Once upon a time best blender was a simple thing: It had “high” and “low” settings and, for the home cook, probably had a limited set of uses. Now, in the era of the high-performance blender—kitchen appliances with motors powerful enough to move a small boat—a blender can do a whole lot more than just blend. It can crush ice and turn it to snow with ease, it can mix nut butters, heck, it can clean itself. But do you need it to?
The best blenders
Vitamix Professional Series 750
KitchenAid 3-Speed Ice Crushing Blender
When it comes to blenders, Institute of Culinary Education chef instructor Richard LaMarita says you should ask yourself a few things first: How do you plan to use it? Will it just be single-serve green smoothies in the morning, hummus in the afternoon, and blended margaritas at night? Will you make batches of hot soups and purées? For the former you may be able to get away with a little personal blender, for the latter you’ll want to go with something more heavy-duty.
Next, assess the functions you want and how they’re presented on the machine. Is it digital, just a few buttons, or a dial? “Some of these [blenders] are very complicated. Some are very simple,” LaMarita says. “They maybe have just two or three things to press. Others can have up to 15 little buttons to press.”
Then, think about what makes up the blender itself. Is it durable? What’s it made of—glass or BPA-free plastic? How’s the motor? According to LaMarita, lower-end blenders will have 200 to 300 watts. Medium range will have 300 to 500 watts, and over 1,000 watts will do some “serious blending” (though the more powerful a blender, the louder it’ll be).
Feel a little overwhelmed? Don’t worry. Read on for our expert-recommended blender options.
Bon Appétit test kitchen pick: Vitamix 5200
Pros: High power blender and easy to use
Cons: You can’t take the blade apart for cleaning
When asked for his opinion on the best blender, food director Chris Morocco said, “If you get anything other than a Vitamix 5200, price better be the only reason.” Indeed, Vitamix holds a similar place in the blender space that Le Creuset does with Dutch ovens and KitchenAid with stand mixers. The brand makes a ton of different high-performance blenders, some with specialized functions and programs, some without. While you could opt for the more compact and affordable Explorian model or one of the souped-up Ascent series models, Morocco recommends Vitamix 5200 for its mix of simplicity and power. Working the 5200 is pretty easy for the average home cook, something Morocco especially likes about the 5200. You turn the knob to your desired speed setting and flick the blender’s switch on. There’s an additional switch for pulsing as you’re blending.
“The haptic feedback (the process of a machine providing physical stimulus in response to its use): Turn the blender on, crank up the speed, and then hit the max power—it’s a sequence that you progress through three distinct, physical control interventions in a graduating sequence,” Morocco says. If that sounds a bit academic, what he’s getting at is that the manual controls and variable speeds make using the 5200 really intuitive. Especially when developing and testing recipes, the blender’s simplicity combined with its sheer power allows him to better tailor his blending to exactly what he needs, as opposed to dealing with the presets that come with other Vitamix models.
Specs
Power: 1,380 watts
Speeds: 10
Volume: 64 oz.
Warranty: 7 years
The best blender according to the pros: Vitamix Professional Series 750
Pros: Wide container, high power, easy to use, and super durable
Cons: High price point, very heavy
Vitamix Professional Series 750
Another high-end blender model from Vitamix, the Professional Series 750 is actually part of the same Legacy line that the 5200 is. The 750 brings the same powerful motor as the 5200, though the 750 does have some additional features. It offers programmed settings for making smoothies, frozen desserts, soups, and purées in addition to the standard 10-speed options—all manually selected by turning a simple knob. The containers for the 5200 and 750 Professional blender hold the same volume, but the 750’s is wider and shorter; a style that Vitamix calls “low-profile.” That means it will fit more easily under cabinets. (Note: You can get a low-profile container for the 5200 if you prefer that style or have a small kitchen that demands it.)
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