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A blender is a simple kitchen device, and almost anyone can figure out how to use it from the first approach. However, misusing and using the blender incorrectly can pose significant health risks.
1. Common Mistakes in Using Blender for Smoothies
Blender is a simple kitchen device, and almost anyone can figure out how to use it from the first approach. However, misusing and using blender incorrectly can pose significant health risks, with some common issues as follows.
Using the blender to grind porridge for toddlers
Mothers using a blender to grind and mix various vegetables or meat into rice porridge for toddlers is extremely common. The traditional belief is that it will help the child get more nutrients and eat less picky. However, experts do not recommend this practice. In fact, grinding food finely will make the child have a swallowing reflex, skipping the stage of chewing food. As a result, the taste buds will not be stimulated, making the child feel bored with food and eat less. Moreover, because the 'mixed porridge' is not absorbed, the child will react with vomiting, causing damage to the esophagus and stomach lining. Therefore, mothers should encourage their children to eat age-appropriate 'solid' foods instead of trying to grind food finely.
Grinding multiple ingredients at once
Many homemakers have the habit of putting both raw and cooked food into the blender for grinding at the same time, and then cooking it again to save time. According to nutrition experts, this practice is highly unreliable because raw food may not be thoroughly cooked, leading to the risk of bacterial infection and food poisoning. Another mistake when making smoothies is putting all ingredients in at once. The flaw in this method is that the blender cannot evenly grind ingredients with different textures, so you should add hard fruits and vegetables first and then move on to softer ingredients.
Using hot water for blender sanitation
Certainly, hot water has better antibacterial properties than cold water, and theoretically, it will make the blender cleaner. However, high temperatures can cause the grinding cup to crack and the plastic material to undergo changes, resulting in unpleasant odors and even some harmful substances for the body. Therefore, the best choice is to wash the blender with cold water, combined with some suitable cleaning agents.
Forgetting to check the assembly of the grinding blade before plugging in
Putting food into the machine without checking if the parts are assembled correctly or aligned is a fairly common mistake. In the worst case, this can cause the machine to crack its plastic casing, jam the gears between the body and the grinding cup, affecting the usability and lifespan of the device.
