Smoothie Maker

Fruit smoothies are continually increasing in popularity and a Smoothie Maker can help make the process of making smoothies a breeze. This article aims to point out what you should be looking for when choosing one and how they can be used.

What features do we need to make smoothies?

A smoothie maker is essentially a motorised blade that sits in a jug. The blade spins at high speed and blends the ingredients together by cutting and mixing the ingredients.

When creating smoothies you will no doubt try various smoothie recipes and will want to try various ingredients including ice and frozen fruit. Because of this a strong motor is needed if you want the smoothie maker to be able to cope with making smoothies day in day out. The more powerful the motor the better it will be able to handle tough ingredients. Many liquidisers cannot handle ice.

How loud is the smoothie maker? This will be related to the power of the motor but will also be influenced by the build quality and insulation of the machines body. Fancy a quick and easy breakfast? Smoothies have the benefit over juices in that they contain all the fibre from the fruit and so if you have one for breakfast it should keep you from feeling hungry till lunchtime. Make sure you don't wake the house up though.

How many people will you be making smoothies for at one time? Check the size of the jug / goblet is large enough to handle your needs without the need to keep stopping and emptying it every two seconds. Some models such as the Kenwood Smoothie Maker come with a dispensing tap that lets you pour out the drink whilst still adding ingredients. Also check that the jug has a well designed pouring spout so that you don't end up with half of the drink over the table top.

As with juicers, a key requirement of a smoothie maker is that it is easy to clean. The design of the Jug / blade are of importance here as some models have small crevices and nooks that are hard to reach. Are the removable parts dishwasher safe?

The possibilities for various different types of drinks and smoothies are numerous whether it be yoghurt drinks, alcholic ice cream drinks, fruit slushes, tropical milk smoothies or power and vitality health drinks, a smoothie maker can handle them all. When combined with a juicer you can make almost any type of healthy fruit drink you can think of.