Foods you should never put in the blender

Blenders are extremely useful and versatile kitchen appliances. They are great for preparing a variety of healthy dishes, purees, smoothies and more. But there are some things that should never find their way into the blender. Here are the most important ones:

• Dried fruit: the reason why these shouldn’t be blended is that they have a hard texture and they might ruin the blades of your blender. While there are blenders out there strong enough to be able to process them, for those of you who are using just average blenders, it is best to avoid them. Same goes for frozen fruit. If you do want to blend dried fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. anyway, make sure you soften them first by soaking them in warm water and defrost first any frozen fruit you want to blend
• Hot liquids: Don’t get us wrong; preparing soups or purees with your blender is something normal and even recommended; just make sure you don’t put any soup or liquids while they are still boiling hot, because the pressure and steam can burst the lid and literally blow the soup in your face. Allow some minutes for the soup to cool a bit before you place it in the blender
• Nuts or coffee beans: They are all very hard and may damage your blade, not to mention the fact that not all blenders are equipped with motors powerful enough to be able to process them smoothly
• Garlic and other powerful smelling spices/foods. Unless you want your dessert or morning smoothie to have a garlicky flavor, you should avoid blending anything that’s too flavored. No matter how much you wash the container afterwards, the smell and flavor might impregnate and remain in there for a long time
• Meat that still has bones. Whether it is fish, chicken or any other animal, make sure you check for any missed out bones before you add them in the blender. Or even better, try to avoid blending meat altogether, unless absolutely necessary, because meat will never taste and feel the same after it’s been blended; it will change its texture and consistency
• Mashed potatoes: although mashed potatoes are a common dish, it is better not to mash them using the blender. There are some things that taste better when mashed manually. The blades are just too strong for soft potatoes and will turn them into a gluey substance, with too much starch released
• Dough: dough should only be blended with the mixer or a proper food processor, because the ingredients won’t incorporate the way they have to and the whole mixture will have a hard texture
• Foods that are rich in fiber: broccoli, leafy green vegetables and ginger are just a few examples. By processing them in the blender you’ll only end up with brown leaves or strings of fiber
• Additionally, although they are not foods, you should also avoid inserting kitchen tools of any kind (spoons, forks, knives, wooden/metal/plastic utensils in the container while the blender is running. They can break or chip and end up in your dish