Smoothie Move, Ex-Lax

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great for blending difficult ingredients. The price is right.

Cons: None found so far.

The Bottom Line: 
Get this blender. Avoid more expensive blenders. This will not only suffice for everyday tasks, but has the power to get the extraordinary job done.

Author's Review
Drugs

Drug addiction is bad for a number of reasons. Obviously, the side effects of the drug are one of those reasons. However, the effect on your pocketbook can also compel you to think "how can I break this habit" or, more realistically "how can I continue to engage in my habit more cheaply?

I am, if nothing else, a realistic guy. So I realized that when I was drinking too many Dunkin Donuts Coolattas that I needed to either seek help or get a second job to pay for all the smoothies. Coolattas are expensive, but they aren't even the worst buy in smoothie country. You've got your frozen frappuccinos, you've got your yogurt smoothies… you've got a whole world out there of smoothie-type products that often go for $4 a pop and deliver only a few ounces of cool refreshing bliss.

My sensitivity to caffeine was not enough to deter me in my quest to duplicate some of the caffeinated variety of frozen drinks, but my old blender almost was. It was the standard Oster blender that had served us well for over 10 years, but could not blend ice sufficiently well to make a good smoothie. Undaunted, I set off to find a blender that would do the job.

Cash Strapped

While KitchenAid offeres a blender that comes highly recommended for its power and ice crushing ability, the $120 price tag felt a little steep to me. Sure, I'd be saving $4 a shot every day and at that rate the blender would pay for itself in… {four goes into twelve three times} 30 smoothie purchases not counting ingredients, which could be 1 month for the serious addict. I'd rather pay it off quicker if I can get away with it.

All I was really looking for was a unit that was easy to clean, had a large capacity and could handle ice well. And beat out the KitchenAid for price.

The Discovery

I found it. This Braun Jug blender is just the ticket. For under $50 off the Wal*Mart website (none of my local stores carried this product) I was able to have the fairly attractive white unit sitting on my counter.

What's It Look Like?

It's larger than the Oster, but not appreciably heavier. The container is made of thick glass in a triangular funnel shape which is much wider at the bottom than the old standard. That's the first thing you notice, which is accentuated by the trifoil hat-like cover. The cover attaches firmly and confidently in place, but is not difficult to remove when wet.

The next thing you notice is the large rotary blades, much more serious looking than the old Oster. This looks like it ought to be able to blend ice well.

Power Aplenty

But larger blades would require a more powerful motor. And indeed the Braun PowerMax (MX 2050) has a whopping 525 watts. That's plenty for crushing ice. As soon as I got the unit, I put a few ice cubes in it alone with no liquid whatsoever and let 'er rip. I could have made a snowball out of the resulting mixture. The wide base allows the ice cubes to fall freely into contact with the powerful blades which efficiently smash the ice. The serrated edges of two of the blades probably increase the amount of force the blades are able to apply to the ice.

Settings

It's got 5 speeds, which was a surprise considering the older blenders I was used to had many speeds - so many that the names they had to come up with for all of them got a little silly. What's the difference between blending and mixing? Pureeing and liquifying?
This model has 5 speeds plus a "pulse" that applies the maximum speed while you are holding it. When you're done using the blender this is useful for cleaning, as you can run hot soapy water through the pulse cycle.

For a more thorough cleaning, the base unscrews and 3 pieces are revealed: the plastic collar, the blade assembly and a rubber washer. All are easily cleaned.

A safety feature keeps the unit from turning on while the blender jug is not in place, and the triangular design makes it very easy to position the jug in the unit securely with the handle in any of 3 directions.

Noise

It is also significantly quieter than the blenders I am used to. It gets used so often that this is a boon in our household where at least 2 of the inhabitants are a little sensitive to sounds.

How Does It Perform Over Time?

I have used this blender practically every day since it arrived, sometimes twice. Since my wife also uses it daily, it's gotten a thorough workout. So far only once has it failed to blend a smoothie on the first try, and that is because I put the fruit on the bottom and failed to add the liquid (this formed a paste that prevented the ice from sliding down). And even then, a quick shake settled the contents and I was back in business.

My recommendation is that if you need a blender, go for the power, convenience and price of the Braun. I don't think you will be disappointed and you can spend the money you have saved on delicious fresh ingredients.

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Simple Strawberry Smoothie

4 medium-large strawberries or equivalent amounts (remove leaves and hard core)
8 ounces of ice cubes (basically 8 ice cubes)
1 banana
3 ounces of orange or grapefruit juice
2 Tbsp of Nestle Strawberry Quik

Place all the ingredients into the blender, ice cubes first. Blend on level 1 until smooth. You'll probably hear it when the ice cubes are no longer chunks.

Variations:
- One more ice cube for a thicker drink (but you may need to increase the Quik)
- No Quik if you don't want the drink so sweet. Reduce the ice cubes by 1 and reduce OJ by 1 oz.
- Put a few pieces of fresh or canned pineapple in for a more tropical flavor.
- Add 1/2 Tbsp of imitation vanilla for something approximating a Strawberry Julius.

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P.S. If you are trying to duplicate a Dunkin Donuts Coolatta, the best way to do it is to use Autocrat Iced Cappuccino mix, but that may only be available if you live in the northeast. I stumbled upon this new product just when I was about to give up trying to duplicate the Coolatta and it saved me. The Iced Cappuccino directions tell you to use a 1-to-4 ratio of mix to milk to make their drink. You might want to increase that ratio to 1-to-3 because smoothies are colder and require more flavoring. Use half ice and half cream as the "liquid". Or, if you're watching your weight, use milk. You may have to vary the ice to get the thickness to your liking.