Cooking can be a great hobby for many reasons. Not only does it make delicious and healthy meals, but it also allows for creative expression and a coping mechanism for distress. Whether you’re just starting and learning the basics or a professional cook looking to experiment with new ingredients or techniques, there is always something to discover behind your kitchen pantry.
One of the best ways to make your cooking experience a fun memory is to avoid any problems when it comes to kitchenware. Impossible as it may seem, though. However, you may lessen the trouble this may cause during your cooking time. One trick is to get an advantage by learning more about your kitchen equipment.
Kitchen Tools: Blender, Juicer, and Mixer
What is a Blender?
Blender is a kitchen tool used to mix, crush, puree, or combine two mixtures of food and other substances. One of its primary functions at home is to break the ice. Blenders also liquefy and emulsify soft food ingredients such as fruit and yogurt, resulting in a rich, smooth texture. It typically consists of a motorized base, plastic, glass, or stainless-steel container or jar, and a rotating blade at the bottom.
The motor powers the blade and spins to blend or chop the ingredients or substances in the blender’s container. Blenders are commonly used to make smoothies, milkshakes, soups, sauces, and other liquid-based foods. Some blenders also come with additional attachments, such as grinders or food processors, which allow them to perform a broader range of kitchen tasks.
Common Types of Blender
There are three main types of blenders:
1. Countertop Blenders
This is one of the common types of blender available in the market. A countertop blender is a classic kitchen appliance with a motor base under a jar with blades inside. These traditional blenders are used in bars, coffee shops, and restaurants. It offers multiple blender speed settings for blending, chopping, and more. This type of blender comes with jars of various capacities, typically 4-8 cups.
2. Immersion Blender
A hand, immersion, or stick blender can be blended in a bowl, pot, or cup of your choice. This type of blender is compact and easy to store, allowing you to carry the blender with you if you have a small kitchen or one. Since the volume is not determined, you can blend in small or large amounts.
Hand blender speeds vary from two to nine. Some models have variable speeds, so you can smoothly go from blending and chopping to whipping and whisking. This speed range allows you to blend hard ingredients into a smooth consistency and can also be beaten and aerated for light, fluffy results. Most home hand blenders have an 8-inch blender arm and work well in standard stovetop pans, small containers, or shallow pans.
3. Single-Serve Blender
Popularly known as bullet blenders, single-serve blenders come in varying sizes, but most can make a single or double-serve drink. Their way of working is unique as the ingredients are placed in a bullet-shaped container with a screw of chopping blade to the top, and the whole thing is upside down to the bullet blender base. Originally, single-serve blenders are used for smoothie drinks, but their use can vary depending on personal needs, such as a quick pancake batter or other types of liquid recipes.
4. Portable Blender
Portable blenders are a new kind coming to the market and should be distinct from personal blenders, which generally refer to single-serve bullet blenders. These blenders consist of a clear glass tube, one end of which is screwed into a blade base containing a motor. The other end is screwed onto the lid. The blender is lightweight and smaller than your average hydro flask, making it practically portable.
5. Stand Mixer
A stand mixer is also known as a cake blender because most people use it for cake mix purposes. It’s similar to an immersion blender or hand mixer but much more powerful. Most people use these mixers for cake dough, but they usually come with various attachments that can turn them from simple mixers into highly versatile kitchen tools.
What is a Juicer?
Also called a juice extractor, a juicer is a kitchen appliance for juicing fruits and vegetables used to grind, crush, or squeeze fruits and vegetables to separate the liquid residue from the pulp. The extracted juice can be used for drinking and cooking and is often used to add nutrition to meals. Some types of juicers also work as food processors.
Common Types of Juicers
1. Centrifugal Juicer
These juicers are the market’s most popular and common type for many reasons. First, they work fast and make great-tasting juice. Second, it produces a high-speed good to separate the juice from the pulp more quickly. Unfortunately, the juices aren’t as healthy as other juicers because the blades spin too fast to extract all the last nutrients from the fruit.
2. Manual Press Juicer
Manual juicers are not electric. Instead, the user must put the fruit inside and press the lever firmly to crush the fruit. A lever pushes down a piston that forces the fruit into the filter. A fine-mesh filter does not allow the pulp and skin to pass through, leaving only the juice behind.
3. Masticating Juicer
Masticating juicers are the most specific type of juicer and produce significantly more nutritious juice than a centrifugal juicer, but it is slower and more expensive. It is also known as a cold or slow juicer with a drill to press and crush the produce before the juice is squeezed out along a static screen and the pulp is discharged through a separate outlet.
Masticating juicers come with vertical and horizontal designs. The vertical one looks great, takes up less counter space, and runs faster, but both types are slower than other juicers. The horizontal ones produce high-quality juice compared to the others.
4. Triturating Juicer
A triturating juicer uses two gears inside the machine to grind the ingredient between them. The gears are tightly fitted to completely extinguish the product and extract all the juice, leaving only a dry chunk of skin and pulp. Even leafy produce can get crushed in this type of juicer.
But whether your product is thin or thick, soft or firm, a triturating juicer is perfect for extracting the last bits of juice and nutrients. However, tight-fitting metal gears are a little more expensive, making this the most expensive type of juicer.
What is a Mixer?
A mixer is a small device used to blend, blend, or beat food ingredients in kitchen tools. It usually consists of a motorized base and a removable mixing head, with different attachments depending on the purpose of the kitchen task. It features a gear drive mechanism that rotates a series of beaters in a bowl containing food or liquid to be prepared by mixing. Mixers help automate repetitive tasks like stirring, beating, and whipping.
Common Types of Mixers
1. Hand Mixers
A hand mixer is a handheld device. A handle is mounted on top of the housing that contains the motor. A motor drives the beater, which is dipped into the food to perform the mixing action. This kitchen mixer is easy to store, portable, and relatively inexpensive.
2. Stand Mixers
For larger baking projects choosing a stand mixer is the best option. Usually double the speed of his electric hand mixer, this heavy-duty appliance includes a mixing bowl and a whisk. A stand mixer attaches a motor to drive the rotary motion to a frame or stand that supports the weight of the equipment. Stand mixers are larger and have more powerful engines than handheld mixers. A special bowl usually locks in place while the Mixer is running. A typical home mixer includes a whisk for whipping cream and egg whites, a flat beater for mixing batter, and a dough hook for kneading.
3. Dough Mixer
Dough mixers are used for domestic or industrial use, used for kneading large amounts of dough. It is motorized and has a timer and various controls to suit the user’s needs. Dough mixer functions include:
- High speed.
- Low speed.
- Bowl inversion (which can be determined with program combination).
- A kneading stick in the middle of the bowl.
Difference Between Blender, Juicer, and Mixer
A juicer extracts the juice from a fruit or vegetable and separates it from the pulp by crushing, crushing, or squeezing the liquid, leaving only a thin, fiber-free juice. However, blenders cannot separate ingredients and substances from their liquid. Instead, they blend them for a thicker consistency. Meanwhile, a mixer is used to whip crèmes, beat eggs, knead the dough, and mix cake batter or cookie dough. A blender mashes the food, while a mixer reduces solid food particles into smaller sizes, and a juicer primarily extracts the liquid portion of a substance.
Conclusion
Cooking is an art and a skill that has many benefits in your life. For others, cooking showcases creativity while enhancing physical and emotional well-being. Start with, practice regularly, and invest in quality tools. Remember that cooking is a never-ending journey; there is always something new to learn and discover. Knowing the differences between kitchen tools and their types will surely help your kitchen experience a hassle-free one.