Smoothie Blender - A Personal Smoothie Blender For Good Nutrition

A smoothie blender pretty much looks the same as a counter top blender, but as you'll soon discover, there are some slight variations that do separate the two from each other. So study up on them and see what the differences are before purchasing your first blender.

What are smoothies?
Ok, so why in the world would you want to get a smoothie blender over a normal counter top blender? Simple... because you want to make smoothies, right? And what is a smoothie? Well, that is obviously subjective, but it's very similar to milkshakes, only one would use fruits, vegetables, ice, milk, spices and other ingredients that your heart desires. Many people often add yogurt to their smoothies to give them a more creamier texture. All of these ingredients would then be combined and mixed within a smoothie blender, which is much healthier to drink than say soft drinks such as Coke, Pepsi or other artificially flavored beverages.

Good nutrition is always important -- and so many smoothie recipes pack so many vitamins and nutrients, that we'd almost believe it wasn't true. I means, seriously, how can something that tastes so good actually be good for us, right? But guess what? They are! And people have been drinking these tasty treats since dawn of time -- and somewhere along the lines, people called them smoothies due their smooth texture.

Smoothie Blender by definition
Smoothie blenders are also commonly referred to as smoothie makers or smoothie machines. They are designed specifically for smoothies, whereas normal counter top blenders are devised in such a way as to grind and blend all sorts of other ingredients, such as more course vegetables, soups, etc. They can also be used for shredding and chopping vegetables, which is a much more beneficial appliance for those that cook (like me!) However, in these modern times, you can find a great smoothie blender which can accomplish such tasks as a counter top blender, all without hurting your wallet, especially since counter top blenders are often a lot more expensive. Breaking down the blender specifications, we can define the components into 4 basic parts:

1. Lid
Most smoothie blender lids have pouring snap caps built into them. This is for storing the pitcher in the refrigerator and it helps ease with pouring into a glass. Many are made of plastic and rubber.

2. Container and/or Pitcher
Most smoothie blenders have a plastic pitcher. This is more lightweight and convenient due tot he very nature of what it blends. Since most smoothie blenders do not mix large or thick vegetation, there will be less scratches on the plastic pitcher and it also helps keeps the costs low from a manufacturer's point of view. Some of the more expensive units also use glass pitchers, but whether to buy one with a glass or plastic pitcher is entirely subjective as well. It's really up to your own preference. I actually prefer plastic over glass because I broke my last glass pitcher from washing it. It slipped through my hands as I was drying it -- and therefore now prefer plastic. But there are benefits to glass over plastic, such as food odors and scratch resistance -- but again, I have used both and saw no reason to spend an extra $100 on a model with a glass pitcher... at least, not for smoothies.

3. The Base
Again, to keep costs down, most manufacturers make the base out of plastic for their smoothie blender. I actually raised my spending budget just a tad bit to make sure I got a really good heavily constructed base. You should look for this as well. A heavier base is always good, especially since the pitcher with your smoothie recipe will be top heavy. Some plastic bases are well constructed -- so make sure you get a good one.

Inside the base you find the motor. Now this is what really makes smoothie blenders differ from other counter top blenders. Most smoothie blenders are not that powerful and offer around 500 watts of power, as opposed to other blenders that offer onwards of 2000+ watts of power. The more power, the quicker the blending time and easier it is to blend or mix vegetables/fruits. This is why counter top blenders can chop apples, pears, etc. whereas many smoothie blenders cannot. However, there are certain models that have more power (1000 watts, see the video review above) and can blend most fruits with no problem.

4. The Blades
Most smoothie blenders have only 2 blades for blending, whereas most counter top blenders have 4-6 blades. The more blades you have, the faster and more blended your outcome will be. Some more advanced smoothie blender models have 4 blades (such as the one I reviewed in the video above), and I highly recommend this. 4 blades will surely smooth out that drink for you in a lot less time, especially when adding ice cubes and thicker fruit.

Upon reviewing the construction and parts, there is also one more BIG DIFFERENCE -- most smoothie blenders contain a dispensing spout built into the blender that allows you to pour the beverage into a glass without removing the pitcher from the base. This is obviously a huge benefit for smoothie drinkers.

So now that you understand the differences, you can make your own decision as to why you need one -- if you do at all. For me, price was a major player towards buying a good blender. I didn't want to spend more than $100 on a smoothie blender and I wanted something that was more dedicated to making smoothies rather than the functionality of a counter top blender. We (my husband and I) drink smoothies all the time, so it's nice to be able to slide the pitcher into the fridge and use the pour spout. I have a different counter top blender for my other blending necessities -- so this works out great! Cheers!