Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Bites / Good advice / Kitchen Gear On the Hunt for the Right Blend
Posted by Nicki Wood on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 7:59 AM
Research has begun for a "Test Drive" column I write some months for Fine Cooking magazine. Past topics have included box graters, grill woks, probe thermometers, toaster ovens, juicers and electric skillets.
Blenders are the next topic. Right now I'm developing tests to compare the machines and working up a list of test candidates.
I've owned the same Oster blender for 21 years, and It's a great piece of equipment. So Oster is on the list, as is KitchenAid, whose products always impress me with their quality. Waring's stylish, powerful blender is on the list.
After those, I'm at a loss. What other blenders should be on the test list?
Comments (7)
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I've owned a Vitamix for the last 5 years, and though it costs a lot(400$),it does amazing things that I've never seen another blender do.
I know it is not the way to sell advertising, but I wish reviews like this compared old models with new ones, not just what's being crammed down our throats today. It'd be nice to know for once and for all if 14 speeds really better than 2, are the old motors really bullet proof or did we just not try much back then, etc.
I'd definitely throw in whatever is on the Big Lots shelves for 20 bucks that day, just to say whether you get what you pay for or not.
and it's not an Oster blender, it's OsterIZER ! :)
Look at the Breville Hemisphere. I wonder if its power lives up to the look.
http://www.surlatable.com/product/electrics/blenders+%26+juicers/breville+hemisphere+die-cast+blender.do?sortby=ourPicks
Although you may receive some concern over your review including such an expensive machine, I think that any blender reviews that do not seriously consider the Vita-Mix (or the Vita-Prep, which is the professional line) are woefully lacking in completeness. (And yes, I think that any review of immersion blenders that omit the Bamix are just as lacking.)
Anonymous,thank you for mentioning the Bamix. That was the first I had heard of it, and just watched a decent demo on the Williams-Sonoma site.I may have to add that to my kitchen tool box!
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Vita-Mix is on the list, and I'm looking at the Breville Hemisphere.
SL makes a good point about comparing new models to old, and buying a couple of bargain-basement models. Both great ideas, and I usually try to include models at all price points. Gotta be a current model, though, which rules out the Big Lots offerings.
