What to look out for when buying a power blender

How important are presets in a power blender?

In my experience of importing and testing blenders for over 28 years, I see the benefits of presets, provided you also have a variable speed facility. Presets are very important for saving time and maintaining consistency in your blend. For example, when making a wholefood smoothie recipe without a preset the level of smoothness can be different every time.

When making a hot soup, you load the jug with the appropriate veggies and hot boiling water, select the soup preset, switch it on, and in a few minutes the blender will switch off and your soup is ready.

The third advantage of presets is that they are designed to start the blend at a low speed and to work up when blending food, this means that you do not have the impact of an instant high speed.

In addition to the presets the blender should also have manual speed control to run the blender at the speeds you want, and for the time you want.

The MiHealthmaker offers 6 presets, variable speed, and a timer.

How important is it to have a pulse facility on a power blender?

Having a pulse facility on a power blender is important as it allows for quick bursts of power, making it easier to control the blending process and achieve the desired consistency for your ingredients. MiHealthmaker blender uses the on-off switch for pulsing.

Is the blender with the highest HP the best

Most definitely not!

When looking for a power blender, do not be duped into believing that the higher the hp (horse-power) the better the blender, and the better the blend result.
A well-engineered blender with a calculated combination of blades, jug shape, and motor will give the creamiest blend.

What preset programs does the MiHealthmaker power blender have?

The MiHealthmaker power blender that I chose out of many, many blenders that I have tested over the past 28 years, has got presets. It also has variable speed control and the combination is great. MiHealthmaker offers 6 preset blending programs:

Shake
Smoothie
Ice Cream
Sauce
Soup
Cleaning

The two major advantages of preset programs are the ability to switch on and to walk away, knowing that the blender will switch off when it has completed the cycle. The second and more important benefit is that each smoothie blend with the same ingredients will be consistent to the last and every shake will be consistent.

How important is it to have variable speed?

I consider variable speed to be at the top of my list of power blender requirements. It gives you total control over the blend which is really what you want out of a power blender.

The MiHealthmaker has a 10 speed variable control.

Why select a power blender instead of a bullet blender

Bullet blenders have become very popular and provided they are powerful enough they do a great job. However, the investment leaves you with numerous limitations. A power blender offers:

Much greater capacity – mostly 2 litres compared to maximum capacity of 700ml
Speed control which extends the use of the blender enabling you to make so much more
The pusher / tamper that is supplied with a power blender enables you to process non-liquid produce
The vented lid of a power blender allows you to heat soup until it is really nice and hot
Larger jugs mean you do not have to chop all the produce up into small pieces
Some power blenders such as the MiHealthmaker have preset programs where you can switch on, get the product blending and walk away. It will turn off automatically.
The motor size of power blenders are all more powerful than those in the bullets
Once you have experienced the absolute smoothness of a great power blender you would not want to compromise by using a bullet blender

Does the blender have a warranty and is it repairable?

Warranty on blenders varies considerably. There are many with a one year warranty and they are usually not repairable.
It is therefore really important when investing in a blender to know that it has at least got a two year warranty and that it is of sufficient quality to be repairable, otherwise it becomes a throw away. So often I have heard customers say that they have bought so many cheap blenders that burn out so now they have decided to buy a quality blender that would be repairable if necessary.

Are blender jugs that are manufactured from plastic safe to use for food?

The jugs of all modern blenders are manufactured from food-safe BPA-free polycarbonate, ensuring that no toxic materials leach into the contents of the blend.

Is the power blender you choose going to make a really creamy smooth smoothie?

High speed motors are not a guarantee that you will get a very smooth smoothie. I have tested numerous blenders and they do not all come up to scratch in making that awesome creamy texture on the tongue. I can guarantee you that the MiHealthmaker power blender offers an excellent smoothness.
Photo credit: Alex Lvrs on Unsplash