Frosé all day with a better blender

No summer party is complete without margaritas and other frozen drinks, which means you need a blender that can handle crushing lots of ice. Consumer Reports says not all consumer-grade blenders are up to the task of making those perfect frosty drinks! Its ratings cover almost 70 full-sized blenders that were put through some pretty tough tests. And only a handful aced the test for icy drinks.

Consumer Reports tests each blender by making a batch of nonalcoholic piña coladas. It also tests how well a blender crushes ice without the help of water or using the pulse button.

Vitamix’s Professional Series 750 has held a top spot in CR’s ratings for quite some time, but it’s pricey at $650. For $100, consider the Ninja Professional. It’s excellent when it comes to blending an icy drink, and it demolished the ice-crush test.

Consumer Reports also evaluates how well a blender purées vegetables into a smooth consistency. So when the cold weather hits, you can switch from frozen drinks to a warm soup. Both the recommended Vitamix and Ninja Professional are up to the task, and deliver Excellent and Very Good pureeing results, respectively.

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