For this reason we compiled a survey that asked more than 700 food industry professionals about which blender brands they relied upon to create their dishes. With a respondent pool that spanned the country and, for the most part, topped the kitchen hierarchy—33 percent of those surveyed were executive chefs and 16 percent were chefs/owners—our survey received responses from many of the country’s top restaurants, including Nobu 57 in New York City and Jardiniere in San Francisco.

The results: In a landslide victory, Vita-Mix came out on top.

Of 95 percent of respondents who said they use a blender in their facilities, 48 percent named the Vita-Mix Corporation as their brand of choice, citing performance, durability, and speed as the highest-ranked strengths of their Vita-Mix blenders.

While the majority of Vita-Mix users (71 percent) own Vita-Prep blenders, 27 percent own Vita-Prep 3 models and 8 percent own Bar Bosses, which are specialized mixology blenders. According to these users, the power, variable speeds, and durability of Vita-Mix blenders are what make this brand stand out from the pack.

As chefs, pastry chefs and mixologists continue to push the boundaries of ingredient manipulation, blenders will also continue to grow in both number and placement at restaurants, bars and other culinary facilities.

Half of all respondents reported having one or two blenders in their facilities, while 24 percent claimed a total of three. And although the kitchen is the most common in-house location for blender use (45 percent of respondents use their blenders there), 24 percent use blenders in both the kitchen and the bar, and 17 percent use them in the kitchen, bar, and pastry area.

In keeping with the culinary industry’s steep learning curve for texture manipulation, the most popular blender applications reported by respondents were purees (91 percent), sauces (91 percent), and liquefied ingredients (83 percent), while the least popular were ground meats (5 percent) and chopped vegetables (10 percent).

Along the same lines, speed and consistency were ranked as the greatest benefits of blender use, followed by ease of use and time-saving ability.

Surprisingly, brand is the least important factor taken into account when making a blender purchase, according to respondents. Durability was cited as the most important factor, along with horsepower, speed, and cleaning ease. Additional elements that affect respondents’ blender-purchasing decisions include chef recommendations, capacity, and ability to purchase replacement parts.