Family life on LA's Westside

Product review

Blendtec: The Smartest Blender in the Room

ImageIf you judge a kitchen by its appliances, then the kitchen with the Blendtec is one to shine.  I was fortunate to get my Blendtec Designer Series WildSide the week my son and I were both home sick with colds.  I didn’t feel much like cooking, but blending with this machine gave me a boost.

Literally, this hi-tec high-speed mixing machine covers soups to nuts.  It comes with a fascinating recipe book of more than 200 concoctions including unusual offerings such as spinach ice cream, avocado soup and almond milk.  My first blend was a golden oldie — the vitamin-C-loaded cold-busting Orange Julicious, the mall shop style fave that until I had never been able to reproduce, lacking both the secret ingredient revealed in the recipe – yellow squash, and the blender that could do the job right.

I had thought my margarita maker was impressive, with its two-speed program that automatically went from crushing to blending, but the Blendtec puts the other machine under the table.  The Blendtec  switches itself from low to high and everything in between and features a digital countdown display, touch controls and easy-to-understand icons indicating the proper blend to get just the right texture for batters, sauces, smoothies, ice cream, yogurt, juices, soups and more.

Not only does it blend like a master, the Blendtec looks great on your counter top too.  The designer series features a brushed stainless base made with die-cast copper, available in stylish metallic champagne, red, cream or black finishes.

The two jar system makes it easy to prep one recipe while serving another, and the easy clean up – five to 10 seconds on pulse cycle with warm water and dish soap, makes Blendtec the perfect appliance for sick days, or any day when you just want a quick, easy and nutritious meal or pick-me-up, without a big mess.

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As you’d expect from a cutting-edge manufacturer, Blendtec has some very cool marketing, including a video series, viewable at willitblend.com, that mixes in a dash of humor while demonstrating the machine’s awesome abilities.

The WildSide Designer is priced from $454.95 to $499.95.  You can find sellers of Blendtec products or buy direct at www.blendtec.com.