We've all heard that you shouldn't put things like utensils and your own fingers into a blender,
but the list of foods you shouldn't use with this handy kitchen tool is surprisingly
long — and not as well-known. Let's talk about the foods you shouldn't use your blender for.
Whether you're trying to make a creamy roasted red pepper soup,
a hearty pumpkin chowder, or a classic silky tomato bisque, pouring the contents of a hot
saucepan into your trusty blender and hitting puree might seem like an okay thing to do.
But in reality, putting hot liquids in a blender is actually one of the most
dangerous mistakes you can make in a kitchen. Nutritionist Elle Penner told Eating Well:
"Hot liquids give off steam, and that steam quickly creates pressure in a blender. Because
of this, the blending process can cause the liquid to explode and potentially burn anyone nearby."
Instead, if you need to process and smooth a super hot soup or sauce, Penner recommends
using an immersion blender instead. If you don't have one, at least plan to blend safely.
That means allowing the liquid to cool first, and filling the blender no more than halfway.
Also, be sure to remove the stopper — the middle portion of the blender's
lid — so excess steam can escape while you process your soup. To avoid splatters,
hold the stopperless lid down tightly with a clean kitchen towel while the blender is
running. And keep your face out of the line of fire, just in case a spill should occur.
Cauliflower is still having its moment. But when it comes to the way most people
are eating cauliflower today — cauliflower mash or
cauliflower rice — a blender is definitely not the tool to use.
The problem is that cauliflower is inherently soggy when you cook it. It simply retains too
much water, whether you boil it, steam it, or even microwave it. The bottom line is that it's very
easy to over-process cooked cauliflower when you add it to a blender, essentially turning it into
a bland and flavorless soup. Nutritionist Jodi Greebel explained it this way to Eating Well:
"The way a blender chops makes it mushy rather than the desired consistency of cauliflower rice."
So, what should you use? Either a food processor or a box grater will work well:
just cut raw cauliflower into large florets and grate or process as needed.
If you're going for cauliflower mash, use an old-school potato masher on cooked
cauliflower florets. It's fast, requires less cleanup, and provides just the right
slightly chunky consistency, just like you find in regular mashed potatoes.
Like all leafy greens, kale, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard, and collard greens
are all ideal options for healthy, low-calorie smoothies. They're low in sugar, high in fiber,
and packed with an alphabet's worth of vitamins, including abundant levels of A,
C, and K in particular. Leafy greens are also good for your heart, your waistline,
and even your brain, potentially helping to reduce cognitive decline as we get older.
But as good as leafy greens are for you, and as great as they are in a smoothie,
there's one cardinal rule everyone should follow: never put warm or
room temperature leafy greens in your blender! Chef Andre Sickinger advised Reader's Digest:
"The motor can easily turn your dish brown.
To keep colors vibrant, ice your greens for 5 minutes prior to adding to the blender."
That brown color is the result of oxygen reacting with compounds within the fresh produce leaves.
The older fruits or vegetables are, or the warmer they are,
the more easily these reactions can occur. Adding a dash of lemon or lime
juice or other acidic liquid can help to slow the discoloration. You can also chill
leafy greens in the fridge or an ice bath before blending to help slow the reaction.
If you don't have a KitchenAid, or just don't feel like breaking out
all the attachments for your stand mixer, a blender might seem like a good alternative to
make your baking dough. That motor spins, right? It can obviously mix dough. Wrong!
According to Bob Vila magazine,
foods that already have a thick consistency will become even stickier in a blender. Even worse:
"Dense foods tend to prevent the blades of the blender from spinning in an efficient
manner, which makes the motor work harder, resulting in overheating."
This can destroy not only your appliance's motor but
could potentially even trigger an electrical fire.
The easiest way to mix dough doesn't even require an appliance. All you need is a bowl,
a wooden spoon, and your hands. The wooden spoon is ideal for mixing because it's tough
and dough won't stick to it while you stir. And as for kneading the dough,
your hands will do a better job at stretching it and folding it
over — creating flakey layers — than your blender could ever hope to.
From dried apricot muffins to sun-dried tomato pesto to dried plum coffee cake, there are
countless ways dried fruits and vegetables can be used in cooking and baking. But no matter
what you're preparing that contains dried fruits, there's one rule that holds true for all recipes:
don't put your dried fruits or veggies in the blender, or you'll absolutely regret it!
"Can you tell us about your flapjack please?"
"Started makin' it. Had a breakdown. Bon appetit!"
If you have a superpowered, high-end blender like a Vitamix, dried fruits might not be a
problem — but for average everyday blenders, dried fruits are a definite no-no. Bob Vila
magazine has warned that many dehydrated foods can damage your blender's blades.
Even if that doesn't happen, they can still ruin your day. Foods like
sun-dried tomatoes and raisins can turn into a sticky paste before you know it,
leaving you cleaning your blender instead of enjoying your lunch.
Still wanna try it? Then at least be sure to soak
whatever dried fruit you're using in water in order to help hydrate it,
making those dried goods softer and easier for your blender to chop and process.
Mashed potatoes are the epitome of comfort food. But if you're looking for airy mashed
potatoes just like your grandma used to make, don't try to whip them in a blender.
As the blade and motor on the blender whir along, they'll quickly overwork your potatoes,
turning them gummy and soft — or even worse, giving them the chalky,
sticky texture of glue. It's the result of all those starches and
carbs in the potato, which can quickly become agitated and unpleasant tasting.
If that weren't reason enough to steer clear of processing your 'taters in a blender,
it turns out that it could be dangerous as well. Tough to process foods can cause the bearings in
the blade assembly to seize up and can stress a blender's motor. This can create a burning
smell and may even cause the motor to overheat or burn out, triggering an electrical fire.
For light, fluffy mashed potatoes, you need to either whip them by hand or use a stand
or hand mixer. Both techniques are able to aerate the potato mixture more easily than
a traditional blender, and you won't risk some serious damage to your home.
“ha”
Some homemade candies need to be pulled and stretched when you make them. The
process is said to add tiny air bubbles to the sugary treats,
helping to give them the light, chewy texture that many people find so addicting.
But stretching candy is also hard work and becomes tiring quickly.
That's why a blender might seem like the perfect option to help
you get the job done quickly. But that would also be a huge mistake!
Bob Vila magazine has warned that sticky foods like taffy can damage your blender,
taxing the motor and leaving a sticky residue on
the blender's blades that can be virtually impossible to get off.
Since they're already so sharp to the touch and difficult to clean under ordinary circumstances,
cleaning blender blades after using them with a sticky candy can be a task you'd
rather avoid in favor of pretty much anything else. And should you fail to
get that stuck on residue off completely, it could ruin future dishes you blend as well.
The sweetness of the candy or the flavors you used when making it could seep into
other foods you blend, giving them an odd and unwanted new flavor.
Better to steer clear entirely and just do this one by hand.
Few flavors are as essential to home cooking as black pepper. It's even been called the
king of spices, as it heightens flavors, and adds depth to any dish it touches.
Many chefs will suggest always using freshly ground black peppercorns,
as their flavor is more stronger than the pre-ground stuff.
"You see what I do with the pepper?? You see what I do with the pepper??"
"Yes, Senior Marco."
"The people — the people, they want the pepper! alright?"
If you don't have a peppermill and want to get on the freshly ground pepper train,
a blender might seem like the next best thing. And while you can technically grind black
pepper or other spices in a blender, there are better tools for grinding:
And those are affordable gadgets like a coffee grinder, a spice grinder, or even an
old-school mortar and pestle. Bonus? They look really cool, and make you feel like a wizard!
"Here's the thing. The kids know that the only way to fly...!"
"Wizard pepper!"
"Unbelievable."
A blender, however, isn't on the list. Because of their height,
blenders easily allow ground spice particles to float up into the air, creating a cloud
of spice that can trigger a sneezing fit. They're also just not very good at the job,
and will produce an uneven grind that means chunks of unground spices are going to make
it into your food. As much as you might love pepper, you don't want to bite into a peppercorn.
Crushed hard candies are a common ingredient in desserts such as stained glass cookies,
fudge, and even brownies. Crushed candy can also be used as a garnish or topping on cakes,
pudding, and ice cream. You can use it to add flavor to coffee,
tea, or hot chocolate. Some bartenders even recommend coating the rim of fancy
sweet cocktails with crushed candy, especially around the holidays.
But here's the thing: similar to really large chunks of ice or ultra frozen slabs of fruit,
hard candy can quickly dull the blades on even the strongest blender.
There's also a chance your blender may overheat, warming up the candy you're
attempting to crush or that a bit of unexpected moisture might sneak into your blender canister,
in both cases creating an annoying sticky mess that could be virtually impossible to remove.
If you do need to crush candy for some sort of kitchen project, you're better off using
a food processor, or putting the candies in a few Ziploc bags and using a rolling pin.
Whether you're making a garlic hummus or a massive batch of homemade garlic paste,
garlic and blenders don't mix. It doesn't matter if you're chopping just a few cloves
or several heads of garlic, potent and smelly compounds within the vegetables
can leak out and latch onto the plastic parts of your blender. It's also worth
noting that this applies to onions and hot peppers as well, and in some cases, these
juices can permanently taint the smell of your blender and may leave residual flavor as well.
Fortunately, there's a work-around,
and nutritionist Elle Penner gave this pro tip to Eating Well:
"Cooking these foods before blending will lessen the punch left behind,
as will blending them in small amounts along with other foods — not by themselves."
If it's too late and your blender is already primed to scare off vampires with
its plastic-meets-garlic scent, take heart. There are a few tricks that might help to make the scent
go away. You can try pouring baking soda into the bottom of your blender and then filling it
halfway with vinegar, topping it off with hot water, and letting it set for several hours.
If that doesn't work, you can also try partially filling your blender with warm water,
adding a drop of dish soap plus a couple of fresh lemon wedges, and then blending everything
together for a couple minutes. Any unwanted leftover smells should hopefully disappear.
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