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email this storyBreville Blender Bliss with a Button to Make “SNOW”
Posted by: Melissa W. // October 30 2009
After nine years and countless morning smoothies it was time to replace our ever-faithful Oster blender. The blades had dulled and ice was winning the daily blending battle. I took note of what annoyed me about this particular blender, vowing to upgrade my appliance ownership a few notches.
My blender “dream list” included (in order of importance):
No Raised Buttons. After 9 years of cleaning protein powder out from between the raised Oster buttons I wanted to reclaim the part of my life that had been sucked away by this tedious, thankless weekly task.
Glass Pitcher. My theory is that plastic will scratch and dull after thousands of whirling ice cubes bounce off the sides. Sure, the descriptions read “scratch-resistant” for the polycarbonate pitchers. But that’s not the same as scratch-proof. I also didn’t want to worry about harmful chemicals such as BPA (Bisphenol A) leaching from the plastic.
Finding blenders with glass pitchers proved to be a harder task than I had expected. Doesn’t everyone want a glass pitcher? Although it was a dealbreaker for me, the marketplace seemed to indicate that glass pitchers aren’t all that much in demand. But I stuck to my guns on this one.
Power for Daily Use. 2 Adults x 1-2 protein shakes a day = need for sturdy blades.
Modern Design. Our blender sits on the kitchen counter 24/7. It has to look modern, sleek, and interesting. Or, at the very least, it shouldn’t be an offensive eyesore.
Easy To Clean, Disassemble and Reassemble. The Oster had many tough-to-reach crevices that encouraged grime to stick around. And taking it apart was often a cause for frustration and usually ended with a minor injury.
Budget: Between $100 and $150.
After spending time in both Kitchen Kapers and Macy’s, as well as a few hours browsing online, I chose the Breville Ikon Hemisphere Blender.
It’s a very handsome unit with some mean looking blades. The carafe is glass, and the blender comes with a special tool to loosen the base of the blender from the pitcher. (No more skinned knuckles!)
My favorite part? It has a button to make “SNOW”.
The Purchase: Available for under $150 at Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, and QVC.
