​How to Choose the Best Commercial Blenders for Your Restaurant

Making the perfect cocktail, blending a smoothie, and mixing a soup or sauce requires more than just the right ingredients. A chef needs the best tools for the job. We've put together tips & tricks on how to help you select the best blender for your commercial kitchen needs.

What is a Commercial Blender?

A commercial blender or culinary blender is a tool used to transform or process solid food and mix liquids/soft foods into purees or liquids. Commercial ice blenders have an electric base, over which you may place a jar or a vessel with sharp blades to liquefy various types of ingredients. These High-performance blenders are ideal for making smoothies, frozen drinks, and juices because they create a smooth, delicious mixture of ingredients. Unlike your average household blender, they are ideal for high-volume kitchens because of their basic features that boast a powerful motor that is suitable for commercial kitchens.

Types of Commercial Blenders

Do you need blenders specifically for Puréeing? Mixing cocktails? Or do you need to work on drier ingredients that would require liquid?

Food Blender/ Food Processor

• These High-performance blenders are designed for daily use and provide continuous operation without the risk that they might burn out.
• A food blender is ideal for making smoothies, nut butter, and milkshakes from tough ingredients that would require water to achieve a smoother consistency. These high-powered models are able to break down even solid ingredients like carrots, chocolates, nuts, and ice.
• A food processor is also ideal if you If your business preps a lot of food.
• Food Blender Featured: Robot Coupe R2N

Commercial Blender (for Drinks)/ Bar Blender

Commercial Grade blenders are the perfect tools for making cocktails or even green juices.. You can get a high-performance bar blender in both light-duty and heavy-duty models to meet your volume needs

Professional bar blenders will help bartenders mix drinks faster and keep bars running smoothly.

A commercial bar blender is also useful if you own juice bars so that you can prepare your drinks on time.

Commercial Blender Featured: Vitamix the Quiet One 36019

Immersion Blender

This is a popular type of commercial blender that comes in a range of sizes from 7 inches through 29 inches. These long, handheld models come without jars and are ideal for making mashed potatoes, whipping cream, and pureed soups, sauces, ice cream, and smoothies. Some models have interchangeable blades which are also ideal for juice bars or coffee shop owners.

Immersion blenders are not intended for use with hard foods.

Immersion Blender Featured: Waring WSB40 10" Quik Stik Plus Immersion Blender

How to Choose the Right Blender:

Blender Application

The type of blender you need depends heavily on where it will be used, such as at home or in a commercial setting. For example, if you want to make blended frozen drinks all day, you'll need a completely different blender than if you're just making a few mojitos at night.

Finding a suitable culinary blender for your business goes down to the kind of food or drinks you prepare for your customers all day. However, it would be more beneficial when you purchase a heavy-duty blender than a personal blender for your business since it can withstand a lot more and would not break after a few months. Most personal blenders are designed for light-duty use and won't last if they're used to make dozens of beverages every day

Blender Horsepower

Having more horsepower in your heavy-duty blender isn't necessarily better. It all comes down to how you use it. If you plan to blend smoothies or milkshakes all day, you'll need a blender with a higher hp motor. But if all you want is a blender for making a few mojitos each night, you can save some money and go with a smaller, less power­ful blender with a lower hp motor

Here are the common HP ratings and their ideal application:

Remember that power isn't the sole indicator of performance. You'll want to ensure that the power rating you select is matched with a high-quality stainless steel blade assembly for the best performance. 

You may also want to consider the control panels of your blender. Generally, there are three types of blender controls: toggle/paddle, electronic, and programmable controls. Each type has its pros and cons, and which one works best for you depends on your needs.

Toggle/ Paddle Controls

• Great for blending where precision isn't needed and speed isn't critical.
• Simple controls are geared more towards small businesses.
• It may still have the speed settings

Electronic Controls

These electronic touchpad controls are perfect for more control of the blending cycle than toggle switches.

There is a wide range of control options that fall under this category, including units with automatic timer controls, touchpad start/stop buttons, and multiple power settings.

Variable speed control such as pulse function

Programmable Controls

• Typically you will see this in a high-volume commercial environment wherein the same beverages and foods are made repeatedly throughout the working day.
• You may create pre-programmed settings by utilizing the adjustable timer, speed settings, and power levels for future use. Some manufacturers such as Vitamix have Programmer software kits wherein you can encode these pre-programmed settings for your blender.
• You can create beverage settings or automatic blending presets to lessen the stress in a commercial environment.

Blender Noise Level

You can use a quiet blender with a sound enclosure to keep the noise level down when using a blender. It's usually made out of a polycarbonate shield that is designed to surround your blender during use to help reduce the amount of noise made by the unit. It may reduce the immediacy of access to the jar and controls, however, if noise is a problem, choosing a unit with a lid may be your best option in the long run.

Choose the Right Blender Jar

There are just as few different types of blenders as there are jars. You might want some features more than others. They come in all different types of jar shape, sizes, and materials.

Some things you might want to consider include:

• Material: There are a variety of different types of jars available, including polycarbonate glass and metal.  Depending on your usage, one type of material might be better for your restaurant.
• Measurement Markers: Measurement markers are often included in jars so they're easier to use. If you prepare the exact same recipes every day, then these markers can save time by eliminating the need to wash another tool. 
• Handles: Large jars typically have handles for easier lifting and carrying. However, small-capacity jars may not include handles. It makes stacking and cleaning a cinch. If you prepare just a few servings at a time, a handle-less blender may be a good option.
• Stackable: If your professional kitchen requires several blenders, you might want to choose stackable jars that will help save on storage space. 

NSF certification:

The NSF certification mark on commercial blenders means that they meet the highest safety and sanitation requirements. These include “requirements for material safety, to ensure the product won't leach harmful chemicals into foods; design and construction, ensuring the product is cleanable and is unlikely to harbor bacteria; and performance.”

Maintenance

You should choose a blender that's easy to maintain and clean up after using it If you use a stainless steel blender, ensure that there would be no mineral deposits. Blenders that come equipped with removable blades, removable pad, removable shaft, and assembly are best for daily use. Since cleaning a blender takes a lot of time, you can save a ton of time by buying a high-quality blender. Some blenders have a self-cleaning function.

Where Can I Get My Own Commercial Blender?

A chef needs the best tools for the job. Here at Culinary Depot, we provide a variety of commercial blenders for your needs.

If you're looking for: 

• Commercial Blender and Food Blender 
• Commercial Immersion Blender 
• Commercial Food Processor

We have it! Can't decide? Contact us now and find the right blender for your needs.