5 Smart Ways to Use Your High-Speed Blender That Every Home Cook Should Know

Sheela Prakash
Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor
Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.
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updated May 1, 2019
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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

My husband and I were recently gifted a high-speed blender (a Vitamix, to be exact), when we got married last year. At first, I was intimidated by this shiny new toy with a super-high-powered motor in our kitchen. It’s not exactly an inexpensive

appliance

Luckily, after staring at it on our counter for a few days, I got up the nerve to use it — and I am so happy I did. While I was definitely skeptical of just how useful the blender would be given its cost, I’ve found it to be such a smart tool. Yes, it can do things standard blenders can do, like make smoothies, but that’s really just the beginning.

Here are five unique things a high-speed blender can do.

1. Make your own powdered sugar.

If your recipe calls for powdered sugar and you happen to be out, save yourself a trip to the grocery store and DIY it. The powered motor of a high-speed blender can grind regular white sugar into floury powdered sugar. Just add a pinch of cornstarch to prevent it from clumping.

Read more: The High-Powered Blender Trick That Will Save You a Trip to the Grocery Store

2. Churn out freshly whipped cream.

Maybe you don’t have a stand or hand mixer and don’t feel like breaking a sweat using a whisk to whip cream? A high-speed blender can make light and fluffy whipped cream. Just pour heavy cream into the bowl and blend it on high until soft peaks form.

Get a recipe: Whipped Cream from Vitamix

3. Grind your own flour.

You can use a high-speed blender to grind things like oats, coconut, rice, and quinoa into flour. Vitamix actually sells a separate dry grains blending container that grinds flour more efficiently, although you can do it in your standard blending container.

Easy Blender Lemon Curd (Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

4. Heat and cook things.

Since the motor of a high-speed blender is so powerful, it can actually heat and cook things as it blends. If you toss a bunch of vegetables in it, along with some broth, you can actually blend up a container of piping-hot soup. Even better, use it to make rich and creamy lemon curd instead of fussing over the stove.

5. You can use it as a spice grinder.

Skip pre-ground spices and grind them yourself with a high-speed blender — they’ll be fresher tasting and you can have fun creating your own custom spice blends. Just buy whole spices, toss them in your blender, and grind away.

What are some unique ways you use a high speed blender?

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