Read First Before Buy Cuisinart CPB 300 SmartPower 15 Piece Portable
I read every word of every review before I bought the Cuisinart CPB-300 SmartPower 15-Piece Compact Portable Blending/Chopping System,White. As soon as it came, I read the instruction booklet (not the 4 page leaflet) then immediately tested it by trying the things that the negative reviews downgraded it on.
I referred to the instruction booklet to crush ice, chop nuts, puree and make smoothies. By following directions, it worked flawlessly. It was easy to clean--even the gasket. The instructions were clear on gasket removal. I did have to do it step by step, but that way was very easy.
The only two negatives for me were the size of the large cup (it could be a few ounces larger to alleviate the necessity of using the 32 ounce container), and the travel lids. The no-close opening and the general design of the lid could be better. Even with the negatives, it's a keeper!
If you take the time to learn how to use it, I think you'll love it too!
Update: Many weeks later and I still love my purchase! I have been able to use 8 ice cubes in my protein shakes, and the poweful motor makes it ice cream thick. It's running as smoothly as the day I took it out of the box. I have put the cups and lids in the dishwasher, and have not seen any clouding in the cup at all. I'm guessing that clouding might come frome certain dishwasher soaps. I can still say that I am still thrilled with my choice. You should give it a try!
I love this product. I was using a regular blender to make a protien smoothie to drink on my way to work. This is much more convenient and is more powerful than my blender. It purees ice in seconds. You shouldn't fill it just with ice. It's made to make smoothies, not just crushed ice. I am very happy with the product. Cuisinart has never failed me with any product.
BalasHapusI have really enjoyed using this product. I need to have easy-to-eat foods, so I started using blenders and a food processor to puree meals. What a pain, and the clean-up!! Don't get me started. This Cuisinart has saved the day. I fill it with the food I want to puree, add the liquid (needs more than you think) and then pulse. First on low, then high. I may take it off an shake it, and then run a bit more, occasionally I will run without pulsing for 30 secs. or so. Its fast!! It makes a smooth puree, better than my blender, better than my food processor and much quicker. Then I put the black top on the cup and viola, ready to eat. No other dishes needed. The clean up is easy -- just rinse the blade and put the top and cup in the dishwasher. There are plenty of cups and tops, so if I want to make another flavor or a side, I use another cup. This has been indispensable for me to eat regular food--the same food I make for my family, pureed. When I want hot items, I can put the cup in the microwave before or after blending, which makes it so much easier than a blender. For my needs this is perfect. I haven't used the grinding blade yet.
BalasHapusI'm having fun making great puree recipes...so much so, I'm thinking I should publish a book on them, or at least share with friends who are recovering and need easy to digest foods, or easy to eat foods.
Awesome blender! If you read the directions and follow them, it works perfectly! It is very powerful with 350 watts of power. It seems to me that the guy before with the bad review just doesn't know how to blend properly and probably didn't read the directions. You can't take any blender and fill it full of ice and just sit back and hit the "on" button. You can't fill any blender full of ice and you have to pulse when you are blending something hard, like ice. If you follow the directions, you will love it. We love it, love it. love it!
BalasHapusThis little thing is AWESOME. I've had it for a week now, and have used it every day for making smoothies, and once for homemade hummus. Some notes for those who might be interested in purchasing this:
BalasHapus1) It doesn't take over your counter top - the base is small enough to leave out, which is nice, especially if you use it every day (or would use it everyday if you could only leave it out on the counter :)!
2) It's more for beverages or things you want really, really smooth; it's not for food prep like chopping - you'll end up getting baby food. (Get a food processor if you're looking for chopping.)
3) It's as easy as the ad says: put your stuff into the cups, screw on the blade, put it in the machine and select speed. Voila!
4) Pay attention to the "MAX" line on the cup, otherwise you won't be able to screw on the blade. (And to guarantee it will fit, put the hard items on the bottom of the cup, like ice or fruit, and top with the liquids so you're not fighting ice with the blade. :)
5) The to-go lids screw on tightly, but do NOT have a covered mouthpiece so they are not for those in need of spill-proof lids.
6) This thing is powerful, so start on low pulse. I used high once and it smelled like it was burning so after reading the directions, I learned that it's because it's powerful on low when making something like a smoothie and you don't need high except with thick stuff (like hummus).
7) Read the directions. They're short and sweet: 3 steps for each type of cup/blade.
8) Make sure you use the right blade. (see #7) Otherwise it won't work as well.
9) BUY THIS! YOU WILL LOVE IT! It's so much better than the Magic Bullet - more powerful, more convenient, better cups, and easier to clean.
It comes with a recipe book, which I haven't used at all. My only complaint is in regard to the lids for the to-go cups. I don't know anyone who prefers an open mouth lid on a to-go cup. I'm not sure if they're available for sale or not. I shopped around for a while to find one with similar features, and for the power, what you get and the price, it's totally money well-spent!!
I read every word of every review before I bought the Cuisinart CPB-300 SmartPower 15-Piece Compact Portable Blending/Chopping System,White. As soon as it came, I read the instruction booklet (not the 4 page leaflet) then immediately tested it by trying the things that the negative reviews downgraded it on.
BalasHapusI referred to the instruction booklet to crush ice, chop nuts, puree and make smoothies. By following directions, it worked flawlessly. It was easy to clean--even the gasket. The instructions were clear on gasket removal. I did have to do it step by step, but that way was very easy.
The only two negatives for me were the size of the large cup (it could be a few ounces larger to alleviate the necessity of using the 32 ounce container), and the travel lids. The no-close opening and the general design of the lid could be better. Even with the negatives, it's a keeper!
If you take the time to learn how to use it, I think you'll love it too!
Update: Many weeks later and I still love my purchase! I have been able to use 8 ice cubes in my protein shakes, and the poweful motor makes it ice cream thick. It's running as smoothly as the day I took it out of the box. I have put the cups and lids in the dishwasher, and have not seen any clouding in the cup at all. I'm guessing that clouding might come frome certain dishwasher soaps. I can still say that I am still thrilled with my choice. You should give it a try!
We liked the Magic Bullet but it had many flaws. This machine is fabulous and I have never had any overheating problems. Any frozen fruit blends in the cups without pulsing except peach slices, which are pretty big. The larger pitcher does ice cubes well.
BalasHapusCups work in cupholders and do not have little tabs that activate the motor like MB. Nothing to break off. Tapered cup means that the mix funnels itself to the bottom of cup so that everything mixes.
This little guy in incredibly convenient, powerful and versatile...as long as you are smart enough to read directions and employ critical thinking!
This is the perfect little buddy for my new morning smoothie routine. So quick...ingredients in cup, pulse, blend, remove and rinse blade, lid on, and GO. The small size is perfect for a minimal countertop footprint, and the FOUR to-go cups mean less daily washing. I like the look of the base, the modularity of the pieces, and the lighter weight. This is not your heavy glass-top traditional blender. This morning I made hummus and then my usual smoothie, and didn't have to wash any of the pieces before transitioning recipes...awesome! Also like the little chopper cup with lid...good for making a batch of almond powder for a few days worth of smoothies. Versatile.
BalasHapus
BalasHapusI love this it is great for smoothies. I have two teenage sons who use it everyday to make protien shakes. They put frozen stawberries and ice it crushes the them up with no problem. It is great no problems
BalasHapusI use this to make 2 protein shakes a day. Previously, I had a blender and placed my protein, water and frozen berries in the blender, ran for 30 seconds, poured into a cup and took a spoon to try and gather all the shake into the cup. Then, I had to wash out the blender for my next shake.
BalasHapusAlong comes this blender and my process is simple: Grab a "to-go" cup and add water, 3 scoops protein, frozen berries and another splash of water. Blend for 25 seconds. Unscrew blending piece and wash for 10 seconds. Drink shake. Then, I have 3 more shakes before I have to run the dishwasher to clean the cups.
I don't use the ice attachment so I can't comment there but for protein shakes, this product is great and has really cut down the hassle of having to clean an entire blender cup and blades twice a day. I couldn't be happier (unless they threw in 3 more blade pieces for free :P)
I was ready to write a great review for this blender the moment I got it, but I thought, no, I should test it out, see if it fails to perform over time. It's been months and it's just been a wonderful blender, no problems. The pulse button is a very handy addition, because it modifies both HIGH and LOW buttons with one push, so it's very one-hand-friendly. It's got a strong motor, which is not too noisy ... you can smoothly lift the cups to stop it automatically, which is super smart. Altogether a very neatly designed product.
BalasHapusI use it every day, so it gets a serious work out on a weekly basis. Grinding coffee, making soups, smoothies, chopping vegetables into purees (of course you have to add liquid, it's not a food processor!). Whipping cream, chopping nuts, blending hot soups (careful, only fill it half way and start on LOW), etc...
If you want a compact, super easy to clean blender, that can go in the dishwasher (plastic does get a bit cloudy, but I don't care if it means I don't have to hand wash it!), it's just the best little blender I've ever come across. And I've gone through many 'small' blenders - I had several MAGIC BULLETS, the pro and ordinary, they were good, but they are a poor design next to this blender.
I TOTALLY recommend it :) no hesitations.