The Ultimate Shaker Bottle Guide

Nothing is simpler than jamming some powder and water into a shaker bottle then using some solid arm power to hopefully create a smooth and delicious drink without any dreaded powder clumps.

Let’s face it, shaker bottles are convenient, simple to use, inexpensive, and can make food preparation and planning that much easier.

But with such a massive variety of shaker bottles at our disposal with different functional designs and made from a range of materials, it can be daunting task knowing where to start.

Some even have battery powered mixers inside and LED lights that flash motivational quotes while you mix.

Okay, so that last part was pure fiction. But there certainly are battery operated shaker bottles out there if your elbow grease is wearing thin.

For any powdered supplement enthusiast, shaker bottles easily become a necessity. Whether it’s a magnesium powder, protein powder or pre-workout, these handy accessories make life that little bit simpler.

A shaker bottle makes fast work of drink mixing, ensuring there aren’t globs of dry powder leftover. Smart shakers offer the versatility of holding a liquid and a powder separately. This can be particularly handy if you want to make the shake up later in the day.

Hopefully you haven’t found out the hard (and quite displeasing) way what happens to protein powders when they are mixed in water and left at room temperature.

It’s far from pretty. Protein powder doesn’t last long once mixed with water. So always mix it as fresh as possible. This goes for any powdered supplements, though powdered whole foods, like protein powders, tend to spoil the fastest.

Let’s take a look at some of the shaker bottle basics, including the best way to keep them clean.

Shaker Bottle Design

Important to the consideration of any kitchen purchase is the design of the product. After all, it’s got to look snazzy, right?

There are a few main features to take into consideration with shaker bottle design, such as what they’re made from, the method used for breaking up protein globules and the presence of a storage container at its base.

Mixing Ball: Friend or Foe

An important part of the shaker bottle is its ability to mix powder and fluid into a smooth consistency. After all, this is why we shake.

Most shakers contain a stainless steel mixing ball which bounces around inside the container when we shake up our drink. The ball knocks against powder clumps and breaks them up, as long as you shake it hard enough.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of these stainless steel balls is when a few of them get stuck together on the dish rack. Somehow they intertwine like a couple of creeper vines left to grow in close proximity.

Separating them is like solving a rubik’s cube, without the satisfaction at the end. So if you’ve got a few on the strainer, try to keep them separated, because when they get together it spells trouble.

Not all shaker bottles contain a stainless steel ball. Some use a fixed grid at the top of the shaker bottle or an Actionrod. These tend to be a little bit easier to clean than a stainless steel ball.

Some smart shakers have shaped their protein breaking grid into an infuser for fruits or vegetables. This way you can make a smooth protein shake or simply go for a chilled cucumber and citrus water on a sultry summer day.

Shaker Bottle with Storage

It can be incredibly helpful when heading out for the day to have a shaker bottle that has the means to store dry powder, tablets and water separately. These are called Smart Shaker Bottles.

These types of shakers help prevent the drink spoilage that can happen when your shakes are made in advance. In case you’re wondering, the best time to drink your protein shake is immediately after mixing.

How to use a smart shaker bottle? It’s really easy. Simply add water to the main compartment, then add your dry powder to the bottom container that screws on the base.

When you’re ready for your shake, remove the bottom compartment and add your dry powder to the liquid. Then shake it up and drink away.

The bottom section of a smart shaker also has a separate compartment for pills. The main benefit with these shakers is that they remove the need for another drink bottle to hold your fluids.

Safest Shaker Bottle Materials: Metal, Plastic or Something from Mars?

Okay, so there are aren’t any construction materials for shaker bottle from Mars just yet. In the author’s defense, something had to be added to the title in order to spice it up a bit.

But who knows what alien materials will soon be discovered. The future of space travel is just around the corner, with SpaceX planning unmanned and manned missions by 2024!

A metal protein shaker bottle is certainly the most environmentally friendly product, and the best for human health as well. Many of them do contain a plastic inner lid including a grid for breaking down clumps of powder. So there will still be some plastic exposure.

Though most plastic shaker bottles are made from polypropylene (PP), which is deemed to be the safest plastic for food contact, there is no doubt that stainless steel is a safer option for long term use.

Superhero Shakers

With the rise of Marvel and DC films based on classic comic books, no product on the face of the earth or beyond could ever be complete without some superhero branding.

Sarcasm not intended.

Hence, the rise and growing popularity of the custom superhero shaker!

Perhaps you fancy yourself as a superhero given what you achieve in the gym each day, week after week, and for your adherence to a healthy diet and lifestyle?

It does take superhero-like commitment, resilience and effort to push heavy weights around the gym or tackle that early morning cardio session when most people are still snoring and dreaming about game of thrones re-runs.

Not that there’s anything wrong with either!

For old-school comic fans or anyone wrapped up in the entertaining superhero films of the last decade, a superhero shaker is simply a nice thing to have.

Do superhero shakers make your drinks taste better? Nope.

Do they help you lift heavier or run faster? Maybe, depending on your level of excitement.

Are they cool? You bet they are.

Best Way to Clean a Shaker Bottle

It might not seem like there’s much to know about cleaning a protein shaker bottle. However, because of the design of many of these shakers, as well as the steel balls or grids, they can be a tricky affair indeed if you don’t have some serious cleaning moves up your sleeve.

Let’s face it, no one likes to discover some of yesterday’s protein shake stuck in the grooves of the lid, or in some other conspicuous nook or cranny. A clear shaker bottle can make identifying areas to clean a little easier.

One of the best cleaning tools out there for a shaker bottle is a dish brush. That’s right folks, if you haven’t got a dish brush in your kitchen to wield whenever a shaker bottle has served its daily purpose, then you simply haven’t lived.

A dish brush is cheap and helps you get in all of those tricky areas, like the threads on the lid, as well as deep within the shaker itself where some hands simply don’t fit.

With some careful scrubbing in the right spots, your shaker bottle will come out super clean every time, much to the delight of your future self when it’s that time of day again.

Warm soapy water is a must, as well as some quality elbow grease. And with these tips behind your belt, there will be no shaker beyond the possibility of redemption.

If you don’t have time to clean a shaker bottle, simply pop it in the fridge so the contents (especially protein) don’t go off. This way, when you’ve got time to do some dishes, it will be a much more civilized affair.

How Much do Shaker Bottles Cost?

At Sporty’s Health, shaker bottles typically start at around the $9.95 price mark and can go as high as $19.95 for a themed or durable stainless steel shaker.

At the lower end of the price spectrum, you will mostly see a basic plastic shaker bottle with a stainless steel ball and flip top lid.

How to get a Free Shaker Bottle

Simply purchase a tub of ON Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein from Sporty’s Health online and you will be posted a free shaker bottle with your order.

If you’re in need of a protein powder top up anyway, this is great way to save some cash and get it all delivered to your front door. Simply spend over $99 and Sporty’s Health offer free standard freight to anywhere in Australia!

When Not to Use a Shaker Bottle

Shake bottles don’t suit every occasion. After all, when you’re making a mass gainer protein shake and you’ve only got a 400ml protein shaker bottle handy, it’s better to reach for a large glass, jug or blender.

For instance, Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass has a solid 334g serve, which needs an additional 700ml of water or milk added. For this, you will need a super-sized shaker bottle or a boycott the shaker entirely.

If you’re making a warm or hot drink, avoid plastics entirely as they leach chemicals faster with heat. You could try a stainless steel shaker in this case, however, the lid is likely to pop off if the contents are hot, which might create some unwanted splatter or spillage in an upward direction. So shake at your own peril.

Conclusion

There is no shortage of shaker bottle options out there, whether we want ours to have an eco-friendly focus, a dry powder storage option at its base or a theme that makes a statement.

Shaker Bottles offer convenience when planning for the day ahead, and help to keep you on track with your macros and daily protein or supplement needs.