REVIEW – My family is one that is on a major healthy lifestyle journey, and we are always on the lookout for products that allow us to create nice variations of our specific diet. Some of the mandatory tools are a blender, a juicer, etc. When I got a chance to take a look at this 3 in 1 combination, I readily accepted. Let’s see how it went.

What is it?

The Black & Decker Infuser 3-In-1 Digital PowerCrush Blending System combines a personal blender, and regular blender and an infusion blender in one device.

What’s in the box

1 x 3-in-1 blender base unit
1 x 6-cup blending jar
1 x 18-oz. blending jar
1 x Infuser and infusion filter
1 x Instruction/recipe booklet

Design and features

The system is constructed of a metal base and plastic blending parts and combines three blending devices in one.  Its motor produces 900 watts of power that pulverizes even ice, with the use of its 4-tip QuadPro Stainless Steel Blades.

Here are some specs:
Parts material: Glass, Plastic
Dimensions (Overall): 9.88 inches (H) x 15.0 inches (W) x 7.88 inches (D)
Weight: 8.82 pounds
Finish: Baked-on Paint
Capacity (Volume): 48 ounces
Includes: Stainless steel multipurpose blade, Pouring Shield, Blending Cup with Lid, Glass Bowl, Rubber Seal, Instruction Manual, travel jar, infuser insert, tamper
Features: Pulse Feature, Pouring Spout, Hideaway Cord Wrap, Variable Speed, Stainless Steel Blades, Push Button Controls, Indicator Light
Base – Metal Finish: Stainless Steel
Appliance Capabilities: Blends, Crushes Ice, Mixes, Purees, Chops, infuses, emulsifies, Juices, Liquefy
Care and Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe Parts, spot or wipe clean
Number of Speeds: 3
Warranty: 2-year limited warranty

The personal blender includes an 18 oz jar that can be used on-the-go with the snap lid. It works much like every personal blender and creates a smoothly blended mixture.

The picture below shows the system set up as a traditional blender. It functions well in this combination as well.

The infuser device basically uses an infusion filter with a “pusher”. You place the ingredients in the inside of the filter and then use the “pusher” to apply pressure downwards onto the ingredients as the blade spins. The blade action starts off as a pulsating action to crush the ingredients and then a fast, free spinning action as the blades work to pulverize the ingredients while the juice escapes through the filter into the jar. As far as I know, the true concept of infusion does not involve a blade, but for my personal use, this is better because the resulting mix is very rich in flavor. “Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping)”. – Wikipedia

The base unit of this 3 in 1 infuser is made of plastic and metal and is sleek and shiny with a digital touchpad control interface. From left to right, there are 3 speeds controls: an on/off and ice crush control the uses a pulsing action, a smoothie selection that spins consistently to blend, an infuse control that is a pulsing and then free spinning action that is used for juicing, and a shake mode that is also a fast free spinning motion. Basically, they are intuitive controls for the three speeds, three programs, and a pulse function to provide the desired consistency.

Performance

The personal blender use of this system works very well and produces a very smooth blend. I also actually have and have reviewed the Black & Decker personal blender as a separate device, so I was expecting the same great performance and it did not disappoint. While the base unit is slightly different for the separately sold personal blender, the performance is the same except that this system has 900 watts of power and does the job even faster and, slightly better.

Below is the mixture that is a result of the infusion/blending process. the ingredients were blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The flavor was smooth, rich, and tasty.
The pictures below show frozen Kale, frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, pineapple, almond milk and ice cubes in the blender and the resulting mixture that was very tasty. You can see in the middle picture that I have the ingredient “pusher” in the center hole in the blender cover as opposed to the attached hole cover that it comes with. This is because I had a minor accident with it and it broke off. (my fault). The blender action is a constant speed at either speed 1, 2 or 3.

The next set of pictures show a smoothie in the personal blender that was made from frozen bananas, kale, apple, peanut butter, and protein powder.  The smoothie action by the blender starts with an on/off cycle until the ingredients are pulverized, and then it changes to a constant speed to finish off mixing the smoothie. It makes an excellent and really smooth smoothie with no type of pulp.

What I like

• The 3 in 1 feature
• The blending results
• The infuser/juicer

What can be improved

• Some of the materials used have resulted in this label on the seller’s website: – WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Styrene, which is known to the state of California to cause cancer, and Bisphenol-A, which is known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov. www.p65warnings.ca.gov 
• Less plastic for some of the parts. Maybe a glass jar for the blender?

   

Final thoughts

This 3 in 1 blender system is very convenient and a great use of precious countertop space. It is really nice to make one reasonably priced purchase and have all 3 systems in one. It works well, and we have been using it continuously for our fruit and vegetable shakes. While I am not necessarily a fan of all of the plastic parts that are a part of this system, so far it has held up well. As far as performance goes, I am happy. I will post an update should there be a need to. For now, I give the Black & Decker Infuser 3-In-1 Digital PowerCrush Blending System a thumbs up. (Still researching the whole Styrene issue and effect).

Price: $49.99
Where to buy: Target
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Black & Decker.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cooking, Home and Kitchen

Black & Decker Infuser 3-In-1 Digital PowerCrush Blending System review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 19, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – These days, there is a fast moving health and fitness movement that continues to gain momentum as many people look to better their health. A part of the healthier diet is a long list of healthy shakes and other healthy foods like vegetable liquid food replacements. This is no different in my household, and I welcomed the opportunity to test and review this personal blender. Here is my summary.

What is it?

The BLACK and DECKER PowerCrush Digital Blender with Quiet Technology uses a specifically designed blade that creates a vortex when spinning in order to crush and blend various types of ingredients including ice, vegetables,  fruit, etc. It can be used to make vegetable drinks and smoothies all in the included 18oz personal size cup. All of the parts that attach to the cup including the snap-on lid, the cup itself, and the blade and housing are dishwasher safe. The blender has 700 watts of maximum power and digital touch controls as its interface.

What’s in the box

1 x PowerCrush Digital Blender
1 x 4-tip stainless steel blending blade
1 x 18oz Personal Jar
1 x Snap-on travel lid
1 x Instruction/Recipe booklet

Design and features

Design Specs:

• Quiet Technology: Blend without interrupting your life. This PowerCrush Blender is quieter* and maintains all the powerful blending performance you expect from BLACK+DECKER.
• PowerCrush 4-Tip Blade Technology: The 4-tip stainless steel blending blade works with the shape of the jar to create a constant flow and vortex that leads ingredients directly to the blades for fast blending performance.
• 700W Motor: The energetic motor delivers 700W at peak performance to easily crush and blend the toughest ingredients.
• 2 Speeds + Pulse: From smooth blending to powerful ice crushing, two speeds and a pulse function handle any job with ease. Includes LED power indicator.
• Personal Jar: Use the 18oz., BPA-free Tritan plastic jar for single-serving smoothies on the go. Snap-on travel lid included.

This personal blender is designed to crush ice and fruit and other similar types of ingredients to create personal drink mixes like shakes, blended drinks, etc. On the front, there are 4 buttons embedded into the stainless steel body. The buttons control the on/off function as well as the speed/rotation options that are low speed and high speed, and the pulse function.

The base of the blender has a receptacle that interfaces with the blade and housing as seen below. At the bottom of the blender, there are air vents and routing for the attached power cable.

The pictures below show the 4-tip blade and housing, the 18oz personal size cup, and the snap on lid.

Performance

Based on the understanding that noise levels or the perception of volume is individually subjective, I found this blender to be quite a bit quieter than I am used to and than I thought it would be. It was not as loud as another famous brand, and for my tests, it did a decent enough job of crushing/blending frozen fruit. I did find that the other famous brand blender was able to make an even smoother blend in the less time, but that blender is also more powerful. I also tried a variety of fruits like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas with ice and the resulting mixtures were great. Below are before and after pictures of one of the frozen fruit mixtures.

What do I like

• I like the size and the functional design
• The finished stainless steel look

What can be improved

• Either the power of the blender or the blade design to be more effective at making an even smoother blend

Final thoughts

The PowerCrush Digital Blender with Quiet Technology is a nicely designed blender that has enough power and capability to blend most fruit and vegetable combinations to make a nice smoothie or vegetable drink. While it could use a bit more power or maybe some adjustment to the blade design to remove even the smallest of grains from things like small seeds, etc, it does make the blend smooth enough that in my opinion, is quite acceptable. Also, the ability to have a conversation while blending without having to scream at the other party is quite nice and non-disruptive. I personally like this blender, and for my needs and based on the price, I give it a thumbs up!!

Price: $32.88
Where to buy: Walmart
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Black & Decker.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cooking, Home and Kitchen

Black & Decker PowerCrush Digital Blender with Quiet Technology review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 16, 2018 at 3:08 pm.

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REVIEW – Here’s a neat one for you. Today we’re testing a combination immersion blender and smoothie maker from Gourmia, designed to make your life a wee bit easier. It’s hand held. It multitasks. It has a Turbo button (heh-heh!). How does it go? Let’s blend!

What is it?

It’s a combination handheld blender with two attachments: one for an immersion blender, and one that enables you to blend a smoothie directly in the supplied sports bottle.

Hardware specs

• 3.5” by 2.5” by 18.5”
• 1.5 pounds
• 5 speed + turbo blending speeds
• Stainless steel rod & blades
• 3 foot long power chord
• 120V-60Hz, 300 W
• ETL Listed

What’s in the box?

The package includes the base handheld unit, the immersion blender attachment, the smoothie maker attachment, and a BPA-free sports bottle with a lid.

Design and features

The Gourmia Hand Held Immersion Blender and Smoothie Maker is a two-in-one device that, as the name implies, performs two common kitchen tasks in one handheld package. The base unit contains the motor, while supplied attachments execute blending operations.

The blender has some nice heft to it and integrates rubberized grips for confident handling. You’ll find the power and turbo  (heh-heh!) buttons positioned on the barrel of the base with a speed setting dial on the end cap. Both the dial and buttons are big with soft-touch surfaces. It’s very easy to manage even if you have wet hands.

The immersion blender attachment is a one-piece stainless steel unit that snaps onto the base. Pop it in, and you’re ready to reap havoc upon your soups and sauces. A wave pattern in the blade cover allows you to slide the unit across the bottom of the bowl without damaging your pan or bowl while enabling the free flow of material when you crank it up.

I put this blender to work on a pasta sauce I made last weekend. I sautéed onions and garlic in the pot first, the threw in a heaping helping of rough-cut tomatoes with some fresh basil from the garden… seeds, skins and all. After a few minutes of simmering, I put the beast to work. It obliterated the contents to a nice purée in about 90 seconds.

The wave pattern on the base does enable the blender to generate some liquid flow in the pot, but you’ll need to plunge it a few times to get the bigger stuff churned up.

I was pretty impressed with the results. Everything was puréed to a nice even consistency, with no bits of tomato skin or partially-chewed basil leaves to be had. The placement of the dials at the top of the barrel makes it easy to adjust your controls in-flight. Nicely done.

Let’s talk about the Turbo mode (heh-heh!) for a moment. When you run into something that is a mite too tough to blend with the six normal speeds, you pop the Turbo button. It’s not just a little higher than the highest setting… it’s like turning it up to 11 (the dial only goes to six). It’s got mad power. I blasted it once or twice with the Turbo mode to eradicate offensive chunky bits. It does generate a lot of froth, but it’s wonderfully satisfying and effective.

Cleaning is a snap. The attachments click into the base, and are released by pressing these stubs on either side of the unit:

Because the immersion blender attachment is stainless steel, a quick rinse is pretty much all you’ll need to get the job done. You can submerge the whole piece, and leave it out to dry.

The smoothie attachment works kind of like a hand-held version of the Magic Bullet, if you’re familiar with that blender. The blades are in the cap. You’ll add your ingredients to the smoothie bottle, screw on the cap, then attach it to the blender base.

You’ll then invert the whole thing, holding it like a torch, and fire it up. It’s a bit tall and awkward, so you’ll want to use both hands to keep it stable (and vertical) during operation:

The Gourmia Hand Held Immersion Blender and Smoothie Maker motor is rated at 300 watts. Not huge power, but the blades sit almost flush against the base and have good speed. This means you’ll get uniform blending for the most part. You’ll find ice chips in your smoothie and some larger chunks of frozen stuff, but it’s no worse than other blenders at this power level. Try the Turbo (heh-heh!) to zap those annoying bits.

The smoothie bottle comes with a cap (including a lanyard) so you can take your drink on the go. It’s a solid if basic, bottle combination. If you’re moving quickly to get out the door in the morning, you’ll find this handy.

One huge benefit of the smoothie design, like the Magic Bullet, is that the blade is completely accessible and easy to clean. It’s also easy to clean quickly, too, since you are blending into your to-go cup. Just rinse the cap and off you go. Nice convenience.

What I like

• Immersion blender has good power and works smoothly
• Simple operation
• Easy to clean
• Adjustable speeds plus Turbo mode obliterate most materials
• Makes fine smoothies, even with ice cubes

What needs to be improved

• Smoothie mode can be a bit awkward and requires both hands
• Will leave some small chunks of ice or frozen fruit in your smoothie

Final thoughts

I think this is a smart multitasker. I’d buy it for the immersion blender alone, but you don’t use that every day in the kitchen. The added smoothie maker brings a nice daily use to the device. The smoothie making method may be a bit awkward, but easy cleaning and blending right into your to-go cup are great convenience features. Construction looks solid. I’m also seeing pricing on Amazon as low as $29.99. It looks like a winning combo to me!

Price: $29.99
Where to buy: Get it on Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Gourmia

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cooking, Home and Kitchen

Gourmia Hand Held Immersion Blender and Smoothie Maker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 11, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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