Immersion blenders are great because they look fantastic, they can create a variety of dishes, and they’re easy to maintain.
Users love the Cuisinart for it’s fashion forward design: it’s easy to both use and wash while looking stylish all the while. It’s available in different colors, which we’ll discuss later, so one of these immersion blenders will look great in your kitchen’s color palette!
It’s great to have one appliance that has a variety of uses, and the immersion blender checks that box. Customers use this for their morning smoothies, to blend homemade baby food, and emulsify homemade dressings. An immersion blender can help you make those fresh meals you want to make!
Cuisinart CSB-175 Smart Stick Hand Blender in White via Amazon
The entry level CSB-175 can replace a basic food processor or blender for many jobs. For blended, creamy soups, the immersion blender surpasses the countertop blender and food processor because there’s no need to transfer hot soup to the blender. Everything can be blended directly in the pot! Skip the blender and make a smoothie directly in a large smoothie cup or the included blending cup.
Features
Compact Design
One of the best features is the compact, space saving design. For kitchens that have limited counter and cabinet space, the immersion blender is drastically preferable to a blender.
To store the CSB-175, the blending shaft can be disconnected from the motor housing unit. The 3-foot power cord wraps around the housing unit and shaft so it can be stored in a drawer, out of sight and out of the way.
Dishwasher Safe
One of the bigger annoyances of blenders and food processors is the room they take up in the dishwasher. That is, if they’re dishwasher safe in the first place.
The unit has an easily detachable blending shaft that can either be rinsed in the sink or put on the top rack of the dishwasher.
Easy to Use
Like I said, soup can be blended directly in the cooking pot. When it’s time to blend the soup, the ingredients are so hot that transferring the recipe from pot to blender becomes a game of chicken. This gadget takes the risk of spills or splashes out of the equation.
Ergonomically Designed
Cuisinart took hand comfort to heart when designing this immersion hand blender. It’s designed to be easily operated with just one hand. There is a selector switch on the top of the device to switch between the high an low speed.
In addition there are two soft-touch buttons for power and a safety lock.
Safety Features
The safety and power buttons must be pushed simultaneously to start the device. However, the lock button doesn’t have to be continuously held for the device to operate. This way the blades don’t start spinning in case of an accidental push of a button. It’s a thoughtful safety feature for certain households with underage users who might not be ready to operate this blender.
However, for those of us who have little hands, the elderly, or for those who have arthritic pains from rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia, this isn’t an amazing addition. If you think you fall into any of these categories, it might be hard to wrap your hand around the device in such a way that the safety button and appropriate speed button can be pressed simultaneously. This is a turn off for some users.
Speaking of underage users, if there are little kids in the house, make certain the unit is well out of reach. The bell base provides a bit of safety from blade exposure, but the blades are still reachable from underneath the bell.
A lock/unlock feature on the motor house keeps the shaft firmly in place when blending for peace of mind. This is nice because there’s no worry that the shaft will detach while in use.
The shaft locking mechanism is well defined and it clicks in with firmness, unlike the 2-speed Kitchenaid which has no lock button and kind of leaves you unsure if the shaft is properly seating or not.
Besides the safety aspect of this feature, the ability to detach the shaft has other practical uses. Whenever you’re finished blending a soup or baby food in a large pot, it’s possible to detach the blade assembly and leave it standing in the pot rather than leaving it to drip on the counter.
300-Watt Motor
This little smart stick immersion hand blender has a powerful motor behind it. This makes it capable of crushing frozen foods and crushing ice into smooth concoctions.
Blend a healthy marinara sauce to a smooth consistency for picky eaters, or make your own outstanding homemade ketchup. Soft cooked foods are pureed to baby food consistency against this hand blender.
When using the unit, be mindful of the bottom of your pots and pans. Though the blade is recessed, because of the powerful motor, the beaker will vibrate – and the last thing we want is for you to get scratches in your nonstick cookware.
Dimensions and Specs
The Smart Stick’s dimensions are 4.8 x 4.8 x 15.8 inches. The lightweight plastic brings the total weight in at a very manageable 2 pounds. Made in China.
What’s Included:
- Motor Body Housing
- Detachable Blending Shaft
- 16 ounce Blending Cup
- User Guide
Colors
As promised, here are the available colors. As of the time of this writing, these are the colors still available at Amazon, however check the links for availability. To keep the line fresh, Cuisinart discontinues and releases colors fairly regularly.
Colors included (links go to Amazon):
Note that the same Amazon page that these are found (at the time of this writing) on also lists older CSB-75 models (vs the newer 2018 CSB-175 designation), besides having a different color collection, the CSB-75s have motors rated at only 200 watts vs the rated 300 watts as found in the CSB-175s.
Cuisinart CSB-175R Smart Stick Two-Speed Hand Blender in Red
Warranty Information
This model comes with a 3 Year Limited Warranty. Instructions for registering the product are in the very back of the user guide.
Care and Cleaning
As mentioned, the detachable blending shaft and bell blade are dishwasher safe, so that makes cleaning a breeze. As I’m personally terrified of getting cut, it goes in the dishwasher.
If handwashing is your game, it’s easy to clean by very carefully wiping a dish rag or sponge around the blade, being mindful of the super sharp blades. A good sharp spray to the blade end with the sink faucet sprayer also goes a long way to get behind the blades, which are not detachable.
Keep the motor housing unit looking nice by wiping it down occasionally with a clean, damp rag. This will keep food particles out of it and keep it nice and clean.
Techniques, Tips, and Tricks
In order to get the longest life possible out of your stick blender, treat it well.
While the 300-watt motor can do a lot, you can make its job easier by using crushed ice for smoothies instead of cubed ice. This hand blender can blend ice cubes into perfectly enjoyable smoothies, but it takes a bit longer and is rougher on the blades.
Another tip is to freeze your own fresh produce. The pieces can be cut up just right and you’ll always know exactly how long it’s been in the freezer; freezer-burned fruit rarely makes for tasty smoothies. Also, fruit that’s been in the freezer for a week plus tends to harden like ice cubes. Using fresh fruit or recently frozen fruit will be kinder to the immersion blender blades.
I will mention, from personal experience: seriously, do not remove the bell blade from the liquids. There’s so much mess to clean up, and it’s so painful when it’s hot. Ouch.
One trick to prevent splatter is to wrap a kitchen towel around the pot that I’m blending in and the motor base of the blender. Knowing how much liquid you’re working with will also help with preventing splatter. The more time spent using the immersion blender, the more you get a feel for it.
The Next Best Thing
If you’re liking this immersion blender, but aren’t completely sold, look at its close competitor. The KitchenAid KHB1231 2-Speed is the entry level immersion hand blender for the KitchenAid brand and is very similar. The KHB1231 comes in 14 colors, has about a 200-watt motor (it measures the power by amps), but has a neat attachment option.
Cuisinart immersion hand blenders are also offered with accessories. For the next step up in Smart Sticks, check out the CSB-79. This blender can do everything the 175 can do and more. The Cuisinart CSB-79 includes multiple attachments so you can whip and chop in addition to blending.
Foodal’s Rating
- Power
- Performance
- Settings
- Build Quality
- Warranty
- Included or Optional Accessories
- Value
Summary
Despite receiving a somewhat lower score on our rating system, we feel that the Cuisinart CSB-175 Smart Stick is a decent model for the home cook that doesn't require a whole lot of features or accessories (which is what hurt its ranking). Its three-year warrant is decent in a world that often gives only one for most consumer appliances. It is also very inexpensive compared to other models and it seems better built than its competitors in the same price bracket.
Before You Go…
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use kitchen tool to make smoothies, dressings, soups, sauces, and more, the Cuisinart CSB-175 Smart Stick Immersion Hand Blender is a great option. The 300-watt motor blends up smoothies and purees, the entire unit is easy to clean, and the safety features are thoughtful.
Cuisinart CSB-175SV Smart Stick Hand Blender in Silver via Amazon
Do you have any questions about the Cuisinart Hand Blenders? Ask away in the comments! If you’re still exploring options, check out Foodal’s Immersion Blenders Buying Guide for even more hand blender options.
Photos by Mike Quinn, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Isolated background product photos courtesy of Cuisinart.
About Taylor Shaw-Hamp
Taylor Shaw-Hamp has loved food ever since she can remember. The more she grew, the more she discovered, and the more she had to know. Now she loves to write about her food adventures through recipes, product reviews, and blog posts. She can be found at local coffee shops across the world, so if you see her, stop by the table and say hi!
