Blenders are great kitchen tools to have if you plan on cooking a variety of different foods. They can do everything from blending food, making smoothies or milkshakes, and more. Continue on to find out exactly what you need to know about the different blender types and features.

When kitchen counter space is not an issue, a Countertop Blender is just what you're looking for. These blenders feature a motor and a fan housed inside their base along with a spinning blade attachment. Many blender manufacturers offer separate mixing attachments that you can add to the device to give you more functions.

Every classic blender has an encasement made of glass, stainless steel, plastic, or porcelain where the ingredients are added. The sides of the container are marked with volume measurements to help you add the correct ingredient portions. And to prevent spills during blending, they also include a removable lid.

When it comes to countertop blenders the wattage ranges between 300 and 700 watts. However, some blenders use horsepower (hp) as a measure of their power. Some models can produce as much as 2.2 hp which is equal to more than 1600 watts. Typically a blender with a 450-500 watt motor should be sufficient enough for everyday blending tasks.

Countertop blenders offer a variety of speed settings, each of which results in different consistencies. At a minimum, the blender will have three speeds to choose. However some models offer as many as 10 speeds.

Handheld Blenders are thin and long in order for them to be easily submerged in a drink to blend milkshakes or smoothies. Immersion blenders can also be used in a saucepan to puree cooked vegetables for soups or sauces. Immersion blenders are handy to have around for quick, small jobs; they often come with multiple mixing attachments, but you shouldn't expect a Handheld Blender to be able to replace a countertop blender. Handheld blenders range between 150 and 300 watts, but 200 watts should work just fine for daily use.

Most traditional blenders feature a control panel on the base and give you the option of selecting different settings based on the recipe you are using. These options include mix, puree, stir, chop, and liquefy.

The mix setting will successfully combine recipes that include ingredients such as chicken or tuna.

The puree setting will benefit those who want to make a well-blended soup recipe, as this particular setting will eliminate any vegetable chunks. Some Vitamix models can even heat the soup for you without cooking the vegetables.

This setting is also perfect for making smoothies. However, if you're using frozen fruit, make sure it's at least slightly thawed. Frozen fruit is more dense than an ice cube. As a result, less powerful blenders will struggle to liquify. This struggle can cause their motors to overheat and potentially lead to the blender to breaking down.

The stir setting is perfect for making sweet treats such as a milkshake, because it will blend the recipe's ingredients thoroughly while leaving a thicker texture.

If you plan on making a soup or casserole recipe and it requires smaller fruit or vegetable pieces, the chop setting is just the thing you're looking for.

This setting is great when making smoothies because it will make the treat drinkable.