A blender is designed to liquefy, puree and crush ingredients with spinning blades on its base. A mixer uses rotating beaters or whisks to whip, combine and aerate ingredients without cutting them. Blenders are best used for making things like smoothies, soups, sauces and crushing ice. Mixers are best used for baking tasks like whipping cream, beating eggs and kneading dough.

A stand mixer is a powerful kitchen appliance that’s used for mixing, kneading and whipping ingredients for baking and meal preparation. A mixer can use different attachments to handle different kitchen tasks. It can use a flat beater (paddle) for mixing dough, blending cake batter and making mashed potatoes or meatloaf. It can use a wire whip (whisk) to incorporate air into ingredients when whipping cream, beating eggs and making frostings. It can also use a dough hook to knead dough for foods like bread, pizza crusts and baked goods without using your hands.

Certain parts of a blender can be dishwasher safe, but not the entire unit. Most plastic and glass jars are dishwasher safe. They should be placed on the top rack or secured on the bottom rack, so they do not warp. Small lids and measuring caps should be placed on the top rack to protect them from the heat. Some brands allow blender blades in the dishwasher, but harsh detergents can dull the edges. Handwashing the blades with a sponge or microfibre cloth is often a safer option. Never place the base of a blender in the dishwasher because of its electrical parts.

A juicer works by crushing, grinding or squeezing fruits and vegetables to separate the juice from solid pulp. Different types of juicers have different methods for extracting the juice. Centrifugal juicers use spinning blades and centrifugal force to chop the food into small pieces and send the juice through a fine mesh screen into your drinking glass. Cold press juicers use a slow and gentle crushing action. It forces the pulp against a stainless-steel screen to extract the juice.