The Cuisinart PowerBlend 500 Blender SPB-10 offers powerful blending and the convenience of a smooth touchpad control panel.

This unit comes with a sturdy power base, which is basically square but which has a gently tapered front panel that gives it a wedge-shaped profile. The smooth white housing is rounded at the corners and has a touchpad control panel with oversize on/off button, plus controls for pulse, stir, chop, mix, puree, liquefy and crush ice across the front. All speeds deliver efficient blending with a whirlpool-like motion that draws ingredients down the center toward the blades.

With the Cuisinart PowerBlend 500, you also get a 56-ounce glass carafe -- which is large enough to mix up a generous batch of your favorite frozen cocktails, energy drinks or fruit smoothies. The glass jar is heavier than a plastic jar but offers the advantage of superior strength and resistance to staining and absorption of flavors and odors. The squared shape of the carafe with its four internal ribs keeps ingredients moving inside the carafe.

We loved the sleek design and the smooth touchpad operation. By pressing the "on" button, you activate the power, allowing you to select one of the seven preset speeds for perfect blending. The pulse button is a handy feature, which converts each of the continuous speeds to a touch-and-release action for short bursts of power. Pulsing is a very efficient method for incorporating solids into liquids or for processing dry ingredients, such as chopping chocolate, grating cheese or making bread crumbs.

We found the 500-watt motor to be sufficiently powerful for all blending tasks, including hard-to-mix frozen drinks. The only drawback we noticed was in pouring, since the carafe's pour spout is a bit too small and liquids want to creep over the front. You can overcome the trouble by just pouring a little more slowly.

The ice crush option is also amazing. The PowerBlend's specially designed blades turn ice cubes into a snowy consistency in seconds -- without the aid of water. The crushed ice can then be used as the base for an hors d'oeuvre tray or blended into punch or cocktails.

All in all, we loved the efficient blending, elegant design and styling of the Cuisinart PowerBlend 500. For the price, it's an excellent value as well.


Pros: Touchpad control panel, 56-ounce glass carafe, pulse and ice-crush options
Cons: Need to pour slowly to avoid dripping

Warranty
3 years, limited