Okay all you cooks, I'm asking for a recommendation.

[petersjo02]

I have a blender from the '70s. It does most everything I want it to do, but I'd like to make frozen drinks, and it doesn't handle ice cubes at all. Do I need a new blender? Or do I need an immersion blender? If so what brand/model. I've been looking around on the Internet this afternoon, but haven't found anything I'm completely comfortable buying. Your help and best advice will be much appreciated.

[MajorChode]

1. I don't believe an immersion blender is what you need

I can't imagine using an immersion blender to make frozen drinks. Perhaps there are some that do, but it just doesn't seem like that would work too well.

I have a Kitchen Aid blender. It looks like this one:



It most certainly does make frozen drinks and I use it several times per week for just that purpose. I like it and it's well made. One very nice feature is that it has an electronic control which provides for a gradual ramp up to full speed.

If I were in the market for one today, I would probably get a commercial model just because I use one so often, but the price goes up considerably for those.

[petersjo02]

2. Thanks so much.

Your information is just what I was looking for. Happy frozen drinks!

[MajorChode]

4. Here's my smoothie recipe if you're interested

3/4 cup of juice
3/4 cup of skim milk
8 oz of frozen fruit
1 frozen banana broken up into about 4 pieces

Blend on low speed for a minute or so, then kick up to full speed for another minute or two. It makes enough for two 12 oz smoothies.

For the juice, my favorite is pomegranate, but it's kind of expensive. I also like to use orange juice with pulp. You can also substitute soy for the milk and that's what I do when I have it on hand, but I don't usually keep it around. I don't particularly like to use strawberries for the fruit because the seeds make the smoothie rather gritty. My favorite choices here are frozen blueberries or pitted cherries. Pretty much when I find fruit on the cheap I buy lots of it for freezing. I almost always keep bananas on hand. When they get too ripe for my kids to eat, I peel them and put them in a big bag with the others. They get freezer burn this way, but it doesn't really matter. Another trick I found is I buy my straws at the oriental market. It's the only place I've found that sells really large diameter ones. They are easily twice the diameter of normal bendy straws and they are perfect for smoothies.

[Warpy]

7. That's the one I'd suggest for a drinks blender at home

because it will pulverize ice mixed with liquid.

A blender that will pulverize ice for slushies and the like has to be a heftier model like a Vita Mix, K-Tec, or Waring Commercial and those run into bigger bucks than the home bar should justify (unless it does double duty grinding flour and doing all those other jobs the big suckers do).

[surrealAmerican]

3. I've been using a braun for the last few years.

I make a lot of icy drinks with it. It does a good job. Before buying it I seem to remember checking consumer reports for their ratings. You may want to check there.

[madmax]

5. Love, love, love my Braun.

I bought it on the recommendation of posters on C&B. Great gizmo and easy to clean and store.

[The empressof all]

6. If you have money get the Vita Mix

I got one for my birthday and it's the best thing ever.

I do Banana "Ice Cream" almost every day. A frozen banana, a bit of almond milk and a splash of maple syrup. Yummy Dairy free soft serve.

I usually throw a bit of ginger, an apple and a handful of spinach in it every morning for breakfast smoothie.


Extremely Pricey but worth every penny.

[Monique1]

8. My blender

does crush ice and makes great smoothies. It isn't new but it does everything I want it to do. It is an Oster blender. I think I bought it around the year 2000.

[The empressof all]

9. No doubt

There are lots of great blenders that are far easier on the pocketbook and do a terrific job. I have an "issue" with kitchen equipment. It's a little personal addiction I've struggled with for years. Now that I have it---I don't regret the Vita Mix. It's a great machine for what I need. I'm currently eating vegan and focus on eating as low fat and raw as possible. For me it helps me get in and out of the kitchen quickly and I can process large amounts of food at a time.

[Catherina]

16. Those are the best! I wouldn't trade mine for anything else n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

10. I have a Sears Kenmore blender I bought because...

it had the biggest container and it was on sale for around 40 bucks.

It makes great smoothies.

My old Braun was good at mashing up ice and making smoothies, too, but after around 20 years the plastic container was becoming opaque and it started making a strange noise.

[Warpy]

11. Making a strange noise? How could you tell?

They all sound like jetliners on takeoff. What usually caused them to conk out for me involved smoke curling up out of the base or a wrecked jar that had no replacement because the thing was nearly old enough to vote (my first Waring).

The one I have now is a retro Oster, the beehive base, glass jar, and simple on/off/pulse switch on the front. It will do ice cubes in liquid, and it does all the Asian sauces I want and grinds nuts and does all the other stuff a blender is ideally suited to. They did improve the retread by making the base of the jar detachable for cleaning and other maintenance, but otherwise, it's the original model.

It does sound like a jetliner, though.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Noise one was something rattling around inside when I moved it. Noise 2 was...

a bearing whine that managed to sneak itself through the general cacophony.

I tried to take it apart, but it had some deeply hidden fasteners that even I, with maybe a hundred oddball screwdrivers, couldn't find a tool that fit.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Hold an ice cube in the palm of your hand. Whack it sharply with the back of the bowl of a . . . .

. . . . heavy table spoon. This will crack or crush the ice. Do this to get the amount of ice you want. Add to the blender. Blend. Drink.

[MrMickeysMom]

18. You beat me to this one, Stinky...

My aunt used to take the cube in her clean hand and wack it with the back of a teaspoon. Makes everything easy and decreases the cost of electricity.

[sandnsea]

13. I had an Oster with pulse

It broke, we used it several times a day. We threw ice and fruit in it and made "slushies". Loved It! We have an old 70s blender now too, from a yard sale I imagine. It does okay, but doesn't create the frothiness the Oster did.

http://www.marbeck.com/oster_blender_4247.html

[Catherina]

15. Keep your blender and get a Vitamix

"it really shines when you feed it ice. Imagine having perfect flakes of shaved ice instead of the slush you have settled on for years. The Ice Blade is designed to power through all of the ice cubes before they have a chance to begin melting. Put the Ice Blade Assembly in your Vita-Mix container and make perfect smoothies, frozen margaritas and daiquiris, and even snow cones all in a matter of seconds."

http://www.jlhufford.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=6317


You'll need an ice blade if you plan to do heavy duty ice work:

"Ice Blades
Thank you for the inquiry. There is a difference between the Ice Blade and the Wet Blade. Although they may appear similar, they are not.

The Ice blades contains four blades that are square at the ends with blunt or squared edges that are designed to pulverize and crush ice or frozen fruits.

The Wet Blade also has four blades but they are pointed at the ends and have a tapered sharp edge for cutting through a wide variety of foods.

Each blade is designed for a specific purpose. The Ice Blade is designed to make frozen drinks and smoothies where the Wet Blade is designed for a multitude of food prep applications like making smoothies, soups, breads, peanut butter etc.

We do not recommend using the Ice Blade for food prep applications. The Ice Blade design will not cut through certain foods easily because of the squared edges. Using the Ice Blade in thick food prep recipies would cause the motor temperature to increases and the machines safety system will turn off the motor to prevent overheating and save the motor from burning out.

The long and short of it is using the Ice Blade outside of it intended application would not give you the results you are looking for and could be detrimental to the equipment.

I hope this answers your question.

Darin Doak

Commercial Customer Service Manager"




Mixing It Up

The 5200, like all Vitamix machines, isn't just an appliance, it's truly a lifestyle. Flip it on for the first time you'll be a convert - its power will more than surprise you. For example, if you drop in a handful of strawberries, add honey and ice, you'll have the most deliciously rich, scoop-able ice cream that no other appliance can even begin to match. Even the tiny seeds from the strawberries will be broken down completely, releasing their maximum nutritional value.

In fact, the Vitamix Super 5200 can do the work of 10 kitchen appliances and perform over 50 different processes without any separate attachments. These include five that no other single kitchen appliance can execute as flawlessly: making ice cream, grinding grains to make flour, kneading dough, making whole food juice - even making piping hot soups heated by nothing more than the blades spinning at 240 MPH.

Blending in the Green

Not only is blending with a Vitamix a great way to consume more healthy greens, but is also environmentally-friendly. Because a Vitamix allows you to use the entire fruit or vegetable, you are wasting less food every time you use the machine. You will also find yourself less reliant on preservative-laden, convenience foods and able to avoid wasteful, expensive packaging. The blades and motor are so powerful that you can even cook faster with a Vitamix 5200 than with other, less efficient appliances. For example, fresh vegetable soup only takes minutes to cook from scratch in the Vitamix and a fruit smoothie takes seconds, saving you time and energy costs.



http://www.vitamix.com/household/infocenter/whole_foods.asp

http://www.vitamix.com/index.asp


I swear by mine. They're expensive but worth it because their motors don't burn out when you do heavy duty blending. The refurbishes ones at the Vitamix site are cheaper. They're not really refurbished, they're blenders people returned. They come with a great warranty too.

[Dover]

17. How about a Little Blizzard?

It makes shaved ice and is pretty compact.
I'm not sure if this is the kind of solution you're seeking, but we went to an outdoor 4th of July
picnic at a friend's house and they had one of these. Not only was it super fun for the kids with flavored syrups, but the adults were delighted with all of the exotic mixed alcoholic beverages poured over the ice. The ice was soooo soft and finely shaven like snowflakes. I was just amazed.
It was the perfect summer party toy for all ages.

http://www.weinerd.com/shavedicemachines.htm
http://www.snowie.com/shavers/shaver_littleblizzard.html
http://www.shavedicemaker.info/paragon-little-snowie-shaved-ice-clearance-sale.html