According to the Association of American Home Appliance Manufacturers, over 90 percent of households own a blender. Blenders are used to mix various foods such as vegetables and fruits.
They help break down solid foods, mix dry ingredients into liquid form, and are also used to mix juices and nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks.
Blenders help us cook and prepare foods faster and easier. They come in all shapes and sizes depending on your need and the size of your kitchen.
Counter space in your kitchen is valuable. Making this kitchen appliance a fixture on your kitchen counter really only makes sense if it gets a lot of use.
Fortunately, blenders are extremely versatile, and you can get a lot of power in a small package.
If you have a smaller kitchen, your best bet is to have smaller, more-compact kitchen appliances, including a blender, to keep from cluttering up space. Often, a portable blender and an instant pot are all you need for heavy-duty kitchen appliances.
If you’re new to using blenders, you may ask the following questions: How much counter space do blenders take up? What specifically does a blender do? How much should you spend on a blender? What are the best blenders on the market?
Blenders don’t necessarily take up a lot of space unless you have a small kitchen. If you have a large kitchen, blenders will only take up a small portion of that space and can be easily put away without taking up much space.
Most people with a small kitchen or limited space will opt for portable blenders, immersion blenders, or handheld blenders.
Keep in mind when assessing the space that blenders take up that you’ll likely need some room on your counter for organizing and processing your blending activities. You’ll want to factor in extra space for prep.
Additionally, the space a blender takes up will be larger than the size of the base of the blender. Blenders tend to fan out. The pitcher handle or blender jar will tend to jut out and take up more space than just the base that is in contact with the counter.
However, if you don’t care to have large appliances, have a small apartment kitchen, or live in a dorm, a smaller, personal blender will be your best bet. Personal blenders are good for shakes, smoothies, and pureeing small amounts of sauces and liquids.
Personal Blenders are Extremely compact and Don’t Take Up Much Counter Space
For students living in dorms, a personal blender is perfect. Many students love making smoothies, shakes, and drinks for themselves, their dormmates, and friends on campus.
Here are some smaller, personal blenders for those who have limited space ordered from smallest to largest depending on your space requirements.
The Nutribullet GO portable blender
Here are some factors to consider when choosing a blender and how much counter space blenders take up.
Deciding the size of a blender, or the blender cup capacity, will depend on two things: how much counter space you have available for a blender and how many people you plan to entertain.
There are different kinds of blenders - countertop blenders, immersion blenders, commercial blenders, and pastry blenders.
As already discussed, if you have limited space in your kitchen, that will play an important factor in determining what blender is best for you. You want to have the right amount of space for your blender.
In General, Larger Blenders Have More Powerful Motors and Can Handle More Challenging Blending Tasks Than Personal Blenders
Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook with limited space. Things become cluttered, lost, messy, and confusing, which may result in your food not turning out how you would like.
When choosing the best blender for you, always consider how much counter space the blender will take up.
The next thing to consider when choosing the best blender is how many people you plan to entertain. Don’t assume smaller or personal blenders won’t get the job done. You’ll be amazed at the speed of some personal blenders.
If you’re blending for a small group of people (four or less), a blender that makes 8 to 24 ounces or 1 to 3 cups is your best choice. For more than five people, a blender that can produce 32 to 64 ounces or 4 to 8 cups is best.
Another thing to consider is if you prefer to blend once or use several cups. Do you or your family or friends like to have the option of choosing different flavors?
What functions are you looking for in a blender? Most standard blenders are powerful enough to break down ice and solid foods, mix, stir, and puree.
But if you’re looking to do more chopping and grinding then a blender with a chopping blade and a fast processor is best. A blender should be at least 500 watts of power - that’s the standard and the minimum.
Be sure the blender is powerful enough to do what you want it to do. There’s nothing more frustrating than purchasing a blender that can’t break down or chop up solids, puree, or grind foods satisfactorily.
If you’re looking to blend softer foods or mostly liquids, you won’t need that much power. Additional power is usually for those looking to mix vegetables, ice, and fruit.
Remember, the more powerful the blender, the faster and more multifunctional it is. If it can crush ice, grind meat, and make nut butter, it’s powerful. If it can do these tasks within a few minutes, it’s fast.
Another thing to beware of is to avoid going higher than 10 on the power settings unless you’re a professional. If you’ve set your speed higher than 10, and are not paying attention, the blender can get away from you, creating a mess in your kitchen.
Also, don’t go less than three on your speed. There’s not enough power to maintain.
If you don’t have enough space in your kitchen, you may want to pass on having multiple cups. But if you have multiple people living in the house, you may consider purchasing a blender with multiple cups.
There may be no way of getting around a noisy blender if you’re using it to blend items that require a higher speed. Unfortunately, the higher the speed, the more noise the blender will make.
Understanding how a blender works will help one decide how much counter space blenders take up. The average blender comes with a motor, plastic or glass jars, and a blade. Blades break down solids and blend liquids.
Blenders work similarly to a food processor. Blenders are mostly used for making smoothies or drinks or making anything with a smooth, liquid texture.
Food processors chop, grind, and slice ingredients. However, immersion blenders are more like food processors.
