Kenwood Concert Smoothie Maker SB256

There are two kinds of kitchen gadgets. There are the kind that sit quietly under the sink forver and are never used - like fondue makers and sandwich toasters. At first they seem like a brilliant idea and are used a few times, but the novelty soon wears thin and they are soon cosigned to live like troglodytes in the dark recesses of your kitchen cupboards.

Then there is another sort of gadget - one that is actually useful, easy to use and clean and makes things which you would want. The Kenwood Concert definitely comes into the second category.

-- How to use it --

It comes with step-by-step instructions to assemble it (which is really quite an easy process, only taking a few minutes). Once ready, you simply plug it in, insert the ingredients (liquids at the bottom) and press a button. The concert responds with a reassuringly deafening roar and the fruit is pulped. You then press a second button (I'm not exactly sure why) to finish making a delicious smoothie in around a minute.

-- How do you get the drink out? --
Then there is an ingenious tap arrangement which you use to simply pour the drink into a glass. This works in a similar fashion to those plastic taps you find on a box of wine and screws off for easy cleaning.

--Any extras?--
The smoothie maker comes complete with an obligatory recipe book, which contains dozens of recipes containing alcoholic and non-alcoholic smoothies.

It is probably a good idea to read this first before getting carried away and attempting to make something, as I found out to my cost when trying to test the machine out to see if it could mangle carrots and orange juice into a refrehsing pulp. I got lumps of carrot in my drink which clogged up the tap and meant me having to pour the lot out by hand. It turns out that you should grate carrot before attempting to liquidise it!

--How powerful is it?--
Having said that, this was an easy mistake to make as the roar this machine makes would give you the confidence that it could disentegrate almost anything you cared to throw at it. It has a 500W motor which is not exactly quiet, but is more than powerful enough to make smoothies out of any fruit and even carrot (as long as you grate it first).

--Is it good value then? --

In comparison with other smoothie makers, it is similarly priced at around £25. It has a generous 1.5 litre capacity. If you want to shell out another £30, you can get a top of the range model with a more durable metal base. But for most people, this will definitely suffice.

-- How durable is it? --

This is the only problem I have had so far - I accidentally knocked mine on the floor (from fridge height) and cracked the handle. However, it still functions perfectly well.

-- I bet it is a nightmare to clean though --

No it isn't, surprisingly. Some fruit got stuck in the bottom of the container and needed swishing out, but apart from that it is well designed to need the minimum amount of effort to clean. The tap removes easily and any gunk can simply be rinsed out.

-- So you would recommend it then? --

Definitely. Not a gimmick that I would keep in a cupboard and never use. It has ample capacity, has a powerful motor and blade and is good value. Just don't drop it on the floor!