Blenders

Best blenders

A kitchen fixture for over 50 years, the blender has ceded many of its chores to the food processor. But food processors cannot crush ice or make frozen drinks, and blenders are still best for pureeing soups. Professionals say these are the tasks to emphasize when evaluating blenders.

The Oster Classic Beehive Blender (*est. $60) wins praise from professional testers and owners. Good Housekeeping gives the Beehive its top rating. Cooks Illustrated and Money magazine also recommend the Beehive. A large number of owners posting to Amazon.com give this blender a high rating. Owners say that they like the simplicity of this two-speed blender. Many also find it attractive, with retro styling and a choice of colors for the base. The major complaint for the Beehive blender is noise. Oster touts its all-metal drive system; possibly this accounts for the fewer complaints of breakage as compared to the similarly priced Braun PowerMax MX2050, but the noise could be a deal breaker for some. The Beehive blender has a tapered 40-ounce glass jar that pours well, say reviews.

Testers at Cook's Illustrated say that the 12-speed Osterizer 6663 (*est. $40) performs just as well as the Beehive blender, but the less expensive Osterizer has a plastic base instead of chrome. Cook's Illustrated's testers prefer the Beehive's simple switch to the Osterizer's eight "impossible-to-clean" buttons. Owner-written reviews for the cheaper Oster blender are mixed. Some say that it's a good value, while others complain that it died quickly. Some say that you just don’t need twelve speeds on a blender and that there’s little difference between the speeds.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from the basic two-speed Oster Beehive blender, the Oster Fusion BRLY07 (*est. $70) and the Oster Counterforms BVLB07-L (*est. $100) tout "Triple-Tech Technology," which includes a reversing blade, a six-point-star blade design and preprogrammed settings. These two recent additions to the Oster lineup are marketed as 2-in-1 appliances, replacing food processors for many chopping functions (each has a feed tube in the lid). Both the Fusion and the Counterforms blenders performed well in one test, but there has been little feedback from users so far for these two new blenders.

Introduced in the late 1930s, the Waring blender was the first commercially successful blender. But lately, Waring blenders have not been favorites of professional reviewers. In fact, Good Housekeeping’s selection of the Waring Pro PBB and MBB Series for top performance in May 2004 was the most recent high rating we found for Waring blenders. The Waring Pro Series includes several similar models with 390-watt motors. The Waring Pro PBB bar blender (*est. $114 in white, $130 in colors) and Waring Pro MBB (*est. $130 in metallic) have the trademark cloverleaf glass jar and a metal base. The Waring PBB25 (*est. $115 in white; *est. $130 in colors) substitutes a stainless steel carafe that is only 32 ounces (versus 40 ounces for the glass jar); some owners find this too small. Although stainless steel is the classic choice for the base of this retro-styled blender, Waring offers several other colors, including copper, black, white, retro green and chili red.

With just two speeds, the Waring Pro series blenders are easy to use. Although the blenders lack a pulse feature, owners say that they flick the switch from on to off when they want to pulse. However, testers at Cook's Illustrated report problems with the glass jar design: Not only was it difficult to remove processed food from the narrow, cloverleaf-shaped jar, but it also felt "tippy." Cook's Illustrated gave the Waring Pro PBB fair to poor scores in every test, including ice crushing -- a benchmark for any blender. It should be noted, however, that Cook's Illustrated attempted to crush 15 ice cubes in just 5 pulses. Owners posting to Amazon.com, who presumably let their blenders run a bit longer, report that the PBB crushes ice just fine, if slowly.

Waring ramped up the wattage and revamped the design of the Waring Pro MBB/PBB blender, and the result is the 500-watt Waring RB75 Professional blender (*est. $100) , which has an RPM gauge. The Waring RB75 includes a five-year warranty, and some owners say you'll need it -- the early owner reviews we read reported lots of problems. The Pro line also includes the lower-priced Waring Pro WPB blender (*est. $70), which has a 350-watt motor, a 40-ounce glass jar and removable blade assembly. The Wall Street Journal found that the wide spout of the Waring WPB made pouring drinks difficult.

With the Hamilton Beach Wave Station Dispensing Blender (*est. $50) , a spout near the bottom dispenses drinks, so there’s no need to lift the carafe. While Good Housekeeping includes this Hamilton Beach model among its four best blenders, the editors note that the Wave Station is taller than most blenders and might not fit under some cabinets. The Wall Street Journal review also criticizes this model for being loud and having confusing controls.

Ice-crushing is a strong suit for the L'Equip R.P.M. 228 (*est. $135) . In comparative tests of nine blenders by Cook's Illustrated, the L'Equip R.P.M. wins the editors' highest rating. Testers liked its manual power dial and built-in stir stick, but they report that fitting the jar into the base can be a little fussy. The polycarbonate jar holds 56 ounces. With 900 watts of power, L'Equip makes short work of ice, frozen fruit and veggies, as confirmed in another recent test, which cited noise as this blender’s big drawback. One owner calls the noise level "alarming." With only a small number of owner-written reviews, it's hard to get a clear idea of long-term performance. We did read a few reports that the L’Equip blender smelled like it was overheating, and a few more reports that it didn’t hold up very long. Still, this blender comes with a six-year warranty.

In the test at The Wall Street Journal, which involved making mainly frozen margaritas, the KitchenAid Custom Blender KSB560 (*est. $120) was the champ. It crushed ice well, its 56-ounce polycarbonate jug is lighter than a glass jug, and testers say its teardrop design made pouring easy. However, we read some early reports about a consistent issue -- that the bottom of the polycarbonate jug can start to crack and eventually leak.

Although the model numbers sound similar, the newer KitchenAid KSB560 is a completely different design than the still-available . This blender has been on the market a long time, and it earns a "best buy" rating in a comparison review at Which?, a British consumer publication. Both Money magazine and the Vegetarian Times like this blender, too. In well over 100 owner reviews at Amazon.com, however, the average score for the KitchenAid UltraPower blender is lower than ratings for comparable blenders. This 500-watt blender comes in black, red and white. Its glass jar has a 40-ounce capacity. Most owners say that the UltraPower makes quick work of ice. They like the covered keypad and weighted base, which keeps the blender in place during operation. Some owners complain about the blade assembly, which they find dull. KitchenAid says that this makes for better ice crushing, but some owners argue that this prevents the blender from fully emulsifying ingredients.

Homeland Housewares, which sells the Magic Bullet (*est. $100) via infomercial and other outlets, claims that their blender can "chop onions, mince garlic, grate cheese, and do virtually any job in the kitchen in 10 seconds or less!" Although some owners are enthusiastic about their Magic Bullet blenders, we read many complaints about breaking plastic parts and an inflexible policy that forces customers to pay for a new base instead of a single replacement part. Good Housekeeping's testers found that the Magic Bullet can indeed chop, blend and grind -- but not very well. Cook's Illustrated put the Magic Bullet through a battery of tests, and it failed at nearly every one.

Heavy-duty and multifunction blenders

The blenders discussed above are meant for home use. Some pricier blenders offer more power and durability, and some can multitask -- making baby food, nut butters and bread dough.

KitchenAid makes a brushed-stainless blender, the Pro Line (*est. $250), whose looks recall the Machine Age. It has a capacity of 48 ounces and a two-year warranty. Testers at Cook's Illustrated call the Pro Line a "solid all-around performer" with intuitive controls. Two dozen owners posting to Amazon.com give this blender near-perfect scores, saying it looks great and works beautifully. Complaints tend to be minor and center on color choice (there is none) and size. The Pro Line has a one-piece design and cord wrap. The Pro Line’s blades aren’t removable, so you should clean this type of blender with a sponge attached to a long stick or a long-handled brush. Although it’s pricey, the Pro Line might be a good choice if price is no object, or if you need a blender for semi-professional use. This blender has been popular, and we found it to be frequently out of stock.

At the same price level, Waring offers the MegaMix HBP300 (*est. $250) . Built for professional bars, commercial kitchens and smoothie shops, the MegaMix’s 1-hp motor is designed to run faster than other blenders to cut processing time. It has a 48-ounce polycarbonate container. Cook’s Illustrated recommends the Waring MegaMix HBP300, giving it perfect scores for all tasks except ice-crushing, where it performed poorly. The editors also note that it is very loud. According to another recent professional review, the MegaMix is above average at crushing ice, but it failed a durability test. We found about a dozen owner-written reviews for the Waring MegaMix at Amazon.com, where a few owners comment that the plastic jug doesn’t hold up.

The high-powered Vita-Mix 5000 (*est. $400) is a staple of coffeehouses and juice bars. If you're looking to grind your own peanut butter, whip up soft-serve ice cream, blend bread dough, or even make fondue, you may want to consider the Vita-Mix, which comes with a seven-year warranty. The major difference between the Vita-Mix and the average blender is its 1380-watt motor. If you plan to make large quantities of, say, baby food, the Vita-Mix is a good choice: it has a 64-ounce jar and a built-in stirrer. Vita-Mix has two major drawbacks, say reviewers: its high price tag and noisy operation. "At its highest speed, the machine sounds like an airplane taking off," wrote Vegetarian Times reviewer Anne Harrington. Is it worth $400? While the Vita-Mix 5000 scored excellent ratings at all tasks in recent testing, one review says the price is only worthwhile if you need a single “do-it-all device.” Most owners -- many of whom are health-conscious consumers who want to blend up full-fiber juice drinks -- say the Vita-Mix is worth the price, although some say that it's overpowered for more mundane tasks. Owners say that Vita-Mix stands behind its products and will even buy back worn-out machines so that owners can upgrade.

A recently published review rates the Blendtec Total Blender (*est. $400) very close to the Vita-Mix 5000, but says the Blendtec is extremely loud. We found no other professional reviews of this blender. One advantage of the Total Blender is size: It is more compact and lighter than the oversized Vita-Mix. Bloggers and owner reviewers have varying preferences between these two multifunction blenders, but most users seem pleased with their machines.

Important Features: Blenders

Here's what reviews say about selecting a blender:

• Look for a pulse option. Testers generally like having a pulse button, which lets you turn on the blender for short bursts. This is helpful when you don't want to overprocess ingredients and for crushing ice. For models with a switch, it's easy to flip the switch on and off for pulse.

• Look for a removable blade. Blenders with nonremovable blades are harder to clean. Blenders with nonremovable blades are less likely to leak, however.

• More than three speeds aren't necessary. Experts say that three well-differentiated speeds are enough.

• A high price doesn't guarantee performance. Some blenders costing as much as $200 receive low marks in professional tests, while some budget models get better reviews.

• Push buttons can be harder to clean. It can be next to impossible to clean the crevices between buttons. Dial controls, touchpads and switches are better options.

• Consider the container. Tapered jars funnel food down to the blades, yielding more uniform results.. Plastic jars scratch, and scratches can become repositories for odor and stains. Glass jars are heavier and more stable. Polycarbonate pitchers, such as those on the Vita-Mix and some KitchenAid blenders, are shatterproof.

• Size and appearance might matter. Since many blenders remain on the counter, styling and colors that suit your kitchen may be a factor in selecting a blender. Also, some blenders are taller than others and may not fit under upper cabinets.

Usage tips

Blenders can be noisy. One way to muffle the noise is to drape a kitchen towel over the top of your blender.

Although many blenders are labeled "dishwasher-safe," experts recommend hand-washing whenever possible. That's because rubber gaskets in particular may shrink or warp in the dishwasher. You can quickly clean a blender by filling the jar halfway with hot water and adding a drop or two of dish soap. Run the blender for a minute, and then discard the water.

Try not to overfill the jar, and leave room for ingredients to move around. Add ingredients one at a time, pulsing after each addition.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (with Retailer Links)	Details from Amazon.com
4	Braun PowerMax MX2050 (*est. $50)	details
4	Vita-Mix 5000 (*est. $400)	-
3	Oster Classic Beehive Blender (*est. $60)	details
3
2	Oster 12-speed Osterizer 6663 (*est. $40)	details
2	Cuisinart SmartPower CBT-500 (*est. $100)	-
2	Cuisinart SmartPower SPB-7 (*est. $60)	details
1 each	L'Equip R.P.M. 228 , KitchenAid Pro Line Chef's Blender , KitchenAid 5-speed Custom KSB560 , Waring Pro MBB/PBB series , Waring MegaMix , Oster Fusion , Oster Counterforms, Oster Osterizer 10-speed , Blendtec Total Blender , Hamilton Beach Wave Station Plus

The low-priced Braun PowerMax MX2050 receives a lot of attention in professional reviews, but it gets some mixed ratings from owners posting to Amazon.com and Epinions. The Cuisinart SmartPower also gets mixed reviews, with owners posting to Epinions indicating that the blade can break. In general, we found mixed reviews for most blenders in the $40 to $100 price range. We found the most consistent reviews for the Oster Classic Beehive blender and Vita-Mix 5000. The KitchenAid KSB5 also gets good reviews all around, although it’s nobody’s favorite; at Amazon.com owners say it's an average performer overall, but they praise its heavy weight and designer colors. The Cuisinart CBT-100 gets one great review and one tepid review.

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