Care and Cleaning of Your Kitchen Blender

For scratch cooks and bartenders, a blender is one of those multi purpose kitchen appliances that we just can't live without. Not to be confused with a hand mixer (which mixes up food with a pair of rotating paddles), a blender is a counter top kitchen appliance that looks a bit like a juice pitcher with a chopping blade in the bottom. These blades can be set to rotate at different speeds which gives the blender versatility in food preparation. The blades can chop, mince, or liquefy solid foods, chop ice, or mix and blend liquids.

A decent kitchen blender starts at $50 with professional grades topping out at $200. Because they are expensive, it's worth the extra effort to take care of them properly.

The kitchen blender assembly

A counter top kitchen blender has several components. The largest piece is the pitcher; this can be made of either plastic or glass, and comes with a lid that has a removable knob, called a "blender ingredient cap."

At the base of the blender pitcher is the blade assembly. Some pitchers have removable collars which contain the blade and a rubber gasket or ring, and are designed to be easily removed for cleaning. Other models do not have a removable blade assembly; these blades are attached directly to the base of the pitcher by means of a rod.

The final component is the base that contains the motor. It is on the base that the speed settings and the electrical cord are located.

Cleaning your kitchen blender

SInce blenders are electrical appliances, the base should never be immersed in water. Instead, the base and the cord should be cleaned by a wiping down with a warm, sudsy cloth, then wiped clean with a damp cloth, and dried with a soft cloth. If your blender model has those old style push buttons, a gentle scrubbing with a slightly damp, but soft bristled toothbrush will remove food particles that have built up around the button openings. To remove grease buildup, a little Dawn dish detergent can be used.