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One instruction in a new barbecue sauce recipe I'm trying out is to take the pot of simmering sauce and run it through a blender or food processor.

I have now learned the hard way that blending hot liquid will cause the lid of the blender to explode off... there is barbecue sauce coating my kitchen, and I have some new burns to treat.

So, what is the proper way to do this? Is there a safe way to use a regular blender like mine, or would I need a different kind of blender?

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  • Some blenders are damaged when hot liquids are added. Check instruction booklet first.
    – user14905
    Dec 26, 2012 at 3:40
  • Hand blender stick: google.com/…
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Sep 14, 2017 at 18:28

4 Answers 4

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It can be a bit tricky, here are a couple of tips:

  • Use a lot less liquid in the blender than normal. Do batches if needed.
  • Vent the lid so the steam can escape. A lot of lids have a center piece that can come out. Using less liquid will stop stuff coming out the top.
  • As Ocaasi suggests, you can cover the open lid with a kitchen towel as you start to ensure there's no spray.
  • Start the blender slow and then speed it up. This may not work depending on how fast your slowest setting is. But once the vortex gets going, the liquid won't splash. It's only when the blades start that you have that issue. Slower start speed means less splash (a vita-mix can start very slowly and have no splash at all, great for hot liquids but the price tag is a bit high).
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You can get a hand-held blender that you can stick inside the pan you're boiling the sauce in instead of transferring it to another container. I love this tool for soups and sauces such as yours.

Remember though that using a blender or food processor has a more smooth result. I've never had any accidents, but I:

  • never fill the blender more than half
  • always put my hand on the lid before turning it on

Do you have any pictures of the end result? Was it this bad?

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    This is my normal solution, but an immersion blender will never get the liquid as smooth as a blender. Just something to keep in mind.
    – Eric Goodwin
    Aug 21, 2010 at 22:43
  • @EricGoodwin you're absolutely right about that I'll add a heads up.
    – iwein
    Jan 1, 2014 at 7:42
  • These are great for anything from pureed soups to nice smooth refried beans.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Sep 14, 2017 at 18:29
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i prefer waiting-say for 30-40 minutes and then transfer the cooked food from pot to blender.

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  • Seems like a perfectly reasonable solution to the problem at hand.
    – Preston
    Dec 30, 2013 at 4:06
  • Same here. I never ever blend scalding hot liquids. I have to see the first recipe yet where I cannot leave it to cool for a while, then reheat it. Note that if you don't have a glass blender the heat may not be too good for it either.
    – user34961
    Apr 22, 2015 at 11:32
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    Sometimes, you can't get cooled things to blend as smoothly as hot things.
    – Batman
    Sep 27, 2017 at 22:11
  • You probably don't need to wait that long, just get it all below boiling point. Putting the cooking pan/dish in a sink or basin of cold water for 5 or 10 minutes, stirring a bit, should reduce the temperature enough.
    – Stuart F
    Sep 24, 2021 at 22:46
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I but some cooled product in the blender. First, I start the blender on slow mode, with the lid on. Once it is running, I remove the lid and then slowly add the hot product, a little at a time (never from the hot pot), with the lid off. I can then slowly adjust the speed. I only fill the blender to 3/4 full and blend until I achieve the right consistency. Then I repeat the process beginning with the cool product first, and slowly adding the hot, repeating the same steps.

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  • You might be able to avoid the initial cooling step and start with only a little bit of hot liquid (1/2cup to a cup ... about 125-250mL), as the explosion seems to be proportional to volume (which makes sense, as it's cavitation)
    – Joe
    Feb 11, 2019 at 20:28

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