All of these items are processors of food in that they are used to process food in different ways.
Blenders, mixers, food processors and juicers are all useful domestic appliances which can save you time and energy in the kitchen.
We thought it might prove helpful if we explained exactly the differences between each appliance in order to help guide you in your choice and help you decide which is best suited to your cooking style.
BLENDERS
Blenders are ideal if you like to make smoothies, soups, batters, pesto or nut butters.
They can liquefy ingredients in just a few minutes, including hard items such as ice, raw chopped vegetables, nuts etc.
There are basically two kinds of blenders:- firstly, the counter top or jug blender and then there’s the hand held blender.
The hand held version is much smaller and cheaper. It requires you to hold it in the ingredients and move it through the mixture whilst it blends.However, it does get into the corners of pans to ensure you reach all of the food.
Counter top or jug blenders are more expensive but can work with much larger quantities. They can also handle harder ingredients such as nuts,coffee beans, ginger, spices ec without problem.
FOOD MIXERS
These are really used for baking and a good food mixer will make a great addition to any kitchen.There are two main types available, a stand mixer which sits on the work top or a hand held mixer.
A stand mixer needs counter space in the kitchen and top of range models can be fairly expensive but generally they are longer lasting and come with various types of blades and whisks / mixers, including dough mixer attachments etc.
Hand held mixers are also known as electric whisks and are best suited to doing small tasks such as whipping cream or mixing eggs. However, the larger stand variety can easily cream butter and sugar, as well as mixing batters.
FOOD PROCESSORS
Food processors are useful time-saving appliances. They can chop, shred, slice and grate food items that are too tough to do by hand.Generally the motors are smaller and less powerful than a blender so they don’t pulverise food to a liquid, but can make chunkier mixtures such as hummus, pesto, stuffing and mayonnaise. They can even be used like a food mixer to knead dough with the right attachments.
JUICERS
Juicers have become popular with those who are trying to eat healthily because they’re an easy way to consume more fruit and vegetables. A juicer separates the juice from the insoluble pulp or fibre and this will give you a thin, liquid juice that’s easy to drink.