Articles by Helen McCue, Freelance contributor

Helen is a freelance writer who specializes in kitchen and home appliances, and has written for some of the biggest home-related titles around. She has been reviewing small appliances, including blenders, air fryers, and vacuums for more than 15 years. When she's not busy testing the latest food and home gadgets, she enjoys DIY and gardening.

Articles by: Helen McCue

The Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker HB150UK having just been used to make carrot and corriander soup

Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker HB150UK review

By Helen McCue published 22 November 21

Recommended

From blending smoothies to making smooth or chunky soups, this is a useful two-in-one appliance.

The Eufy HomeVac H30 Mate laying on a window sill

Eufy HomeVac H30 Mate review

By Helen McCue last updated 12 October 21

This neat little handheld vacuum is perfect for quickly picking up spills or for vacuuming hard to reach spots.

A woman making a healthy green juice in a juicer surrounded by vegetables

Which is healthier: Juicing or blending?

By Helen McCue published 8 October 21

If you’re trying to choose between a blender and a juicer for healthy fruit and vegetable drinks, here’s what you need to know about which is healthiest.

Centrifugal juicers vs cold press juicers: which should you buy and why?

By Helen McCue published 30 September 21

Centrifugal juicers and cold press juicers use different methods to extract juice, but does it really make any difference, and which is best?

Blender full of fruit and vegetables on a kitchen countertop surrounded by more fruit and veg

Are blenders healthy or do they destroy nutrients?

By Helen McCue published 28 September 21

Blended smoothies are a great way of increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, but are these drinks as healthy as you think or does the blending process damage nutrients?

A juicer on a kitchen countertop surrounded by fruit

How healthy is using a juicer, and why you shouldn’t give-up juicing just yet

By Helen McCue last updated 7 September 21

Thinking about investing in a juicer but worried that enjoying juice regularly isn’t healthy? Here’s the lowdown on how to boost your health with this kitchen appliance.

The De’Longhi Dinamica Plus with a cup on its drip tray ready to pour an espresso

DeLonghi Dinamica Plus coffee maker review

By Helen McCue published 1 September 21

An expensive coffee maker that does all the hard work for you, but is the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus worth the high price tag?

How to use a Juicer: Save time and money juice extracting at home

By Helen McCue published 30 August 21

From different types of juicers to whether you should peel fruits, here’s our guide on how to juice at home.

De'Longhi Dedica Style EC685 being used on a kitchen countertop

DeLonghi Dedica Style EC685 review

By Helen McCue published 27 August 21

It might be small, but this espresso machine comes can froth milk and make a great coffee

a Juicer being used to juice oranges and surrounded by fruit

How to clean a juicer, and why you absolutely should do it regularly

By Helen McCue published 24 August 21

If you like the idea of fresh juice at home, but the fiddly cleaning puts you off, read our guide on how best to clean your juicer.

Woman using an immersion blender to create a sauce

Jug Blender vs Immersion Blender: which is right for you?

By Helen McCue published 18 August 21

Not sure if an immersion or a jug blender is best for? Discover the differences between the two to help you choose.

KitchenAid K150 blender on a kitchen countrop with a pile of fruit and vegetables ready to be made into a smoothie

KitchenAid K150 Blender review

By Helen McCue published 13 August 21

The entry-level blender from KitchenAid is ideal for those new to food preparation appliances

Breville the Fresh & Furious with fruit ready to make a smoothie

Breville the Fresh and Furious blender review

By Helen McCue published 12 August 21

Does Breville’s most affordable blender match up to the higher priced models?

Nama Vitality 5800 on a kitchen countertop

Nama Vitality 5800 review

By Helen McCue published 4 August 21

A top-performing juicer that can also make smoothies and sorbet, but it comes with a hefty price tag.

Nutribullet Juicer on a kitchen countetop with a bowl of celery

Nutribullet Juicer review

By Helen McCue published 14 July 21

Nutribullet is known for its blenders that blitz fruit and vegetables into tasty drinks, but is its juicer just as good?

Breville the Juice Fountain Cold on a kitchen countertop

Breville the Juice Fountain Cold juicer review

By Helen McCue published 13 July 21

The Breville the Juice Fountain Cold is a large capacity juicer that allows you to juice enough for the whole family but takes up a lot of space

Crock-Pot Express with accessories on a kitchen countertop

Crock-Pot Express review

By Helen McCue published 8 July 21

A low-cost multi-cooker that offers similar quality and functionality to higher priced models

Nutribullet Blender Combo review

By Helen McCue last updated 8 July 21

An inexpensive blender with minimal settings that does the job for most blending tasks

Breville the Fast Slow Pro on a kitchen countertop with its accessories laid out

Breville the Fast Slow Pro multi-cooker review

By Helen McCue published 2 July 21

The Breville the Fast Slow Pro is a sleek looking multi-cooker that’s simple to use but is not suitable for smaller quantities

Breville the Super Q blender review

By Helen McCue published 7 June 21

A big commercial-grade blender that’s well built, and is great for pulverizing large quantities

KitchenAid Artisan K400 Blender review

By Helen McCue published 7 June 21

An attractive blender that performs well and will look great on your counter

Vitamix A3500 review

By Helen McCue published 7 June 21

A big and expensive, but very powerful blender designed for large quantities