No matter what you use to make them, fresh fruits, ice cream or yogurt, smoothies taste great.

“It’s really nice to make them at home. It’s less expensive than buying them on the outside," says Marjorie Cubisino, Food Appliances Tester, Good Housekeeping Institute. "There are many smoothie makers on the market and when you look at these you may think they are just conventional blenders. But they come with special stir sticks, they have dispensers, and they’re very simple. Just an on, off and a pulse.”

The same recipe of frozen strawberries, orange juice, vanilla yogurt and ice cubes was used in all three products. After blending for the same length of time, smoothies were evaluated for texture and any other left over ingredient that didn’t blend in.

“Each one of these machines was a great performer in making smoothies. The smoothies were creamy. They were smooth. There were no ice pieces in them. They really did a wonderful job,” says Cubisino.

So, take your pick. The Back to Basics AutoServe Smoothie Maker features a safety locking lid and automatic dispenser. The Back to Basics Smoothie Classic comes in a groovy red retro design. And if you don’t mind paying a little more, Good Housekeeping recommends this sharp looking and powerful Cuisinart Smooth Operator blender.

“Keep in mind they can do every job that a blender can do. Each one comes with a plug and you just unscrew the dispenser valve and put the plug in its place,” says Cubisino.

And Good Housekeeping says the Cuisinart smoothie maker gave the best performance as a traditional blender. So this may be the machine you want if you need a blender and a smoothie maker.

To learn more, check out the August issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.