Why won't my Oster® In2itive® blender turn on? If the Oster® In2itive® Blender isn't powering on properly, check the following:Is the blender plugged into a working outlet?Is the jar positioned on the base correctly?Is the blade assembly tightened all the way?Did you select a power setting and then press Start? Any other order will cause it not to run the programs.Was the power button pressed or did the unit shut off? (unit has auto off)Any of these items could cause the blender not to operate properly.If all of the above has been checked and the blender will still not power on, please contact a service center. What is the warranty on my blender? 3-Year Satisfaction Guarantee: Only applicable to qualifying blender models. Valid for the original purchaser only. Valid from date of initial retail purchase. Proof of purchase required. Contact 1.800.334.0759 for more details. 10-Year All-Metal Drive Limited Warranty: Only applicable to qualifying blender models. FOR preparing some foods, like mayonnaise and pesto, a blender is as good as a food processor.

But the two machines are not interchangeable. In its corner, a blender produces a finer purée for sauces and soups and does a much better job of making drinks. But it cannot chop an onion.The new Oster In2itive blender blurs the distinction between the two machines. Its blender functions have been fine-tuned, and it has some food processor capabilities, so it can mince onions and chop nuts.In fact, it reduced my pecan halves for holiday cookie dough, and hazelnuts for a chocolate torte, to a finer and more uniform consistency than I could obtain in my food processor. If I needed a new blender, or was buying one as a gift, this new machine would be my choice.The Oster's container is a little wider than the usual blender jar, and its blade looks like a blender blade grafted onto a smallish food processor blade. The range of its speeds -- 3,000 to 16,000 r.p.m. -- is remarkable; the top speed is faster than on many blenders. The lower speed is similar to that of most food processors, 3,000 to 5,000 r.p.m.

This is one smart blender. It has 10 programs usable at the touch of a button for automatically chopping nuts, making a chunky mixture like a salsa, puréeing baby foods and soups, mixing batters, crushing ice and producing frozen drinks, milkshakes and smoothies. hamilton beach blender 58142The programs operate at variable speeds for a preset amount of time.vitamix 3600 plus action dome The variable-speed feature is brilliant. hamilton beach smoothie smart blender 56222 reviewFor example, for chopping nuts there's a very slow, carefully regulated pulse. omega 2 hp commercial blender b2500

You get a similar kind of slow-fast pulse for making salsa, though I found it went on a bit longer than I would have liked -- the garden-fresh salsa from the recipe booklet came out too fine. The second time I tried salsa I simply stopped the machine by hand. I'm still the boss.sunbeam 4141 blender partsThe best bartender could not have made finer frozen margaritas and piña coladas than the ones that I poured from the Oster to serve with the salsa. waring xtx blenderThe drink recipes that come with the machine are first-rate.I wondered if I could whip cream in this machine. The booklet said nothing about it, but I tried a cup of heavy cream on the milkshake program, and it became softly whipped without being overbeaten. So then I used the machine for my eggnog recipe, with excellent results.When puréeing a soup, the machine starts slow, speeds up, slows again to allow the mixture to settle a bit, then speeds up.

I tried the carrot-dill soup from the recipe booklet, and the results were pure velvet, the best blender soup I've ever made.But I was surprised that the instructions for the carrot soup did not include chopping the onion in the machine, which is very easy to do. My own tomato-crab bisque was equally flawless; the machine's speed pulverized the tomato skins, so it wasn't even necessary to strain them out at the end.The program for batters has similar variations. But there's an important caveat. The recipes that come with the machine are all for the kinds of batters, like crepe mixtures, that I would normally mix in a blender.No quick breads, muffins or cakes are included. When asked about this, Mary Ann Knaus, vice president for marketing for Sunbeam household products, said that the machine is not designed for those batters and that the program would overmix them. Unfortunately, the instruction booklet does not tell you this.The In2itive will not replace a food processor for mixing cake batter, bread dough or pastry, it cannot slice or shred, and it can chop only a small quantity of onions or celery, not a couple of cups.

Its design also makes it harder to remove food from the container than from a food processor or even from my old Oster blender with its screw-on blade housing. In the new machine the blade assembly snaps out. Pea purée on my countertop. And I found that reinstalling the blade and fitting the container onto the base after washing takes practice.There are two models of the Oster In2itive. One has buttons labeled with the different functions, which sells for about $100. The other has a small L.C.D. instruction screen on which 40 recipes and all the commands appear; it costs about $30 more.The little screen is not backlighted, however, and it is easiest to read at arm's length, not when you're right on top of it. Unless your blender is plugged in next to the stove and cutting board, you'll wind up running back and forth to check the recipe on the machine -- or referring to the recipe booklet anyway.Being able to follow the recipe right on the screen is handy, though, when making drinks or anything that requires no cooking and only a minimum of chopping.

But if you're not using an Oster recipe, you have to enter several commands before you find the program you need -- a little annoying, when all you want to do is purée peas for the baby. The button model is simpler and more efficient. It's the one I'd buy.FROTHY EGGNOGTime: 1/2 hour, plus 2 hours' chillingSeeds from 5 cardamom pods3 whole cloves3 eggs1/2 cup sugar2 cups whole or low-fat milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract3/4 cup brandy or bourbon1 cup heavy cream.1. Pulverize spices in a food processor or an Oster In2itive blender. Add eggs and sugar, pulse briefly, add 1 1/2 cups milk, pulse again and transfer to heavy saucepan. Wash blender jar or food processor.2. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook egg mixture, stirring, until it has thickened, steam just starts to rise and mixture registers 140 degrees on instant-read or candy thermometer. Strain into metal bowl, and whisk in remaining milk, vanilla and brandy or bourbon. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.3. Beat cream until softly whipped, using a food processor or the milkshake cycle on the Oster blender.