Plastic Blender vs. Glass Blender vs. Stainless Steel Blender Jar: Which One to Choose?

Plas­tic vs. Glass vs. Stain­less Steel Blender Jar: Most man­u­fac­tur­ers use poly­car­bon­ate mate­r­i­al to pro­duce blender con­tain­ers due to their unique prop­er­ties and ben­e­fits. How­ev­er, the safe­ty of these con­tain­ers and their poten­tial impact on human health is a gen­uine con­cern with many eco sup­port­ers and enthusiasts.

In this arti­cle, we will explore the rea­sons behind the pop­u­lar­i­ty of poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers for blenders, dis­cuss the poten­tial con­cerns asso­ci­at­ed with their use, and look at alter­na­tive options such as glass and stain­less steel blender’ containers.

Read More:   6 Best Blenders with Glass Jar | Plas­tic-Free Alter­na­tive to a Typ­i­cal Blender

Why are Polycarbonate Containers Commonly Used for Blenders?

Poly­car­bon­ate is the most pop­u­lar mate­r­i­al used for blender con­tain­ers, and there is a rea­son behind it; the most obvi­ous is its many advan­tages. Here are the most impor­tant of them:

Pros:

• Pow­er: They can with­stand shat­ter­ing and crack­ing and can be used in high-pow­er blenders.
• Dura­bil­i­ty: Poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers are known for their dura­bil­i­ty and resis­tance to breakage.
• Light­weight: Poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers are lighter than glass con­tain­ers, mak­ing them eas­i­er to han­dle and maneu­ver dur­ing blending.
• Shat­ter­proof: Unlike glass con­tain­ers, poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers are shat­ter­proof, reduc­ing the risk of injury if the con­tain­er is acci­den­tal­ly dropped.
• Cost-effec­tive: Poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers are gen­er­al­ly less expen­sive than glass con­tain­ers, mak­ing them an attrac­tive option for man­u­fac­tur­ers and con­sumers alike.
• Clar­i­ty: Poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers offer good clar­i­ty, allow­ing users to see the blend­ing process and eas­i­ly mon­i­tor the con­sis­ten­cy of their mixtures.

Cons:

• Harm­ful Chem­i­cal Leach­ing: Stud­ies have found that cer­tain chem­i­cals in poly­car­bon­ate can leach out of the plas­tic and into the food and bev­er­ages it contacts.

Concerns About Polycarbonate Containers

Despite the advan­tages of poly­car­bon­ate con­tain­ers, there are grow­ing con­cerns about their safe­ty and poten­tial impact on human health. Stud­ies have found that cer­tain chem­i­cals, includ­ing BPA in plas­tic, can leach out of the plas­tic and into the food and bev­er­ages we con­sume, and some of these chem­i­cals have been linked to health problems.

Man­u­fac­tur­ers are now address­ing con­sumer con­cerns about BPA by mov­ing towards using BPA-free poly­car­bon­ate. How­ev­er, research has shown that many of them still leach BPA into food and drinks. Addi­tion­al­ly, it is cru­cial to avoid putting plas­tic con­tain­ers in the microwave or dish­wash­er because the heat may break them down over time and release trace amounts of chem­i­cals into the food and drinks.

What is BPA?

 

BPA (Bisphe­nol A) is a syn­thet­ic estro­gen found in poly­car­bon­ate plas­tic and epoxy coat­ings of food cans to pre­vent the con­tents from cor­rod­ing the metal.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Admin­is­tra­tion states that BPA in food is safe at the cur­rent lev­els of expo­sure in humans, BPA is unsafe for human health; it can act as a hor­mone in the body and cause many health prob­lems con­nect­ed with human growth hor­mone (HGH) and repro­duc­tion sys­tem. It also may have effects on the brain and prostate gland of fetus­es, infants, and chil­dren. Addi­tion­al research sug­gests a pos­si­ble link between BPA and increased blood pres­sure, type 2 dia­betes, car­dio­vas­cu­lar dis­ease, and meta­bol­ic dis­or­ders (includ­ing obesity).

What is Eastman Tritan Copolyester, and why it may be unsafe?

East­man Tri­tan Copoly­ester is a type of ther­mo­plas­tic resin often used to man­u­fac­ture con­tain­ers for pre­mi­um blenders. It is shat­ter­proof, clear as glass, durable, resis­tant to adore, and can with­stand the high loads of pre­mi­um blenders; this makes Tri­tan Copoly­ester an attrac­tive alter­na­tive to tra­di­tion­al plas­tics like polycarbonate.

The com­pa­ny claimed that it does not con­tain BPA, BPS (Bisphe­nol S), or any oth­er bisphe­nol com­pounds com­mon­ly asso­ci­at­ed with health con­cerns, as it is based on cyclo­hexa­nedimethanol and a deriv­a­tive of cyclobutanediol.

How­ev­er, some stud­ies have shown that chem­i­cals with estro­genic activ­i­ty (EA) can be released from Tri­tan resins, espe­cial­ly when stressed or exposed to sun­light. More­over, plas­tics gen­er­al­ly release small amounts of chem­i­cals into their con­tents, par­tic­u­lar­ly when exposed to high temperatures.

Glass Containers

 

Glass blender con­tain­ers have their own set of advan­tages and dis­ad­van­tages com­pared to plas­tic blender con­tain­ers. Here are some pros and cons of using glass blender containers:

Pros:

• No chem­i­cal leach­ing: Unlike some types of plas­tic, glass does not leach any chem­i­cals into your food or beverages.
• Dura­bil­i­ty: Glass blender con­tain­ers do not dis­col­or, scratch, or absorb food odors like plas­tic con­tain­ers. With prop­er care, a glass con­tain­er can last longer than a plas­tic one.
• Clar­i­ty: Glass con­tain­ers retain their clar­i­ty over time, while plas­tic con­tain­ers can become scratched and lose their transparency
• Tem­per­a­ture resis­tance: Glass con­tain­ers can with­stand high­er tem­per­a­tures than plas­tic ones, mak­ing them suit­able for hot ingre­di­ents and pro­vid­ing bet­ter ster­il­iza­tion dur­ing cleaning

Cons:

• Pow­er: Glass blender con­tain­ers are not as pow­er­ful as plas­tic con­tain­ers, and they may not be able to han­dle high-speed blending.
• Weight: Glass blender con­tain­ers are much heav­ier than their plas­tic coun­ter­parts, which can be a con­sid­er­a­tion for those with arthrit­ic or prob­lem hands and the elderly.
• Break­age: Glass con­tain­ers are more prone to break­age if dropped, mak­ing them less durable than plas­tic containers.
• Cost: Glass blender con­tain­ers are typ­i­cal­ly more expen­sive than plas­tic ones.

While glass blender con­tain­ers offer ben­e­fits such as dura­bil­i­ty, clar­i­ty, and tem­per­a­ture resis­tance, they may not be as pow­er­ful as plas­tic con­tain­ers. They thus could be used only for a lim­it­ed set of blend­ing tasks.

Metal Containers

Met­al blender con­tain­ers, typ­i­cal­ly made of stain­less steel, offer dif­fer­ent advan­tages and dis­ad­van­tages com­pared to plas­tic and glass con­tain­ers. Here are some pros and cons of using met­al blender containers:

Pros:

• Pow­er: Can be exposed to high loads and suit­ed for high-pow­er blenders.

• Dura­bil­i­ty: Met­al blender con­tain­ers are high­ly durable and can with­stand heavy use and fre­quent blend­ing with­out the risk of breakage.
• Tem­per­a­ture resis­tance: Like glass con­tain­ers, met­al blender con­tain­ers can han­dle hot ingre­di­ents with­out warp­ing or melting.
• No chem­i­cal leach­ing: Like glass, met­al con­tain­ers do not leach any chem­i­cals into your food or beverages.
• Easy to clean: Met­al blender con­tain­ers are gen­er­al­ly easy to clean and are often dishwasher-safe.

Cons:

• Weight: Met­al blender con­tain­ers can be heavy, which may make them less suit­able for those with arthrit­ic or prob­lem hands, as well as for the elderly.
• Cost: Met­al blender con­tain­ers are typ­i­cal­ly more expen­sive than their plas­tic counterparts.
• Lack of vis­i­bil­i­ty: Unlike glass con­tain­ers, met­al con­tain­ers do not allow you to see the blend­ing process, which may be a draw­back for some users.
• Noise: Met­al blender con­tain­ers can pro­duce more noise dur­ing blend­ing com­pared to plas­tic or glass containers.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to blender con­tain­ers, there are sev­er­al options avail­able, each with its own set of advan­tages and disadvantages.

Plas­tic Blender Con­tain­ers are strong and can with­stand high loads of high-end pow­er­ful blenders; light­weight, less expen­sive, and more eas­i­ly replace­able. How­ev­er, they may become dis­col­ored, may con­tain BPA, and can leach chem­i­cals into food.

Glass Blender Con­tain­ers are durable, tem­per­a­ture-resis­tant, and do not leach chem­i­cals into food, but can be used only in low-pow­ered blenders. In addi­tion, they are heavy and more expensive.

Met­al Blender Con­tain­ers are durable, tem­per­a­ture-resis­tant, easy to clean, and can be used for pow­er­ful blenders. While they are heavy, more expen­sive, lack vis­i­bil­i­ty, and can pro­duce more noise dur­ing blending.

The choice of blender con­tain­ers comes down to per­son­al pref­er­ence and spe­cif­ic needs. Plas­tic con­tain­ers are a good option for those on a bud­get, while glass and met­al con­tain­ers offer out­stand­ing dura­bil­i­ty and tem­per­a­ture resistance.

Rec­om­mend­ed reading:

• 6 Best Blenders with Glass Jar | Plas­tic-Free Alter­na­tive to a Typ­i­cal Blender
• Vita­mix Stain­less Steel Con­tain­er Review
• Best Vita­mix Blender for Your Healthy Lifestyle | Top Picks and Reviews
• Best Blender for Smooth­ies, Ice, and More