Smart Stick: A Handy Little Kitchen Gem By Candida Eittreim on Sep 22, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Even though many of us have lots of small appliances in the kitchen, when it comes to certain recipes or chores, it almost seems to much trouble to set them up. Recipes calling for a blender are a perfect example. Late at night when my boys are busy working on projects or simply kicking back, they want a smoothie or milkshake. Pulling down the blender after a full day working and creating meals in the kitchen make that idea seem like too much work.

I had asked Kevin Weeks, a well respected chef, what he recommended as a solution. When he told me about the new generation hand blenders, I knew I'd finally found a solution that worked for all of us. Hunting around Amazon, I spotted The Cuisinart Smart Stick. With its compact size and sleek chrome and black good looks, it presented a very attractive option to the bulkier blnders I was used to.

It comes with a mini processor (they describe it as a chopper), a clear plastic beaker for blending small drinks, and a whisk attachment. At $49.99 its a real bargain. It assembles in seconds, and you're on your way to delicious smoothies, pureed soups, easily chopped veggies and more.

Reading the instructions is vital to using the Smart Stick successfully. This small appliance requires a short learning curve when first creating smoothies or other drinks requiring ice cream. I let my ice cream thaw slightly before adding it to the recipe, and any frozen fruits get the same treatment. This ensures adequate and smooth blending of the ingredients. Pureeing cooked vegetables is a snap with this little gem. An added plus is the mini chopper. It chops onions just as well as my full sized processor, and just as quickly. Its 200 horsepower motor can even stand up to mashed potatoes with ease.

Best of all my boys can prepare their own smoothies without destroying my kitchen in the process. That's priceless!