blender

Go-to food processor does drinks, too

Cooking rarely results in the creation of one thing. At the very least, no matter the meal, a drink will be needed to wash it down. For example, a margarita to go with that fresh salsa.

Nobody wants to wrestle with countertop appliances when trying to forge an enjoyable meal, and one way to avoid the hassle is to work with gear that adjusts to your needs. The DeLonghi DFP250 Food Processor And Blender combines two of the most often-used appliances by offering interchangeable work vessels that attach to one common base.

In use, the machine offers a wide range … Read more

Wave a wand, make a meal

It's easy to get carried away when preparing something to eat.

Often it starts with something simple like chopping an onion. Then--as long as you have it out and all--perhaps the prepped onion could be used for a side dish to go with the main course. Oh, and of course then there would be dessert to consider, it being a full meal and all; you can't have a proper meal without dessert. Then, before you know it, ingredients are strewn all about the kitchen.

The Calphalon Electrics 3-in-1 Immersion Hand Blender is a handheld device designed to make … Read more

Hand blender adds up accessories

Versatile gadgetry is always welcome in the kitchen. Much like the act of cooking itself, the addition and subtraction of elements often creates a final product that is more than the sum of its parts.

Considering that we usually end up eating the creations that come out of the kitchen, it is probably best to pay attention to everything that goes in it--including the tools.

The DeLonghi DHB900 Triblade Professional Hand Blender is an all-in-one solution for many basic prepping needs. The versatility of the hand blender is expanded through the inclusion of attachments. In addition to a standard hand … Read more

Sonim phone survives 'Will It Blend?' torture test

We already embedded the rugged Sonim XP3300 Force in concrete and smashed it against a sidewalk. Other Sonim phones have been cooked on a grill, run over with a car, tossed into a cement mixer, and cleaned in a washing machine. They all survived the PR stunts.

The "Will it Blend?" online show pitted the XP3300 against the powerful Blendtec Total blender. It took only a matter of seconds for the Blendtec to turn an iPhone 4 into something you could pack into a Campbell's soup can.

When the XP3300 came out the other end, it was covered in a pile of phone dust, but it still rang and could make and receive phone calls. The verdict? "Mostly blended." We're going to need a bigger blender.

What did these poor phones do to deserve such treatment? For starters, Sonim calls them the toughest phones in the world. They are built to military-grade specs and come with a three-year warranty that covers accidental damage. That's just asking for punishment.

If you're prone to dropping your phone, running over it with an elephant, or leaving it in the pocket of your wetsuit when you dive down to the Titanic, then the $525 XP3300 may be perfect for you. Sonim's CEO helpfully reminds customers that intentionally blending your XP3300 is not considered "accidental damage."… Read more

Blender and chopper just go together

Combining one appliance with another has always been a way to add convenience and value (not to mention sales numbers) to the kitchen. Some of these combinations are either far-fetched or only useful for a select few. (Toaster/egg-maker anybody?) However, some of these combinations just make sense. When one oft-used appliance uses the same basic mechanism as another, it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to see the two put together. In fact, for some combinations, it is becoming hard to imagine them ever not belonging together.

The Hamilton Beach Wave Power Blender and Chopper uses one … Read more

Weigh your options with a food processor

It is not uncommon for kitchen appliances that do one thing well to do another, similar thing just as well. Often that secondary functionality becomes your primary use for the product (think grinding spices in a coffee grinder).

You may not think it makes any sense to use a blender as a scale, but that's exactly what DeLonghi has done--incorporate a scale into a food processor. The DFP950 12-Cup Food Processor combines two similar kitchen gadgets with a third--not altogether unlikely--kitchen essential. Featuring a tare function, you can add exactly the amount of ingredients you need directly in your … Read more

Juicing machine also blends

Appliances that strive for versatility are always welcome additions into the kitchen. The ones that accomplish this through the use of attachments are particularly effective. They offer a convenience in their transforming nature that has the capability to save time, space, and money. Plus, having one thing that can turn into the other is just plain neat.

Billed as something of an ultimate fruit smoothie maker, the Breville BJB840XL Juice and Blend, uses a motorized base in tandem with two different attachments. The juicer head is meant to be used in processing harder fruits and vegetables, while the blender attachment … Read more

Hanging out with a Ninja Professional Blender

Blending isn't a delicate operation: the idea is basically to pulverize the heck out of something. Be that as it may, how blenders actually get the job done can vary. They differ in style, power consumption, or how well they distribute the ingredients to be pulverized. One way to increase the efficiency is to make sure that every little bit gets a chance to interact with a blade. And how might a blender accomplish this? By adding an extra blade set. Or two.

Given the chance to play with the new Ninja Professional Blender, I got to see if … Read more

Just press the smoothie button

Most people have an inkling about what to do when they decide to eat healthily. Of course that doesn't mean they will do it. We're all guilty of occasionally choosing convenience over counting calories, and considering just how easy it is to stray it is no surprise that eating right can sometimes be a challenge. The trick, naturally, is to make healthy eating as convenient as possible. For example, preparing healthy meals ahead of time is one way to go about it. Another way would be making sure that something good to eat is only a press of … Read more

Blend and go

The rush to get out the door in the morning can be a hectic whirlwind of activity. After bumping into walls and tripping over end tables we manage to find the kitchen, ready to tackle the basic necessity of food. (And coffee.) All too often at this point we are presented with a conundrum: enough time to prepare something to eat, yet not enough time to eat it. Luckily, sustenance doesn't always take the form of solid food, and a highly portable smoothie will suffice.

The Cuisinart CPB-300 Compact Portable SmartPower Blender not only lets one quickly whip up … Read more