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Smooth Operators

A good blender can turn almost any mischievous mixture into a delicious treat. We put four to the test in search of the best.

blenders expert mcdonnell duggan

In times of great social strife, it’s refreshing to stumble across something that everyone can agree on, even if that something is the extraction of one’s wisdom teeth. It goes without argument in all quarters of the world that evicting the offending molars from one’s heavily sedated mouth just plain sucks.

Having recently experienced the procedure, it was a pleasant surprise to return to the office and receive the assignment to review those high-wattage, sharp-bladed workhorses of the kitchen—blenders. You see, as anyone who has had their wisdom teeth pulled knows, for approximately a week after the procedure, you are relegated to strictly soft food. That means that the blender quickly becomes your new best friend.

The kitchen blender has been around since 1922, when an industrious gentleman named Stephen Poplawski from Racine, Wisconsin, attached a spinning blade to the bottom of a glass container and plopped a top on it to help him make soda fountain drinks. A lot has changed in the last century, and many blenders are now banging on the food processor’s door, crushing ice, fruits, and vegetables in addition to making shakes. So, wanting to advance our knowledge of the blender and its more recent aesthetic and technological developments, we enlisted the help of someone intimately familiar with the workings of this small yet indispensable kitchen appliance: a bartender.

Duggan McDonnell, 31, began helping quench people’s thirsts by distributing wine before moving behind the bar at Wild Ginger, an Asian-fusion restaurant in Seattle, where he first learned to love the blender. “Not only was the food terrific at the restaurant,” McDonnell explains, “but we made incredible mango daiquiris, which were our signature drink. We had one blender and we would burn through them constantly. The blades would literally spin off because we were making something like 200 daiquiris a night.”

Most users aren’t planning on making 200 daiquiris a night, but we still wanted to put an assortment of blenders to the test. We bought all manner of vegetables, yogurt, juice, coffee beans, fruit, and, of course, that versatile mixer, rum, to see what we could whip up.
 

  • blenders waring pro mbb518 square

    Waring Pro MBB518 Professional Food and Beverage Blender

    • Made by: Waring
    • Price: $129.99
    Professional-quality blender with a trademarked 40-ounce cloverleaf glass carafe; available in numerous colors. Substantial metal base and stainless steel blade, with two-speed toggle switch.
  • blenders bosch mmb2000 square

    Bosch MMB 2000

    • Made by: Bosch
    • Price: $99.99
    A strong and unique-looking blender, with 600 watts of power, a 56-ounce glass jug, one simple push control button, and nice cord storage.
  • blenders cuisinart smart power premier cbt500 square

    Cuisinart SmartPower Premier 600-Watt Blender CBT-500

    • Made by: Cuisinart
    • Price: $150
    600 watts of power in a stainless steel or matte-black finish base, with a 50-ounce glass container. Includes a built-in five-minute timer.
  • blenders kitchen aid ksb5cr

    KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Blender KSB5CR

    • Made by: KitchenAid
    • Price: $179.99

    Five speeds, multiple color and finish options, and clean touch-control pad. Includes extra-long ice-crushing blades and a handy speed-control guide that walks you through which speed to use when.

  • Published: April 28, 2009
Margaritas, anyone? Our expert mixologist has his finger on the pulse of which blender will deliver the perfect summer cocktail.

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