"Smoothie Blast" is an appropriate name for this blender/drink mixer since it produces thick, delicious smoothies in a matter of seconds.

The Back to Basics Smoothie Blast consists of a compact power base, 40-ounce clear plastic blender carafe with dispensing spout, plastic lid and stirring stick. The compact, lightweight styling makes this unit ideal for everyday use -- it takes up minimal space on your counter or you can tuck it away in a cabinet or pantry.

Don't let the lightweight base fool you. The 400-watt motor is quite powerful and capable of blending through frozen fruit or ice cubes of a manageable size.

There is one simple three-position flip switch to operate the Smoothie Blast. In the down position, the unit operates on pulse, which delivers short bursts of power at high speed. In the up position, the motor runs continuously. In the center position, the unit is off.

The clear plastic blender carafe has markings that show the quantity and also approximate measurements for liquid and frozen ingredients to yield three perfect smoothies. Liquids include any soft ingredients, such as fruit, milk, juice or yogurt. Ice and frozen fruit should be added last so the blades have room to process them a bit at a time.

The container's tapered shape is perfectly designed to facilitate the flow of ingredients down toward the blades. The stirring stick is handy for moving larger chunks down when the mixture gets too thick. For thinner mixtures, we found we did not even need the assistance of the stir stick.

The dispensing valve is handy for quick serving without ever having to lift the carafe. Thin mixtures dispense easily, however, for thicker mixtures, you need to turn the power switch to "on" so the powerful spinning action causes the mixture to flow freely through the valve.

A number of delicious recipes are included in the instruction booklet. You can make multiple batches; however, you should allow the motor a 5-minute cool-down period in between.


Pros: Spigot for automatic dispensing of smoothies, clear markings on carafe
Cons: Limited capacity

Warranty
1 year, limited