Cuisinart CBT-500 SmartPower Premier™ Single-Speed Blender

My mom is a great cook and in every great cooks kitchen, certain appliances are needed to complete the delicious meals that are prepared. Every Sunday, my mom cooks a big meal so that after church, when we arrive home, we can eat together as a family. This has always been a tradition and a good one to promote family togetherness for the future when I decide to have children.

My family is of Haitian decent and there are certain things that are necessary for any Haitian meal. For Sunday dinner, my mom usually cooks a plethora of food which includes chicken, pasta, potatoes, plantains, vegetables, salad, rice and beans. She usually uses a blender to make her own spices, to blend the beans into a delicious bean sauce we call Sauce Pwa and to make her very own papaya juices. The blender that we used to have was no longer doing the job efficiently so my mother decided that it was time to get a new one.

So I ventured out and started looking for a good, quality blender which would be acceptable for a top of the line chef. I started looking at different stores and then went to Macys and came across the Cuisinart SmartPower Premier 600-Watt Blender. I thought this may be a good choice because she had recently got a stainless steel toaster, a stainless steel coffeemaker and this new kitchen appliance would go great with the decor of the kitchen. Plus it was a very nice-to-look-at blender.

The features seemed pretty nice.The first thing that I noticed was that this blender could crush ice without the need of added water at any speed you choose. The blender jar is a 50 oz glass jar and has a wide mouth, so I thought, hey that is a great feature because my mom tends to blend a lot of things. The blades are stainless steel and does everything from breaking ice to blending herbs and spices. It had six buttons which included the on and off buttons, high and low buttons and ice crush or pulse buttons. The cover of the blender is black with a plastic pour lid atop it. There is a plastic, silver handle on the side of the glass jar and the base of the blender is a sturdy die-cast metal with the Cuisinart logo on the bottom front. The blender has a timer for up to five minutes.

I decided that this would be a great choice. I purchased the Cuisinart SmartPower Premier 600-Watt Blender at $100. from Macys. We have been using this blender for about 2 1/2 months now and the results were a little different then I expected.

A little booklet came with the 600-Watt blender that showed its features and benefits, uses and cares, helpful reminders, how to operate the blender, how to clean the blender, and a few recipes that might be helpful for the people who use it. Today I am going to focus on it's features and benefits.

Cover
The book indicates that the cover has a tight lifting seal that resists leakage. I cannot remember one time that me or my mom used it that the blender did not leak.

Measured Pour Lid
The book indicates that this feature allows you to measure and add ingredients without removing the cover. This feature I like because when making your own spices, you might not want to blend garlic as much as a white onion. So that was a really good benefit.

50-oz Glass Jar
The book indicates that the glass jar has a unique, sturdy, widemouth design. That I also liked because when blending beans to make into a sauce or gravy, a widemouth is needed because you are pouring in (from a hot stove) beans and hot liquid.

Leak-proof Rubber Gasket
The book indicates that it hold the glass jar snuggly in position for safe operation. Again I will reinforce the fact that I cannot remember one time that the 600-Watt blender did not leak. And for some reason, it always has this faint smell that it is burning. Maybe it is the fact that the jar leaks onto something electrical. All I know is, this feature has never been one of the benefits that I have seen to be proven true.

High-quality Cutting Assembly with Patented Stainless Steel Blades
I like this feature because like the book says, the blades are strong enough for all blender tasks, including tough jobs, from ice crushing to chopping delicate herbs. The blades are really sturdy and can really cut through tough things. So sharp that if you are not careful when you are in the process of cleaning them, you can really cut yourself badly.

Locking Ring
The book says it is self-aligning so that the glass blender jar slides easily into position. A great feature and benefit. Most blenders have this quality.

Count-Up Timer
I like that the blender times your blending needs because if you had to walk away from the blender like for a phone call which often happens, your blender has the ability to cut off at the desired time that you choose.

Push-button Controls
a. High and low buttons
The blender has the ability to blend at high speeds and low speeds. What I don't like is that like most blenders, it doesn't stay on and blend normally, it is set to automatically pulse. If you are purchasing this blender to crush ice only, this is the perfect blender for you. But if you are purchasing this blender for anything else, you might not really like it.
b. Pulse Button
This is really the only feature that is consistent because you don't have to work hard to get this feature to work properly. The 600-Watt blender is primarily for pulsing.
c. Ice Crush Button
There is a preset button for ice crushing. Great for when you are making drinks. This would be a great blender for a bar to make daquiris and Margaritas.

Heavy-duty Motor Base
The book states that this blender is so sturdy and stable, it will not "walk: on your counter - even during ice crushing. A great feature. It is heavy and when placed on a flat surface stands firmly. The only problem is that it sits firmly on the things that leak out from the cover and/or glass jar so it is constantly getting soiled with dirt and sitting on liquid.

Slip-proof feet
Prevents movement during use and prevents damaging marks on countertops or tables. I liked this feature a lot too. Who wants stain marks on their countertops or tables. Yet your countertop might stain from hot black bean liquid that secretes from the glass jar and/or cover.

Cord Storage
Keeps countertop safe and neat by conveniently storing excess cord. This is also a great feature because you can keep your cord neat when in usage and when not in usage.

This blender has it's benefits and it's not so benefits, but it sure is nice to look at. I can appreciate the decor in my kitchen. But for a blender that is valued at $100, I would expect that it worked a little bit better and a little bit more to the standard and quality that it's look and price suggests it to be.