The worst part of making a smoothie is the cleanup. There's a simple way to clean a blender – with the push of a button.

Fill the blender jar about halfway with warm water and a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent. Return the jar to the base and whir it at about half speed, until the water level reaches nearly to the lid. Blend until clean.

Then pour the soapy water over the lid to make sure it's clean and rinse everything.

Laura H. Ehret

If you have a cooking question for the Two-Minute Expert, send it to Taste, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265, or e-mail food@dallasnews.com. Questions of general interest will be answered in the column.