Developing a crush

Summertime -- and that means picnics and barbecues, at the park, beach or the mountains. But just because you are outdoors communing with the animals doesn’t mean you have to leave civilization -- and smoothies or daiquiris -- behind. Not when you have a portable blender for those drinks. We tested four blenders designed to take on the road. Our drink of choice was a simple smoothie: a dollop of yogurt, some frozen blueberries and mango chunks blended with ice.

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THE STRONG SLUSHY TYPE

First look: The Waring Pro Tailgater Blender (model TG15) has a classic retro Waring chrome base and a plastic polycarbonate blender container that attaches easily to the blade and base. It has few parts to misplace and store.

Likes and yikes: As its name implies, the Waring is great for tailgate parties. It plugged into my car’s cigarette lighter and the extra-long 15-foot cord stretched beyond the trunk of my compact car. The base was stable, and the blade detached for easy cleaning. But to use it, you can’t stray far from your car or SUV. It pureed the blueberries, ice and yogurt in less than a minute.

The 411: $79.99 from Amazon.com and other retailers or call Waring Products, (800) 492-7464.

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THE LOOKER

First look: The Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender (CSB-44N) has a sleek, curvy design that molds to your hand. It has a compact rechargeable base that detaches at the push of a button and comes with a mixing/measuring cup.

Likes and yikes: The Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender (CSB-44N) is versatile, useful in your kitchen as well as at a picnic table, although you can’t recharge it in your car. At 16 inches tall, it was a tad unwieldy, and it took more than a minute to puree my smoothie ingredients. It did chop the ice, although my shirt mopped up some splatter. Cleaning the blender was a breeze; the wand with blade detaches, as does the blade.

The 411: $39.95. Available at Cuisinart, (800) 726-0190, www.cuisinart.com.

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TALL, DARK AND PREDICTABLE

First look: Coleman’s Rechargeable Portable Blender (model No. 850

-860) was the tallest of the blenders I tested -- the black plastic base alone was more than 9 inches tall -- but surprisingly lightweight. The container was made of a lightweight, easy-to-clean polycarbonate. It has one-button operation.

Likes and yikes: Despite this blender’s height, I found it stable, easy to operate on the floor of my car. The cord detaches so you can charge it at home, then tote it anywhere. But it left large chunks of ice in my smoothie and took a few minutes to blend the fruit and yogurt. And if you are into spur-of-the moment picnics, leave it behind; it requires a 24-hour charge before use.

The 411: $66.49, available only online from the Coleman Co.; (800) 835-3278, www.coleman.com.

-- Vani Rangachar