Have you heard about pastry blenders and are thinking about what a pastry blender is used for?
Do you want to buy a pastry blender and want to know the worth of buying this tool?
Here we are going to discuss some cool uses of pastry blender that can be a kitchen hack for you:
A pastry blender can be used for the following purposes.
- Preparing dough for pastries, cookies, and other desserts
- Chopping potatoes
- Mashing potatoes
- Cutting and mixing ingredients easily, like flour with butter
- Making tomato ketchup by chopping and blending tomatoes
- Smashing ground beef
- Chopping eggs for salad
- Preparing Guacamole and other sauces
- Preparing streusel topping
- Grating the cheese
What is a pastry blender?
A pastry blender is a tool with four to five shiny strips of metal or stainless steel that cut down solid ingredients.
It has a handle made of wood, rubber, or plastic.
Its strips are not straight but rather curved to mash the potatoes from the sides too.
That’s why many people and chefs like to have this tool in their kitchen.
A pastry blender is an awesome kitchen tool used to prepare dough for pastries, cupcakes, cookies, biscuits, and other desserts.
Some pastry blenders run without electricity, so if you are facing an electricity problem, then you can use a non-electric pastry blender.
How does a pastry blender work
A pastry blender actually mixes the ingredients of pastry and other desserts to prepare a fine dough.
Its sharp and fine blades cut the solid butter into small pieces and also mix it well with flour.
Why use a pastry blender?
A pastry blender is used by many chefs in their professional kitchens.
It saves time of washing the oil from hands after mixing up the pastry’s ingredients like butter.
This is a small, lightweight, easy-to-use, and multi-purpose tool.
It replaces other choppers and mixers. Its smooth blades are easy to wash as compared to other food processors.
Food processors have many sharp, complicated parts which take a lot of time to wash and also with a risk of damaging your hands while washing.
Some curvy vegetables like potatoes are not easily chopped up by other straight striped choppers, but pastry blenders do this task amazingly.
It is the substitute for food processors, cheese graters, butter knives, and egg mixture. That’s why you should have a pastry blender in your kitchen.
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What is a pastry blender substitute?
If you don’t have a pastry blender, then there is no need to worry; you can use the following substitutes:
- Potato masher
- Beater
- Fork
- Food processor
- Cheese grater
- Butter knives
- Egg mixer
Use these utensils and appliances in a proper way to cut and mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Keep these utensils clean and dry; never use them wet. Using these tools carefully can give close to ideal results.
Pro tip:
While blending using substitutes of a pastry blender, always mix ingredients in only one direction, either clockwise or anticlockwise, don’t change the direction of blending.
This technique avoids making lumps of dough and gives a smooth and fine texture to dough with great results.
Types of pastry blenders
Two types of pastry blenders are present in the market; electric and non-electric pastry benders.
Some pastry benders have fixed blades, and some in the market have custom attachments for different uses.
What is a pastry blender attachment?
Pastry blender attachments are some custom blades or strips that are used for different baking purposes like making biscuits dough with nuts, fruit cakes dough, etc.
These attachments can be easily removed from their handle and replaced with others.
These pastry blenders in the market come with the option to change their blades with other strips.
Buying tips for a pastry blender
Before buying an electric pastry blender, keep a few aspects in mind. Here are the tips to buy the best pastry blender for your kitchen:
Material of blades
Blades of pastry blender should be made of stainless steel instead of metal to avoid rusting.
Material of handle
In the market, the handle of the pastry blender is made of rubber, plastic, and wood. A rubber and plastic handle is recommended because it is long-lasting, easy to clean, and provides a strong grip on your hand to avoid slipping.
Size of the blades
The size of the blades depends on you.
If you want to use it for making large amounts of dough, then it is better to use large blades with more strips. But if you want to make less dough, then it is better to use small-sized blades with four strips.
Size of handle
If your hand is big, then buy a pastry blender with a big handle; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to hold it in your hands easily. If you have small hands, then use a small-sized handle to avoid slipping.
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Best electric pastry blender – some examples
If you are fond of baking, then you need to get the best pastry blender for your kitchen to enjoy the baking process along with tasty dishes.
Here are the best pastry blenders tested and listed by The spruce eats,
- Spring Chef Stainless Steel Dough Blender is the best one in all aspects
- Betty Crocker Dough Blender is the best budget blender if you can’t afford an expensive one
- Gorilla Grip Original Chef Dough and Pastry Blender is the best for preparing pasta dough
- Williams Sonoma Olivewood Pastry Blender is best if you are looking for a one with wooden handle
- Spring Chef Large Dough Blender is the best if you want a large-sized blender
Best Commercial pastry blender – some examples
If you want to buy the best commercial pastry blender, then try buying a big one with sturdy blades.
It should be long-lasting as on a commercial scale. You shall be using your pastry blender most of the time, which can make it overheated.
So keep in mind to buy the one with good material as well as with good machinery inside.
Here are some best commercial pastry blenders.
- Orblue Stainless Steel Dough Blender – Large Pastry Cutter with 5 No Flex
- Farberware Soft Grips Pastry Blender with Stainless Steel Blades and Black Handle
- Last Confection Dough Blender Professional Stainless Steel Pastry Cutter
- Bovn Pastry Blender and Dough Cutter with Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Blades, Medium Size
- Winco Stainless-Steel Pastry Blender, Silver
Here is a chart showing the reliability of these blenders by msn.com :
Do you need a pastry blender?
Yes, you surely need a pastry blender because it is a substitute for many kitchen appliances.
This all-in-one tool is an amazing helping hand for you.
Due to its multiple tasking abilities, it incites people to buy this wonderful kitchen tool.
Instead of getting separate chopping and mixing appliances, you can have a single handhold tool that can do both cutting and chopping with great efficiency.
Is a Dough Blender the same as a pastry blender?
Yes, “Dough blender” is actually another name for a pastry blender.
People say it is a dough blender because it helps in blending the ingredients of baking items and preparing the dough of desserts too.
A pastry blender is also known by the name “Pastry cutter.”
So don’t get confused with different names of pastry blenders.
Is a pastry cutter the same as a pastry blender?
Keep one thing in mind some pastry cutters are similar to pastry blenders but are slightly different. These pastry cutters don’t efficiently blend the pastry.
We can say that all pastry blenders are pastry cutters, but all pastry cutters are not pastry blenders.
Some pastry cutters only cut the solid cold butter in the bowl but are not efficient in blending all the ingredients together.
Can I use a potato masher instead of a pastry blender?
Yes, you can use a potato masher instead of a pastry blender as it can do the same task that a pastry blender does.
But you shall not have an ideal experience with it.
As a pastry blender has a proper smooth handle for a strong and comfortable grip, you can easily pick and use it.
On the other hand, a potato masher does not have such a comfortable handle. You shall experience hand fatigue after using it.
Some potato mashers have very small strips in which chopping material gets stuck with a lot of difficulty in washing and cleaning it. That’s why using a pastry blender is recommended.
Can I use a pastry blender instead of a food processor?
Yes, you can use a pastry blender instead of a food processor as it is easy to handle appliances.
It does all the same tasks like cutting butter, chopping vegetables, mashing potatoes and tomatoes, mincing fruits and meat, grating cheese, etc., with great efficiency.
How to use a pastry blender?
Using a pastry blender is not rocket science. It’s as simple as a pie.
Here are the steps to using a pastry blender:
- Put all ingredients in a bowl.
- Place the relevant blender attachment to the pastry blender.
- Pick up your pastry blender and place it over the solid material in a bowl.
- Now apply some force to cut off the solid ingredient.
- Change the direction of the pastry blender and repeat the process in different directions
- Now you can see you have completely cut off the solid into tiny pieces.
- Now start mixing up all the ingredients in a circular motion as well as up and down motion.
- Do this process for five minutes.
- Now your material is ready with an amazing texture.
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Conclusion
A pastry blender is a wonderful tool to have in your kitchen as it is easy to use, and easy to handle and wash.
It blends the ingredients thoroughly, giving a fine and complete texture to pastry dough and other desserts.
The major reason to have this appliance in your kitchen is its multiple uses that replace many other tools.
If you are a fan of baking and cooking, then surely go for buying this chef’s favorite appliance and enjoy baking with fun.
