2014 Holiday Gift Guide
When it comes to cooking, I love trying new recipes and introducing my family to new meals. Lately when have been trying to eat more healthy which led to us using fresh fruits and veggies more often especially in smoothies, soups and juices. For years I have used just a basic, inexpensive blender, but it just wasn’t cutting it – pun intended – when it came to making everything I want to be able to make. Enter the Ninja Ultima Blender (BL830)!
The Ninja Ultima Blender is a super powerful blender which, thanks to its dynamic motor, dual stage blending and expansive variable speeds, has the ability to replace several of your small kitchen appliances. With this one machine, you can chop, blend and everything in between.
When it comes to blades, the Ultima is the ultimate! What makes it unique is the dual stage blending, where it uses two sets of independently moving blades. First the removable, Total Crushing® top blades that rotate at 5,000 RPM’s at freeload work to easily and completely crush whole, fruits, vegetables, seeds and ice. Then, at the bottom, the High Speed Cyclonic Blades rotate at 24,000 RPM’s at freeload to totally liquefy the ingredients into a smooth and silky consistency in just seconds! Combined with its 1500 watt/2.5 horsepower motor, the blades are sharp and powerful enough to where they can easily grind nuts, grains, meats and even coffee beans. Please keep in mind that they are very sharp and be careful when handling!
In addition, the Ultima also features 10 different speeds which offer everything from gentle to Total Crushing® to Nutrient Complete Juicing®. Make your concoction as smooth or as chunky as you want it to be with the simple twist of a dial, and with no worries of over mixing or processing. The simple control panel also offers a Pulse switch, and the Start/Stop switch.
Unlike my old blender, the Ultima also has a nice heavy and sturdy base complete with strong suction cups on the bottom to keep it securely in one spot. Although it’s a bit loud when blending, at least it’s not flying all over the counter. It’s also very easy to clean, both inside and out. Just remember, those blades are incredibly sharp!
The Ninja Ultima comes with a nice, extra-large 72 ounce pitcher jar (that’s 9 cups of liquid by the way) that is durable, stain-resistant, BPA-free and dishwasher safe. The large base jar is perfect for making everything from milkshakes for the entire family to large batches of soup. can stuff lots in it without out to add bit by bit. The lid on the pitcher is also nice and sturdy and features a locking handle for safety, a push release and, my favorite, a spout for pouring directly out of the pitcher.
In addition to the large pitcher, you also get three 16 ounce single serve cups that can be placed right on the blender base using the special single serve blade. The cups come with Sip & Seal lids, and they are also BPA-free and dishwasher safe.
This is actually one of my favorite features as I can now make just enough smoothie for one person. Using the single serve blade, the cup fits rights on the motor base. Turn the switch to Single Serve, pulse it a few times until you get the consistency you like, then remove the blade lid and replace it with a Sip & Seal lid, and go. No more having to pour from the pitcher into a cup, and then wash them both when done!
Speaking of washing, cleaning the Ultima is also a breeze. Again, the blades are incredibly sharp so please be careful! While the pitcher is dishwasher safe, if you don’t want to run a cycle, you can just fill the pitcher halfway with water, add a couple of drops of dish soap and pulse the blender 5-10 times to clean it. Rinse, and done!
Having the Ninja Ultima in your kitchen enables you to create endless delicious recipes from juices to dips to purees to batters and much more! In addition, Ninja offers several additional attachments to increase its versatility and broaden your culinary horizon. It comes with easy-to-follow directions, and a booklet of healthy recipes. You can also find many more recipes on the Ninja website.
While the Ninja Ultima Blender itself is amazing, its price point is even better. I know that I would never spend $600 on a Vitamix. The Ninja Ultima (BL830) is around $265, and considering that it has many of the same features as the more expensive Vitamix, it’s well worth the cost.
The Ninja Ultima Blender series can be purchased both online and off. Bed, Bath and Beyond carries them, as does Amazon.com
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*This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
*Dual Blade illustration courtesy ninjakitchen.com