Blenders, food processors and electric mixers -- freestanding or otherwise -- are all small kitchen appliances whose core function can be distilled into a simple concept: to combine. Yet they all independently exist, with different designs and seemingly for different purposes.
If you found yourself eye-rolling at the headline here, ask whether you can actually delineate each of their unique characteristics and how they actually do what they do. And if you're a cooking and baking newbie with little idea to begin with, welcome in.
Certainly, there are foodstuffs that can be accomplished in any of them (see mashed potatoes below), and yet others that really only succeed when matched with the right appliance. Stand mixer smoothies aren't really a thing, for example. You can make some doughs in a food processor, but not every dough…so, why not?
If you've ever had to justify the need for myriad appliances (perhaps with someone like a roommate or spouse who shares kitchen space with you) or if you're newly outfitting a kitchen and wondering what might be necessary and what might end up being merely decorative for your cooking repertoire, getting into the nuance of these appliances is important.
For the purposes of kitchen relationship harmony, then, or to enable you to justify another small appliance purchase -- to yourself or anyone else -- here's an examination of the difference(s) between a blender, food processor and stand mixer.
Blender: How does it work?
A blender is a true power machine, whipping ingredients into a fine consistency but with little control or precision. John Carlsen/CNET
Blenders typically consist of a heavy base with a motor and a plastic or glass jug with a set of rotating blades at the point where the jug connects with the motor. The blender combines whatever ingredients you add with a singular goal: to liquefy. The history of the blender, in fact, begins with its function as a milkshake maker. A vortex created by the rapid rotation of the blades creates a vacuum that pulls whatever is in the jug toward the blades, pulverizes it, then funnels it back up, ad nauseam, until you hit stop.
Our favorite small smoothie blender, the Ninja Twister, is next to a full-sized model. David Watsky/CNET
If you've ever put various components in the blender and had the mixture quickly come to a standstill, clinging desperately to the sides of the jug out of the reach of the blades, the catch-22 of a blender's function is that it usually needs a little liquid to begin with in order to effectively kick off the liquefaction. Certain solid items that are light or have small pieces, such as nuts or bread cubes, can be put in the blender; however, in this case, the blender's function is to grind.
... continue reading