Prices aren’t great. Abe’s of Maine has the mini cuisinart food processor for $2 more that includes 18-month warranty instead of 90 days.
Does anyone have a Blend and Cook Soupmaker? Has it really improved your life?
Does anyone here use one of those hand blenders? I’ve always preferred my (apparently) old-fashioned stand-up blender, but I’m curious if those make a difference in ease of use, or ease of cleanup, or something.
I’ve got the griddler.I really like it.Makes great paninnis,and I’ve also used the grill plates for home made english muffins.Seems to have pretty even heating,the non stick is still perfect.Indicator light for temp.More useful than a George Foreman grill.Best price I’ve seen,too(well,for a non-refurb anyway)
Hand blenders are great, particularly for soups. You can blend them right in the pot, with no pouring of hot substances. And you pop the end off and stick it in the dishwasher. Awesome.
We have one of the “Single server brewing systems” coughcoughkeurig in our office and that thing is a champ. It’s quiet and, evidently, durable, as it’s been going strong with a bunch of coffee fiends for at least a couple years. Heats up fast. Has a rinse button, which is really nice, and hot water of course.
I have a hand blender/stick blender that is fairly un-fancy but it is very handy for some tasks. It is especially good for blending/pureeing in the pot, as for soups, or in a bowl. I have a regular blender, as well, but this provides a lot of utility and doesn’t take up much room.
If you want to use it in a bowl, I recommend draping a towel over the bowl and around the blender so stuff does not fly around…
Mine is not dishwasherable. My next one will be. : )
1saleaday had 'em a couple of days ago for a buck more in, like, nine different colors (I kid you not)…with free shipping…
hand blenders are awesome. I impulse bought the Cuisinart wand a couple of years back and haven’t looked back. clean up is easy, it’s super useful, and a generally great tool. I use the wand for soups regularly, and the food processing side is great for a coarse-chop pesto. CAN NOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH.
Personally speaking though, I can’t see any reason to buy the $35 refurb here when the model I got is new at costco for $29.99. they appear to have different model numbers; maybe someone with experience can make the argument.?
http://www.costco.com/Cuisinart-Smart-Stick®-Two-Speed-Hand-Blender.product.11761902.html
i should also add that a wand blender is NOT replacement for your standup blender- it’s for different tasks, such as very small quantities that your stand up may have a hard time blending uniformly, or very large quantities that would require multiple filling/emptying of the stand up blender. the pot of soup is probably one of the most common. In the winter time i pretty commonly make a LARGE pot of butternut squash soup. If I were to ladle it into the blender, i’d be taking it off heat, and filling the blender and generally going back and forth. with the wand, you can keep your soup on heat and blend directly for a uniform result. wand/stick blenders are better for most things that need temperature control while mixing/blending- you can keep in heat or in an ice bath as needed in a way that a stand up doesn’t allow.
Clean up is easy. i’ll run it for a few seconds in soap water and rinse or stick it in the dishwasher.
also, no pesky rubber washer to chase around the kitchen.
I was given exactly this stick blender as a gift, so I cant say anything about the price. However, I love mine, and it is powerfull enough that I can shred carrots with it for several minutes without it whining of getting hot. It crushes ice like a boss. I use it primarily for whipping cream, smoothies (never going back to a blender) crepe batter and blending hot soups/jams/fruit butters right on the stove.
The attachment i use most is…not an attatchment, but the tall blending cup, which is perfectly designed to keep spills and spatter to practically nothing.
The whisk works fine. The little mini processor is more trouble than just getting out my knife. I have used it for nut butters and hummus, but it never quite gets them smooth, and slightly grainy hummus is an abomination im mine eyes.
Have to agree regarding the prices not being that great. The Cuisinart griddle is $44.99 at bensoutlet right now. Also a refurb with 90 day warranty. I’m not sure what their shipping cost is, but after entering billing address, it is still showing as free shipping. Was just telling my wife how much Iwould like a panini press too.
DCG-12BC grinder gets only two stars in Amazon customer reviews.
The Griddler is fantastic!!! I have one, and my daughter has one. We just leave the Griddler on the counter because we use it so much. This is a great price and I am buying another one for my son. I also suggest you get online and buy the Griddler Waffle Plates…you can quickly change out the plates.
Looks exactly the same as the Costco version. Also regularly goes on sale at Costco for $19.99.
j
Let me put in a good word for the Cuisinart 7 qt. mixer: if you cook a lot, 7 qt. is a nice size. You can do 3 loaves of bread or a big batch of real buttercream (not the confectioner’s sugar crap that Wilton pushes) And, since you have to beat buttercream for ~25 min., the timer is a godsend. I’ve only had mine for a year, but I love it, and despise the shoddy Kitchen Aids! On the other hand, I got mine for ~$300 new at Sears
I’m just excited to hear the word dishwasherable. That’s all I got.
Are you talking about the thing with the whisk, chopper and blade/bowl thing? I have one (the SAME unit) under a totally different name and it does an OK job for small items. The bottoms come off, so the electric part seldom has to be wiped off and the rest can be washed.
I think this was originally an “as seen on TV” that the Cusies slapped their names on, but it does work.