Whether you’re looking to blend food for a baby or you want to make smooth, creamy soups and sauces, a kitchen blender will be your best friend.
If you’re new to the wonderful world of blending and are wondering how to puree food using a blender, then keep reading.
We’ve prepared a detailed guide to pureeing food in a blender, as well as highlighting some of the most important factors to consider when buying one.
How to Puree Food Using a Blender
Your blender may offer a pre-programmed function for pureeing but don’t worry if it doesn’t.
You can still make purees quickly using manual settings.
Here is our step-by-step guide on how you can puree food using a blender.
Prepare Your Ingredients
The first thing you need to do when you’re pureeing food is to collect and prepare all of the ingredients you want to puree.
- If you’re making a mango puree, all you’ll need to do is peel your mangoes and remove the pit.
- However, quite often, people want to puree a mixture of ingredients.
- Some items may need to be washed, and others will need to be peeled.
- You want to prepare your ingredients so that you remove anything inedible, like stalks and seeds, before you begin.
- If you have quite a low-powered blender, then you should also bake, steam, or boil any substantial foods.
- This is to make them soft enough for your blender to do its job.
- Firmer foods would include vegetables like broccoli, kohlrabi, and squash.
Roughly Chop Your Ingredients
Once all your ingredients are prepared, you then need to chop them roughly into pieces.
This isn’t just so that they fit into your blender, though.
When chopping, aim for bite-sized pieces so that they can fit more easily down at the bottom of the blender and quickly run through the blades.
Add Liquid
- Unless your ingredients are particularly liquid, like tomatoes, you’ll need to add some liquid to your blender so that it can create a thick liquid puree.
- Note that you should add your liquid first before your other ingredients.
- If you are pureeing fruits, you can add water, milk, cream, or yogurt.
- However, if you’re pureeing veggies, you could add water or stock.
Add Ingredients
Next up, throw in all of your ingredients, being careful not to overfill the blender.
The maximum fill line will be displayed on the container of the blender, but if it isn’t, be sure to read the manufacturer’s guidelines for guidance.
If the ingredients you want to blend into a puree exceed that maximum fill line, then you’ll need to do more than one batch of blending.
Secure Lid
The vast majority of blenders have safety features that don’t allow you to operate the blender when the container isn’t sat on its base.
More often than not, they also won’t work without the lid locked into its proper position.
Securing the lid onto your blender will also prevent a massive mess in your kitchen; without a lid, the ingredients will go flying everywhere!
Blend
OK, so you have all of your ingredients loaded and ready to go.
Next up is to start blending them.
- If your blender has a puree function or setting, then you can press the appropriate button and let it get to work.
- If you have manual settings, we advise that you start blending on a low-pulse setting to get your ingredients going.
- Once the ingredients have started to mix, slowly work your way up to the higher speed setting until you’re blending on medium.
Check and Tamper Down Ingredients
- Sometimes, chunks of ingredients will stay at the top of the blender.
- If this happens, then you’ll need to stop the blender, remove the lid, and manually push the chunks down towards the blades.
- Some blenders come with free tampering tools, but you can also use the handle-end of most large kitchen utensils to poke the ingredients down.
- Whatever you do, though, don’t use your hands to do this!
Blend Again
Once you’ve pushed the chunks down to the bottom of the blender towards the blades, you’re ready to start blending again.
- Replace the lid and start blending, first on low and then on medium.
- Repeat steps seven and eight as many times as you need until all of the large chunks are gone.
- If the blended mixture isn’t as smooth as you’d like it, you may have to switch it to a higher blend setting until it is pureed to perfection.
Getting the Right Blender
If you haven’t invested in a blender yet, you’d be glad to know that there are a lot of choices available from different trusted brands.
- Generally speaking, to puree food, you’ll need a blender that offers around 500 watts of power or more, which is very easy to find these days.
- Higher-powered motors are often more expensive, but they will puree your ingredients more quickly.
- They are also less prone to burnout, even when used for long periods.
- The amount of food you want to puree at any one time should be your guide when you look at blender capacity.
- If you only want to puree small amounts, then a personal blender will be sufficient and take up less storage in your kitchen.
- If you want to make larger batches of puree, however, then opt for a blender that has a six-cup, or even eight-cup, capacity.
- Blenders are also helpful for a variety of other kitchen tasks.
- You can make sure you get the most out of your blender by learning how to make chunky salsas, dips, smoothies, and more.
- Some blenders will even cook and heat your ingredients and then puree them so that it’s ready to eat.
- This type of blender eliminates the need to get any other pans dirty.
You can also buy blender and food processor combinations.
Frequently Asked Questions About Puree Food Using A Blender
What types of food can I puree using a blender?
You can puree a wide range of foods including fruits, vegetables, cooked meats, and even beans.
Do I need to cook the food before pureeing it in a blender?
For most fruits and vegetables, it’s best to cook them before pureeing to achieve a smoother texture.
Can I use a regular countertop blender for pureeing food?
Yes, a regular blender works well for pureeing food as long as it has a strong motor and sharp blades.
How much liquid should I add when pureeing food in a blender?
Start with a small amount of liquid and gradually add more as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Can I puree hot foods in a blender?
It’s best to let hot foods cool slightly before blending them to avoid pressure buildup from steam.
Conclusion
So, now that you know how to puree food using a blender, what will you make first?
Some use their blender every single day, whether it’s to puree food for their baby or a daily health kick in the form of a smoothie.
The simplicity and speed offered by a blender are second to none.
Just prepare and chop your ingredients, place them in the blender, close it up, and then blend!