Can anyone recommend a blender that’s both effective and quiet? I used to have a blender but it was so unpleasantly loud that I stopped using it. I realize that a blender will inherently create some noise; I’m looking for one of the least noisy ones.
Anything else i should look for in a blender besides quietness and basic ability to cut stuff up in small chunks?
It depends what you’re blending. If you try and blend ice cubes, then, yeah, it’s loud, whatever blender you use.
The immersion or stick blenders tend to have smaller motors, so are less loud. They work well for smoothies and soups.
I never heard of a ‘quiet’ blender. If your neighbors are complaining, you might use it in the daytime or when they’re out (which is a PITA), and give whatever it is a good shake in a jar later on. If it’s soup or something you use later, this would work. For a smoothie or milkshake, you can’t really do that. Try an immersion blender…Now, if it’s YOU who doesn’t like the noise, all I can suggest is earplugs!
According to the March 2009 issue of Cook’s Illustrated, their highest-rated blender is:
It got the highest marks (3/3) for ice crushing, smoothies, hummus, sound level and speed. But it costs $150.
Their next best recommendation is:
It got the same marks as the KitchenAid but only a 2 on the smoothies. But it’s only $49.
Of course this was 2009.
Some of the cheap blenders sound like they have a 15,000 RPM motor geared down with cheap straight-cut gears, all mounted in a case designed to amplify the noise.
I’ve got a KitchenAid blender, and it is one of the quieter blenders I’ve ever encountered. AFAIK, it all comes down to thicker plastic in the case, rubber motor mounts, etc. all helping to hold down the noise.