Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender
Like most RVs, our kitchen has limited counter space and no room for a blender. When we lived in a house we used a blender to make shakes, smoothies, soups, and more, so while equipping our RV kitchen, we had to find a space-efficient blender alternative.
Stick blenders (aka immersion blenders) are a good alternative to ‘normal’ blenders. With a little research, we found that the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender is one of the best reviewed and most popular immersion blenders on the market. It’s been perfect for us as it’s compact, lightweight, and tucks easily into our kitchen drawer.
The Cuisinart Smart Stick includes the blender and a mixing beaker only. Other stick blenders have more attachments, including a whisk, food processors, and choppers. We chose the Smart Stick as it’s inexpensive, but if you need more functionality I’ve listed some more elaborate stick blenders at the bottom of this review.
Welcome to our Review of the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender. We realize that this isn’t an RV-specific product, however it’s an amazing solution for RVers who like or need to blend.
Our previous blender was a fairly expensive and nice quality Waring Professional blender as I make smoothies almost every day. We REALLY wanted to take our Waring with us as it works perfectly. Unfortunately:
The Problem
While most RV kitchens have limited counter space, ours only has a 4” strip surrounding the sink, and a flip-up leaf! (Not to mention the expansive, yet temporary, counter space added while employing the sink covers 🙂 )
This tight space made it impossible to set up and use a traditional food blender in our kitchen. Even if we could, we don’t have enough cabinets or storage space to bring a blender with us, and packing/unpacking and cleaning a traditional blender in an RV isn’t very appealing.
Our Process
In spite of limited counter space, when we began moving full-time into our RV, we brought our Waring blender anyway to see if we could make it work and find a place to fit it. Of course it didn’t fit anywhere, despite our best creative efforts.
We debated whether to take it anyway as it was powerful and dependable, and we didn’t want to spend money on something we already owned. I thought of stowing it in the cupboard, but Rich was able to talk me out of this idea as it simply wasn’t practical for all the reasons listed above.
We put the old blender into storage, and acknowledged that we needed some type of portable blender to take on our travels.
The Solution
Kathy Using Our Smart Stick Blender
We researched companies that make portable blenders, starting with the Cuisinart brand. Hamilton Beach, KitchenAid and others make stick blenders too, but we decided to go with the Cuisinart as it’s well reviewed and inexpensive. At the time we bought our blender, it was rated 4.5 stars (out of 5) on Amazon.
The Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender has been perfect! I store it safely in my kitchen drawer, and pull it out every day with no hassle. Plus, I was glad to see it had plenty of power, was easy to use and to clean.
Quality is important to us, and this hand blender has lived up to the Cuisinart name. I’ve made smoothies and protein drinks almost daily for the past 2 years and it still works like new! It even blends frozen berries and other fruit, and the blade still works great.
The Smart Stick even replaces a hand mixer to some degree. (I don’t need a hand mixer, since I don’t bake very much.) However, I do use it to blend ingredients when making my homemade split pea soup, lentil soup, sauces, salad dressings, hummus, and casseroles. And this is coming from a person who only used countertop blenders in the past!
Note: This product isn’t the best choice for blending raw veggies, nuts, or seeds. We use our mini Cuisinart Food Processor for chopping or grinding.
What’s Included with the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender:
Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender – which has a 200-watt motor and variable speed.
Measures 2.5” in diameter at the widest part x 15” long; has a 5′ long cord.
Mixing/Measuring Beaker (16 oz.), BPA-free
Pros
- Quality, portable, and attractive product
- Cost-effective, especially when compared to similar European models
- No need for counter space, fits into your kitchen drawer
- Easy to grip and to use, with well-placed buttons
- Powerful motor with variable speed easily blends drinks, semi-soft foods, and some frozen foods like berries
- Blender detaches from motor unit for easy cleaning
- Stainless blade holds up well to regular use
- Handy mixing beaker works well with hand blender
- Long 5-foot cord reaches outlets which may be sparse in some RVs
Cons
- Eventually the blades wear out and replacement blades are $15
- Will not completely replace food processors or hand mixers
- Portable, rather than fixed to a counter – so be careful when blending
Summary
The Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender is perfect for full-time RV’ers. Even if your RV has plenty of counter space, and you to keep a traditional blender on the counter, the hand blender serves as a great backup. It’s also great for part-timers, since you can can keep it in your RV for blending smoothies and cooking meals while vacationing. It even works great for traditional home owners.
If you’re looking for a portable, durable and cost-effective blender, the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender is a great solution for any kitchen!