Blender facts for kids
A blender is a cool kitchen tool that helps you mix, chop, and blend different foods. You might also hear it called a mixer or liquidiser, especially in places like the UK. It's super handy for making things like smoothies, milkshakes, or even soups!
Most blenders have a container with a spinning metal blade at the bottom. This blade is powered by an electric motor in the base. Some strong blenders can even crush ice or frozen fruits. There are also immersion blenders, which you hold in your hand. They have a motor on top and a blade at the bottom, so you can use them in any pot or bowl.
Contents
What Blenders Can Do
Blenders come with different features, but even simpler ones can do a lot! When people buy a blender, they often look for things like:
- Easy-to-read measurement marks on the container.
- How easy it is to use.
- How quiet it is when it's running.
- How much power it uses (usually 300–1000 watts).
- How easy it is to clean.
- If it has a quick "pulse" setting for short bursts of blending.
Countertop Blenders
Countertop blenders usually have a container that holds about 1 to 2 liters (4 to 8 cups). These containers can be made of:
- Glass: These are heavier and more stable.
- Plastic: These can scratch easily and might hold onto food smells.
- Stainless steel: These look nice, but you can't see the food blending inside.
Most countertop blenders have several speed settings, from slow to super fast. The container is designed to make the food move around in a whirlpool shape. This helps all the food touch the blades and get blended evenly.
Some blenders need a little liquid to work best, especially with solid foods. The liquid helps move the solids around so they can be chopped by the blades. More powerful blenders can grind grains or crush ice without needing any liquid.
Immersion Blenders
An immersion blender is a hand-held tool. It doesn't have its own container. Instead, it has a mixing head with spinning blades that you can put right into a pot or bowl. This is great for blending large amounts of food, like a big pot of hot soup, without having to pour it into a separate blender container.
You usually have to hold down a button for the blades to work, which can sometimes make your hand tired. Immersion blenders are good for quick, specific tasks, but countertop blenders usually have more uses.
How Blenders Are Used
Blenders are used in homes and restaurants for many different things. Here are some common uses:
- Turning soft fruits and vegetables into smooth purees.
- Mixing ice cream, milk, and sweet sauces to make milkshakes.
- Crushing ice and mixing drinks like smoothies or frozen margaritas.
- Making mixtures smooth and creamy (this is called emulsifying).
- Grinding small solid foods like spices or seeds into powders or nut butters.
- Mixing powders, granules, or liquids together very well.
- Helping solid ingredients dissolve into liquids.
Blenders are also used in science labs, especially in areas like studying tiny living things (microbiology) and understanding food (food science).
The History of Blenders
Blenders have been around for a long time!
North America
In 1919, a Polish-American chemist named Stephen Poplawski started designing drink mixers. He got a patent for his mixer in 1922. It was first made to help mix malted milkshakes at soda fountains. He also created the first "liquefier blender" that same year.
In the 1930s, a musician named Fred Waring helped make a new and improved blender called the "Miracle Mixer." Later, in 1937, he released his own blender, the Waring Blendor. Waring helped make smoothies very popular in the 1940s.
Also in 1937, a company called Vitamix introduced "The Blender." It was a very strong blender with a stainless steel container, unlike the glass ones used by others.
In 1946, John Oster bought Stephen Poplawski's company and created his own blender, called the Osterizer. This brand is still popular today!
Europe
In Europe, a Swiss inventor named Traugott Oertli developed a blender in 1943 called the Turmix Standmixer. He also created a special juicer that could be used with the Turmix blender. His company promoted healthy eating by sharing recipes that used natural fruit and vegetable juices.
After World War II, other companies in Europe started making blenders. One popular one was the Starmix Standmixer from Germany, which came with many accessories like a coffee grinder and an ice cream maker.
South America
In Brazil, Waldemar Clemente created the Walita Neutron blender in 1944. He even came up with the word liquidificador, which is still used for blenders in Brazil today. Walita became very successful, selling over a million blenders by the early 1950s. They even made blenders for other big companies like Philips and Siemens. Later, Philips bought Walita in 1971.
Another company in Brazil, Arno, started making blenders in 1947. Their Liquidificador Arno was sold in many South American countries.
More Modern Blenders
As drinks like smoothies and Frappuccinos became more popular, blenders kept getting better. New commercial blenders often have special covers to make them quieter and computer controls.
Some blenders are made just for smoothies. They might have a little tap to pour out the drink easily. Some even have a special stirring rod built into the lid, so you can stir your mixture while the blender is running without touching the blades.
In 1996, Tom Dickson, who started the company Blendtec, created a special blending jar design. This design made it easier to blend thick mixtures without needing to use a stir stick. This new design was so good that another company, Vita-Mix, started using it. Because of this, Blendtec won a lawsuit against Vita-Mix in 2010.
How Blenders Work
A blender has a few main parts: a casing, a motor, blades, and the food container. Inside the casing, an electric motor spins the blades. A small rubber seal stops liquids from getting into the motor.
Most blenders have different speeds. Since blenders don't have gears like a car, they change speeds by using different parts of the motor's wiring. Each wiring setup makes the motor spin at a different speed, depending on how much resistance the blades feel from the food inside. Some older blenders used a mechanical system to keep the speed steady, and newer ones use electronic controls.
Blenders in Pop Culture
In 1949, the company Vitamix advertised their blender on one of the very first TV infomercials. The show was 25 minutes long and suggested using the blender to make things like bread crumbs, potato pancakes, and even a drink with whole raw eggs and their shells!
Images for kids
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An electric blender
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An immersion blender is also called a stick blender or hand blender.
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An electric juicer can extract juice from fruits and vegetables.
See also
In Spanish: Licuadora (trituración) para niños
