Cheap blender: what to check before you buy one

A cheap blender can make smoothies, sauces and soups. It will struggle with ice, hard frozen fruit and nuts. Know what you want to blend before you buy, and you avoid most of the regret.

Here is a short way to decide.

What will you blend?

Ruling: if your main use is ice and frozen fruit, spend more. If it is soft fruit and sauces, save money.

Check these five things

1. Motor watts. A rough guide is 500 to 700 watts for a basic blender. More watts do not guarantee better blending, but very low numbers struggle.

2. Jar material. Glass jars resist scratches and smells but are heavy and can break. Plastic jars are light and tougher to drop, but they scratch and can hold odors over time. Pick by how you handle things.

3. Blade design. Look for a blade assembly you can remove and clean, and for a jar shape with ridges that move food down.

4. Controls. Two or three speeds and a pulse button are enough.

5. Warranty and return. A clear window and a one year warranty are a good sign at this price.

Personal blender or full size?

A personal blender with to go cups suits one person. It blends one smoothie and you drink from the same cup. It is cheap and small, but it handles less. A full size jar blender handles soups and family batches. An immersion (hand) blender goes into the pot for soups and is the easiest to wash. For a first kitchen, cookware for a first apartment shows what to buy before a blender.

Will you use it enough?

A $30 blender used twice a week for two years is about 200 uses, or 15 cents a use. If it ends up in a cupboard, it costs $30 for a handful of uses. Be honest. See cost per use, explained for the method.

Safety

• Do not blend hot liquid to the top. Steam builds up and can push the lid off. Fill less and vent the lid, as the manual says.
• Unplug before you clean the blades.
• Keep fingers away from the blade assembly.

Walk away if

• The lid does not click or lock.
• The jar sits loose on the base.
• The base is very light and walks across the counter.
• A strong burning smell is reported in the first weeks.

Make a cheap blender work better

1. Add liquid first, then soft items, then ice.
2. Cut fruit into small pieces.
3. Blend in short bursts.
4. Do not overfill the jar.