Blenders are a kitchen staple. They’re used to make everything from smoothies to pureed soups. But sometimes, your blender can start smelling like it’s on fire, even when it isn’t actually on fire. What gives? And how do you fix it? Read this article for the answers!
What Does It mean When Your Blender Smokes?
Blender smoking usually means that the motor is overheating. The heat buildup can cause your blender to emit smoke, or it can even start a fire (this has happened to plenty of people before).
Either way, if you’re wondering why does my blender smell like it’s burning, overheating is probably the culprit.
Are You Overheating Your Blender?
If you’re trying to overload your blender with too many ingredients, immersing it past capacity or using frozen items that make it hard for food to break down perfectly, then there’s a good chance that you’re overheating your blender.
You can fix this by changing your recipe up a little bit. If you’re blending too many frozen items, try removing some ice and mixing with liquid instead. You can even mix your food in batches or use the pulse feature to make sure your blender doesn’t overheat.
Doing these things will help extend the life of your blender and keep it running smoothly for years to come!
Why Is My Blender Smelling Like Burning?
There are many reasons why your blender might be overheating. Here are some things you need to know about when your blender smells like it’s on fire:
1. The Motor Is Overheating
If the electrical components in your blender’s motor are running too hot, they can start smelling like burning plastic.
This often happens when you’re blending something very thick in the blender for a long time – especially if it’s full of chunks that don’t go through the blades right away.
2. Something Is Stuck In The Blade Or Lid Mechanism And Isn’t Coming Free
A piece of food can get stuck on one side of the lid or inside the blades while they’re spinning around, especially if it gets caught under the rubber seal at the top edge of he jar (where it meets with the base).
Eventually, there can be so much friction between this piece of food and the blades that not only does it get squeezed into the blades, but it starts to heat up and smoke or smell like burning.
3. The Bearings Are Worn Down
If your blender is getting old (which usually means more than 5 years), its bearings can wear out so that they don’t turn smoothly anymore.
That increases friction, which leads to heat – which leads to a burning smell coming from your blender if you use it too long without anything in it.
4. Overloading
Blenders have their own capacity for blending ingredients. If you overload them with too much in them, they’ll have problems folding in air and water in foods properly, causing friction in the motor.
You can prevent this by not blending more than two cups of ingredients at a time.
5. Immersion Blending
If you’re trying to use your immersion blender with too much in the bowl, it will cause problems for your motor. Not only that, but you could make the temperature problem even worse if you mix really thick or heavy foods like nut butter or ice cream.
You won’t have to worry about immersion blenders overheating if they’re used properly.
6. Frozen Foods
Especially frozen fruit and ice cubes, can be hard on your blender’s motor because it takes so long for them to break down completely. This results in overworking the motor, which leads to overheating.
7. Using Cheap Blenders
Some blender motors are made better than others. If your blender’s motor isn’t as strong as it could be, then it will have a harder time blending foods properly. This makes overheating even more likely. Cheap blenders usually don’t last as long as high end ones, too.
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How To Get Rid of the Burning Smell
1. Unplug your blender from the power source and let it sit for at least 15 minutes before trying anything else. If you try removing food while the motor is hot, there’s a higher chance that you’ll burn yourself on a spinning blade.
2. Take off the rubber edge of the lid, so you have access to where food might be stuck inside or on top of the blades. If there’s a decent amount of stuck-on food in there, you might be able to remove it by hand while they’re cool enough to touch safely. Otherwise, use a spoon or small spatula (not metal) to try and scrape off big lumps that are stuck between the blades.
3. If some of your blender’s parts can be disassembled for cleaning , remove anything that looks like it has any food stuck on it – including the screws holding everything together, if necessary – clean all pieces thoroughly with hot water and soap, them dry with paper towels.
4. Put the catch cup and blades back in your blender, add a little bit of liquid soap, and blend on high speed until there’s no more food stuck inside. Then clean everything again with hot water and dry thoroughly.
5. If you have some rubbing alcohol on hand, put a few drops into the lid where food might get stuck next time – that should help prevent it from sticking as easily to the rubber seal or any other parts of the lid.
6. If none of this helped remove food residue that could be causing burning smells, consider buying a new blender altogether – since yours has worn down its bearings or is otherwise damaged beyond repair.
Is It Dangerous To Use A Blender That Is Smoking?
So long as you let the blender sit for 15 minutes first, it likely won’t be dangerous to use – but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay for your motor to be overheating like this.
If you haven’t had any problems with your blender before, then it will hopefully last you a few more years if treated well (i.e., not overloaded with food or used improperly).
However, if your new blender is smoking or showing signs of burning smells after its second or third uses, don’t bother trying anything else to fix it on your own . It could be indicative of an imminent failure in the motor (and possibly other parts), which would be better off replaced by a professional repairman than fixed at home.
Blender Burning Smell – Final Thoughts
So long as you avoid overloading your blender and use it properly, then there shouldn’t be any burning smells at all – much less ones that come from the motor.
If something does manage to get stuck inside the blades, it’s much more likely to catch fire when hot than when cold. If you wait for 15 minutes or so before trying anything else, chances are very good that you’ll find a way to remove whatever is catching your blender on fire safely.
If that doesn’t work, then it’s best to replace your blender with a newer model – but you’ll only have to do this once, as long as you take care of said new blender properly from the start.