5 star22%4 star12%3 star11%2 star15%1 star40%I love my Duet, hope it's reliableIdeal for the casual cook|Great Until It Breaksa versatile appliance, although the parts are easy to loseI was excited to get this Cuisinart a month or so ago because I love to cook, but I'm a college student who lives in an apartment. It fit the bill because I don't have tons of space (or money, for that matter) to waste on two appliances.I have done many things with the SmartPower Duet: I've made deliciously smooth shakes (including one with rum for a party - it was a hit), I've made amazing salsa, I've made gazpacho. For some of these, I used the recipe book that comes with the machine. There are a lot of good recipes, for sure, but I found it even more helpful that the recipes give you helpful hints about how to use the appliance the best way - like, which ingredients to add first, instead of just shoving everything in.Just last night I made a pasta salad with about twenty ingredients, most of which had to be chopped or minced or sliced, so I used the food processor with the chopper to pulverize the garlic and other spices into a nice smooth blend (thus avoiding the dreaded clumps of pungent garlic).

Then, I took the spices out and added red and green peppers and other vegetables and chopped them up coarsely, like salsa. Then I put the slicer attachment on to the food processor and sliced perfectly thin slices of cucumber and red onion. I added this to some pasta, provolone cheese, pepperoni slices, and some olive oil, and voila, I had a great pasta salad in less than half of the time it would have taken me to prepare all of those veggies by hand.I certainly haven't had any complaints about the workmanship. I love how it feels so sturdy without being bulky - the base is a little wider than most and not flimsy like most other blenders I've used, and the thick, glass blender jar is squat instead of tall and thin, which seems to make blending things a lot easier because the ingredients can easily move around near the blade. The keypad controls are enclosed so it's easy to clean up splatters and spills. The processor bowl doesn't seem to be flimsy to me (perhaps they've fixed the problem others have complained about?).

In other words, this thing is great.Update, May 2013: It's been 12 years and I no longer have this item -- I sold (or donated) it when I moved cross-country in 2009. I still liked it, but I think I'd lost some of the food processor attachments after several moves and felt that this appliance wasn't good enough to merit inclusion in my (super) tiny LA studio apartment kitchen. It's not as strong as a full-powered stand-alone blender, so I've found other tools to get the job done.These days I use a Cuisinart CSB-75BC Smart Stick 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome for blending soups, etc., in addition to a Back To Basics Blender Express for smoothies, and I have an OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer for slicing fruits & veggies for salads and whatnot. When I move to a larger place I will probably invest in a big blender like the Vitamix 1782 TurboBlend, 2 Speed and a full-sized food processor. It is such a mainstay we almost no longer notice it, but every kitchen needs one: a blender.

It comes in thousands of versions with thousands of prices! Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping are excellent resources to whittle down the herd, but only to a point. kitchenaid stand mixer k5ss instruction manualThere are several different categories, and even the best of the best form a sizable number. hamilton beach blender tempest hbh650 ceHere are three blenders that are at the top of their class,philips hr1372 hand blender price 1. Cuisinart Smart Power Premier 600-Watt Blender CBT-500bajaj silencio hand blender lowest price Few companies are as synonymous with quality kitchen appliances as Cuisinart (“cuisine” + “art”), and the tradition continues with the countertop CBT-500. cuisinart cb-1400pc jar

Easy to use and easy to clean, this is the perfect everyday blender for the everyday kitchen, with a comfortable grip. A Good Housekeeping darling, this blender does all the blendy things to a tee: smoothies, frozen drinks, and homemade protein shakes for the gym-goers. waring blender hershey and chaseMade for lefties as much as right-handers, thoughtful extras like the digital timer make the stainless-steel CBT-500 a wise purchase. kitchenaid mixer model k4sswhAnd for those that actually read it, the in-depth manual includes a speed chart and recipes. 2. DeLonghi DHB723 Variable Speed Handblender Also known as “immersion blenders,” think of handhelds as the portable, on-the-go, and slightly more butch upstarts. Perfect for kitchens with more drawer space than counter top, the ergonomically-styled DHB723 packs a serious mixing punch in the form of a unique stainless-steel Triblade concept that delivers powerful, efficient and controllable blending at the touch of a button and the highest wattage on the market.

Comeing with chopper, breaker, whisk and big foot attachments, the DHB723 offers continuous or pulse action at the touch of a button. Splash-reduction technology and being easy to clean are other perks. Professional blenders differentiate themselves by being a little more on the heavy-duty side. The Vita-Mix 5200 whacks cheese, ice, coffee beans, and lots of other exotics with a powerful 2-horsepower (1,380 watt) motor, perfect for the professional chef and gung-ho foodie fanatic. The Deluxe version is by far the most versitle, coming with 64- and 32-ounce cointainers as well as a 32-ounce dry-grains container; the 5200 not only turns wheat into fine flour, it can even simulate the kneading process. Throw in the two cookbooks, spatulas, and flexible cutting boards and you can discreetly re-gift most of your kitchen appliance drawer.AVAILABLE FOR PAY & PICK UP AVAILABLE FOR IN-STORE PURCHASE ONLY THIS PRODUCT IS DISCONTINUED *NO FEE NO INTEREST financing on purchases over $200.