How To Do Wet And Dry Chopping Using Clean Blend Blender
The inquiry
- Why you should trust u.s.a.
- Blender vs. food processor: Which one should you get?
- What blazon of blender should y'all get?
- How nosotros picked
- How we tested
- Our pick: Vitamix 5200
- Flaws merely not dealbreakers
- What about other Vitamix models?
- Runner-up: Oster Versa Pro Series Blender
- Also great: Cleanblend Blender
- Upkeep choice: KitchenAid K150 iii Speed Ice Crushing Blender
- Blender care and maintenance
- What to look forrard to
- Other skilful blenders
- The competition
- Sources
Why you should trust us
Equally a senior staff author for Wirecutter, I've covered everything from chef'due south knives to stand mixers, and I've tested every blender worth testing since 2022. I also take a breadth of cooking and entertaining knowledge from decades of working in restaurants and magazine test kitchens. This guide builds on the piece of work of Christine Cyr Clisset, now a deputy editor at Wirecutter.
We reached out to Jonathan Cochran, a old blender salesperson who now runs the site Blender Dude, for his take on the best Vitamix and Blendtec models to test (his site has affiliate partnerships with both companies). For our original guide, authored by Seamus Bellamy, we consulted with Lisa McManus, an executive editor in charge of equipment testing at Cook'southward Illustrated and Cook's State magazines.
Blender vs. nutrient processor: Which one should you go?
Although there's some overlap in what they can do, blenders and food processors aren't interchangeable appliances. A countertop blender is a meliorate tool for making purees, quick sauces, and emulsifications (such equally mayonnaise and vinaigrette), and it's the only apparatus that tin whip berries and fibrous veggies into a silky-smooth texture. Because a blender'south jar is narrow and usually angled at the base of operations, it creates a vortex that helps pass ingredients through the blades more frequently than in a food processor, yielding smoother textures.
With a niggling effort, you tin can also puree wet ingredients (such as tomatoes for sauce) in a food processor, just the doughnut-shaped container doesn't handle liquids as well equally a blender's jar does—it tends to leak. A food processor works fine for thick purees like hummus and is cracking for sauces with a coarser texture like pesto. But it tin't make a practiced smoothie and—since yous tin't control the speed of the blades—is liable to shoot hot soup everywhere. Instead, a food processor is best for chopping, slicing, and grating. With the correct attachment, it tin can even mix and knead dough. Many people use food processors for mincing vegetables, but this appliance is besides your best friend for easily grating cheese, slicing potatoes for a gratin, grinding fresh staff of life crumbs, or quickly cut butter into flour to make pie dough.
In short, blenders liquefy, food processors chop and slice. Depending on your needs, you lot might choose one over the other, or you lot might want both. We have a guide to the best food processors, too, if y'all're interested.
What blazon of blender should you get?
A countertop blender delivers the silkiest smoothies, daiquiris, soups, and sauces of whatsoever mode of blender you tin can purchase. It's more than versatile than a personal blender (which is meant mainly for smoothies) because it holds more and can handle hot liquids. It's likewise more powerful than an immersion blender, which is slap-up for pureeing soups directly in the pot or making a quick mayo merely doesn't yield the velvety textures you lot become from a skilful countertop blender.
That said, a blender'due south performance and longevity are normally proportional to its cost. High-terminate blenders are more powerful and designed to puree the thickest mixtures without burning out, something that cheap blenders just can't do. If you want a kitchen workhorse—a machine that can tackle everything from hot soups and sauces to thick frozen concoctions—a full-size, high-powered blender is the all-time choice. How much you should spend on one depends on exactly what you'll utilise it for. Below is a breakdown of what each of our picks volition do for you.
Become our upkeep option, the KitchenAid, if:
- Yous use your blender only for the occasional smoothie, frozen drink, or soup.
- Yous don't alloy nut butters or other motor-taxing mixtures.
- A brusque, limited one-yr warranty isn't a concern.
Get our runner-upwards, the Oster, or our also-slap-up pick, the Cleanblend, if:
- You lot blend no more than a few times a calendar week.
- Y'all rarely make nut butters.
- A five- or 7-year warranty is of import to you lot.
Get our top pick, the Vitamix, if:
- Blending is part of your daily lifestyle.
- You often blend thick, motor-taxing mixtures similar nut butters and spoonable smoothies.
- You lot want a blender with the widest range of speeds for hands doing everything from blending hot liquids to pulverizing ice cubes.
- A vii-twelvemonth warranty is important to you.
Alternatively, if yous just want to make a daily smoothie, you might exist better off with a NutriBullet (we've tested them all).
How we picked
Since 2022, we've researched or tested well-nigh every decent household blender available, from budget models starting at $xl to powerful, high-performance models topping out at $700. In all this testing, nosotros've found the post-obit criteria to be the most important to look for in a blender:
Jar shape and motor strength
A great blender should be able to smoothly process tough items similar fibrous kale, frozen berries, and ice without burning out the motor. How efficiently a blender does this depends on a combination of the blade length and position, the shape of the mixing jar, and the motor force. All three of those elements combine to create a vortex that pulls food down effectually the bract.
In our testing, we've constitute that tall, tapered jars with a curved bottom develop a more than consequent vortex than brusk, broad ones with a flat bottom. But the better blending that you get from a taller, tapered jar comes with a merchandise-off: A fully assembled blender might exist likewise alpine to fit under low-hanging cabinets. Blenders with wide, short jars are ameliorate for countertop storage, but you're sacrificing performance for that convenience.
A more powerful motor also helps to create a amend vortex and blends thick mixtures more easily than a weaker one. But a blender's ability rating isn't piece of cake data to come by. Most blender companies advertise simply "summit horsepower," a spec that's misleading if yous're trying to make up one's mind a motor's strength. A motor works at peak horsepower for just a fraction of a second, when you showtime the blender, in social club to overcome inertia. Immediately after, the motor drops to its "rated horsepower," which is the amount of power it can sustain without called-for out. As explained on Cooking For Engineers, you can get a ballpark estimate of a blender's rated horsepower by dividing its wattage by 746 (because 746 watts equals approximately one unit of electrical horsepower). This equation doesn't account for efficiency, but it does offer a more realistic approximation of a blender's power output.
Jar textile
Almost of the blenders we've tested come with plastic jars. All of our picks have jars made of BPA-free Tritan plastic, which is very durable. Many of the lower-end blenders we've tested don't annunciate which fabric their jars are made of beyond a "BPA-gratis" note. But the majority of these jars are probably made of polycarbonate, which is more than rigid than Tritan but besides very strong. Both materials will crack if heated besides loftier, which is why these jars should not go in the dishwasher.
We understand that some folks adopt metal or glass jars. But y'all'd be hard-pressed to observe a powerful blender with a glass jar, and in that location's probably a skilful reason for this. As April Jones explains in her article on Cooking For Engineers: "Due to the loftier-speed blades and high horsepower motors, glass isn't the safest selection for professional-course blenders. If a metal object, such as a spoon or knife, were accidentally left in the blender, a drinking glass bullpen could shatter and potentially cause an injury. Using polycarbonate plastics or copolyester is a much safer pick to avert the take a chance of broken glass." Stainless steel jars are durable simply opaque, and nosotros like to monitor the progress of purees and emulsifications without having to remove the lid.
Toll
Judging from buyer reviews, the holy grail for many home cooks seems to be a $l or $100 blender that performs like a $500 Vitamix or Blendtec. Just that isn't realistic. High-end blenders priced at $150 and up—often called loftier-functioning blenders—offer more power, produce much smoother textures, and generally final a lot longer than lower-terminate, under-$100 blenders. High-operation blenders besides tackle tasks that you lot'd never desire to try in a inexpensive blender, such as making peanut butter or milling grains.
That said, in that location's nothing wrong with a inexpensive blender every bit long as you lot understand its limitations. Some people want an affordable midrange blender to make the occasional daiquiri or smoothie. So we've tested blenders in a broad range of prices with the understanding that, for the most office, you get what you pay for.
Warranty
The virtually common complaint nosotros've found about cheap blenders is that their motors burn out easily and their jars fissure or leak. Just it'southward not impossible for even higher-end blenders to meet exhaustion. As Lisa McManus, executive editor in accuse of equipment testing at Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, told our writer Seamus Bellamy in an interview for our 2022 guide, "Blenders take a actually hard job to do in that little space. The motor is only then big. If you go far do something difficult every mean solar day, a lot of them fire out. It's a lot of stress to put on a little machine." This is why a long warranty is important, especially if you're paying a lot for a blender. Vitamix, Oster, and Cleanblend models all come up with warranties of five to seven years, and—at least for Vitamix machines—nosotros've read plenty of owner reviews saying the blender lasts much longer. You can't await that level of performance from dirt-cheap blenders, which is probably why most of them come with only i-year limited warranties.
Speed control
Whether you choose a blender with manual controls or preset functions is largely a personal preference. Just we appreciate a powerful blender with a simple interface that includes an on/off switch, a pulse button, and a variable-speed dial. These easy controls permit you to rapidly adjust the speed or turn off the machine if things get messy.
Preset programs for making smoothies, mixing soups, or burdensome water ice can be dandy if you want to multitask in the kitchen while blending. But we've as well found that these functions rarely deliver purees as smooth as when we command the speed and time with the manual setting.
Tamper
In our years of testing, we've constitute that a tamper—a pocket-sized plastic bat that lets y'all push food down into the blades—separates the great blenders from the good ones. When a blender is actually cranking, air pockets tend to grade around the blade, and a tamper allows you to outburst them without having to stop the machine. The tamper that comes with a blender is designed to safely clear the blades of that particular model, as long every bit you lot use it with the lid on. Using a different tamper or some other tool that might hit the moving blades is dangerous and could damage the machine. If your blender doesn't come with a tamper, the only way you lot should burst air pockets is to turn the machine off, remove the jar from the base, and stir the mixture with a spoon.
Then why don't all blenders come with a tamper? Because forcing frozen and thick mixtures into the blades puts a lot of stress on the motor. Performance blenders that include tampers have powerful motors that tin handle this stress—they're designed for it. But cheaper blenders accept weaker motors. If they were to include tampers, people would probably button these machines past their limits, ultimately prompting the motor to burn down out.
How we tested
Nosotros judged each model on how well information technology performed everyday blending jobs such equally making thick frozen smoothies and hot soups. We besides wanted to see which blenders could emulsify eggs and oil into mayonnaise and pulverize nuts into a smooth butter. In each blender, nosotros made a thick green smoothie packed with frozen bananas and berries, kale, and coconut water. We looked at each blender's power to create a consistent vortex without taxing the motor or needing additional liquid. Later on, nosotros tasted the smoothies to appraise mouthfeel, and so we strained the residuum through a fine-mesh sieve to see how well the blenders had pulverized tough greens and berry seeds.
A blender can be a useful tool for making emulsified sauces such equally mayonnaise, hollandaise, vinaigrettes, and Caesar dressing, so we tested each model'southward ability to emulsify mayonnaise made with one egg yolk. Making a successful blender mayonnaise (or hollandaise or Caesar) hinges on the blades sitting depression enough in the jar that they starting time whipping the egg yolk before you add together a drop of oil.
To see how the motors handled dense purees, we processed raw peanuts into peanut butter. With our finalists, nosotros fabricated rounds of piña coladas to meet how well they composite ice into slush.
Additionally, we noted how easy or difficult each blender was to make clean, how noisy each model was, whether any of them produced a called-for scent while the motor ran, whether the jars were difficult to attach to the bases, and how piece of cake the interfaces were to employ.
Our pick: Vitamix 5200
Our choice
Vitamix 5200
The best blender
This high-operation auto blends more gracefully than whatsoever of the others we've tested. Its motor powers through thick mixtures, and it comes with a 7-year warranty backed past excellent client service.
The Vitamix 5200 offers the all-time functioning you can arrive a dwelling house blender. This model has been one of our favorite blenders since 2022, and it'due south the classic Vitamix that has remained the standard for pro chefs and blender enthusiasts. It consistently performed at the acme of the pack in our tests, and information technology came recommended to us by multiple experts because it powerfully purees and pulverizes food more than reliably, thoroughly, and elegantly than most blenders.
The Vitamix 5200 did not make the absolute smoothest smoothies of all the blenders we tested—that prize went to the Blendtec and Cleanblend machines. But when it came to consistent and graceful performance, the Vitamix won every time. This model was the only blender we tested that smoothly blended peanuts and almonds into butter. And whereas other blenders, such as the Blendtec, Cleanblend, and Oster, spit bits of mayo upward the sides of the jar and out the chapeau'due south center hole, the Vitamix kept the mixture smoothly and evenly moving around the base of the blade.
We found Vitamix'due south variable-speed dial to have the all-time range among the blenders we tried. Its low is really low, and the blender produces a noticeable shift as you advance through each number. In our tests, this range of speeds made the Vitamix the best blender for hot liquids: You can start blending at a lazy swirl and slowly increase the speed so that the hot liquid is less likely to shoot upwards toward the lid and risk a volcanic, trip-to-the-fire-unit state of affairs. In comparison, the Cleanblend has a forceful start on the lowest setting, which increases the chances of a painful eruption when you lot're blending hot soups. The same goes for the Blendtec Designer 675, which in our tests was and then powerful that the soup setting created a cyclone in a jar.
The Vitamix's tamper is essential for breaking up air pockets and pushing ingredients down toward the bract while the car is running. When using models without a tamper, we often needed to end the blender to flare-up air pockets or scrape ingredients down the sides of the jar with a spatula. In some cases, we also had to add more water to the smoothie to become all the ingredients to move around the blades without the help of a tamper. For all these reasons, blending in the Vitamix with a tamper took about half the time as it took in the Blendtec with no included tamper. By keeping the ingredients moving, we were able to whip upwards a smoothie in about 30 seconds.
The Vitamix'southward Tritan-plastic jar feels sturdier than those of the other blenders nosotros recommend, and the grippy handle is comfortable to agree. We also found the alpine, narrow, tapered shape of the jar to be ideal for creating a stiff vortex that pulled ingredients downwardly toward the blade. That feature helped the Vitamix blend more efficiently than the Oster, with its wider jar, and the result was vastly superior to what we got from the wide, blocky jar of the Blendtec. Like the jars of most other high-powered blenders, the jar of the Vitamix (which has the blade fastened) is very easy to clean: After yous make a smoothie or something similar, you should find it sufficient to just pour in a bit of hot h2o, add together a couple of drops of dish soap, blend for 30 seconds or so, and so rinse out the jar.
No high-powered blender we tested could exist described as quiet, but we found the noise from the Vitamix to exist much less offensive than the high-pitched whine of the Blendtec, and it was quieter than the roar of our runner-upward, the Oster Versa.
Should its motor overheat, the Vitamix is equipped with an automatic shutoff feature to continue it from burning out. In our experience, the Vitamix should be able to handle a lot before it gets to that point, just if your Vitamix does shut off, it'south best to let the car rest for an hr before you effort to apply it again.
Ane thing that softens the blow of spending more $400 on a Vitamix is the comfort of knowing that it'south backed by a seven-year warranty. We called Vitamix's customer service and learned that the approximate fourth dimension between filing a claim and receiving your blender back in working order (or a certified refurb) is six to ten days. For an additional fee, you can buy a three-twelvemonth extended warranty for the 5200. If you purchase a new Vitamix from the company's site or from a certified third-party retailer, such as Amazon, you lot have 30 days from the date of purchase to purchase the extended warranty directly from Vitamix for $75. Later on thirty days have passed, you can buy the extended warranty upwardly until the original one expires for around $120.
You can save some money on a Vitamix if y'all opt for a certified-refurbished model. Jonathan Cochran of Blender Dude highly recommends them. "My pick for 'best bang for the buck' continues to exist the Certified Refurbished (Blendtec) and Certified Reconditioned (Vitamix) models. I take personally inspected hundreds of each, and for all intents and purposes they are indistinguishable from the new models at a significantly reduced toll point," he told us. A certified reconditioned Vitamix comes with a five-yr warranty, with the option to extend coverage three more than years for an boosted $75.
Long-term examination notes
We used the same Vitamix 5200 in our test kitchen for five years with null but excellent results. It finally did burn out, merely only later nosotros put it through strenuous use over the course of many tests for both this guide and others. All the same, it hands outlasted the Oster, and it made many more (and ameliorate) batches of nut butter and extra-thick smoothies before we pushed it to its limit. Since our Vitamix was still under warranty when it burned out, nosotros contacted customer service, and the representatives promptly replaced information technology.
I've also used a Vitamix at home for years, and information technology'south nevertheless my favorite household blender, period. I long-term tested the runner-up, the Oster, for six months and noticed some glaring differences: The Vitamix can handle more without its motor straining, and the Vitamix's tamper is much better than the Oster's, which is actually hard to get down in there.
Over the years, other Wirecutter staffers take expressed dear for their Vitamix blenders. Erstwhile special projects editor Ganda Suthivarakom, who had used hers since 2022 without result, said: "I dear that I can make a lot of vegan recipes for cashew creams without having to soak the nuts beforehand." Senior staff writer Chris Heinonen, who has owned his Vitamix since 2022, guesses that he has "used information technology more than all my blenders in the past combined." The only pocket-sized complaint nosotros've heard is from senior editor Kalee Thompson, who notes: "Information technology'south so tall, it doesn't fit nether the upper shelves over my counters ... and so I'm less inclined to leave it out, and one time information technology's away, I don't utilize it as much." That said, others have told usa how much they capeesh the Vitamix's big capacity.
Flaws simply non dealbreakers
We know that for many people, the biggest issue with the Vitamix 5200 is its steep price. At around $400 or so, it's at least twice the price of our runner-upwardly, the Oster Versa Pro Series Blender. In the past, we've even made the Oster our top pick because of its comparatively affordable price. But after years of testing the Vitamix and using it in our test kitchen, we think it's truly worth the investment. It'south more than durable and all-around more than constructive than whatever other blender we've found, and if you plan on using a blender regularly, it will make your life a lot easier. Plus, consider the cost of buying a smoothie rather than making it at home: A morning smoothie can run from almost $5 to $13, and then in 2 to 4 months you will accept paid the same amount as for a 5200. A Vitamix, by contrast, will terminal you at least seven years (and information technology makes a lot more than smoothies).
At more 20 inches tall, the Vitamix 5200 is a big apparatus—besides large to fit under some kitchen cabinets. But none of the other high-powered blenders nosotros tested were much smaller. Though the Oster is a couple of inches shorter, it also has a beefier base. If size is an issue for you, Vitamix makes other lines of blenders (as mentioned below) that have a shorter profile. Merely nosotros've institute that the tall, narrow shape of the 5200's blending jar is one of the components that assist this machine create such an effective vortex.
Finally, the Vitamix 5200 doesn't come with any presets, just a variable-speed dial. Merely even though information technology'southward nice to be able to press a push and have your blender run through a smoothie-making plan, information technology'south not really essential. Yous'll probably stick close to your blender anyway in lodge to use the tamper to become things moving, and it'southward non hard to adjust the dial if you feel the need to. With the Vitamix it's also easy to get good results without whatever presets.
What nigh other Vitamix models?
The 5200 isn't the but blender in Vitamix's option—if you lot want the blending power of the 5200 but strongly prefer presets, or if y'all need a shorter jar that will fit your space, consider looking into other models. That said, the original 5200 remains our favorite because every new blender from Vitamix comes with a squat jar that doesn't alloy small amounts too equally the 5200's tall and tapered pitcher. (Here's a nautical chart breaking downwardly the features of the dissimilar Vitamix lines; the 5200 is part of the Legacy Series.)
We're currently testing our way through Vitamix's product line. Here's what nosotros think about the models we've looked at then far:
Compared with our top pick, the Vitamix 5200, the Vitamix 5300 has the same 64-ounce capacity and speed-control dial, but information technology lacks the ultra-loftier-speed switch available on the 5200. In testing, nosotros found that the 5300's low-contour jar failed to maintain a vortex also every bit the 5200's narrow, tapered one. Too, for smaller volumes—2 cups or less—the 5300'south tamper didn't reach downwardly quite far enough to burst air pockets. We had to add together more liquid to thicker mixtures, such as date puree and hummus, because the tamper wasn't cut it. The 5300 is part of Vitamix's C-Serial, forth with the 5200 and Explorian models. One perk of the C-Series blenders, albeit a pricey one, is that they all work with the original tall tapered jar, which you tin buy for $150. This doesn't seem like a great deal if yous're ownership a new Vitamix now, but information technology'south something to consider downwards the line if you accept a C-Series blender and find yourself struggling to blend minor volumes.
The Vitamix Ascension serial 2300 and 2500 blenders perform similarly to the 5300 in blending ability and basic functionality, with a graduated speed dial, a pulse switch, and on/off buttons. The 2000 Ascent serial models have bigger control dials than other models and digital timer displays. The departure between the 2300 and the 2500 is that the former is manual only while the latter has three blending programs in add-on to the transmission blending function. Similar all of the low-profile Vitamix blenders we tested, these Ascent models aren't as graceful or effective at blending smaller volumes as the 5200. And unlike the low-profile C-Serial blenders (5300 and Explorian), the Ascent models don't adapt the original tall jar.
The Vitamix Explorian E320, bachelor at Costco, is 99% identical to the 5300. A Vitamix client service representative told us that the 2 blenders had the same motor base, jar, tamper, and functionality. The main difference between the blenders is that the 5300 has a small on/off switch located just below the control panel. On top of that, the E320 is available simply equally office of a package with two personal cups and an adapter.
Vitamix added the Explorian Series E310 variable-speed blender to its lineup in 2022. We chose not to exam this model because we didn't think it was a skillful value. Although it's typically three-quarters the price of the Vitamix 5200, the price divergence is direct proportional to the E310's smaller blending jar (48 ounces versus 64 ounces) and shorter warranty (5 versus seven years). On the E310, Vitamix too replaced the switch that flips the auto from variable speed to loftier power with a pulse switch, thus eliminating the option for one-touch high-power blending. If you lot have limited storage space in your kitchen, you might like the E310 for its shorter acme (about 17 inches tall, compared with the Vitamix 5200, which is about 20 inches alpine). But if you're going to shell out the cash for a Vitamix blender, we still recollect spending a little more on the 5200 is the best choice.
Runner-up: Oster Versa Pro Series Blender
Runner-upwards
We don't think you tin can beat the value of the Oster Versa Pro Series Blender. It isn't quite as powerful every bit the Vitamix 5200, but it is about one-half the toll, and it vanquish out most of the other blenders in its price range at making silky smoothies, purees, and blended cocktails. It has one of the best combinations of variable and preset speeds nosotros've institute, and its settings are more intuitive to employ than those on other models we've tried. Information technology likewise offers features, such equally a tamper and overheating protection, that are usually available only on more than expensive blenders. We don't retrieve the Oster is as durable equally the Vitamix (ours burned out after ii and a half years). But it does come with a seven-year warranty, and information technology's a great option if you're not ready to spring for the Vitamix.
The Oster passed almost every claiming we threw at information technology. And although it failed to achieve the absolute smoothest drink textures compared with the Blendtec or the Cleanblend—it left whole raspberry seeds in smoothies and made a slightly grainy piña colada—its smoothies were yet much smoother than any of the results from lower-priced blenders. As long as the Oster had about 2 cups of nuts to piece of work with, information technology made a decent nut butter (albeit one that was slightly crunchier than the batch nosotros made in the Vitamix). And it whipped up a velvety puree. The merely thing the Oster actually struggled to do was make mayonnaise; nosotros were able to make an emulsification merely once out of four tries.
We plant the Oster easier to control than other blenders of a like price, thanks to its wide range of speeds. Though not as varied as those on the Vitamix, the speeds on the Oster are far more diverse than those on the Cleanblend, which, despite its variable-speed dial, seems to have simply two settings: high and college. In comparing, the Oster's low speed is sane enough that you lot can start pureeing a batch of soup without having hot liquid shoot up the sides of the jar (a trouble with the Cleanblend).
The Oster is the only one of our blender picks to take both transmission speed controls and preset programs for soup, dip, and smoothies. This makes information technology more versatile than the more expensive entry-level models from Vitamix and Blendtec, which have only variable or preset speeds, respectively. To become presets with a Vitamix, or a variable-speed "touch on slider" with a Blendtec model, you demand to spend even more.
The tamper that comes with the Oster is a little likewise brusk and oddly shaped. In contrast to the smooth cylindrical tampers of the Vitamix and Cleanblend models, the Oster's tamper has 3 flat pieces of plastic that come across in the center. But the blueprint works sufficiently to burst air bubbles and help movement things like peanuts around the blades, so it's amend than no tamper at all.
This Oster model, like other loftier-performance blenders, is a beefy motorcar. The base takes upward 8 by 9 inches of counter space. Just at 17½ inches alpine to the superlative of the lid, the Oster will fit better on a counter nether most kitchen cabinets than the Vitamix or the Cleanblend, both of which are more than nineteen inches tall.
Also, like all the other high-powered blenders nosotros tested, the Oster gets loud when yous turn the motor up all the way—much louder than the Vitamix but not as annoying or high-pitched every bit the Blendtec. For now, this is just the way it is with loftier-performance blenders.
Similar the Vitamix, the Oster shuts off if the motor is in danger of overheating. If the Oster'south overload protection stops the motor, you should let information technology to cool for 45 minutes and press the reset button on the bottom of the base before y'all run the blender again. This process reduces the run a risk of permanent motor burnout.
Should it burn down out, the Oster comes with a limited 7-yr warranty that covers "defects in material and workmanship," including the motor and the Tritan jar. That policy is about the same every bit the coverage from Blendtec and Vitamix, which offer eight- and seven-year warranties, respectively, on their models. In our experience, Oster's customer service is courteous and speedily addresses whatever issues with a blender while it's under warranty.
Merely if you're thinking that the Oster Versa will deliver the longevity and performance of a Vitamix 5200 at a fraction of the cost, think once again. The Oster model's biggest flaw is its durability: We found through personal experience that the Versa can burn down out after two to three years of moderate to frequent use (run into our long-term test notes for this model beneath). We've seen some reviews on Amazon (as well as comments from our readers) that mention the aforementioned problem. Only Oster honors its seven-year warranty and is quick to ship a replacement (we got ours in about a week). Although information technology took three attempts for us to get through to customer service by phone during the busy holiday shopping season, nosotros're assuming that hiccup was due to the unusually high call volume that occurs at that time of twelvemonth.
The blending jar, lid, and controls on the Oster also feel cheaper compared with what yous become on the Vitamix. But given that this blender is typically almost $250 less, we're comfortable with the lower-quality hardware.
Long-term test notes
For 3 years, nosotros used the Versa twice a week on average to brand smoothies and soup, and it never quit on u.s.a. during that time—although we occasionally detected a faint burning smell from the motor while we were blending thick smoothies. But the motor permanently died when we formally tested the 3-yr-old Versa again for our 2022 update: 1 minute into our blending the nut butter, the overload protection cut the motor. We should've permit the motor remainder for 45 minutes before restarting, but we allow information technology absurd for only 10 minutes before our 2nd attempt—and that'southward when the motor burned out completely. Yet, our blender was still under warranty, and Oster quickly sent a replacement.
Wirecutter's audience development manager, Erin Toll, uses the Oster Versa then far has no complaints. She told us: "I've had the Oster Versa since 2022, and it's nonetheless going strong (though information technology sat in storage for one of those years). I more often than not use it for smoothies, and it handles water ice and greens so well."
Also cracking: Cleanblend Blender
Also great
If you're willing to accept a take chances on a shorter warranty from a newer company, the 1,800-watt Cleanblend Blender costs about the aforementioned as the Oster Versa and produces effectively purees. In our tests, it blended silkier smoothies and piña coladas than many blenders that toll more twice as much. This model comes with a durable Tritan-plastic jar and a tamper for you to aid motility thick mixtures while information technology'southward blending. The Cleanblend doesn't have any preset buttons, and its variable speeds aren't as nuanced equally those of the Vitamix, but its interface is simple and intuitive to employ. Judging from our long-term testing, the Cleanblend's motor is durable and able to handle tough jobs like nut butter amend than the Oster. It'due south too backed past a complete five-year warranty.
The Cleanblend made some of the smoothest smoothies in our tests, performing better than the Oster and fifty-fifty the Vitamix in that regard. When we strained the Cleanblend's kale and drupe smoothie, barely any raspberry seeds remained in our fine-mesh sieve; the only blender that did ameliorate was the Blendtec. The Cleanblend also came in second, behind the Blendtec, in blending a silky-smooth piña colada. We're talking restaurant-worthy blended drinks here.
For blending other things, the Cleanblend has a few limitations. It doesn't have as wide a range of speeds as the Oster or the Vitamix, and information technology kicks into high gear fifty-fifty at the 1 setting, which in our soup test sent hot liquid shooting upwards to the lid. Although the Cleanblend was improve at making mayonnaise than the Oster, this model'due south motor also seemed to produce a lot of oestrus; its mayo was noticeably warm. Like our other picks (except the KitchenAid, our budget pick), the Cleanblend comes with a tamper, but the bat is a little short. Although information technology works fine for near tasks, don't attempt to make nut butter from fewer than two cups of nuts, considering the shorter tamper won't achieve the mixture one time the basics are finely basis.
Over our long-term testing, the Cleanblend's motor has seemed more durable than the Oster's, though we're not sure it's a match for the motor of the time-tested Vitamix. In our 2022 testing, our four-yr-old Cleanblend and Vitamix blenders both powered through two rounds of nut butter without quitting. The same test fried our three-year-one-time Oster. That said, Oster offers a seven-year warranty on the Versa Pro Series Blender, but Cleanblend offers only a five-yr total warranty.
For an extra $75, y'all can extend the warranty on your Cleanblend Blender to a full of x years. This is a great value when you consider that the blender, including the decade of coverage, still costs nigh $200 less than a Vitamix. If you're looking for the all-effectually great performance of a Vitamix for less than one-half the cost, yous won't discover that here (or anywhere else for that matter), simply the Cleanblend is a expert value when you compare the numbers.
However, Cleanblend's customer service is reachable only by e-mail or a form on its website, and that might not inspire confidence in some people. Both Vitamix and Oster take a customer service phone number that connects y'all to a representative. Fifty-fifty though the Cleanblend seems more durable than the Oster, Cleanblend is such a new company that we're not yet confident in its blender'southward long-term reliability.
The Cleanblend'due south base takes upwards 9½ by viii inches of counter space, nearly the same as our other high-performance picks (our upkeep selection, the KitchenAid, is smaller). And at xix inches loftier to the top of the lid, the Cleanblend is taller than the Oster, simply it has just slightly more than clearance under nigh kitchen cabinets than the Vitamix (which measures closer to 20 inches). Too, like all of the other high-performance blenders we tested, the Cleanblend is loud. Just compared with the Ninja Chef's thunderous roar and the Blendtec's loftier-pitched whine, the Cleanblend'due south sound is far easier on the ears.
Long-term test notes
Senior staff writer Michael Sullivan has used an older version of the Cleanblend at home for about 4 years and says he has never had an issue with information technology. He pulls information technology out most six times a month to make smoothies, sauces, soup, or occasionally emulsifications like mayonnaise. He has fifty-fifty crushed ice in it a few times, and he says that and so far it has never stalled out.
Sabrina Imbler, a Wirecutter staff writer at the time of our tests, used the Cleanblend in her dwelling house for more than than a year. She used it three to four times a week and never experienced stalling or burnout. She told us: "[My] simply minor complaint is that sometimes the blender rattles a bit on top of the base, which makes me a little wary, but otherwise it's nifty. I but utilize it for smoothies and mixed drinks, never whatsoever kind of basics, but information technology pulverizes ice pretty quick. It'south also the perfect size for 2 smoothies. I tend to apply the middle range of speeds, every bit I rarely need the highest, and the lowest is less effective for my needs. And I actually like that information technology's a dial as opposed to number buttons—easier to [creepo] upwardly if my stuff isn't blending fast."
Budget pick: KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Burdensome Blender
Budget pick
If you blend only the occasional smoothie, daiquiri, or soup, you don't need an expensive high-powered blender. The KitchenAid K150 three Speed Water ice Crushing Blender will serve your needs. Offering a depression profile and a 48-ounce blending jar, this blender is the well-nigh meaty of all our picks. In our tests, the K150 proved adequate at blending thick smoothies, simply not without a couple of stops and starts or our having to add a little more liquid to go a consistent vortex going. It tin't puree tough berry seeds as our meridian choice tin can, nor can it produce such velvety-smooth frozen drinks. Nonetheless, the K150 has a mighty motor for the price and will handle most simple blending tasks.
The KitchenAid K150 offers iii speeds plus a pulse setting for crushing water ice. For frozen drinks and smoothies, the 2d speed seems to be the sweet spot, equally that's where we encountered the fewest air pockets. Every bit with most blenders at this price, you need to add together more liquid to get smoothies and frozen drinks to blend with a continuous vortex; otherwise, yous demand to stop information technology a couple of times to pause upwards air pockets. Overall, nosotros were satisfied with the drinks we made in the K150. The piña colada was a piffling icy but not offensive, and the smoothie was what we'd expect from a proficient $100 blender: very beverage, with whole berry seeds and tiny flecks of kale.
When you turn the K150 on, the blades automatically start deadening and ramp up to the set speed, a feature that's peachy for safely blending hot liquids like pureed soups. Merely it'due south still of import that you take precautions when blending hot foods, such as starting on low speed and securing the chapeau with a folded dish towel.
We were pleasantly surprised that the K150 allow us make a small-scale batch of mayonnaise from one egg yolk and half a loving cup of oil. We didn't recollect the jar's wide square base of operations and relatively curt bract span would allow us to emulsify such a small volume.
As its name indicates, the KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender does crush ice. We're not talking professional-grade fluffy shaved ice, but it'll do the pull a fast one on if you desire to make a few snowfall cones on a hot summertime solar day.
The K150 is lightweight and compact—perfect for people who want to store their blender in a cabinet. It also has a low profile (15 inches) that allows it to fit easily in the standard clearance betwixt kitchen countertops and upper cabinets (18 inches). But the pitcher is on the modest side at 48 ounces, and it lacks the comfy condom-clad handle on our other picks.
Every bit an alternative to buying this blender as is (base of operations, 48-ounce jar, and lid), you can become information technology arranged with two personal blending cups for around $fifty more. We oasis't tested the personal blending cups nonetheless, only we'll give them a try soon and report dorsum. KitchenAid also plans to release a version of the K150 with a drinking glass blending jar, though we prefer plastic blender jars for their immovability.
At this writing the K150 seems to take some stock issues post–Black Friday shopping. Nosotros're told that stock should exist replenished some time in January 2022 in a broader range of colors. The KitchenAid K150 comes with a one-year warranty that excludes accidents, drops, misuse, and abuse.
Long-term examination notes
Wirecutter staff writer Sarah Bogdan has the K150, and she and her roommate use information technology a few times a month for smoothies. She says that it blends fruits just fine, merely she wishes that it got a effectively blend with the vegetables she adds similar kale and spinach. However, her roommate who sticks to peanut butter, bananas, and protein powder has no issues with it. It's been a little hard to clean, but she also realizes that's truthful of any total-size blender.
Blender care and maintenance
If you lot notice that your blender is having a difficult time processing ingredients, don't exist afraid to be aggressive (within reason) with the tamper to become the mixture moving around the blades. Also, make sure the blender jar is at to the lowest degree 25% total. Although high speeds will help process smoother mixtures, a lower speed (PDF) may also help ingredients kickoff circulating if they just aren't moving. When yous're post-obit a recipe, information technology's too skilful to add ingredients in the guild listed; blender recipe books tend to be specific with the order (Vitamix, for case, mostly lists ice as the final ingredient).
To limit the chance of hot liquids shooting out the superlative of a blending jar, always start on a low setting and slowly increment the speed (in general, presets exercise this automatically). Never fill the jar by the hot-liquid fill line. And for proficient measure out, to limit the risk of the lid popping off, place a dish towel over the lid, with your paw firmly holding the chapeau downwards, while you alloy.
Paw launder the blending jar with warm, soapy water rather than running information technology through the dishwasher. This will assistance extend the life of the jar. In our own testing, we found that the best manner to make clean a blender jar is to use a bottle castor or a scrub castor; processing water and a trivial soap in the blender jar will assist loosen up tough ingredients such as peanut butter, and the brush should do the residual.
What to look forward to
We're continuing to test more blenders, including the Nutribullet Smart Bear upon, the second-generation model of the three-speed Nutribullet Total Size blender that we mention in the Other good blenders section. Compared with its predecessor, the Smart Touch has extra features including four blending programs and a digital display. We're also testing the Vitamix Rising 3500—the most expensive and characteristic-packed model Vitamix offers. The Ascent 3500 has five blending programs, touchscreen controls, and Bluetooth connectivity that lets yous choose from more blending options via an app on your telephone (though we're not sure how helpful that is on a blender).
Other good blenders
If you're looking for a powerful and bonny blender: The KitchenAid Pro Line Series Blender is a good choice for the aesthetically minded melt. It looks adept when it'southward not in utilise—and good thing, because at 22 pounds, this blender is meant to live on a countertop, rather than existence lifted in and out of cupboards. In our tests it blended silky-polish textures (though not quite as hands as the Vitamix 5200), only it didn't practise well at emulsification. After a few years of long-term testing the KitchenAid Pro Line blender, Wirecutter deputy editor Christine Cyr Clisset says that she really likes it. Christine uses the Pro Line everyday for smoothies and finds the preset blending programs useful on busy weekday mornings. (She did acknowledge, however, that she adds enough liquid to her smoothies so that they alloy without her needing to utilise a tamper.) Christine also frequently purees soups in the Pro Line blender with satisfactory results.
If y'all need speed and forcefulness from your blender: The Braun Triforce Power Blender is a beast. When nosotros tested information technology against other high-powered picks, the Braun Triforce yielded super-silky smoothies in record time—just under a minute. Simply we idea it blended almost as well well. The Triforce's smoothies were liquified and lacked the creaminess and sorbet-like body we got from our other picks. It'due south so powerful that information technology shot $.25 of nutrient through the hole in the lid, spraying our countertop and backsplash with smoothie in the 5 seconds betwixt when we removed the tamper and replaced the hat cap. All that power makes a good nut butter, though. We like the Braun's backlit command panel, which includes a variable speed punch, six blend settings, and a pulse push. We recall this is a proficient blender for the price, if not a picayune as well powerful.
If you're looking for a fairly powerful budget option: Nosotros're impressed with the operation and price of the Nutribullet Full Size Blender. Like the Braun, the Nutribullet tends to blend the body and creaminess out of a smoothie, yielding a more liquified (nevertheless absolutely smoother) issue than our upkeep choice, the KitchenAid K150. The Nutribullet too emulsified mayonnaise on the showtime attempt. It failed our nut butter test, but we've notwithstanding to find a $100 blender that can pulverize nuts into a paste. Afterwards much deliberation on whether to make information technology our new budget pick, nosotros decided to hold off and long-term exam the Nutribullet to gauge its immovability. I'll personally employ the Nutribullet at home over the coming months and report dorsum.
The contest
The knife maker Zwilling at present has a line of pocket-size kitchen appliances that includes the Enfinigy Power Blender. This blender didn't make it by the first circular of our tests because getting a decent xx-ounce smoothie took u.s. over two minutes of blending and vigorous tamping—enough to make my hand sore for ii days later testing. The jar is only too broad, and the tamper too stumpy, to adjust smaller volumes—and nosotros don't even consider 20 fluid ounces "modest." We practice similar the Zwilling's streamlined backlit control panel, which allows you to use just one punch to toggle between the six blending programs and 12 speed settings. Merely the icons are small and might be difficult to decipher for some folks.
The KitchenAid K400 blender is more powerful than the KitchenAid K150 (our upkeep pick) just not enough to warrant its $150-plus cost jump. And in our tests the K400 wasn't nearly as proficient at blending fibrous kale as the less expensive Oster and Cleanblend blenders.
Will the Blendtec Designer 675 blend? Yes, but not likewise as our superlative picks. Despite Blendtec's clever (if at times mildly sinister) video marketing campaign of blending everything from rake handles to iPhones, we've constitute its blenders wanting (we likewise tested the Total model in 2022). Although in our tests the Designer 675 killed information technology in making smoothies and composite drinks, its lack of a tamper limits its usefulness. It failed to make peanut butter (a tamper would have helped), and the preset speed for soup was frightening, with hot liquid flying wildly around the jar. We practise think this particular model is quite beautiful, with a sleek black, illuminated base of operations. It's a slap-up blender if you want something that looks slick on your counter and tin make amazingly smooth mixed drinks and smoothies. But we retrieve a blender that's this expensive should perform well at more than than only those 2 tasks. For more on how the Blendtec stacks up confronting the Vitamix 5200, read our article about testing the two blenders caput-to-head.
We tested the Blendtec Total Blender for our 2022 review just found that it couldn't compete with the Vitamix nosotros tested at the fourth dimension. The hat felt flimsy, and this model'southward panel controls seemed cheap.
The Breville Super Q is a functioning blender that's packed with bells and whistles. In our tests, with its squat jar and powerful motor, the Super Q performed a lot like the Blendtec Designer 675, throwing smoothie upward the sides and into the chapeau. At one point, the Breville shot bits of a smoothie in my face when I opened the cap to add more liquid. The Super Q pulverizes tough foods, but the Vitamix also does that for less money—and with less drama inside the jar. The Super Q also generated a lot of estrus when nosotros made peanut butter—and so much that we had to stop the test early when we noticed steam coming out of the jar. Although the Super Q blended the silkiest piña coladas and came with lots of extra goodies (a 68-ounce jar, a personal blending jar, preset blending programs, and a vacuum attachment that'due south supposed to deadening the oxidation of raw foods), we don't think it's worth the $100-plus over the Vitamix'southward cost, peculiarly since most of those goodies would just clutter your cabinets.
In our tests, the Cuisinart CBT-1500 Hurricane struggled to process foods. Blending thick smoothies and peanut butter required adding more liquid, a lot of starting and stopping, and banging the jar on the counter. It did make mayonnaise on the kickoff endeavour, though, unlike the more powerful Cuisinart CBT-2000 Hurricane Pro. Just without the Turbo button of the Hurricane Pro (more than on that below), this model is just another centre-of-the-road blender.
The Cuisinart CBT-2000 Hurricane Pro performed similarly to the Cuisinart CBT-1500 Hurricane, except it didn't brand mayonnaise as well (we accomplished emulsification on the 3rd try but). We did find the Turbo button useful for creating a fine puree. But again, without a tamper to burst air pockets, this blender needed a lot of tending to produce uniform, smooth purees.
The Ninja Chef CT800 i,500-watt blender is the first high-operation model from this company that doesn't take sets of blades throughout the jar. Instead, the Ninja Chef's blades sit in the base of the jar, as in normal blenders. This model also performed better than its predecessors. But information technology was extremely loud, and our top picks—the Vitamix, the Oster, and the Cleanblend—withal blended silkier smoothies in our tests.
For the price, the Ninja Principal Prep Professional is a decent blender, but we don't retrieve it compares to any of our other picks. It did a surprisingly adept chore of making smoothies, mixing bean spread, and blending margaritas, but the pattern is terrible for making mayonnaise (the motor is top-mounted, and then you can't drizzle anything into the jar). The stacked blades are also dangerously sharp, making them hard to clean. The Ninja Chief Prep Professional comes with 3 blending jars in diverse sizes; we idea that it added up to too many parts and that they would simply terminate up cluttering our cupboards. Overall, the machine felt really inexpensive.
The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 didn't perform well. The greenish smoothies nosotros made in this blender had a weird, confetti-like texture. And the mayo this model made was peculiarly loose, which meant that information technology was whipping in too much air. Every time we ran this Ninja blender, we detected a strong, burning-motor smell. The jar was hard to get on the base of operations, and the chapeau was tricky to clamp on. As well, the base was big, clunky, and cheap feeling.
The Instant Pot Ace 60 Cooking Blender is unique in that it has a heating element in its base, so it tin both cook and puree foods (some high-powered blenders likewise claim to "cook" soup, but they do then only with friction). Subsequently performing all-encompassing testing, nosotros found that this seemingly cracking feature was impractical. We fabricated a decent broccoli cheese soup and a smooth butternut squash puree, but nosotros had to blend each one for longer than the programmed setting to go a creamy texture. And we were disappointed to notice that we couldn't conform the temperature or sauté in the machine, since the heating element doesn't beginning if it doesn't detect liquid in the jar. As such, the Ace doesn't produce the same nuanced flavors that yous'd become if you started with a little caramelization. The heating chemical element also introduces another possible point of failure into a type of appliance that is already prone to burning out.
The Ace whipped up polish peanut butter and did a slightly better chore of pulverizing water ice cubes and tough kale leaves than most of the budget-level blenders we've tested. But it's huge and loud, and its glass jar is heavier and less durable than the Tritan plastic jars of our picks. The jar's wide base of operations likewise makes information technology difficult for the Ace to form a powerful vortex (instead flinging ingredients all over the jar).
The 1,800-watt Hamilton Embankment Professional person Blender performed well in our tests. When we used the transmission speeds, the blender's digital readout showed a countdown timer, which was helpful considering the instruction manual advised against continuously running the motor for more than two minutes. Only the preprogrammed settings didn't effectively keep the mixture moving when air pockets occurred. In add-on, the on/off buttons are angled upwards at the elevation of the base and thus susceptible to food and grime buildup over time.
The Braun PureMix is a small, tamper-less blender, and information technology didn't print united states in the to the lowest degree, with a flimsy jug and a lightweight base. The PureMix had a difficult time blending our smoothie, and nosotros needed to add so much liquid to the mixture that the texture was way also thin—yuck! We disqualified the Braun after our first test.
The Waring Commercial Xtreme made notably smooth smoothies, and it felt substantial. Simply ultimately it didn't perform improve than our picks from Vitamix, Oster, or Cleanblend. If we were willing to pay this much for a blender, we'd instead go for a reconditioned Vitamix 5200. Nosotros do similar that Waring has a metallic jar that yous can buy for this machine.
Sources
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Midpriced Blenders (subscription required), America'due south Test Kitchen
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Andrew Gebhart, Ry Crist, From smoothies to pesto to almond butter: 13 blenders reviewed, CNET , August 22, 2022
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Lisa McManus, executive editor of equipment testing at America's Examination Kitchen, interview
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Jonathan Cochran, author of the Blender Dude blog, interview
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J. Kenji López-Alt, Vitamix vs. Blendtec vs. Breville: Who Makes the Best High-Stop Blender?, Serious Eats , December 16, 2022
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-blender/
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