Revablend

Among the many interesting items at the Housewares Show, there was the Revablend.

The Housewares Show (it's actually the International Home and Housewares Show or IHHS) is held each year in Chicago, and manufacturers large and small show off their products. Some of the booths are bigger than my house and some are the size of a large closet.

But ... size doesn't always matter. Revablend was in a small booth because it's a small company. I think they only had the one product, but it was pretty unique. It's a bottle - like the many drink bottles that exist - and it has blades in it like you'd see in a blender.

Actually, there are multiple blades.

Unlike a blender, the Revablend operated on people power. You twist or spin the bottom of the bottle to make the blades move.

For something that doesn't need a lot of speed, you can just twist by hand. For more speed, you can run the edge of the bottom of the bottle along the top of a flat surface - like you'd zoom a toy car - and the blades will spin at fast as you can move that bottle.

Zoom zoom zoom.

The lid has a spout for pouring or drinking or sticking a straw in.

This is a really interesting idea. I don't expect that people will throw away their electric blenders, but the Revablend would be great for camping where you can't plug in a blender. Or it would be great for taking to work to blend up a protein powder drink. Or taking on the road.

For giggles, I decided to see how it fared with a smoothie, so I tossed in a ripe banana to start, and I spun the blades to get it mushed up. The banana was ripe, but it wasn't overripe to the point of super soft.

Then I added a good splash of Cholaca. I blended again. Then I added almond milk and blended one last time. It was surprisingly smooth. Not quite as smooth and frothy as I'd get with my Vitamix, but it was nicely drinkable. I have to say I was impressed. So, it's not just for mixing in powders. Whoop, whoop! Mash those bananas!

If you're interested in Choloca - it's awesome - here's a link on Amazon, but I suggest you look for it at your local grocery store. Since it's a perishable item, shipping would be costly if you order online, so local shopping makes more sense.

My first impression was that people probably wouldn't use this on a daily basis at home if they have an electric blender, but it's less to wash than a blender jar. So maybe people would choose this.

I haven't tried emulsifying salad dressings or making mayonnaise in this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

It would also be useful for blending cocktails. I don't think it would be able to handle ice, but it could make other blended drinks. How fun would that be at a picnic? Cheers!

As far as cleaning, there doesn't seem to be any way to remove the bottom of the jar to get at the underside of the blades, but that shouldn't be an issue if you rinse the jar right after using. Add some hot water and a few drops of soap and spin the blades, and there shouldn't be anything left to worry about.

Who's it for: People who want to blend drinks or whatever without using electricity.

Pros: It works! Huzzah!

Cons: This is never going to be as good as an electric blender.

Wishes: As usual, I'd love to see this in a rainbow of colors. It's already available in six colors, but more would be better, right?

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.