I would definitely recommend this $40 blender over the $200 Cuisinart if you’re looking for the most basic of blendering. That includes pureeing soups, making batter, whipped cream, smoothies, and so on. These simple and relatively basic recipes with “softer” ingredients will do just fine. It might take longer than some of the other models, but if you use your blender only occasionally or don’t mind waiting an extra minute or two, this is a very good option. The Hamilton Beach impressed us with its simplicity, budget-friendly price, and space-saving slender figure. That being said, none of these features really matter when its blending efficiency leaves much to be desired.
Look for one with a cord wrap, to keep things neat and tidy in the cabinet or when sitting out on the counter. Since a lot of blenders come with an ice crush setting, this seemed like an important test to conduct. So I tossed ice cubes, ice cubes in water, and bagged ice into the Hamilton Beach for three different measures of ice crushing performance.
In our tests, it didn’t seal tightly to the cup, causing the ingredients to leak out and spill onto the countertop. This is because frozen fruits thaw quickly at room temperature, causing the overall consistency to be diluted if a blender isn’t able to blend fast enough. The final result appeared visually smooth, but when we used a spoon to stir it back and forth, we noticed a few fruit chunks still remained intact.
Since the blending cup is quite narrow, we had a hard time getting our hands inside, especially under the blade’s backside. Letting the blender clean itself, on the other hand, is less stressful. We simply added soapy water into the jar, then let the blender run for 30 to 60 seconds. After dumping out the solution and rinsing the jar thoroughly, we found there wasn’t any remaining gunk. The motor peaks around 175 watts, which is relatively low so it’s best to avoid using this blender for dry ingredients like coffee beans.
You need to hold them down until you’re done, except for the stop button, which complements the automatic smoothie cycle. Hot Soups—You can blend hot items with the , but you need a separate pot to heat your ingredients. If you need a medium-sized blending machine that can heat puree on its own, try the Nutribullet Rx. The Hamilton Beach 51101BA was Hamilton Beach’s first single-serve blender, released in 2011. Other models of single-serve blenders have succeeded it, but all are highly related to this blender. This blender, and all its successors, is a widely popular kitchen appliance among households.
Choose from popular brands like NutriBullet, Blendtec, Ninja, Breville, and many more. Get blenders with BPA-free parts and dishwasher safe parts. Time-Saving InnovationsStarting the day off with a protein shake or smoothie can be time-consuming, so look for a blender that has time-saving features built in.
Removing the jar is a lot easier; just turn it clockwise and lift it up. The trade-off is that it takes time to get the hang of it. With cold fruit from the hamilton beach smoothie blender fridge, the Hamilton Beach personal blender worked like magic. I chucked an 8-ounce block of cheddar into the Hamilton Beach to see what would happen.
The motor’s build quality is a little bit better but doesn’t look as sturdy as other blenders we’ve tested and lacks the firmness to ensure optimal stability. In this test, the Hamilton Beach took 3 mins 45 secs to yield a portion of protein hamilton beach smoothie blender shake, which is far longer than average. The mixture came out slightly coarse due to a smattering of unblended dried blueberries, but since all the oatmeal and almonds were entirely liquified, it wasn’t too lumpy or unpleasant to drink.