<p>I would like to get my dd and her boyfriend a blender to make hummus and smoothies. I looked on Amazon and there were many conflicting reviews. I think many of you on here drink smoothies and probably make your own hummus. What is your favorite brand of appliance?</p>
<p>We got a Magic Bullet, by Nutribullet a few months ago and it’s amazing.</p>
<p>Vitamix, but it may be overkill for your purposes. I burned through two of those Williams-Sonoma bar blenders (the classic one with the metal base and glass carafe) plus another excellent 1000 watt blender until I finally got this. No longer need to add ingredients one at a time. Everything in at once, blended ice chunk-free in seconds.</p>
<p>Another vote for the Magic Bullet. We are on our third one, we use the heck out of it, I haven’t run across anything it can’t handle. To be fair, I used crushed ice, not whole cubes. Eventually the blades get dull, but I feel we have gotten our money out of each one. Plus now I have a ton of extra cups.</p>
<p>I have one of the Cuisinart combo blenders/food processors. I’ve had it for years and got it at Kohls I believe, but they carry it other places. Reasonable and does the trick. I made hummus in it last night (the food processor part) and a smoothie this morning (blender part)!</p>
<p>It’s similar to this:
[Amazon.com:</a> Cuisinart BFP-10CH PowerBlend Duet Blender and Food Processor, Chrome and Black: Kitchen & Dining](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-BFP-10CH-PowerBlend-Blender-Processor/dp/B000MX05GO]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-BFP-10CH-PowerBlend-Blender-Processor/dp/B000MX05GO)</p>
<p>I switched over to a ninja pro. I have found that hummus and smoothies require different types of containers (smoothies require a tall narrow base to create a more vortex like power blend, hummus requires a wider base or it gets whipped with too much air). I burned out 2 Cuisinart blenders before switching.</p>
<p>The ninja blender is great for making dough - which means I rarely get out my bread maker anymore (we make whole grain breads and pizza doughs from scratch here).</p>
<p>Good point on the texture. I like my hummus not too creamy - I’d rather have a little texture. The food processor allows me to keep it that way.</p>
<p>I would love to own a Blendtec someday, but until I do, I use a regular blender (Osterizer) for smoothies and the Cuisinart mini-blender for hummus. Mine might be just a bit larger than the one shown by Abasket.</p>
<p>Here’s a helpful article. I love my Vitamix, and it comes in a range of prices, but even the base model is very expensive. One of my kids has the Kitchenaid and so far so good. Unfortunately, the less expensive models (under 200) do tend to have durability issues. </p>
<p>[Best</a> Blenders - Top 5 Blender Reviews](<a href=“http://www.consumersearch.com/blenders]Best”>http://www.consumersearch.com/blenders)</p>
<p>I use my VitaMix every day for smoothies and love it. I bought it at least 7-8 years ago at Costco and I know they still sell them online and often in the stores. It is absolutely worth the initial investment.</p>
<p>Another vote for the Ninja. I make my husband a smoothie every morning, and have for a few years. Still works great.</p>
<p>This past Christmas we got my MIL a Ninja Kitchen System Pulse and she adores it. She is a smoothie fanatic and has been through many blenders over the years. This one seems to do the trick, and she loves the single serving blending cups. Plus we got it for around $65 with a BB&B 20% off coupon so the price isn’t too steep either.</p>
<p>Either Ninja or Magic Bullet will do the trick just fine.</p>
<p>Vitamax and Blendtec are much more expensive but have much stronger motors and will last decades longer. If she becomes a serious foodie, then get her one of these. I just got a Blendtec and it’s to die for.</p>
<p>I knew CC would come through. I am thinking along the lines of bookreader. If money was no object, I would get her a Vitamax or Blendtec but for now I think I will wait until Kohls sends me a 30 percent off coupon and then either get the ninja or the magic bullet. Thank you all!</p>
<p>Ha! Ninja is advertising now on my side screen. Sometimes it is just plain creepy!</p>
<p>Husband just informed me ours is a Nutri Bullet, by Magic Bullet. It was $100 at Target. He tried the smaller, $50 Magic Bullet, but it didn’t work nearly as well and he returned it.</p>
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<p>That happens a lot here on cc. It’s creepy, but it’s an app they use.</p>
<p>I will check out the Nutri Bullet. I was worried about the 50 dollar one holding up.</p>
<p>Slightly off topic, but OP and other may be interested in this recipe for “ethereally smooth” hummus, which calls for a food processor, not a blender (actually, I would think a blender would liquefy hummus too much, though I agree it’s what’s need for smoothies):</p>
<p>[ethereally</a> smooth hummus | smitten kitchen](<a href=“http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/01/ethereally-smooth-hummus/]ethereally”>ethereally smooth hummus – smitten kitchen)</p>
<p>Nice looking recipe. I don’t know if I want to hand peel chickpeas but it sound delicious. I wondered about the blender/ food processor too. Maybe I should get a combo machine. So many decisions!</p>
<p>The Ninja Kitchen System Pulse advertises itself as also working as a food processor, and comes with an attachment for making dough as well.</p>