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What is a Smoothie Maker?

A Kaminsky
A Kaminsky

In this era of health-conscious eating, restaurants selling fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies are becoming more and more popular. People are getting so fond of smoothies, in fact, that they want to make them at home. A smoothie is a drink, usually made with fresh fruit, fruit juice, ice, yogurt and other ingredients to make a thick, healthy beverage. Because the ice in the smoothie has to be crushed and blended with the other ingredients, a smoothie maker is usually the appliance of choice.

At its core, a smoothie maker is a jazzed-up version of the venerable kitchen blender. It does have some differences, however, and usually has higher wattage than a blender, giving it the power to really pulverize the ice and fruit. The glass mixing chamber also has a narrower shape, which directs the ice and fruit down toward the blades for more efficient mixing. The machine may also have a spout toward the bottom of the glass mixing chamber to dispense the smoothie mixture. Unlike a regular blender, this feature enables a person to serve the smoothie without having to lift the glass chamber out and pour from the top. It may also come with a "stir stick," a long plastic cylinder that fits into the mixing chamber and helps blend the ingredients.

Smoothie makers are used to make popular drinks known as smoothies.
Smoothie makers are used to make popular drinks known as smoothies.

The average smoothie maker will also have measurements on the side of the mixing chamber to allow accurate measurements of ice, liquid, and fruit. Recipes for smoothies are widely available on the Internet and in many cookbooks. They can incorporate almost any fruit a person has in the refrigerator, and some recipes also call for protein powder or other nutrition boosters.

The device comes in a variety of sizes, and from many manufacturers. Prices can vary considerably, depending on the maker and features. Some have computerized timers and cycles that blend the ingredients, allow it to sit for a time, then blend again.

Discussion Comments

StarJo

@wavy58 – I use frozen fruit in my smoothie maker. It makes the smoothie cold, so I don't even need the ice.

Also, I like to use refrigerated vanilla yogurt and cold milk. So, pretty much every item that goes into my smoothies is chilled.

I understand why people need to use ice if they are making smoothies with fresh fruit. However, the frozen fruit pieces are like big chunks of flavored ice!

wavy58

Is there something I can use in my fruit smoothie maker besides ice? I seem to always be low on ice whenever I want a smoothie, because I live in a house with five other people who don't think to refill the ice cube trays.

feasting

@Belted – Aren't smoothies great? They satisfy our cravings for ice cream because they are cold and smooth with lots of flavor, yet they deliver less than half the calories and fat.

I also lost weight after receiving a smoothie maker for Christmas. I was astounded at how easy it was to use. Previously, I had tried making smoothies with my regular blender, but I ended up with large chunks of fruit and ice, no matter how long I ran the machine.

lighth0se33

I have a smoothie maker blender that does more than just make smoothies. Though it is ideal for crushing ice and chopping fruit, it's also great for making sauces and creamy soup bases.

It will chop up a frozen strawberry and blend it seamlessly with ice. It will also combine canned tomatoes with tomato sauce and onions in just a couple of minutes. I can't even find any chunks of fruits and vegetables left behind.

I like the fact that this smoothie maker is also marketed as a blender. If it hadn't been, then I wouldn't have known about all it could do. I have no need to buy a separate blender for things other than smoothies.

Belted
I love ice cream, but I also really wanted to lose weight last year. I thought that maybe I could compromise by making myself smoothies. I would usually eat a bowl of ice cream at night but I switched to an 8oz glass of a smoothie of my choice.

As it went on I started making healthier and healthier smoothies with less and less dairy and now I very rarely make any thing at all. The appetite for that kind of thing is gone. So is about 30 pounds from around my mid-section. I am thrilled!

jonrss

I know people who make very elaborate smoothies with complicated flavor profiles, but for me the simpler the better. I like a classic one, strawberry and banana. The sharp strawberry goes so well with the rich banana.

John57

I used to just use a blender when I wanted to make a smoothies. My sister gave me a smoothie maker machine for my birthday and I love it. It does a much better of job of crushing up the ice.

I leave this sitting out on my counter and find that it gets a lot more use this way. If I put it up and out of sight, I forget about it and it hardly ever gets used.

My kids love smoothies too, and this is a great way for them to not only get some fruit but vegetables as well. You can add things like carrots and cabbage to a smoothie, yet all you taste is the fruit.

sunshined

When my son went to college we bought a cheap smoothie maker for him to take along with him. This was a great way for him to make his own smoothies, and it got a lot of use from him and other guys in the dorm.

It can be pretty expensive to buy a smoothie, but making them yourself doesn't have to cost very much. It can be as simple as some yogurt, a banana and a little bit of ice and you have a quick, healthy drink.

literally45

Has anyone noticed that the professional smoothie makers in stores never have a spout?

I paid attention to this and they always have to remove the top of the smoothie maker and pour it out that way.

ysmina
@SarahGen-- I think you need something with higher wattage and unfortunately, those do cost a lot. Good smoothie makers tend to be on the higher end price-wise, but, they will last you a really long time so you can think of it as an investment.

It's been about six years since I got my smoothie maker and it still works great. I spent a lot of money on it, it's really heavy and strong wattage wise. But you can put anything in this thing and it will chop it up nicely so ice is no big deal.

If you're not willing to spend a lot of money, you're probably better off buying your smoothies.

SarahGen

When I started buying a smoothie every day, I decided that it would be more affordable to just get a smoothie maker and make it at home. I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I got a cheap smoothie maker that got decent reviews. But, it doesn't work like I thought it would.

It blends everything, but it doesn't really chop the ice so I get these big junks of ice in the smoothie. It also has a spout that doesn't work. Either the smoothie doesn't flow out of it fast enough or it flows out too fast and makes a mess.

I'm still buying smoothies because my smoothie maker sucks. I kind of want to get a new one but what if that one turns out the same as this? I'm so disappointed.

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    • Smoothie makers are used to make popular drinks known as smoothies.
      By: rgbdigital.co.uk
      Smoothie makers are used to make popular drinks known as smoothies.
    • Various types of fruit, yogurt, and ice are blended together in a smoothie maker.
      By: stuart_thomson
      Various types of fruit, yogurt, and ice are blended together in a smoothie maker.
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      By: Anyka
      Smoothies are created using a variety of fruits, juices, and ice.
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      Spinach can be used to make healthy, green smoothies.
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      Protein powder can be blended into a smoothie.
    • A green smoothie may feature kale or other nutrient-rich green vegetables.
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      A green smoothie may feature kale or other nutrient-rich green vegetables.