Dry blending and custom formulations for new food product development

What Is the Difference Between Blending and Mixing?

What Is the Difference Between Blending and Mixing?

in /by

Aren’t Mixing and Blending the Same Thing?

Blending and mixing are two of the most critical processes in food manufacturing and other industries. They are used in everything from the cement builders used to make your house to the loaf of bread you ate this morning.

They usually mean the same thing in everyday language, but did you know that blending and mixing are actually two distinct operations?

Although the differences are very subtle, they do have something in common. Both combine two or more different substances, but the similarities end there.

Is there really a difference between blending and mixing?

Mixing is generally concerned with many different substances put together to form a new product. In the context of food, mixing involves both dry and wet ingredients.

Think of when you mix water, yeast, sugar, and flour to make a dough. Or moist ground beef and dry breadcrumbs to make meatballs. The mixing operation is usually a comprehensive one—you want to make the result as homogenous as possible.

Other food products that use mixing include:

  • Noodles
  • Bread
  • Sauces
  • Canned soup

What is the process of blending?

Blending entails mixing only dry ingredients. Think of how pancake mix is made. It’s usually a blend of many different dry components (flour, salt, sugar, starches, etc.). Or how we describe tea or coffee “blends,” which is nothing more than combining different varieties of tea leaves or coffee beans together. Powder blending is used to create fine powders with the perfect ratio of ingredients.

Sometimes blending involves a small amount of liquid, such as when producing granules. So long as the majority of the ingredients are dry, it is still a blending process.

Blending is a gentler process than mixing. The aim is to create a uniform distribution of each component in the final blend. It’s not to mish-mash all the ingredients together. Most industrial-grade blenders make it a point to minimize ingredient contact with the blender’s blades.

Examples of products which are made by blending include:

  • Powder Mixes (such as pancake mix)
  • Spices (such as curry)
  • Granules (such as instant coffee)
  • Powdered drinks

Why is blending necessary?

Proper blending is a necessary process to create a consistent product. Imagine if the process of blending cake mix wasn’t adequately controlled. You might get an overly sweet cake with one box, and a coarse, gritty product with another. This is because the ratio of flour or sugar would vary wildly with each batch produced if they weren’t blended well.

To achieve proper blending, using the right equipment is essential. There are lots of options on the market, but one of the most effective is the convection blender.

This machine uses a rotating element, such as a ribbon, to rapidly move the dry ingredients around. Unlike your blender at home, it doesn’t use blades that “cut” through the particles and thus is not as damaging. Each batch is also electronically controlled to ensure proper consistency.

Final Thoughts

The next time you make your instant coffee or sip that afternoon tea, be sure to appreciate the magic of blending and mixing!

Mixing It Up With Dry Blending

in /by

What Is Dry Blending?

Dry blending is becoming increasingly popular in the food industry all across the world. The benefits, accessibility, and ease of dry blending is creating a stir in the world of food and nutrition, and even sometimes in places you would never expect.

The Dry Blending Process

Dry blending is essentially exactly what it sounds like. In the food industry, this simply means the mixing of dry ingredients to create a “dry” product. Dry blending products—which can be anything from sauces to drinks to baking mixtures and more—are easy to make and easy to use.

Typically you need only add water or something sort of liquid ingredient to the dry product to create a delicious addition to any meal.

The Benefits of Dry Blending

Not only is dry blending easy, but also it is incredibly cost effective and thus affordable for consumers. The dry ingredients are cheap to make, so companies have no need to charge consumers exorbitant amounts of money for something small and delicious.

Furthermore, as there is very little within dry blended products that can rot or go stale, dry blended items can last far longer than any other food products, including canned items, and thus are even more cost efficient than you would think. They also typically come in small packages, and as such as incredibly easy to store since they take up very little cabinet space.

One may be wary of dry blend products—what about the taste? There is no need to fear, though—dry blending does not affect the taste of the ingredients used. Everything you can make with dry blended products tastes just as delicious, but take less than half the time to prepare and cook.

The purpose of dry blending dehydrated foods is to maximize nutritional value, taste, and to save consumers time in a world that is constantly on the move.

Who Uses Dry Blending?

The low cost and simplicity of dry blending means that a large amount of the food industry utilizes this process, and probably in ways you would not normally anticipate.

For instance, coffee vending machines—the ones you may stop at on your way to work if you are in a hurry—are usually dry blend coffee with hot water. However, does the taste suffer? No! That quick and cheap coffee saved you time and money without sacrificing taste.

Many restaurants use dry blending for their spices, especially quick service locations. Again, the safety and low cost makes this a great solution for businesses without sacrificing customer health or satisfaction.

Taco seasoning, spice mixtures, “just add water” baking concoctions—all of these are examples of every day dry blending products that the world at large uses. The food industry uses dry blending to its fullest extent, and research continues to expand knowledge of dry blending possibilities.

Contact Us for Dry Blending Today!

At Dure Foods, we pride ourselves on our dry blending techniques and packaging. All of our products are verified on their premises and by a third-party lab, ensuring absolute safety and nutritional value.

Our ingredients all come precisely weighed and documented to create the perfect mixtures for all our items. Dry blending creates cheap, high quality items, and Dure Food ensures the best standards for all our dry blended products.

For more info, Contact Us Today!