by Furnishly | Feb 9, 2023 | Design Inspiration, Style
published about 7 hours ago
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
KitchenAid is one of our editors’ favorite sources of top-of-the-line kitchen appliances for many, many reasons. A lot of them are practical reasons, such as high-powered motors that help blenders crush ice and help stand mixers knead sticky bread dough. But we’d be lying if we said those are the only reasons we’re such big fans. On top of being hardworking, their gear always looks amazing, and to perk up our spirits at a time of the year when we really need a boost, KitchenAid is adding a new color to their stunning palette.
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Meet Hibiscus, a bright and rosy hue that KitchenAid is calling their color of the year for 2023. This ruby shade of pink borders on being neon (without actually being fluorescent) to add a pop of color and a little flair to your kitchen. Right now you can add this cheerful color to your space by picking up either of KitchenAid’s Artisan Stand Mixer or K400 Blender.
Compared to KitchenAid’s 2022 color of the year, a moody magenta they called Beetroot, this year’s hue is more vibrant and, dare I say, uplifting. (I invite you to imbue this color with as much positivity and good fortune as I’m choosing to do, but you’re free to just enjoy it for what it is, too!) I wish my stand mixer had as exciting a color as this bold pink shade, and I would probably be inclined to make a permanent spot for it on my counter if I had something this pretty to look at.
According to KitchenAid, they added Hibiscus this year to give their lineup a new eye-catching color that will encourage you to mix up more breads and fluffy desserts and blend up more sauces and smoothies. They also partnered with a globally-recognized designer, Marta Del Rio, to launch some appliance-inspired clothing pieces (!) in Hibiscus pink at New York Fashion Week. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing which other appliances get the Hibiscus treatment (and crossing my fingers that their Mini Food Chopper is on that list).
If you’re not familiar with everything KitchenAid’s stand mixer can do, you’re in for a treat. This is one of the most powerful kitchen tools on its own — it’s excellent at beating eggs and frosting, mixing cookie dough, and kneading bread dough — but once you start adding attachments, such as the pasta roller and meat grinder, there really is no limit. At the same time, their K400 blender blitzes frozen foods with no problem and purees ingredients into smooth soups and sauces in mere seconds. Plenty of home cooks have fallen in love with the stylish look of KitchenAid’s machines, but they keep using them because they simply work so well.
Ready to add a bit of color to your kitchen? Grab either of these bestsellers from KitchenAid and enjoy the vibrancy — and cooking capabilities — they bring to your space.
Buy: KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer, $499.99
Buy: KitchenAid K400 Blender, $299.99
by Furnishly | Dec 7, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
We all know about the Vitamix, either from personal experience or its widespread reputation as a modern legend. I’ve never owned one, until now, and after getting to put the latest version — the Vitamix Ascent — to the test, I can personally attest that it truly puts the majority of other blenders to shame. Intimidated by the price? Well, I’m about to tell you why you shouldn’t be.
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First of all, if you’re used to the somewhat manual functionality of the OG Vitamix blenders, the Ascent series‘ interface may take a few uses to get the hang of. That’s because the Vitamix Ascent (specifically the 2300 series, the one I tried) has a smart detection system that blends your ingredients evenly by self-adjusting its speed as necessary. Not only does this make for quicker and silkier blends, but it prevents overheating (not great for cold recipes or your blender in general), jamming, clogging, overuse of energy, and the need to start and stop your blends just to scrape down the sides or shake the vessel.
Introduced to me by a personal chef who’s usually partial to old-school kitchen tools, the Ascent smart blender “isn’t cheating,” as he explained, but rather just a tool that elevates your kitchen skills by taking the place of a sous chef. He told me that while the Vitamix does the more labor-intensive tasks of blending and emulsifying, he’s able to work smarter and more quickly, reserving his energy for more creative or detail-oriented kitchen tasks, for the benefit of time-sensitive recipes and picky clients (who tend to also be in time crunches themselves).
For me, all I have to do is add my ingredients — whether for savory soups or fruity “nice” cream — and step away while it intuitively speeds up and slows down in order to blend everything evenly without any manual labor on my end. Its LED screen presents a timer, which not only lets me know exactly how long it takes to make my smoothies, soups, ice creams, and nut butters the exact consistency I want, but allows me to set the timer on whatever I’m making so I can be consistent every single time. As a wannabe chef, this is the single most effective kitchen tool when it comes to making me feel like a total pro.
Yes, Vitamix devices are expensive — and this one’s no exception. Luckily, it’s on sale right now, and it replaces a slew of different kitchen appliances, from ice cream makers and meat grinders to food processors, fondue machines, juicers, nut butter makers, blenders, and more. It also blends at a volume nearly 40 percent quieter than the competition. Basically, the Vitamix Ascent is as professional-grade as a home chef can get at a price like this, and since it’s $50 off at the moment, now could be the time to score one for yourself or the serious cook on your holiday gift list.
by Furnishly | Jun 29, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
If you’re looking for a top-of-the-line blender you’ll use for years to come, you simply can’t go wrong with a Vitamix. Unsurprisingly, Vitamix blenders are regularly editor-favorites around here, thanks to their long-lasting, powerful motors and strong airplane-grade stainless steel blades. One of our favorite blenders from our Best Blender list even happens to be the Vitamix 5200 Blender. But as anyone who has shopped for a Vitamix before knows, these appliances can cost a pretty penny. That’s why we suggest you buy one when it’s on sale — just like this special deal on Vitamix blenders happening right now at QVC!
As a special early 4th of July deal, QVC is taking $50 off a select range of Vitamix models from now until July 17. This includes Explorian and Ascend models, which are both high-powered tools that also aren’t overly complicated. Blend smoothies, soup, marinades, and more or even prep bread dough and pulverize nuts. There’s a wide range of kitchen tasks you can accomplish with these impressive blenders, made even better by this awesome Vitamix sale!
Erin Cavoto
Commerce Writer
Erin writes about all things shopping-related for The Kitchn, including highlighting small cookware brands, testing cool products, or scoping out need-to-know sales. She’s also a regular at the Trader Joe’s cheese section and has a never-ending supply of tea at home.
by Furnishly | Jun 21, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
I know I’m not alone when I say it’s a total chore to eat enough fruits and veggies every day. It’s not that I don’t love juicy mangoes, strawberries, and watermelon ( I once devoured an entire cantaloupe in one sitting as a child ) — the pain is in the prep. Living in a big city, it’s tricky to plan what I’m eating in a day, and it’s even more complicated to carry food with me while commuting. After all, my back can only handle so much schlepping! Thankfully, my fruit-eating struggles came to an end when I discovered the BlendJet 2 a couple of years ago. I’ve been hooked ever since.
If this small (but mighty) gadget hasn’t made its debut on your Instagram feed yet, let me introduce you. The BlendJet 2 is a personal blender that’s portable, USB rechargeable, and serves up single-size smoothies, juices, and way more in just minutes. You can simply toss in your favorite smoothie ingredients, press the start button, and you’ll have a creamy, dreamy drink that tastes just as good as the ridiculously expensive $15 smoothies I used to buy at fancy cafes. Yes, it definitely doesn’t hurt that it also saves me a ton of money while at the same time ensuring I get my daily nutrients in.
Another city-dweller issue I put up with is not having counter space for a bulky, super-powerful blender, so this baby is the next best thing. It barely takes up any precious storage real estate, and it doesn’t come with a bunch of accessories that I don’t have space for. Not to mention, the BlendJet 2 Portable Blender comes in a bunch of chic patterns and colors, so you can match it to your mood or kitchen decor. It also comes with an attached handle for toting on the go.
I’m someone who thrives on routines, so I use the same smoothie ingredients regularly. I also live alone, which makes it difficult to eat fresh fruit before it goes bad, so I rely primarily on frozen fruit. I’ll usually make my smoothie with almond milk, a banana, yogurt, and some frozen berries. My secret for a seriously tasty treat? I add in a little gourmet honey, and if I need an energy boost, I’ll add in some protein, too.
The beauty of this blender is that you can make way more than just smoothies with it. Whip up gourmet salad dressings, sauces, or even frozen margs in seconds! Best of all, it’s a total breeze to clean. When I’m done sipping on my beverage, I fill it with some warm, soapy water, press the start button, and it cleans itself.
Overall, this little tool packs a serious punch. Depending on what I toss inside, I have to run a few cycles until it’s perfectly blended. But most of the time, it gets the job done with one go. Sometimes, I let my frozen fruit sit out on the counter for 5-10 minutes so it’s a little easier to blend.
I honestly don’t know how I lived without this thing for so long — I use it multiple times a week, and it’s such a lifesaver when I don’t have time to sit down and eat a full meal. It’s also perfect for summer sipping!
by Furnishly | Jun 2, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
“Hydrate, or die-drate,” said a friend of mine once. Now, every time I catch a glimpse of my beautiful Beast Blender + Hydration System (which is, of course, always on display), I swear it whispers the same thing. It’s the reason I’m actually hydrated, the reason for my 5-minute summer soups (a new point of pride), and the reason for the plethora of comments and compliments I get from guests who also catch a glimpse. But its cool appearance and the fact that it’s one of Oprah’s Favorite Things of 2021 aside, I admit I did wonder how this blender differed from others with to-go container attachments. I should have known better than to question Oprah.
First things first, I repeat: The Beast system is very good looking. It is neither a blender you need to hide away for the sake of appearances, nor is it one you need a ton of countertop space for when it’s off duty. The design minds behind Beast prioritized the needs of modern home cooks, making every blending vessel portable, leak resistant (I’d even say leak proof), attractive, and seamlessly functional. Not only does it cut your effort in half with its intuitive design, but it even offers its own brain power to help hasten the process.
That’s right, folks. The Beast blender system self-adjusts speeds and power to match the needs of whatever ingredients you’re working with. It’s got a thermal safety shutoff feature which catches overheating before it happens, preventing both kitchen disasters and blender burnout. And, it’s got multiple sizes of vessels, so you can have both a smoothie and an infused water both ready to go in just a few minutes. But what’s the deal with the whole infusion/hydration half of the system?
We’ve all thrown some berries in a water bottle at one point or another, be it to get us to drink more or just feel fancy. But unless your fruits and herbs are at least crushed, it’s unlikely you’ll taste any of it, much less get any nutrient value. The Beast allows me to add whatever I want, skin-on, into the blender, give it a whirl, and spoon the concoction of crushed goodness into the Beast infuser insert. This allows for unparalleled taste payoff and for nutrients to actually be released into my water. Now, in a matter of 5 minutes every morning, I have breakfast and my initial hydration taken care of and out of the way, which is the only way I’m able to start my most productive days. Oh, and every part of the system outside of the electric base is dishwasher safe, so those 5 minutes includes the 1 it takes to rinse the parts and let my dishwasher take it from there.
I’ve been dehydrated since ’99, but I’m proud of my glow now and credit it all to the easy-to-use, easy-on-the-eyes Beast system. Beast blenders go out-of-stock often across the range of retailers that carry them, so don’t wait to grab your own. And don’t forget: Hydrate, or…you know the rest.
