Blenders used to crush ice or other hard materials may develop wear on the blade edges, thus reducing efficiency. When your machine no longer works as well as it once did, spare yourself the expense of a new machine and simply sharpen the blades. Doing so takes just a few minutes and will drastically improve the functionality of an overworked blender. Then, it will once again quickly and easily chop, mix and pulverize.
Lift the glass or plastic jug, also called the jar, off the blender's unplugged base and twist off the cap at the base. Slide out the gear, gasket and blades.
Slide each blade along a sharpening stone at a 10- to 15-degree angle under cool, running water for five or six long strokes on each side. Wear thick gloves to protect your hands from the sharpened blades. Natural and artificial sharpening stones are hard, abrasive surfaces available in most cooking, kitchen specialty and restaurant supply stores.
Clean the sharpened blender blades with hot, soapy water and a sponge to remove the resulting metal fragments.
Place the blades, gasket, gears and cap back onto the blender jug in the order they were taken off.
Tip
Sharpen blender blades whenever you notice a decrease in performance.
Warning
Leave a blender unplugged unless it is in use. This will help avoid accidents and save energy costs.
Writer Bio
Jeffrey Brian Airman is a writer, musician and food blogger. A 15-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Airman has used his experience to cover food, restaurants, cooking and do-it-yourself projects. Airman also studied nursing at San Diego State University.