Boy does that post bring back memories! I too attempted to 'grind' up a chicken in our blender. This after hacking it into mangled bloody pieces, bones n all. The first 'batch' ground up ok... with the second 2 cups, the blender made sounds of distress. Being a slow learner, and REALLY wanting the chicken soup for our baby, in went the 3rd 2 cups! The blender was now screaming in death throes, and it's poor, overworked body was now smoking! Okay, so blender body out to the garage, and on with the cuisinart. Now, mind you, my cuisinart is not so new, has been ridden hard so to speak. That being said, envision goopy half ground chicken parts and water, into a machine who's lid fits a touch loose, and an over eager human actually turning the thing on. Yep, a nice 'spray' pattern of raw chicken goo whirling outward nailing said person, the walls, the cabinets... well the kitchen as a whole. Not to be deterred, I figured I might as well continue on.... (this does not bode well)...... I throw a towel over the cuisinart, thinking in my own pitiful pea brain, to contain said 'spray'. On goes the machine, now the spray pattern has been lowered to splash things that had not yet been nailed. My mate, having the intellect, and survival instincts to boot, had up to this point remained silent. No longer.. now he has gone from "I see nothing" to doing that point and laugh thing, with great glee, and apparently, assuming anyone who could destroy 2 appliances and coat themselves and their kitchen with ucky stuff was no longer a threat to their survival. He was right. It's hard to look vicious with chicken bones in your hair. Goofy, yes... vicious, no. The blender (which by odd coincidence) was also new and from Wal-Mart, went back, and a newer stronger on was bought. This along with a hand crank grinder (donated by a sympathetic neighbor) managed to get us going on the road to chicken soup for our sick ones. It's hard work, and having a Kitchenaid mixer, have found that the grinding attachment on it works well if you hack the chicken and bones into small enough pieces. So far so good. I've been making the 'soup' now for 4 years..... am I still traumatized by the great smoking blender and chicken spay episode?, no, just a bit embarrassed that I took the blender back to the store. Maybe they need to put a disclaimer on them "not intended to grind chicken bones, tendons, and skin".....either that, or "Not to be used by children under 3, or ferret people" Michelle and the gang of 15 [Posted in FML issue 4595]