A blender with an air intake snorkel where the snorkel extends away from a motor housing provided by the blender is provided. The snorkel includes an air intake opening, an outlet opening, and a conduit fluidly connecting the intake and outlet openings. In one preferred embodiment, the snorkel includes a cap connected to the snorkel wherein the cap partially obstructs access to the intake opening in order to prevent contamination of the conduit. The outlet opening fluidly communicates with an inlet aperture provided by the motor housing. In use, an electric motor contained by the housing actuates a fan. The fan pulls air through the intake opening, conduit, and outlet opening. The air enters the housing via the inlet aperture where it acts to cool the electric motor. In one preferred embodiment, the appliance is a blender and the motor housing comprises a blender base that is installed on a countertop or in-counter (i.e., a portion of the blender extends into or through the plane defined by a countertop). The air intake snorkel reduces contamination of the interior of the appliance, provides efficient airflow for motor cooling, and reduces the re-circulation of warm appliance exhaust air into the motor housing.
