11 Foods You Should NEVER Put in a Blender
A blender is a wonderful and handy appliance that can do wonders in every modern kitchen. It blends, whips, and homogenizes all kinds of things in the span of seconds! With its magical help, you can grind your own flour, make a healthy smoothie, or even make pancake batter in no time! The blender is a really multifunctional tool, but even though it looks like you can put anything in it, including ice cubes, there are some things you are really better off not putting in a blender. And, there are good reasons for this. There is a very big chance for you to break it and damage it, as well as other not-so-expected possibilities. You can blend foods that lose their nutritional value or consistency in the process, or you can get unpleasant-smelling ingredients in all the wrong cracks and crevices of this device. So, continue reading to find out which food should never go in your blender:
It is important to know which types of food you should never put in a blender
Things you should NOT put in a blender
#Super high fiber foods
Broccoli, celery, and spinach are dark green leafy and cruciferous vegetables with super high fiber content. However, they break down in the blender and lose all their good nutrients. If you put raw broccoli in the blender, its fiber will turn into strands that will spoil your smoothie, and it won’t deliver the nutrients you need! So, keep these foods away from your blender.
Broccoli will lose all of its nutritional value if you blend it
#Nuts
Consider the fact that you can break the blender blades or motor when grinding hard nuts. Aside from that, its power and speed can also crush the nuts to the point where you would not be able to taste them in the recipe at all! So, preferably, crush nuts in a mortar or a pestle and add them to your recipe.
Nuts, especially harder ones, should not be put in a blender
#Meat with bones
If you want to grind meat in a blender, food processor, or chopper, always check thoroughly for bones. They can seriously damage the appliance, or they might remain partially ground, which in turn can cause serious damage to your oesophagus or intestines. So, keep nuts away from your blender!
Never put meats with bones in a blender, there is a big possibility for it to break
#Dark green leafy vegetables (at room temperature)
Since these vegetables are an indispensable part of every healthy vitamin smoothie recipe, you cannot possibly pass them up. Just do not make the mistake of putting them in the blender if they have been at room temperature. Why? Because that easily damages a large amount of fiber in them. You will keep them from getting mushy and brown when processing in a blender if you freeze them for just 5 minutes before grinding.
You should freeze dark leafy vegetables for five minutes before blending
#Potatoes
You probably think that a blender is the perfect gadget for making delicious and creamy mashed potatoes. Well, actually, it is not. A blender may be great for whipping potatoes until completely smooth and without lumps, but it will certainly make the mashed potatoes too elastic and not fluffy. The disturbance in the elasticity of the mash is due to the potato starch. When it is processed with the metal blades at a very high speed, its structures tend to break down, causing it to firm up and become sticky and gloopy rather than fluffy and light.
Your blender is not at all suitable for making mashed potatoes
#Hot foods and liquids
If you think blending your soup in the blender is a good idea, think again. It is very likely that your blender will “explode” when you put the hot soup in, in the hopes of turning it into a creamy soup. When you put the blender lid on and run on high speed, the steam from the hot soup will have to be released somewhere. And, the only way is up. This can cause explosive conditions and turn your kitchen into a complete mess. Besides, most blenders are made from plastics and thus are not designed for hot foods and liquids!
Never think about blending your hot soup with the help of a blender
#Dough
If there is one thing that definitely does not belong in a blender ever, it is dough. There are special attachments for kneading dough in a food processor, but definitely not in a blender. Dough and other pastry mixes are delicate. If you use white flour, which contains gluten, it is supposed to make the dough soft and elastic. High speeds and aggressive rotation of the blender blades, however, will harden the dough, and destroy the gluten, and the end result will not be delicious or nice.
Tip: Want to learn how to make very good dough? This guide for making pizza dough is the perfect start! 🍕
Sticky and springy food like dough should never be put in a blender
#Whole fruit
When you are making a smoothie in your blender, you are probably too lazy to cut up the fruit beforehand. Since the blender will blend it, there is no point in doing that, right? Well, this strategy is wrong. Throwing whole fruit into the blender bowl can cause damage to the appliance, and it may leave larger chunks in the mixture than you wouldn’t expect. To thoroughly homogenize the mixture you want to achieve, chop the fruits and vegetables in advance. There is no need to be careful or pretty with it, tho, smaller chunks of fruit will do.
Always make sure to cut up your fruit when making smoothies
#Coffee beans
If you do not have a coffee grinder, you probably think you can substitute it with a blender. Coffee could be ground in it, right? The answer is no. The beans will not grind smoothly in the blender, which can harm the quality of the coffee you make. And, this can also clog up your coffee machine. What’s more, blender blades can also clog or dull more quickly. However, make sure to use your coffee grounds as a natural indoor plant fertilizer, as it will work magic for your plants!
Tip: There are many great ways to use old coffee grounds in your garden. Read our article to learn how you can give some extra love to your plants!
Do not think that you can use a blender as a coffee grinder
#Foods with a strong smell
Grinding garlic, ginger, onions, and similar pungent foods in a blender is not a good idea. For such foods it is best to use the traditional methods – chopping, pressing with a special press, or mashing in a mortar. Tried and tested and as old as the world ways of preparing garlic, onions, and chili peppers have been used for centuries for a reason. So, you can definitely skip the blender for this one!
Never blend pungent foods like garlic, onion, and ginger in your blender
#Too much/too little liquid
It is not preferable to overfill the blender with water because you will splash the liquid out of the blender and things won’t blend well. Too little liquid, on the other hand, also risks damaging or overheating the motor. So, always follow instructions on how much liquid you need to put in the blender.
Tip: Have you ever wanted to make the perfect smoothie bowl? These healthy smoothie bowl recipes are all you need.
Putting too much or too little water is disastrous for your blender
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