Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender CSB-76 Reviews

• Ah hah, I'm all shook up!

  
  By A23O5LZQT3VANF on 2006-08-15
  Well ok, maybe I am not all shook up so much as BLENDED up. I purchased this immersion blender after my older no name brand unit purchased at Wally World died in the middle of blending a pot of hot soup. I like that you can wash the blenders blade assembly in the dishwasher and the stainless steel shaft is not stained like so many of the ALL PLASTIC models. Another thing I love is the power of the unit and the sharpness of the blades; they will reduce a pot of cream of broccoli soup to a smooth consistency in nothing flat.
  
  Oh and when I say broccoli soup folks, I MEAN broccoli soup. I put nearly two bunches of steamed broccoli in my soup and I only chunk it prior to blending with the immersion blender. This blender will puree` the soup to a perfect creamy texture in nothing flat. (Reserve a few pieces of the chunked broccoli to add back to the soup for texture purposes) I have also used it on my potato and asparagus soups with equally great results.
  
  If you are looking for an immersion blender with lots of power and a "NO STAIN" Stainless Steel shaft then IMO, you cannot go wrong with this model from Cusinart.
  
  Happy Blending!
  
  Ciao!
  
  

• Dangy-dang!

  
  By A2JVR4P3BPDWNK on 2006-09-20
  Holy guacamole! I was a disbeliever, but now that I have this Cuisinart immersion blender, I am a True Believer. It is substantial yet quiet, and it works really, really well. It is easy to clean as the blender piece pops right off. I love that I can just place it into the pot and puree my soup right there! Awesome! Carrot soup, cauliflower soup, sweet potato soup have all fallen under my spell with this magic wand. Recommended.
  
  

• Best yet!

  
  By A2ETZA89CC85GO on 2006-08-02
  This is the third hand blender I have owned, and is by far the most solid, smoothest running and easiest to clean. The brushed chrome construction looks great and is also easier to clean than plastic versions. Handy features like detachable base, included mixing cup and extra long mixer are thoughtful and useful. The motor is smooth and powerful - it is the Audi V8 of the hand blender world. For the quality, brand and power, $30 is an absolute steal.
  
  

• Great, Product, Warranty Stinks

  
  By A38K04MT5LR0JC on 2006-12-28
  First of all, great product to use. Powerful, easy, everything you want. HOWEVER, mine broke after four months of use in our house. (Too late to return to Amazon). Nothing commercial, nothing harsh. The "Limited Three Year Warranty" requires that I send the unit back to Cuisinart along with $10.00 for "handling." When you figure all the cost involved, its just about as cheap to replace as to use the "warranty". I will be choosing another brand for replacement and hope that either their product is more durable or their warranty isn't as poor.
  
  

• Great Hand Blender

  
  By A2NFH9DZI5J6UN on 2006-06-07
  Being a health enthusiast and always on the go, I always look for a quicker way to prepare meals. This hand blender lets me do that and save me a lot of time. I've had it for a little over a month now. It has a simple one-speed button along with a simple, yet sturdy 2-piece design which releases by an additional button. Clean up is a BREEZE - just rinse it in warm water and dry. The power is unparalleled - I make a lot of shakes and throw a lot of solid food into it and in a about 1/2 a minute or less its ready to drink. The motor is so powerful it suctions my shaker to it so I when I lift the blender while its blending, it lifts the shaker too! And the noise decibel is maybe half that of a normal blender which helps a lot, especially for people with sensitive hearing. I think this is an amazing product, considering its price as compared to a KitchenAid one. I think it equals or beats it. I think you should definitely consider this one!
  
  
• The "Brushed Chrome" is actually plastic
  By A1YVH4YXCA9EPY on 2007-05-02
  I know it's my fault, but I didn't read the fine print of the product description, I just saw that it was described as "brushed chrome." The top part is actually ABS plastic painted in the color "brushed chrome," with the bottom part of the wand being stainless steel. It would be more appropriate to describe this blender as gray than the deceiving name they've chosen. The top part has a somewhat flimsy feel to it when you consider how powerful it is.
  
  I was not at all expecting this blender to be as enormously powerful as it is; it works amazingly well. One thing that I didn't like so much was that when I put it in a stock pot to blend a soup, the wand was so powerful that it sucked itself down to the bottom of the pot, making it difficult to move to other areas of the pot while on. It was nearly impossible to keep the wand off the bottom of the pot with a soup that was about 5-6 inches deep, and I'm a big, athletic guy. Variable speed would be a nice feature, and it's available on other immersion blenders. Depending on the particle size of the things you are blending, they may not get pulled through the blade guard (see picture) and blended if the wand is stuck on the bottom of the pot. It works great though; it'll blend an entire pot of soup in about 20 seconds
  
  I wish I could put the blender in a nalgene bottle, but the blender is just a tad too wide.
  
  The bottom part detaches and cleans easily either in the sink or in the dishwasher; no complaints there at all.
  
  
• Brushed Chrome is Chrome Colored Plastic
  By A3F3B1JPACN215 on 2006-09-30
  The main reason I bought this Imersion Hand Blender was to replace my old one with a plastic body. I was extremely disapointed when I received my "Brushed Chrome" Blender only to find out the body is chrome colored plastic. Upon reviewing the item description, it does say in the fine print "This Brushed Chrome SmartStick Hand Blender is made from ABS housing". Well in my book Chrome is metal and ABS is plastic. The only things I like about this blender are that you can remove the shaft assembly for cleaning and the motor is pretty powerful.
  
  
• BELIEVE ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS
  By A1JFXOFDRZ9CFQ on 2007-01-15
  I watch the show (Oprah), saw the episodes (You...), measured my waist in the proper place (not the natural waist but at the belly button) and learned the truth, bought the book (You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management), and now wanted to make Dr. Oz's Magical Breakfast Blaster. So I came to Amazon to pick out an immersion blender. I read all the reviews and it was pretty clear that this was everyone's favorite and bought it based on the reviews and secondarily the reasonable price. I had other things in my cart and so got free shipping. (SIDE NOTE: Kudos to Amazon for having carts that seemingly do not empty. When I see something in the paper or hear about something, I go to Amazon and put it in my cart. Maybe I'll buy it later; maybe not. But at least I didn't forget about it.)
  
  This blender is fabulous. Easy to use. I use the nice cup that comes with the blender to make the drink and it's so thick that I drink it right from that cup, too. A typical shake is water, soy protein, frozen blueberries, frozen bananna, frozen whole cranberries, frozen raspberries, NF milk powder, psyllium seed husks, flaxseed oil. This blender BLASTS THROUGH all the frozen chunks. I might have to work it for a few seconds but it pulverizes the hell out of all of it. Maybe the lower wattage immersion blenders wouldn't work as good but I don't know. For 30 bucks, trust me, people, get this delightful little blender. The only thing I have made with it is the Magical Breakfast Blaster on page 265 of the YOU diet book, but I would think that blending a lot of frozen chunks of fruit would be the most challenging job for this blender. If it does this great, surely it has to work great for any other type of blending.
  
  Edited on 5-17-08: I still love the blender. I use it a lot for making cappuchino-feeling coffee. In a large mug of coffee, I add a lot of non-fat skim milk powder and sometimes 1 packet of sugar in the raw and sometimes a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder. The immersion blender does a great job of blending and creating terrific foam. Another thing it's great for is mincing garlic. Peel the garlic and put them in the container the blender comes with, a couple of pulses, and voila, in 2 seconds it's perfect to throw into the pan.
  
  
• Great Disposable Gadget
  By A1UL0G54VHL92I on 2007-12-14
  This was a wonderful kitchen appliance for about 2 weeks. Then it stopped working. I would rather pay more
  money and get a longer lasting unit than settle for this cheap piece of junk. I thought Cuisinart was supposed
  to be a good brand. It couldn't whip my cottage cheese, keffir and flax oil concoction without burning out. (We're
  talking about the consistency of yogurt here...)
  I hope Cuisinart re-tools this thing because it could be a really handy kitchen gadget if it had a long life.
  This is the first online review I've ever done. I feel obliged to review items now because I rely on them SO MUCH
  when I buy products. I hope these reviews we do raise the bar for ALL PRODUCTS and make manufacturers produce higher quality consumer goods. Especially brand names such as Cuisinart. What were they thinking?
  
  
• Surprisingly powerful
  By A304CPO3NNHN8P on 2006-08-15
  Just got my blender yesterday and made spaghetti sauce with it today. I usually use canned plum tomato and crush with the stick blender before cooking. My old sunbeam broke the other day and I ordered this one last week. It came surprisingly fast (not even one week since ordering). When I first looked at it, I was skeptical because it only has one speed but...wow. This one speeds more than beats the higher speed on my old one and the fact I can take this one apart and put it in the dishwasher is a big plus, although it seems easy enough to clean in the sink. Can't wait to use it for my protein shake.
  
  
• Better than expected
  By A1MMR5P1UZSV7P on 2006-10-24
  I cook a lot and put off getting one of these hand stick blenders, considering it a frivolous tool. But I grew tired of cleaning my large glass blender all the time, so I tried this one, and I couldn't be happier! It's much more powerful than I expected, grinding frozen friut, potato skins, onions, etc with ease. And it's SO easy to clean! The beaker that comes with this model is the perfect size for a smoothie. There are other models with lots of bells and whistles, but this one works just great for the price.
  
  
• Why Puree in your Blender?
  By A5CQYKO7H0A3J on 2006-07-03
  Rustic or smooth soup or sauce- well sometimes I change my mind mid-recipe. When I decide I want everything smoother and I'm too lazy to dump the whole pot into my blender (and it's also HOT) I just get out my trusty "boat motor" - my Cuisinart Immersion blender. I also use it as a smoothie machine. You don't have one? Shame on you!
  
  
• Solid purchase
  By A2TCY62HYDYYIL on 2006-07-01
  This is a well-designed product. Although the blender doesn't come with the many attachments offered by some brands (different blades, small chopper assembly) it blends, whips, is easy to clean (great stainless wand and blade assembly), and has a positive and strong connection mechanism for the wand.
  
  Previously we had owned the Wolfgang Puck brand immersion blender. It worked well until the plastic clips for the attachments weakened and broke off. The Cuisinart has a mechanical connection system which should last a long time.
  
  Finally, although the Cuisinart has just a one-speed motor, that's all one needs, in our estimation.
  
  Buy this Cuisinart Immersion blender with confidence!
  
  
• Whoever said this was quiet lied...
  By A3G40AKA0VJAYY on 2007-02-15
  Not quiet at all, but that is not what my problem is. My problem is I did a search for cordless hand blender, 4 blenders came up including this one so I ordered it assuming it was cordless, it's not. I have no stand to put it on or anything like that. I would've been nice if it came with a stand. Like one other reviewer said, it is not for people with little hands and arms, that is for sure. And it's loud. I dunno maybe it's for some people, but it's not for me.
  
  
• very pleased
  By A3H09C6SFW7JAX on 2006-10-01
  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this product, it has been working very well and seems surprisingly powerful. It will quickly blend up banana in a milkshake so smoothly that you don't even know that it's in there, the other hand blender we used prior to purchasing this one would always leave detectable bits at the bottom. The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because of the size, it's rather tall and a little bit difficult to handle especially for someone older.
  
  
• Easy to clean; hard to control
  By A1993G1VYTUPD2 on 2008-03-26
  This device is well-made. It's biggest advantage is the total ease of cleaning after use - a real pleasure just rinsing under the faucet.
  
  It's very powerful and can digest things such as ice cubes easily if they'll fit within the cage.
  
  It's elegant to the eye and fairly comfortable in the hand.
  
  The biggest downside is that you must keep a firm grip on the mixing vessel, or if the machine hits something big it can twist the vessel right out of your hand - spewing what the mixing contents all over the kitchen countertop, cabinets, and floor. Don't ask.
  
  Another problem is that anything large and hard - like the frozen strawberries I get at Trader Joes - don't fit into the machine's jaws and thus elude the blades. Of course, my first reaction to this problem was to compensate in my typical way, by pressing down harder, and now the machine has slightly bent blades - and a slight wobble.
  
  That slight wobble means that the machine now feeds more unevenly into the mix. So tonight I was chopping two ice cubes into milk, and when an ice cube caught the blade the milk splashed out despite my firm grip on the tumbler. When using this device there is no protective top as with a blender.
  
  As I said, there's plenty of power. But the downside to that is the cord snaking over your countertop, collecting food.
  
  They give you a nice plastic mixing cup; very high quality. But it's way too small to be of any real use.
  
  In short, when using this machine have a large open area to work in. Don't expect to grind big hard things. Don't force the machine too much. It requires more time and more attention than a blender.
  
  Biggest advantage over a blender: easy to clean. I wish it were near as easy to use.
  
  
  
  Follow up: about three weeks into this thing I've straightened out the bent blades, eliminating the wobble, but I've reverted back to my 30 year old cheap blender anyway. The SmartStick is a well-made tool, but it's useful only if what you want to chop will readily fit between the blades' protective cage and the axle. If not, you're going to spend a lot of time and effort trying to get large chunks fed into the blades.
  
  My almost exclusive use for the device was to make protein smoothies, which entailed blending full-sized ice cubes and sometimes large frozen strawberries. It just wasn't worth the hassle. A the same time, if you rinse out the full size blender right away, cleaning it isn't so bad.
  
  I have to question designing the feed opening so small. But I suppose if it were larger the tool would feed too aggressively and jump out of hand when hitting something large and hard, and that could be dangerous. So the present design must be a necessary but unfortunate compromise.
  
  
• Nice and quiet blender
  By ANSQWF51OXZ6Y on 2006-08-09
  I ordered the Cuisinart SmartStick about a month ago. It does an excellent job. We use it primary to mix up food for our son. It's quiet and easy to clean. And it blends great tasting shakes too!
  
  
• Great kitchen gizmo
  By A1JKP85OWTZTVB on 2006-11-09
  I bought this hand blender to make my meal-replacement shakes which I make 3 times a day, without having to wash out my big blender. Works great, way better than shaking by hand. Also will crush mini-ice cubes thoroughly.
  
  
• not a bad buy
  By AABPOMN12P2LD on 2007-06-09
  I have this and also purchased the kitchen aid KHB100 when it was on sale. The KHB100 had multispeed which admittedly was buckets of fun, but since they both get the job done, speed doesn't matter that much. However if you want to know, the lowest setting on the KHB was probably about equal to the speed on the cuisinart. The locking mechanism on the cuisinart feels easier to lock in place than the KHB which has 2 buttons instead of 1 and needs a bit more force. In the end the cuisinart is ~2/3 the price of the KHB, so you can't go wrong.
  
  
• This Is A Cool Tool
  By A1FDSZISWIXH1A on 2007-06-20
  I got this stick blender because I have a 4 year old smoothie addict and I got tired of cleaning out the big blender a couple of times a day. This thing is great - it makes a perfect smoothie in no time. It's plenty powerful and handles any fruits (even apples) with ease. I haven't used it for sauces and soups as the other reviewers do because I don't know how to make any, but it makes a killer smoothie. The bottom part (the business end) is all stainless steel and detaches easily for cleaning. I don't do this. I just run it in a cup of warm, sudsy water without detaching. The handle is plastic (I wish it had been metal) but it has a nice ergonomic shape and the power button is well placed. One caution: this is not for kids to use! Unlike those hand held beverage "whippers" that look similar, the blades on this thing are wicked SHARP! Really! Also, read the instructions before you use it. Be sure NOT to turn it on until the blades are well submerged into the food or you'll be cleaning food off the ceiling the rest of the day. (Ask me how I know!)
  
  
• Works well until it falls apart
  By AGCA2BXVXQ4RX on 2008-05-10
  At first this product seems fine. I used it to puree home cooked food into baby food for my son since he has a hard time eating solids. This was the best way to puree his food since it was quick and easy to clean. Since it splits in half, you can throw it in the dish washer and never worry. The problem is that it will not last very long. We have gone through 3 of these type of hand blenders (including this particular model) and most of the other manufacturers that use this split design will have the flaw of falling apart. The problem that occurs is that the gears that the two halves meet are made out of plastic. Any type of resistance caused by foods will eventually cause the plastic to wear and eventually fall apart. Each of my hand blenders lasted ~ 8 months. I did some research and found that Waring carried industrial hand blenders using a one piece design so I purchased one. So far I haven't had any problems. The only inconvenience is cleaning the unit since I can't put the entire unit in the dishwasher.
  
  
• Blade Broke
  By A23FAOIDULEFSU on 2007-05-03
  I oredered this a few months back and used it so much - it really worked well - I would have rated it higly but when it stopped chopping well I figured I used it too much (6 months or so)and I ordered another and shortly after the blade broke inside the soup I was making for my baby. If I hadnt found the broken blade they would have swallowed it!!! I dont know if it was a one-off or what but that sure is dangerous. I havent seen a credit to my account yet, I returned the item.
  
  
• I thought it was stainless steel
  By A99EYKS4OOQ4U on 2007-06-26
  But actually it was a grey/silver plastic. The weakest point on one of these hand held mixers is where the motor and blade snap together, and that part is plastic. Perhaps one has to buy the food service version of this to get that part made of stainless.
  
  
• smokey and the bandit
  By A3H62YY9MD0MAB on 2006-11-05
  Smokey is the blender. Quisinart is the bandit.
  After a few months the shaft siezed and the unit started smoking in my hand. No heavy duty use. Just a bad product.
  
  
• Very handy Blender
  By AVYEO8JACZ5VM on 2006-11-09
  I found this hand held blender very useful for many things in the kitchen. Very easy to use and powerful enough to chop frozen fruit and cooked vegtables. Love to make my own milk shakes with it.
  
  
• Great! A blender that isn't always dirty.
  By AMLQQ3EPOHQC9 on 2007-04-12
  I never used my traditional blenders, because they need disassembly to go in the dishwasher. Lame! This thing pops the bottom steel blending shaft/blade thingie off, just that single piece can be easily tossed into the washer. End result: I use it way more! I was worried that it would be too wimpy, but it seems powerful enough. Crushes ice and everything. Also, you can ditch the cheapo plastic thing and blend in any sturdy large glass. I use a mason jar and it works great.
  
  
• Very Handy
  By A11M5NN3S10QSL on 2007-09-19
  Handy for making sauces, smoothies and salad dressings. Sometimes it is not really strong enough for my uses. I use a lot of frozen fruits in my smoothies and it is often challenging to get it blended smoothly - it's easier if I add only a little bit of fruit at a time. It's a great immersion blender for the price.
  
  
• Great blender!
  By A1GNDDSVYREW8K on 2006-11-24
  Very powerful blender in a small package! I bought this for mixing my protien shakes while deployed, and is surpasses all my expectations and stands up to the abuse of a deployed lifestyle. Only issue is that the housing covering the blade is a little bit too large to fit into a Nalgene bottle, but the mixing cup that's included does a fine job.
  
  
• Tremendous Blender-LSW
  By A25P5B12CKJ0NR on 2007-01-27
  It is so user friendly and you don't have to read a manual to use it. It is easy to operate, quiet, and really works terrific! The best part is that the blender piece pops right off so it so easy to clean - what a big plus for a Mother of two! I just really love this blender. My old one broke and my Mom bought this one for me for Christmas. She bought it from Amazon because of your great reviews. Thank you reviewers for taking the time to submit your comments - they were all true!!!
  
  
• PHENOMENAL!!
  By A1J40GYX05QUIT on 2007-03-01
  This gadget has made my life SO much easier!!! We make a lot of smoothies in my house and I really cringe at the thought of cleaning my blender ever again! The SmartStick does the job quickly and easily(it's built very well, very durable) and cleans up in a snap. Just rinse off the stick and you're all set. Plus, I use it to blend spinach into my kids' pasta sauce :-) They never know... SHHHHHHHHHH!!! I bought one of these for my boyfriend who uses it to make smoothies and blend up bean soup. He loves it as much as I do. I couldn't be happier with it.
  
  

• Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Prep Plus Food Processor, Brushed Chrome
• Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale, Chrome
• Your Kitchen's Magic Wand: Getting the Most Out of Your Handheld Immersion Blender
• Oxo Good Grips Pastry Scraper
• Cuisipro Accutec Razor-Sharp Kitchen Rasp