Hi,I have been trying to learn Indian cooking recently, and am interested in buying some equipment (blender/food processor/etc) so I can make more types of dishes. I have been researching different products all day, but I'm still not sure what is most suitable. Here are some video recipes for dishes that I'd like to make. For each, I have given a time where he uses a blender/food processor. @ ////watch?v=B7MCeQ...Here are some specific questions:1. In these applications, is it necessary to use specifically a blender or a food processor, or are they interchangeable in these cases?2. Will the whole spices damage the blades of either one?3. Can I do all of the things in those recipes with a single appliance? Or do I need to get both?4. I had considered this food processor. Would it be appropriate? /Cuisinart-FP-12...5. I would also like to make ginger/garlic paste. Is this a job for a food processor or blender?6. I've heard that Indian blenders/food processors process food differently than ones available in the US.

Will the common brands available in the US (Cuisinart, Kitchenaid, etc) be effective for Indian food?7. I've read in a lot of places that coffee grinders are the best thing for grinding spices, but in many of the Indian recipe videos, they seem to use a food processor or blender. Is there really a reason to have a coffee grinder in addition to the other appliances? I know I've asked a lot of questions... any bit of help would be greatly appreciated! Want to stay up to date with this post? Sign Up Now ›Great for green smoothiesColor: Black|Powerful and EffectiveColor: Black|I've had this blender for a month and use it every morning to make my green smoothie. It works very well, thoroughly pulverizing tough leafy greens (mainly kale) and cubes of ice into liquid along with various types of fresh and frozen fruit. The powerful 600-watt motor is noticeably more effective than the more common 450-watt motors.The pre-programed blending modes are very nice. The Frozen Drink program reverses the blade while ramping up the speed.

The blade reverse feature really helps get stubborn frozen fruit, ice and tough leafy greens down into the blades.philips avent steamer blender argosThe glass pitcher and the rubber top seal very well, and the steel blade mechanism is mondo durable. kitchenaid ksb555 blender in almondThe bottom collar and rubber seal work flawlessly to prevent leaks and reliably mate the pitcher to the base.kitchenaid hand mixer pantipA few minor negatives: "7-speed" is a bit deceptive. breville bbl605xl hemisphere control blender hwi/breville usaThis is a 3-speed blender (High, Med, Low) with a high and low pulse plus the two pre-programed blending modes: Food Chop and Frozen Drink. kitchenaid mixer model ks55

Also, this blender is loud when running on high speed. kitchenaid khb100ob hand blender reviewGranted it is not any louder than other blenders, but be aware it makes noise. breville control grip immersion blender white bsb400xlIt would be nice if the blade reverse were available outside the Frozen Drink program, i.e. with a dedicated control button.Overall a excellent blender. You won't be sorry you bought it.UPDATE (March 2013): Still going strong, chopping up ice and smoothies every morning. Be sure to replace the blade periodically. I recommend the ice chopper blade if you are doing smoothies or a lot of ice. It is time to replace the when it has a lot of up-and-down movement on the blade shaft. New blades are tight with no such movement.UPDATE (October 2014): The blender still working great.

Just replace those blades.UPDATE (July 2016): Still going strong. Keep those blades changed. A reply below claims their blender does not reverse in Frozen Drink mode. Not sure if Oster changed the specs. Please see attached video.:)Nearly instantaneous frozen smoothies!Very rarely do I want to run in and write a review the first time I use a new appliance. I had to restrain myself to keep from doing so with this blender and, as it is, I've only managed to hold out for a couple of weeks. Over the past 30 years, I've managed to pretty much kill a blender every couple of years so it usually isn't a surprise when it happens. That was not the case with my most recent purchase. I've been happily using my Magic Bullet for making very basic frozen smoothies but fell off the smoothie wagon about a year and a half ago. When I was ready to climb back on board, I decided to take that next step and start adding greens to my smoothies. The Magic Bullet, for all its wonderfulness, was not up to that task so I decided to purchase a super-duper "commercial" blender sold on HSN.

I was duly impressed with its ability to flawlessly blend greens as well as make pretty spiffy moles. Sadly, that super-duper blender began to moan and groan at about 10 months and ceased to do such a spiffy job with the greens. Time to look for a new blender. Not surprising, HSN no longer sells that particular blender and the only place to find it is eBay. Back to the Magic Bullet and experimenting with a Big Boss Multi Blender that I purchased for work--it will be joining me in the office shortly--and time for research for a new blender.Reviews are mixed on all of the super-duper "high-powered" blenders. I was debating between a couple of different blenders, which included the ever famous VitaMix, when I found the VitaMix on sale through another vendor. I actually ordered the VitaMix but when it came up as back-ordered I had to re-think that purchase. After all my need was immediate and not several months down the road. For whatever reason, this blender popped up on Amazon's home page as a "personal" recommendation.

After reading the reviews and the specs I decided to give it a whirl and I am so glad that I did.As I mentioned in the first paragraph, this blender rocks! The first time I used it, I didn't have any greens on hand so decided to just make up a simple frozen fruit smoothie complete with coconut water, all of my vitamins and protein powder of choice: about 1 cup coconut water, 1/2 cup or so powdered ingredients, and 2 cups of frozen fruit and ice. Turned the blender on and pushed the "Frozen Drink" button and watched as the entire mix was blended into a smooth, frozen mix in less than 90 seconds. The ice and frozen berries were blended so fast I am sure that my mouth fell open in shock. This was more powerful than the blender previously known as the "super-duper" blender. The next evening I started with coconut water and a couple of cups of spinach on "High." The spinach was liquefied in mere seconds with no need for a spiffy poke-it-down stick. It takes longer to open all of the vitamin capsules than it does for the blender to mix the entire smoothie.