In just a few years, blenders have gone from niche appliances to must-have kitchen tools. It’s no surprise why: Blending is the perfect way to blend wholesome raw ingredients into tasty smoothies, soups, sauces, and more in just seconds. But what if you don’t have a blender? Or you don’t want to buy one? It can be frustrating not having the right tools for blending your favorite foods. Not to worry! There are plenty of ways you can blend without a blender.
How To Blend Without A Blender
1. Blend with a hand mixer
Hand mixers are great for blending dry ingredients, such as flours, seeds, and nuts, into a smooth batter. They can also be used to blend wet ingredients such as soups and smoothies.
2. Blend with a food processor
Food processors are great for blending small amounts of dry ingredients such as flour and grains into a fine powder or paste. They can also be used to make sauces, dressings, dips, or spreads.
3. Blend with a food chopper
Food choppers are great for blending small amounts of wet ingredients such as soups and sauces into a smooth consistency. They can also be used to make dips, dressings, spreads, and marinades.
4. Blend in a blender jar
Blenders are great for blending large amounts of ingredients at once but they do have their limitations: For instance, they can’t be used to make smoothies or purees that contain cream or eggs. For those types of foods, you’ll need a blender jar or hand mixer instead. You can use any small jar with a lid as long as it fits inside your blender’s pitcher cup securely and doesn’t leak when full. The lid should also fit securely enough that it won’t unscrew itself during use. Some jars come with two different lids; one for when you’re blending hot liquids and one for when you’re blending cold liquids. If the two lids don’t fit together snugly, you’ll need to transfer the hot liquid from your blender bottle to the jar before proceeding with your recipe so that your blender can properly blend both ingredients at once without leaking or spilling over the sides of the container while blending them together (which will happen if the jars aren’t completely sealed).
5. Blend in a food processor
Food processors are great for blending large amounts of ingredients at once. They can be used to make smoothies, purees, soups, and sauces. They can also be used to make dips and dressings.
6. Blend in a blender cup or pitcher with a hand mixer/stick blender attachment
Blender cups are perfect for blending large amounts of ingredients at once such as smoothies or purees with yogurt, applesauce and other fruit purees, soups and sauces that contain cream or eggs, etc… I use mine all the time when making milkshakes or protein shakes (I use my Bullet Blender). They’re also great for blending protein powders into a fine powder so they don’t clump up while you’re grinding them up with your Magic Bullet Blender (see below). You’ll need to buy a hand mixer/stick blender attachment separately if you want to blend dry ingredients together in the same container you’re using for making your meal with the rest of your ingredients. This is because most blenders only have one blending cup which is too small for most dry ingredients (especially if you want them blended as fine as possible) so you’ll need an attachment to blend them in their own separate container instead. Make sure your hand mixer/stick blender attachment has enough power; the higher the speed setting on your machine, the finer the consistency of your blended ingredients. The higher the speed, the less time it will take to blend your ingredients together.
Why Can’t I Use A Blender?
1. Blenders are too expensive
Blenders are not cheap. Most of the ones I’ve seen in stores cost between $40-$120 and some of them even cost upwards of $200. They can be expensive, but there is an alternative. You can purchase an inexpensive blender that will do the same thing as a more expensive blender. The only difference is that the less expensive blenders may not have the same warranty and they usually don’t have all of the bells and whistles that more expensive blenders have (like a motorized base or a glass jar for blending hot liquids). If you know you’re going to be making smoothies all the time, it would probably be worth investing in a better blender if you can afford it and since they are so versatile, you’ll find many uses for your new blender other than just making smoothies by using it for soups, sauces, dips and dressings as well.
2. Blenders take up too much counter space
I don’t personally have a problem with this because my kitchen counter is fairly large so I don’t mind having appliances on my countertops (I’m OCD about organization anyway). If you’re someone who doesn’t like having appliances on their countertops because they take up too much space or because they look tacky (like many people), then consider purchasing a hand mixer/stick blender attachment separately so you can use your Bullet Blender to blend dry ingredients instead of paying extra money for another appliance that does exactly the same thing.
3. Blenders are too loud
Although some blenders are noisy, most of the time they aren’t very loud at all. I’ve never had a problem blending blended ingredients with my Bullet Blender because it is not very noisy, but if you do have a problem with noise or with someone else in your household complaining about it while you’re trying to blend something, then consider purchasing a quieter blender or blender attachment (there are quiet blenders and attachments out there).
4. Blenders are difficult to clean
This is true only if you don’t use your blender very often (and if you don’t want to purchase an attachment because they’re expensive). If you make smoothies daily, then yes, blenders can be a little messy to clean up after making one smoothie. If you take the time to rinse them out and put them back into their storage containers when finished making one smoothie, then this shouldn’t be an issue for most people since most people don’t make smoothies every day anyway.
5. Blenders can’t handle frozen fruit (or other ingredients)
If you use your blender to make smoothies, then you’re probably going to be using frozen fruit or frozen ingredients most of the time and if you have a problem with this, then consider purchasing an attachment that can handle frozen items. I personally don’t have a problem with frozen ingredients because I make them into ice pops and smoothies all the time.
6. Blenders don’t come with recipes/instructions
Most blenders come with a recipe book but if you don’t want to purchase one or if you want more specific instructions on how to use your Bullet Blender, then consider purchasing an additional instruction booklet from Amazon or from the company itself so that you know how to clean it properly and how to use it properly (there are many different instruction books that are available for purchase).
Other Ways To Blend Without A Blender
1. Blender Bottle
Blender bottles are a great way to blend ingredients in the kitchen without having to use a blender. They’re easy to clean and they’re also easy to travel with, so I highly recommend them.
2. Stick Blender
If you don’t want to purchase any additional appliances, then consider purchasing a stick blender like the Nutri Ninja Auto Pitcher. It’s powerful enough, it’s not too noisy, and can handle anything from frozen fruit to nuts and seeds all at once. If you don’t have a stick blender, then consider purchasing one because they’re cheap and it will make blending things in the kitchen much easier.
Wrap Up
Blenders are amazing kitchen tools, but they aren’t the only way to blend food. In fact, you can blend with many different kitchen items. If you don’t have a blender or prefer to blend without one, you can look to other kitchen tools. You can use a food processor, hand-crank blender, or other manual blending method. Blenders aren’t right for every kitchen. If you don’t have a blender and want to blend your food, try looking at other options.
