These high-speed super blenders can be compared to all-in-one machines in that they can do things like: They offer more versatility than what you can get from a regular blender and they're extra powerful too, tackling a whole range of tasks. If you're into heavy-duty blending, you can't go past a high-performance blender, or super blender. A stick blender is smaller, cheaper and easier to use than a blender, and is handy to have in arm's reach for quick jobs like blending soups, pureeing baby food or making mayonnaise and other sauces.īut if you're blending often and with ingredients like hard fruit, seeds, vegetables and ice, you'll need the grunt only a benchtop blender can offer. While it's great to think you'll be using a blender for myriad new culinary adventures, if the truth is that you'll only end up using it occasionally for smoothies and shakes, a stick blender will do the job and cost you less.

If you're thinking only of juicing, you may want to check out our dedicated juicer buying guide. Many of the mid-priced blenders (in the $300–500 price bracket) can do more than cheaper blenders and may suit your needs, but you'll need to take a closer look at the available features and differences. Blenders usually have a narrow jug with blades at the bottom, making them ideal for creating fruit smoothies and milkshakes, blending soups and making sauces.

Traditional benchtop blenders have some similar functions to food processors, but their construction is different.

The best blender for smoothies