Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

BLENDER

Browsing
Food

Not Everyone Mixes What They Promise!

Just a quick mix? Stiftung Warentest has currently tested a wide range of blenders. There were 18 devices ranging from inexpensive smoothie mixers to medium-priced stand mixers to high-end high-performance mixers. Who stands out with their performance? And who turned out to be the surprise loser?

A fresh smoothie or a creamy vegetable soup? Stand mixers are used again and again in the kitchen and puree vegetables and fruit in no time. But what are the differences between the devices? Because the result does not always meet expectations. So how do you find the blender that suits you best?

What do you want to mix?

Not every mixer is equally good at all tasks. Irrespective of the test results below, one must first become aware of what the device is actually intended to mix?

  • Smoothie mixer: They are suitable for smaller amounts of up to 600 milliliters, i.e. about two glasses of fruit juice or smoothie. Most of the mixing containers can be closed with a lid and can be easily taken with you.
  • Stand mixer: If you want to make purees or baby food, for example, it is best to use a stand mixer. Even smoothies with a high liquid content are no problem for him. A good blender will even conjure up mayonnaise.
  • High-performance mixer: For ambitious hobby cooks, either a food processor with a matching mixer attachment or a high-performance mixer is worthwhile. They can be used to mix, puree or, in the case of ice cubes, crush larger quantities.

The stand mixer was put to the test!

In total, Stiftung Warentest tested 18 different mixers. These included six smoothie mixers, seven devices with an output of up to one kilowatt, and five more powerful mixers with an output of more than one kilowatt. The test result summarizes, among other things, the respective handling, the lifespan, and the quality of the preparations. The smoothie mixers should conjure up green smoothies and mixed fruit drinks.

The blenders, including the high-performance devices, had to prove their skills in the preparation of green smoothies, ice cream drinks, mayonnaise, pancake batter, nut butter, baby food, and cold vegetable soups. They should also crush ice cubes and chop parsley and onions.

AEG SB25003 makes the best smoothie!

All six smoothie blenders tested, regardless of the price, are safe to use and deliver a good smoothie result. However, the devices from Clatronic and Russell Hobbs fail in the endurance test and give up before the halfway point of the test. The smoothie blender from AEG emerged as the winner of the test.

Braun blender prevails

If you want to use your mixer often and in a variety of ways, it is worth spending ten to 20 euros more in the category of stand mixers up to 1000 watts. The general mix result is not responsible for the poor rating of the cheaper devices from Russell Hobbs and AEG, but rather the poor handling and short shelf life.

The knives of the mid-priced Bosch mixer spin when making baby porridge, and all devices fail when making thick nut butter. The best was the Braun JB 5160 blender. The result of Krups’ most expensive mixer was only “satisfactory” – it failed to handle. In general, all devices are comparably heavy and noisy.

Big loser: Kitchen Aid

High-performance blenders are generally expensive, except for the €172 WMF blender, which has a “satisfactory” rating. The biggest weakness here is putting on and taking off the mixer attachment. The fast blades of the Vitamix puree are best, it even crushes small raspberry seeds. The second good in this group is the Gastroback Mixer. For noise and durability, the Kitchen Aid mixer receives the grade unsatisfactory. In the endurance test, a drive belt tore early and a pitcher broke.

Hand blender vs stand mixer

Many households already have a hand blender – isn’t that enough? For comparison, Stiftung Warenest tested the successor to a good hand blender from test 8/2011 (see test.de/stabmixer). He did well! It usually purees and mixes well or very well, but does not crush ice. He chops herbs and onions much better in the chopper attachment than in standing devices.

The conclusion

If you want to drink a fresh smoothie every day, you are well-advised to use the AEG smoothie mixer for 40.50 euros. Cheaper devices are more difficult to handle and one has to reckon with the release of critical substances from the silicone seals.

For applications that go beyond preparing a smoothie, a blender is worthwhile. Not everyone is worth their money, but here, too, it is better to invest ten euros more. Otherwise, it could happen that he is not her kitchen helper for long. In any case, you are well served with the Braun blender, as it does what it promises for its price.

Keep Reading
By
Cooking Tips

Froth Milk: With a Hand Blender, Without a Frother and Other Variants

Whether on coffee, cocoa or chai latte: frothed milk is part of it. Here you can find out which methods you can use to froth milk.

There are countless ways you can froth milk – from whisks to fully automatic milk frothers. The reason why you can whip the milk at all is mainly due to the natural protein content in milk. It is around three and a half percent. However, how good the froth is depends on the temperature of the milk: about 60 to 70 degrees is ideal, but you can also produce milk froth from cold milk.

Finally, the waiting time also has an effect on the milk froth: it is creamy immediately after frothing, a little later some of the milk becomes liquid again and solid, coarse-pored froth settles on top. Depending on how you like the milk best, you can use it straight away or wait a moment before mixing it with your drink.

Frothing milk – with which accessories?

There are different types of milk frothers on the market. You will find electric or mechanical hand milk frothers, fully automatic devices or cups with a movable sieve insert. But you can also use some household items to froth milk.

Froth milk with a hand blender

Almost everyone has a hand blender in their house. Have you ever used it to whip creamy soup? You can also use it to froth milk.

Since the milk squirts quickly, you should pour it into a tall, narrow container.
Note that the volume of the milk can almost double when frothed. Fill the container only half full with milk.
You can either froth the milk cold or warm it up beforehand on the stove or in the microwave. If it’s steaming but not yet boiling, it’s at a good temperature.

Froth milk by shaking

You can get by without electricity if you fill the milk in a screw-top glass and shake it vigorously for 30 to 60 seconds. Again, you should not fill the glass more than half full. Accordingly, this method is more suitable if you only want to froth a small amount of milk. If you want to heat the milk in the glass before or after frothing it in the microwave, the glass must be microwaveable.

Froth milk with a whisk or hand milk frother

Frothing milk with a whisk takes some strength and practice. You’ll get better and easier frothed milk if you use a hand-held milk frother instead. There are both electrically operated and mechanical variants. You can buy them for just a few euros, but they sometimes differ greatly in the quality of the milk froth. You can froth both small and large amounts of milk.

Mechanical milk frother for the stove

From around 15 euros you can get milk frothers made of glass or stainless steel. They usually come with strainers that you slide up and down to create foam. With a little practice you will get very good milk froth in this way.

Depending on the capacity of the vessel, you can froth different amounts of milk. A disadvantage is that most stovetops have a larger diameter than the milk frother and therefore some of the energy is lost during heating. You can also froth the milk cold or heat it up in a saucepan and then decant it. When buying such a milk frother, you should make sure that the sieve insert can be cleaned easily

Warm up and froth milk with an electric milk frother

Electric milk frothers are the most convenient option: they not only froth the milk, but also heat it to the right temperature. This works either by induction or by a concealed heating coil at the bottom of the vessel.

Stiftung Warentest tested milk frothers in 2017 and found that most electric milk frothers produce much better froth than you can with a hand blender or hand-held milk frother. However, the test also showed that really good devices are comparatively expensive at at least 50 euros.

From an environmental point of view, it is difficult to say whether electric milk frothers have a higher consumption than heating milk on the stove or in the microwave. There are milk frothers that consume more or less. However, electric milk frothers are more resource-intensive to produce than, for example, a screw-top glass. So before you buy it, you should think twice about whether you will really use the milk frother on a regular basis.

Which milk is the best to froth?

When shopping in the supermarket you will find a large variety of animal milks and plant-based milk alternatives. Since the latter usually have a lower protein content than cow’s milk, they do not froth as well. Of the plant-based milk alternatives, soy milk is the best for frothing.

In the meantime, however, you can also find oat milk in stores that has been enriched with proteins so that it foams better. However, it is cheaper if you make your own plant-based milk with a suitable protein content.

In principle, the fat content of the milk is irrelevant for frothing. However, the fat makes the foam creamier and also serves as a flavor carrier. The same applies to the degree of freshness of the milk: You can froth both long-life milk and fresh milk, but you will get the better taste result with the latter.

Keep Reading
By