{"id":9269,"date":"2021-06-23T21:06:01","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T21:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/?p=9269"},"modified":"2021-06-23T21:06:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T21:06:01","slug":"10-unexpected-ways-to-use-your-blender-thatll-you-wish-you-knew-sooner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/10-unexpected-ways-to-use-your-blender-thatll-you-wish-you-knew-sooner\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Unexpected Ways to Use Your Blender That’ll You Wish You Knew Sooner"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve recently discovered ten cool things you can do with your blender. Some of them that probably you never thought about.\n

1. Make Lazy Lemonade\n

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I think we can all agree that the powdered stuff that comes in a can is just gross. Fresh-squeezed lemonade is always the best.\n

Well, what if I told you, you could have fresh-squeezed lemonade in minutes without the hard part \u2013 the squeezing.\n

A blender with lemons ice and water in it. There are fresh-cut lemons on a cutting board next to a knife in front of the blender.\n

Grab your blender jar. Toss in your quartered lemons, and add your sugar or simple syrup, and away you go. You can make as little or as much as you want with this simple ratio for every one lemon use 1 cup of water and 1\/3 cup of sugar.\n

To serve, pour your lemonade through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher; add ice and a few lemon slices for garnish.\n

You can make the easiest strawberry or blueberry lemonade this way as well by tossing the fruit in with the lemons. This method works great for both fresh or frozen berries.\n

2. Almond Milk\n

Let\u2019s be honest when you look at an almond, no one\u2019s first thought is, \u201cI\u2019ll bet there\u2019s milk in there.\u201d\n

I\u2019ve always thought there was some super, difficult process for making nut milk. I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.\n

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All you do is soak almonds in water overnight. (Do that part in the blender jar as well.) In the morning, drain them, then toss them back in the blender with fresh water, a pinch of salt, and whatever other add-ins you want \u2013 vanilla, a sweetener, berries, or cocoa powder.\n

Blend the entire concoction for a few minutes, then pour it into a nut milk bag (several layers of cheesecloth will do the trick, too) in a large bowl and squeeze all the delicious goodness out of it.\n

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If you use cheesecloth, be sure to use 2-3 layers.
\nJust like every single thing we\u2019ve ever handed over to manufacturers to make for us \u2013 the homemade version is infinitely tastier.\n

3. Pesto Perfection\n

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For the best pesto, skip the food processor with all of its parts and go straight to the blender.\n

Am I the only one that gets their rubber spatula stuck under the blade in the food processor when you\u2019re scraping the sides? Well, not anymore.\n

I use Meredith\u2019s basil pruning practices, so in the summer, my basil plants are always pushing out massive leaves, week after week. I could easily make the pesto by the gallon.\n

Mmm, a gallon of pesto.\n

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Did you know you can substitute walnuts, cashews, and almonds for pine nuts?
\nUsing a blender makes the whole process so much faster. It\u2019s so much easier to pour from a blender jar than it is from the food processor too.\n

4. Peanut Butter\n

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If you\u2019ve never attempted homemade peanut butter, you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re missing. I started making homemade peanut butter with a drizzle of honey in it, and now my kiddos won\u2019t even touch the stuff from the store.\n

And it\u2019s easy.\n

As in \u2013 dump peanuts in the blender, drizzle in a spoonful of honey, hit blend, and walk away.\n

The homemade peanut butter will never be as smooth as store-bought peanut butter. Your homemade peanut butter will still have a slightly gritty texture when finished. If you\u2019ve bought all-natural peanut butter before, you know what I\u2019m talking about.\n

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The flavor will be so much better, though.\n

The key to the ultimate homemade peanut butter is to let it blend for a solid five minutes. Be patient and let it go for the full five minutes, scraping the sides as needed.\n

For flavor that is out of this world, toast your peanuts slightly before you blend them and add a pinch of sea salt. Put them on a sheet pan in a 400-degree F oven for about five minutes or until you can start to smell them.\n

And peanut butter is just the beginning \u2013 almond butter, sunflower seed butter, cashew butter. Yeah, you make those the same way. Bye, Bye Jiffy.\n

If you want an actual recipe, The Kitchn has you covered.\n

5. Pizza Sauce\n

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Get your kids to help with the pizza sauce. I find I can sneak veggies onto the pizza if they are the ones making it.
\nI\u2019ve always thought canned pizza sauce was a bit of a gimmick. It\u2019s basically uncooked spaghetti sauce, right?\n

Right.\n

Make easy and fresh pizza sauce that\u2019s ready in minutes because pizza night is more fun when it happens at home. Toss the following into your blender and blend until it\u2019s as smooth as you want.\n