Blender recommendations

[mpav]

I bought a 50th Anniversary Waring about 1 year ago. After just a few uses I dropped and broke the jar. I oreder a replacement, and thought the blade assembly would fit. It doesn't. There must be some other part I need, but can't seem to figure it out. Waring suggests i send the jar and blade assembly to them and they'll fix it up. I guess i could do that, but I'm so disgusted, I'd be just as happy to get a new one and toss this one. So your recommendations have come in very handy. I won't be buying the KA I had been leaning toward. Thanks and y'all have a good day.

[racheld]

OSTERIZER PROFESSIONAL. That's what it says on the base...gift from a friend whose 3-story house I packed up for moving several years ago.

Chrome? jar (shiny, pretty), quiet, two speeds, perfectly perfect in every way.

I visualize it as behind the bar when Tom Cruise was juggling all those liquor bottles.

Has ground up enough ice to de-berg Alaska; makes Margaritas Buffett would wear laceups for, and is tight-bottomed as a frog's behind.

No complaints on ANY front. Love the thing...just set her out on the patio table with the makin's and folks line up. You could let anyone from your drunk uncle to THAT MEAN KID man this machine---it's that sturdy. Swap flavors, make a daiquiri, quick swish under the garden faucet, and back to Margaritaville.

Puree HOT soups and sauces (careful of the lid)---I'm always a little dicey with those glass things, lest they meet their Maker whilst I'm whirring a volcano of sauce.

I seem to have reviewed all the above posts for drawbacks, and this one hasn't any. Did I say I LOVE this machine?

rachel

Don't know price---was a gift. And I DO feel guilty sometimes; I met dear Fred Waring once, and assured him I was a lifelong fan of both his "blenders"---kitchen AND musical.

Edited April 20, 2005 by racheld (log)

[designchick88]

I have a Waring that I bought used when I was in college, about 8 years ago. Don't know how old it was then (probably a few years) but the thing still works like a champ and can crush or blend anything in a matter of seconds. We've used it almost daily for 8 years for protein shakes and it keeps on going. Some of the plastic parts are getting a little scungy and I keep eyeing the stainless-steel ones at Amazon, but I don't really see a need to replace until it goes belly-up, which may be never.

[fifi]

I just committed blendercide making enchilada sauce. Mabelline accused me, most unfairly, of doing this on purpose. I hate the damn thing. All of the markings on the controls washed away long ago. You might say that I have been blending blind and badly for the past few years. (I don't know if the beast is a Krups or Braun. That washed away, too.)

Anyway, I am between Oster and Waring. Many years ago at FDA we had several blender bases. Then we had gazillions of blades and bottoms that fit standard canning jars. These were autoclaved and used for the first step in analyzing any number of foodstuffs. Those things went through hell and just kept on truckin'. I had one of those at home (went to the ex in the divorce) and it was real handy for putting a pint jar of salad dressing or other sauce on there. But I can't remember which blenders we had. So, I will have to go looking.

[eje]

I just committed blendercide making enchilada sauce. Mabelline accused me, most unfairly, of doing this on purpose.  I hate the damn thing.

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Did the same thing last year to my old blender. There may have been some complicity on my part. It hadn't worked well for a while, and I was making red chile sauce, "Do I add a little more water? Hmmm....maybe if I don't I will finally get a new blender..." Wife comes into kitchen, "My God what is that smell! Why is the blender smoking?"

Heh, heh.

Unfortunately, she insisted on a newer Kitchen Aid model because of the lovely styling. At least it was on sale. After we both have used it a while now, she agrees it wasn't a very good investment. It really does a pretty horrible job at typical red chile chores, unless you add slightly excessive amounts of water and then sieve or food mill the results. It works OK for pureed soups; but, again, if you want perfect texture, you need to food mill or sieve. Personally, I would have chosen a bar blender from Waring or Oster.

Perhaps, I should start making more Mexican food again.

Erik

[skyflyer3]

I, too, purchased a Kitchenaid Blender before I knew that it sucked - but I'm wondering if it's possible to get the blades sharpened on the bottom so that they actually crush ice and puree frozen fruit. Has anyone done this before with good results? Or should I toss it, and spring for a Vita-mix? (I just want to make Jamba style smoothies at home, every day).

[Marlene]

I have both a Waring Pro and a Breville. Both are excellent for making smoothies, pureeing soups, etc.

[scubadoo97]

I, too, purchased a Kitchenaid Blender before I knew that it sucked - but I'm wondering if it's possible to get the blades sharpened on the bottom so that they actually crush ice and puree frozen fruit.  Has anyone done this before with good results?  Or should I toss it, and spring for a Vita-mix?  (I just want to make Jamba style smoothies at home, every day).

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I don't think it's the blades but the shape of the container. All these wide bottom "jars" are terrible. I have a KA and it is the worst.

[fannus]

I have a 'waring bar blender', that I picked up off amazon at a steal for $75, there seems to be quite a few model variations, but mine has stood up to frozen fruit, ice, boiling hot soups (although you sometimes need to make sure the lid doesn't pop off, otherwise you're in *big* trouble), and just about anything else I need pulverized into goo

Daily use for about 6 years and no sign of problems, still works like a champ. Here's what it looks like:

Is this the same visage of the Waring that everyone else loves?

[ghost]

I have the waring nublend bar blender. I think it was about 80 bucks new from an online retailer. It's got a 3/4 horsepower motor. It purees almost anything. :-) I love it.

[pounce]

I have a KA pro-line blender and LOVE it. It has a Ton of horsepower. I would have purchased a Vitamix, but they aren't exactly winning any beauty contests.

KA Chef's Blender

Edited April 1, 2006 by pounce (log)

[Sandra Levine]

I've had a classic Waring with the four-lobed 1-qt. glass jar for over 20 years. A few months ago, it started screeching and I began to think about a replacement. One day, though, I turned it on without the jar in place and the motor sounded fine. I got a new jar and blade assembly et, voila -- everything old is new again. I still can't figure out what happened to the old jar, but it had something to do with the dishwasher.

[lperry]

I have the Braun that CR recommended a few years ago. I use it at least twice a week and for various tasks including frozen smoothies, salad dressings, hummus, sauces, and chile purees. It works really well, has a nicely designed glass carafe with a great handle, and if I burnt it up tomorrow I'd buy another one. I grew up using Mom's Waring, but with thicker things there is always some sort of air bubble that forms in the bottom and the mixture won't blend. The design of the Braun carafe prevents that. I don't do a lot of ice crushing (I have a mechanical ice crusher), so I can't vouch for how long it will last at that task.

Everyone I know with the Kitchen Aid hates it. -Linda