You Probably Didn't Know The Blender In Your Home Can Do This

Kitchen appliances are some of the greatest wonders of the culinary world, and even those appliances that appear as though they can only do one or two things can be put to greater use. Maybe you didn't know a rice cooker can make so many dishes, or perhaps you didn't know your muffin pan had so many uses both inside and outside of the kitchen.

This same ideology applies to food processors and blenders. Food processors can do so many things, and blenders can accomplish much more than whizzing together your morning smoothie or evening milkshake. For example, as the world turns toward promoting more environmentally friendly and sustainable food lifestyles, people are increasingly using their blenders to make homemade plant milks (via BuzzFeed). Oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and more can be made in your trusty blender with ease, and making homemade plant milks can be cheaper, too!

Blenders can also be used in similar ways that one uses a food processor. According to BuzzFeed, your blender can make delicious falafels, veggie burgers, and other entrees that include pulverizing beans and/or other vegetables. We often don't think of using blenders in the same way as food processors, but they're both automated machines with blades, so why not give it a try?

Still, many more possibilities await your blender.

In addition to making plant milks and pureeing vegetables, your trusty blender can aid you with many more kitchen projects. According to Real Simple, your blender is perfectly suited to grind flour, a common task in gluten-free diets. It can also turn almonds or oats into almond or oat flour, respectively, in case you need some oat flour or some other unique flour for a recipe and don't have any.

Moreover, The Kitchn recommends trying out salad dressings and sauces, such as hollandaise, in the blender. Sauces and dressings are emulsions that require constant mixing to form, and a blender can achieve emulsions quite well because the blade is constantly moving. Similarly, why not throw some soup in the blender? If you want a thick soup sans chunks, toss the soup in the blender to smooth it all out. Or, you can blend part of the soup and then add it back to the rest to have some chunks. This is great for potato soup!

Other miscellaneous foods that can be prepared in the blender include applesauce, nut butters, and even many desserts. The Kitchn specifically notes that puddings made with coconut cream can be blended together quickly, for example. BuzzFeed also adds that your blender can be used to froth milk for a latte if you don't want to spend extra money on a frother that doesn't have as many alternative uses. Most of these tasks can be accomplished with an immersion blender, too, which is a blender "stick" that you insert into bowls or pots rather than putting the ingredients into it.

At the end of the day, your blender's usage is ultimately what you make it. Get in the kitchen and experiment — it's fun!