Do you have a blender? Do you use it?

[Winchester]

About 15 years or so ago, my old (very old) Oster 10-speed blender bit the dust. I should add that it was given to us as a wedding present in 1971 and it was in the 1972 flood from Hurricane Agnes. I took it apart and cleaned it very well and never had any qualms about using it. But it died and I never bought another one. 

And, you know, I never really miss it. Except for one recipe for a certain kind of apple pie that makes its own crust (Bisquick recipe). It calls for most of the ingredients to go into the blender and blended for 3 minutes, followed by a 5-minute rest to let it all mingle a bit. That's pretty much the only time I used it, unless a recipe specifically called to use a blender. And when it went to that big appliance heaven in the landfill, I didn't really miss it.

Until lately. When I make that apple pie now, I use my KA mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes and then let it rest for 5 minutes and take it from there. But I'm wondering.....if I had a blender, would I really use it? I'm wondering if it would be worth the space on the countertop. I do have a KA 12-cup food processor that I use fairly often when I need uniformly-sliced vegetables or shredded cabbage and the like for coleslaws. And I make pizza dough in it from time to time.

Those of you who have blenders, do you really use them enough to make having it worthwhile? What do you use them for mostly?

 

[betsygee]

Breakfast smoothies with frozen fruit, almost every morning.  

 

[di and bob]

Like almost everyone I received one for a gift (does ANYONE buy their own?

) I didn't use it for a long time but now use it when I can my taco sauce. I also use it on the onions in my goulash so my grandson can't see them and refuse to eat! 

We also use it for smoothies once in a while. I guess it's one of those things that you don't use very often, but they are nice to have around.

 

[denice]

I use it for smoothies when I am on a health kick otherwise I never use it.

 

[catlover19]

I use it for smoothies and milkshakes sometimes. I have a baby bullet blender that I use to make baby food and will start using it soon since my son is starting baby food.

 

[sugarcatmom]

I LOVE my blender! Vitamix, and yes, I bought it (you don't get one that expensive as a gift). I make nut butters and milks, vegan cheese, soup, blend spices, bread crumbs, homemade flour, cocktails, fruit smoothies....you name it, I can make it with this blender. Is it wrong to be in love with a kitchen appliance?

 

[larussa]

No and no

 

[rubysmama]

 But I'm wondering.....if I had a blender, would I really use it? I'm wondering if it would be worth the space on the countertop.

I'm on a bit of a smoothie kick,  so I'm using my blender every couple days or so.   I keep it up in the cupboard, which is a bit of a pain, but I hate a cluttered counter top.

 

[sivyaleah]

I use mine now and then, mostly for smoothies and the rare milkshake.

I bought a really good stick blender last year.  I tend to utilize that way more.  We're only two people and the blender is a PITA to clean for so little output.

 

[oceanbreathes]

I use mine daily for smoothies and will be using it soon to make vegan cheesecake(very easy recipe).  My current one is a cheap plastic blender and it works poorly but I can't justify the cost of a new one.  I don't own a mixer either as my $3 one just died sooo... that blender is going to be put to work.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

We also received one as a wedding gift.  In those 12 years; it's probably been used 6 times. So I guess once every other year? 

  I also received a smoothie maker as a wedding/Bridal shower gift.  That has had a little more use.  One of my co-workers used to have an annual office/pool party at her house and I brought it to make smoothies there.  Both are a pain to wash if you don't do it right away. The smoothie maker more so because it has a spout.  It's essentially just a glorified blender.  The last time I made a home made smoothie we just used the regular blender.  Mostly it gets moved back and forth when I need the big crock pot; which is regularly.  it's too tall to fit under the shelf in the bottom cabinet where I keep that stuff.

 

[cheshirecat]

I second the Vitamix.  I got mine from QVC as a special.  It's the one that is short enough to fit under the kitchen cabinets.

Unfortunately I don't use it as much as I should.  But if you are going to buy one you might as well get one that does it all. 

The last time I used mine it was to grind coffee beans.  Premium coffee was on sale and I didn't read the fine print and got the whole bean by mistake.   I don't have a coffee grinder and decided to try the blender.   It worked so well I swear that thing could grind rocks.

 

[Willowy]

I have a little Magic Bullet that I bought recently (hey, $35 at Costco, why not), before that I didn't have a blender and didn't really miss having one. But I occasionally make smoothies now so that's nice. I tried making hummus in it last night and it worked OK but I had to shake it a lot. Not very powerful. But it made it nice and smooth. I do have a nice Cuisinart food processor my mom gave me, and that took care of most of my blending needs.

I know for a fact I wouldn't be someone who could get their full money's worth out of a Vitamix :tongue2:. My mom keeps saying she needs one but I know she wouldn't use it very often either.

 

[tuxedoontheloos]

I've got a little magic bullet I got for 99 cents at a yard sale. I use it all the time for smoothies. I wish I had something bigger/slight more powerful though, because I miss being able to make humus and do creamed soups.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I have a blender that I bought years ago at a yard sale. I keep it in a bottom cabinet in my kitchen. Once in a while it comes out for a milk shake. I used to use it to chop cabbage, but the instructions said cover the cabbage with water. I didn't really like wet cabbage for coleslaw as I had to pour it in a colander and wait for it to dry enough to finish. Now I use a food processor for coleslaw. In fact, Winchester You have me considering take it to the thrift store. :lol3:

 

[parsleysage]

We do smoothies so we have a Magic Bullet (what we started off with) and a NutriBullet (what we graduated to). They are super simple to use and clean. They also make killer milkshakes, haha, so I try not to buy ice cream to avoid temptation!

I think a tool in the blender family that is incredibly useful is the immersion blender. We use this for soups, sauces, etc. I make a really awesome crockpot marinara sauce and I use the immersion blender to get it to just the right texture, thick but not chunky. Oh, and you can also use it to make milkshakes, too!!!

 (Keep the darn ice cream out of the house!!!) I think we got it for $25 at Costco. Definitely worth the price.

 

[Draco]

I Have a blender, and I've never used it.

I have the Magic Bullet which I prefer to make smoothies and shakes, as the container is a glass itself and I find it easier to use and clean. Perfect for a single person like myself

 

[pushylady]

After 15 years of hardly ever using my Oster blender, I've finally put it in storage (next step the thrift store). It was weak and frustrating to use and never blended even breakfast smoothies very well.

I finally bought a Kitchen Aid immersion blender a couple of years ago, and I absolutely love it. So useful! I saw another immersion blender with a couple of attachments for $30 on sale at the supermarket, so I bought that one too.
I also have Ninja mini chopper & blender set which is really awesome. I love it so far and would totally recommend it. I use it all the time for making salad dressings and chopping up onions and garlic etc. Works great.

 

[jcat]

DH got himself a blender to make smoothies, which he does quite often. I tend to use it to puree tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, soup, etc., or an occasional milkshake.

 

[pinkdagger]

I have a blender. I asked to take it with me when I moved out of my parents' place two years ago since they never used it. I used to make smoothies, but now it's more for making cat food, soy/almond milk, and bird food (in order of frequency).