44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Chopper Grinder Makes Work Easy, January 8, 2001
This review is from: Cuisinart CSB-55N SmartStick Extendable Shaft Hand Blender & Chopper Grinder (Kitchen)
Chopping, blending and grinding are a natural a part of good cooking. I am not a world class chef who can do everything as quick and neat with a sharp knife as the guys on television shows. I can use this tool from Cuisinart to prepare dishes like those chefs. I just take it out of the drawer and presto, I am finished with it quick as a snap. A quick clean up and it is ready to use again. Every kitchen should have one. It isn't bad for mixing drinks either!
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some nice features but just OK, January 19, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Cuisinart CSB-55N SmartStick Extendable Shaft Hand Blender & Chopper Grinder (Kitchen)
I'm new to stick blenders so maybe I don't appreciate a "good thing" when I see it but I'm just not overly impressed with this item and am taking mine back to the store. I like the extendable shaft idea (although mine didn't lock into place as they said it should) and the chopper worked well. But I'm pretty under-impressed with the blender/whipper. I tried whipping some egg whites and ended up pulling out my regular blender to do the job right.
I also found that trying to control the power with my thumb was extremely uncomfortable and unnatural.
I'm going to try the Braun. Not sure if I'll like it better or not.
PS - I got the Braun MR5550MBC-HC and love it. It costs more but it does more and works much better and is easier to hold.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the star of its class, February 27, 2005
This review is from: Cuisinart CSB-55N SmartStick Extendable Shaft Hand Blender & Chopper Grinder (Kitchen)
Given the brand name and impressive features of this tool, I had high hopes for it's performance capabilities--but in the end I found it to be just "okay."
The power button on the handle end is indeed awkward to depress for any length of time and you end up needing both hands to balance it's weight.
The idea of being able to separate the blender so that only the bottom half could be washed without worrying about water damage to the motor end was appealing. However, after the first wash, water became trapped in the housing and seems there to stay.
I use my hand blender frequently for heavy soups, stews and sauces, etc, and I feel this one is not as powerful at pulverizing cooked vegetables into a smooth soup as other blenders I have owned in the past(my old Braun was awesome).
Maybe its badly-designed ergonomics make it only seem to be less effective because it's uncomfortable to handle.
It eventually gets the job done, though, so I won't run out to replace it anytime soon--but neither would I buy this same one again.
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