Seven Items Never Place in a Blender

Blenders can be one of your best kitchen allies, from delicious smoothies to savory sauces. This versatile appliance has so many applications that you probably use it to prepare various delectable dishes. 

Regardless of the type of blender in your kitchen, safety concerns are associated with its use. Many common mistakes can be easily avoided by adhering to a few general guidelines, ranging from those that can damage your blender to those that can lead to dangerous accidents. 

To ensure you get the most out of your blender, we’ve compiled a list of foods you should never put in. 

1. Foods That Are Thick & Gooey 

Maintain the optimal condition of your blender by avoiding giving it anything it cannot process. At first glance, potatoes, dough, and other thick or sticky foods may appear suitable for blending. Don’t be fooled by their courteous appearance. 

It may be tempting to drop one of these into a blender and let it chop, stir, and mix the ingredients for you, but this is the wrong tool for the job and will likely damage the blender. If the foods are too dense, the kitchen may become unsafe for others. This is because excessively dense foods will cause the blender to work harder and overheat. This will destroy the device and increase the risk of fire or electrical danger. 

As if that wasn’t reason enough to avoid blending these foods, this is a terrible method for making mashed potatoes. You will likely not obtain the fluffy, delicious results you desire. You will end up with a disaster of starch. 

The same applies to the dough. Not thoroughly mixing your dough can be a problem when baking, resulting in unpleasant floury lumps in whatever you’re attempting to create. And nobody desires to consume that. 

Try using a stand or hand mixer instead of a blender for these foods. Not only will you obtain better results, but you will also have less to clean up. 

2. Sticky Foods 

We enjoyed dehydrated foods immensely. However, these are incompatible with blenders. 

Sun-dried tomatoes and other dehydrated fruits are challenging to blend, but they frequently leave a sticky residue on the blender’s blades. As a result, you are left with a sticky mess that is a nightmare to clean. And if you don’t clean it thoroughly, other blended foods will likely have an odd aftertaste. 

A second reason to avoid placing sticky foods in the blender is that the leftover residue can dull the blades. Eventually, this will make it more challenging to blend other foods, necessitating the replacement of the blender. 

If you are determined to blend dried foods, try soaking them in water or juice beforehand. This will make combining the foods easier and reduce the risk of device damage. 

3. Hard Foods 

Most blenders can be severely damaged by blending anything too tricky. You are most likely to encounter difficulties when attempting to incorporate extremely dense foods, such as spices or frozen ingredients. 

These Foods Might Comprise: 

• Blender Frozen fruit 
• Frozen vegetables 
• Complete ice cubes 
• Entire spices 
• Coffee cherries 

Frozen foods are a common ingredient in many of your favorite blender recipes, but you don’t need to give them up. Partially thaw frozen fruits and vegetables before blending to resolve this issue. Try substituting crushed or nugget ice for larger ice cubes in recipes that call for ice. This will make blending much simpler. 

4. Fibrous Foods That Are Tough To Grind 

Although they are essential to a healthy and balanced diet, high-fiber foods can be problematic for blenders to process. Broccoli is one of the worst offenders and should only be blended after being steamed or boiled. 

Unless you have a top-of-the-line commercial blender, some high-fiber foods will shred rather than blend, leaving you with a stringy smoothie. This also presents a challenge with the cleanup. 

It should be noted, however, that if blended in small quantities with a large number of liquids and other foods, you will likely experience few problems. Therefore, do not entirely exclude broccoli. Certainly not yet. 

5. Hot Liquids 

Always exercise extreme caution whenever handling scalding liquids. This is not crucial when hot drinks, such as soup or bulletproof coffee, are added to a blender. 

Steam from hot liquids can build up inside a blender, potentially creating enough pressure to “blow” the lid off and spray scalding liquid everywhere. Even if the top remains in place, the steam may burn you if you remove it. 

If you have an inexpensive blender, you can anticipate that the excessive heat will wear and dull the blades. This will reduce its efficiency, necessitating an earlier replacement than anticipate. 

This is undoubtedly a situation where it is better to err on caution. If possible, allow all liquids to cool before blending. It can constantly be reheated after consumption. 

6. Spoons (And ALL Other Utensils) 

This is a matter of common sense. However, let’s take a moment to remind everyone that you should never stick an object into a running blender! 

Spoons, forks, knives, or any other implement may be used to force stubborn food into the mixture. All these items can become entangled in the rotating blades. This could not only damage your blender and scatter food, but it could also endanger your safety. 

So, how should you deal with all these foods that refuse to go down? 

The safest action may be to turn off the blender and remove it from its base. Then, a spoon or other implement presses it into the mixture. Replace the lid and turn the appliance back on. Before turning on your blender, ensure that any utensils and, more importantly, your hands are always out of the way and the lid is securely attached. 

7. Attachments That Aren’t Designed For Your Blender 

Blenders may be equipped with a variety of attachments. Although they can be very convenient for the home cook, they are incompatible with all models. It is essential, therefore, that any attachments you use with your blender are manufactured by the same company and designed for your device. 

Attachments not intended for your blender’s base may not fit properly and will probably cause damage to both the base and attachment. Under extreme conditions, you may increase the likelihood of electrical shocks or fires.