A blender is a machine used in a kitchen to finely chop, mince, liquify or puree food items. It works well with completely dry powdered food, liquid or mixture. A blender is often used for mixing drinks and making soups, smoothies and sauces.http://kitchen-gadgets.suite101.com/article.cfm/kitchen_blender_smoothies_to_soup
The container of the blender can be made from plastic, glass or stainless steel. While a plastic container can scratch, it is not as sensitive to food temperatures and does not break easily. A glass container may not scratch but are more expensive then plastic and can break. A stainless steel container is preferred for mixing drinks.
Buying Guide
Two types of kitchen blenders are available, the counter-top blenders and hand-held immersion blenders.
Immersion blenders have a more affordable starting price at about $13. They are convenient for their portability as you can use them to blend in a pot on the stove or in a drinking glass. They are also good for travel and often come with a travel bag. Accessories offered are usually a whip and chopper blade.
Counter-top blenders are more powerful then the Immersion blenders. Able to blend, puree, liquefy and chop, they have the power to crush ice and other food.http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/kitchen-appliance-tips5.htm
Blenders come in a wide range of prices. In general, the higher the price, the greater the durability and power. Choose a blender according to your own needs. Some have alternate attachments and features, such as miniature food processors (Cuisinart PowerBlend Duet, $80) and digital recipe databases (Westinghouse Intelliblend, $40).
History
Stephen Poplawki was the original inventor of the blender in 1922. It was not until 1933 that it was patented by Fred Osius. Fred Osius wanted to continue to improve his machine and talked to Fred Waring. New devices had always held an appeal for Waring. After six months, still having difficulties with the design Waring dismissed Osius and redesigned the appliance again. A workable product was released for sale in 1937.http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blblender.htm
Top Brands
Blender
The video shows the Kichenaid Immersion Blender. This type of blender can be more convenient then a regular kitchen blender as it is less bulky and can be carried around. Many come with a carrying bag so it can be taken while traveling and other accessories like a whip and chopper. Blenders vary in price from about $13 to over $1,000.
References
Fast Facts
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Common uses
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Price range
$13 to over $1000
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Invented
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Inventor
Stephen Poplawski
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First commercial blender
Waring Blender, 1937
