When you live in a tiny apartment, appliances are just space suckers — so every single one needs to wear a lot of hats (no unitaskers welcome). I make enough smoothies and milkshakes to keep my blender on the counter, but it meant that I had to make the small-but-mighty thing earn its prized location.
These days, I'm always on the hunt for ways the blender can save me time in the kitchen (I'll admit that part of it is because I'm addicted to watching whole ingredients break down in front of my eyes). Now, I keep the machine busy blitzing a regular list of go-tos, like salad dressing, soup, and margaritas. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Soup
I had a revelatory moment the first time I transferred boiled sweet potatoes from a pot on the stove to a blender: I poured in a can of coconut milk, and pressed start. Suddenly soup appeared like magic.
2. Salsa
Fresh or canned tomatoes have soft enough textures for a blender to instantly break them down, making you one step closer to pulling off authentic Mexican food. Bonus: If your blender is remotely heavy duty, you only have to give the garlic and onion a very rough chop. Add canned tomatoes and their juices to a blender with a jalapeño (seed it if you prefer less heat), a small onion, a few cloves of peeled garlic, a handful of fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro), lime juice, and salt. You can customize it by stirring in cumin, black beans, bell peppers, corn, and more.
Delish tip: Blenders need some liquid for their blades to do their job, so if you're pulverizing tougher-textured solid foods, you're better off using a food processor.
3. Whipped cream
Not in the mood to put your biceps through an intense workout? I feel you. Slash minutes off manual labor by combining heavy cream, a pinch of sugar, and a splash of vanilla extract into your blender and blitzing on high until soft peaks form, about 20 seconds.
4. Vinaigrette
The easiest way to dress greens: Dump three parts oil and two parts lemon juice into your blender and season with salt (and a pinch of sugar if you want some sweetness).
5. Cocktails
Whether I'm having friends over for drinks or embarking on a different kind of bender (kidding!), I turn to the blender for making a big batch of cocktails including icy ones, in under a minute.
6. Pesto
Purists might prefer a mortar and pestle for this herb sauce, but who has the time (or the space) for one? Add your herb, cheese, garlic, nuts, and oil, and you're on the fast track to pasta bliss.
7. Banana Ice Cream
Banana ice cream is the miracle dessert of the diet world — it has the same consistency of ice cream, but is a billion times healthier. Throw your frozen bananas + whatever mix-ins you want in your blender and satisfy your sweet tooth without killing your healthy diet.
8. Pancakes & Waffles
A bowl works fine, but your blender gives you a smoother mix — plus, you can easily pour the batter into the skillet.
9. Pizza Dough
No food processor? No problem! Pulse your dough in a blender.
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