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WHICH? REVIEWS: Smoothie Makers

We've tested and rated smoothie makers for ease of assembly, use and cleaning as well as assessing comfort, vibration and noise.

When buying, first decide whether you need a jug blender or a smoothie maker. The two machines are very similar; the major difference is that smoothie makers have taps to dispense your blended drinks from. We found they were slow to pour from, and took longer to wash up you may be better off simply pouring from the jug spout.

Smoothie makers also generally come with a stirring stick to help mixing the drinks, although we got great results without using them. Lastly, whilst many jug blenders have rotary control dials, smoothie makers tend to have push button controls which you prefer is down to personal preference.

You can find out our Best Buy recommendations by taking out a £1 30-day trial to www.which.co.uk. Below, we explain more about the features of Smoothie makers.

Like jug blenders, all smoothie makers have a motor unit and a lidded jug with a small spinning blade at the bottom. Most are a similar size and have a capacity of between 1.5 and 2.0 litres.

More expensive models tend to come with glass jugs, but this increases their weight from around 2kg to about 5kg. Unlike jug blenders, they tend to have push button speed controls, rather than rotary dials.

Features

Non-slip feet
Non-slip or suction feet stop the machine moving or slipping whilst in use.

Cable storage
Cable storage keeps the cable tidy when not in use, and some machines have plug storage too.

Speed settings
Variable speeds give more blending control. Most smoothie makers have at least two speeds, sometimes labelled mix and smooth, and a pulse function for a quick burst of speed. Most smoothie makers also have an ice crushing function.

Jugs
Glass jugs are heavier, more solid and less likely to scratch than plastic jugs.

Dishwasher-safe parts
Washing-up can be laborious, so look for a blender where the parts are dishwasher-safe.

It's handy if, like most models we tested, there is a removable blade, so it can be separated from the jug and thoroughly cleaned.

Lids
Most models have a jug lid which incorporates a strainer which can filter out any remaining lumps when you pour. Some lids can be rotated to block off the spout, to avoid any splashing when blending.

Taps
Taps are generally removable to make cleaning easier. The tap or spout that you use to dispense the smoothie from the jug unscrews so you can give it a thorough clean.

Stirring sticks
A stirring stick fits through the hole in the lid, and allows you to move ingredients inside the jug so that they get thoroughly blended by the blade.

Recipe books
Recipe books are supplied with some smoothie makers we tested, but these are only generally useful as a basic introduction to blended drinks.

So what's the best digital smoothie maker for you? By taking out a £1 30-day trial to www.which.co.uk you can discover all you need to know about bread makers and find out our Best Buy recommendations.

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