. The largest piece is the pitcher; this can be made of either plastic or glass, and comes with a lid that has a removable knob, called a "blender ingredient cap."

At the base of the blender pitcher is the blade assembly. Some pitchers have removable collars which contain the blade and a rubber gasket or ring, and are designed to be easily removed for cleaning. Other models do not have a removable blade assembly; these blades are attached directly to the base of the pitcher by means of a rod.

The final component is the base that contains the motor. It is on the base that the speed settings and the electrical cord are located.

Cleaning your kitchen blender

SInce blenders are electrical appliances, the base should never be immersed in water. Instead, the base and the cord should be cleaned by a wiping down with a warm, sudsy cloth, then wiped clean with a damp cloth, and dried with a soft cloth. If your blender model has those old style push buttons, a gentle scrubbing with a slightly damp, but soft bristled toothbrush will remove food particles that have built up around the button openings. To remove grease buildup, a little Dawn dish detergent can be used.

To clean the blender pitcher and the blade, the easiest method of cleaning is to fill the pitcher half full with warm water, add a couple of drops of liquid dishwashing soap, then whirl on the "stir" setting for 5 to 10 seconds. Empty the contents in the sink, and rinse the pitcher in warm water until clean. Do not use scouring pads or metal scrubbies as these can ruin the finish of the pitcher.

Blender pitchers can also be cleaned in the bottom rack of the dishwasher. While this works well for glass pitchers, I don't recommend it for plastic pitchers. Over time, the plastic can turn cloudy and loses that nice "new" look.

For pitchers that have removable blade assemblies, it is best to remove the blade, gasket, and collar before placing the pitcher in the dishwasher as these smaller components should always be washed by hand. To keep the rubber gasket soft and pliable, a thin coating of vegetable oil can be applied to the gasket before reassembling the blender.

Pitcher lids and ingredient caps should also be disassembled and hand washed by hand in warm, sudsy water, rinsed, then dried.

Proper use and storage

Overloading the pitcher is one of the major reasons that a kitchen blender fails. Professional models can handle chopping ice and pureeing cuts of meat; however, attempting these tasks with a less expensive model may result in damaging the motor. If you find the motor starting to strain during operation, simply turn off the machine and remove some of the contents. Adding more liquid will also help ease the load.

The blender should be stored in a dry location in your kitchen, with the cord loosely coiled around the base.

A kitchen blender is a terrific labor saving appliance which allows home chefs to whip up those batches of smoothies and daiquiris, puree baby food, chop bread crumbs or nut meats, prepare applesauce, chop meats for deviled sandwiches, and dozens of other uses. With proper care, and storage, this essential kitchen appliance will see many years of use.