Krups 344-11 Power XL6 Touchpad Blender, White

This blender won't leave you with an annoying pitcherful of chunks and slush thanks to its unique 6 blade design, which mixes and blends thoroughly to give you uniform results. We all know that ice crushing power is the true test of any blender motor, and this one comes through with flying colors - you don't even need to add water. So go on, mix up a smoothie, some salsa, a margarita, or whatever you are craving.

Blend ice slushies, puree cream-based soups, or whip up a delicious viniagrette dressing in Krups’ Power XL6 blender. This machine uniquely uses six blades, which, combined with its powerful motor, blends ingredients more uniformly. In addition, the XL6 offers 14 different blending speeds on an easy-to-set adjustable dial, giving you better control over the proper blending speed for your ingredients. Like many food processors, this blender also has a Vari Pulse button, allowing you to blend in spurts and avoid overprocessing. Another special button crushes ice in just seconds for making great frozen juice drinks and cocktails. The blender’s large calibrated glass jar holds up to 50 ounces of food--enough to make huge quantities of soup or sauce without having to puree in batches--and a 3-ounce measuring cup hidden in the lid assists in measuring out ingredients. The locking watertight lid ensures that food won’t escape out the top during vigorous blending and a pouring spout eliminates dripping. The glass jar and blade assembly on the XL6 are dishwasher-safe and the entire unit is covered by a one-year limited warranty. --Cristina Vaamonde