Ninja Professional Blender NJ600 Review

Product Review: Ninja Professional Blender

Price Range:  $100-$120

Discount: Save Money at Amazon

Features:

• 1000 Watts of Power
• 72 oz Blending Container
• BPA-Free Plastic
• Dishwasher Safe

Pros:

Make healthy fruit smoothies in no time at all with the Ninja Professional Blender NJ600. With a combination of a powerful motor and large blending capacity, this Ninja Blender gets the job done when it comes to making icy drinks for multiple people at a time. Ice is no problem, frozen fruit blends easily, and fruits like bananas are always completely liquified.

For less than $100, enjoy a great blender for basic tasks around the kitchen. My favorite part of this blender is its price point for the amount of power in this machine. Think about it, at 1000 Watts the Ninja Professional Blender has almost twice the amount of power as most of its competitors at the sub-$100 range. Even the exalted $400 Vitamix blender only has 1400 Watts of power. At 25% of the price, you are going to get over 75% of the power found in a Vitamix blender. All in all, this is a powerful blender for the amount of money being paid for.

Operating this blender is always easy. Choose from three different speed settings depending on your needs for the blending job. When it comes to smoothies, I like to blend on the highest speed to ensure the ice is crushed and fruit is liquified. The Ninja Professional Blender is designed with safety in mind, that is why it comes with a locking lid and a locking pitcher functionality. Simply make sure everything is secure before blending and you are good to go,this prevents messes from occurring.

Cleanup takes no time flat. After making and serving a smoothie, simply rinse out the blender in the sink with warm soapy water. Once done rinsing, you will want to carefully remove the blending blade from the Ninja. At that point, I just throw the blender and the blending blade into the dishwasher for a quick cleaning. Never have I had a problem with a leftover icky blender, it cleans up really well.

Cons:

Do not expect to make green smoothies. This blender may have a powerful motor for its price, but it just can not blend leafy green vegetables that well. Whenever I try making leafy green smoothies, there are always little chunks left in the drink. Call me crazy, but I do not want to be drinking something that I can choke on. If you want to drink green smoothies, you will have to use a more expensive blender like the Vitamix.

Versus Other Blenders?

Vitamix vs Ninja Professional

The Ninja Professional Blender does not meet the same level of quality as the Vitamix. For the price point, you should not expect to be getting something nearly as great. The Vitamix is more powerful, sleek, and better designed. 

Considering the price of the Ninja Blender though, it costs only a fourth of the price of the Vitamix. In a pure power perspective, most Vitamix models only offer 400 more Watts of blending power when compared to the Ninja Professional Blender.

Full Review of Vitamix Blender

NutriBullet vs Ninja Professional

Which is better, the Ninja Professional Blender NJ600 or the classic NutriBullet model? Well, it depends. The biggest difference between these two blenders is the holding capacity of the blending containers.

The NutriBullet is designed for on the go blending thanks to its single serve cups. Along with this, blending is quicker due to the smaller blending cups. Plus, the NutriBullet looks more attractive in the kitchen.

Unlike the NutriBullet, the Ninja Professional Blender is designed more for social gatherings and family use. With a 72 oz blending container, there is almost no possible way to drink an entire 72 oz smoothie all by yourself. Instead, you can make smoothies for your significant other, children, or guests attending a party.

Depending on what you want out of a blender will best help decide between the NutriBullet and Ninja Professional Blender. Exercise and on the go focused people should go with the NutriBullet. Anyone wanting to make smoothies for two people or more at a time are best off with the Ninja Blender.

Full Review of the NutriBullet

Value for Money?

The Ninja Professional Blender NJ600 works well as a sub-$100 blender. With one of the highest blending powers for a blender under $200, let alone $100, this blender can really blend up a lot of stuff efficiently. Realize that there are positives and negatives to this blender though. If you want a powerful blender,you are better off with a Vitamix. If you want an on the go blender, the NutriBullet is a better choice. However, if you want an affordable blender designed for social settings, the Ninja Profesional Blender makes for a great choice. Overall I give the Ninja Professional Blender NJ600 a total of 3/5 stars.

Where to Buy:

Amazon -Ninja Professional Blender NJ600

Continue to Read Reviews at Amazon: 

"Cleaning is easy." - Mark

"It makes smoothies with no clumps of ice, and blends veggies and fruits to a creamy consistency." - Parnela Washington

"I asked three friends who all happened to be chefs what blender I should invest in. They all said they'd just gotten a Ninja and loved it." - Ali Mae 

Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004 Review

Product Review: Ninja Master Prep

Price Range: $60-$75

Discount: Save at Amazon

Features:

• BPA-Free Plastic Bowls 
• 450 Watt Blending Power
• Blending, Chopping, Food Processor
• Large Blending and Processing Capacity

Pros:

Take care of three different needs in the kitchen with one convenient device. With the the Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004, one can easily blend smoothies, chop produce for salads, and process ingredients for salsa. With three separate blending bowls, prepare whole meals in a matter of minutes without any major interchanging or cleaning needing to be done.

Blend icy fruit smoothies in no time flat with the 450-Watt motor. Do not worry about having a small container to blend in, the Ninja Master Prep Blending Jar is 48 oz large. Compared to the standard Vitamix blending jar, this is the exact same size. Fruit and ice blend perfectly in the Ninja, the ingredients are liquified and go down smooth with only minimal blending. I have yet to encounter any chunks or bits of fruit when drinking a smoothie that has been properly blended. For smoothie making, this machine gets the job done fast and efficiently.

With the chop and food processor function, prepare all sorts of vegan dishes. One function I particularly like about the Ninja Master Prep is the ease in which I can chop up difficult to process vegetables in only a few seconds. Things like celery and carrots will be chopped up into small bits fast, great for use in soups and salads. Hummus is also easy to make with the Ninja, just add all the ingredients to the food processor bowl and chop away. 

Making small batches of hummus or salsa with the Vitamix is annoying. The machine is bulky to use in such situations, and scraping out something like hummus results in a loss of about 25% of the dish made. With the Ninja Master Prep, I can run into the kitchen, add all the ingredients to the food processing bowl, run the Ninja motor, and have hummus in only a few minutes,

Cleanup of these Ninja Prep Bowls goes by super fast. With a rinse off in the sink after prepping, just throw the prep bowls and the blades into the dishwasher. The contents in the prep bowls are easy to remove and never a pain getting stuck in the bottom. Smoothies especially pour out of the blending bowl, perfect for serving icy drinks to friends and family members.

Cons:

Blending leafy green smoothies is not a real option. I have never had great success in making green smoothies within the Ninja Master Prep. Small bits of leafy green vegetables are left, and remain simply unpalatable. Some users claim that extending the blending time of the Ninja will result in smooth green smoothies, but I would rather not rev the motor for long periods of time.

In order to use the Ninja Master Prep, you must press down on the top of the blending unit. This machine is built from the top-down. Unlike most blenders, no form of auto blend or auto chop function exist. Everything is basically controlled on an extended pulse function. For most dishes this is not a problem since everything will finish being made in less than 30 seconds of blending.

Versus Competition:

Vitamix 5200

The Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004 is not 1:1 even with the Vitamix. Vitamix blenders are nearly twice as powerful as the Ninja Master Prep. However, for this extra power, you will have to pay nearly four times as much money for the Vitamix blender. 

Benefits definitely do accompany the Vitamix blender over the Ninja Master Prep. With the Vitamix, you can make green smoothies that are truly liquified. For anyone wanting to drink green smoothies on a daily basis, this means the Vitamix is the best choice to make. 

However, the Vitamix is not superior in every regard. The Ninja Master Prep gets the job done quicker than the Vitamix. It can be used on the go and does not require much time for preparation. Finally, the Ninja Master Prep is far faster to clean than the Vitamix, which is a huge plus.

	Ninja Master Prep	Vitamix 5200
Price	$60-$75	$400-$650
Power	450 Watts	1400 + Watts
Green Smoothies	No	Yes
Extra Features	Yes	Not Really
Overall Rating	80%	95%

Value for Money?  

The Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004 makes a great addition to the kitchen for anyone that wants a multifunctional appliance. Being able to blend fruit smoothies, chop difficult to cut vegetables, and process vegan dishes like hummus quickly are all fantastic functions of the Ninja Master Prep. While green smoothies remain out of reach of the Ninja blending function, icy fruit smoothies are not at all a problem to make. Overall, I give the Ninja Master Prep a total of 4/5 stars.

Where to Buy:

Amazon - Ninja Master Prep QB1004

Continue to Read Reviews at Amazon:

"Easy to clean." - C.S. Weaver

"I needed something for a once a week smoothie Love the 3 sizes of containers." - Carol Becker

"This appliance has lived up to the hype. It's a great design, much easier to clean, and this makes it more likely to be used often." - J.D.

Aroma Sensor Logic Rice Cooker Review

Product Review: Aroma Sensor Logic Rice Cooker

Price Range:  $55-$65

Features:

• Non-Stick Cooking Pot
• Multiple Programmed Cooking Functions
• Able to Steam Vegetables While Cooking Rice

Pros:

Cook all kinds of food in one of Aroma's most advanced rice cookers to date. Of course Aroma designed this machine to cook primarily white and brown rice, but a wealth of options exist. With the steam rack, cook all kinds of vegetables that can be paired with the rice dish like broccoli, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes. Beyond rice, cook things like oatmeal, quinoa, grits, and boiled potatoes within the cooking pot.

Rice cooking could not be made easier than what Aroma offers here. Three pre-set functions exist to choose between 'White Rice', 'Brown Rice', and 'Quick Rice'. Press whichever button corresponds to your rice type and do not worry about keeping track of cooking times. Aroma includes a table of measurements for rice:water ratios in the instruction manual so the information will always be readily available on hand.

Aroma's new Saute-then-Simmer technology makes cooking non-rice dishes all the better. The sensor logic within the rice cooker detects when to drop and raise the cooking temperature based off the heat readings within the cooking pan. This prevents a blind heating of the food which may cause the food to dry out or to stick to the bottom of the pan. For dishes like potatoes or oatmeal, this is especially nice as they do cook differently than rice, and the machine accurately changes the cooking temperature to prevent problems from arising.

This rice cooker exists for convenience of the household. Aroma includes a 15 Hour Delay Timer which allows for you to program when the rice should begin cooking at nearly anytime during the waking day. After the rice completes the cooking cycle, the machine switches to the 'Keep Warm' function so that the rice will remain hot until being served.  

Cleanup involves simply rinsing the cooking pot out in the dishwasher after all the rice has been eaten, and then throwing it in the dishwasher. With its non-stick surface, rice sticking to the cooking pot will never be a serious problem.

Cons:

You will encounter starchy overspills if incorrect proportions to rice:water are cooked. The Aroma Sensor Logic Rice Cooker has a vent right above the cooking pot, and messes can occur out of this vent. In order to prevent this from happening, you will need to be sure that correct measurements of both rice and water are being used. As an extra bit of insurance, I place a plate under Aroma Rice Cookers to catch any overspill so it does not make a mess on my counter.

Guarantee:

Aroma offers a two year warranty on the rice cooker in order to repair any damaged or broken portions of the rice cooker. Information on how to contact Aroma is provided in the instruction manual and can also be found online through Aroma's website. 

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for Money?

The Aroma Sensor Logic Rice Cooker makes for a great choice for anyone looking for a rice cooker costing less than $100. Whole there may be a few problems with measuring correct proportions for this Rice Cooker, it does the core of its job well. Along with cooking rice perfectly, the Aroma Rice Cooker's internal heat sensor makes a good tool for cooking all kinds of one pot meals. Overall, I give the Aroma Sensor Logic Rice Cooker a total of 3/5 stars.

Where to Buy:

Amazon - Aroma Sensor Logic Rice Cooker

Continue to Read Reviews at Amazon:

"It's great for steaming, slow cooking, and stewing." - Kathryn Hedges

"It steams, sautes and cooks, makes white rice, brown rice, and meals." - Becky in NOLA

"My husband got me this rice cooker for my birthday and it is AWESOME!" - Vaikinglee

Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker Review

Product Review: Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker

Price Range: $35-$50

Discount: Save at Amazon

Features:

• Models Range from 6 Cups to 20 Cups
• Cooking Pot is Made from Stainless Steel
• Functions of 'Cook' and 'Keep Warm'

Pros:

Enjoy cooking rice in a stainless steel pot for an affordable price. Stainless steel cookware works great due to the simplicity of cleaning it, its attractive appearance, and heat conductive properties. However, the problem with stainless steel and kitchen appliances is that you often have to pay primo bucks to get it. With the Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker, you can get the stainless steel for less than $50.

Cook white, jasmine, brown, and just about any kind of rice you can think of with this machine. Beyond rice, you can cook things like quinoa, oatmeal, and buckwheat in the Aroma Rice Cooker. While the rice Simply Stainless Rice Cooker only comes with one cooking mode, instructions are included on how to cook varying kinds of things.

Aroma really did a great job making a cooking pot without Teflon. After witnessing issues with the non-stick coating in other models of Aroma Rice Cookers, I became a bit disappointed with Aroma. With a stainless steel cooking pot, there are no issues at all with any sort of chemicals flaking off onto your food. Some people say you need to put olive oil on your cooking pot to prevent sticking, but I have never had a serious problem of rice sticking with stainless steel.

Set it and forget it when it comes to making rice. Simply flip the switch to the 'Cook' setting when the proper ratio to rice and water is in the rice cooker. The Aroma Simply Rice Cooker will boil and simmer your rice for about an hour. When it is done cooking, it will automatically flip to the 'Keep Warm' setting. Come back to enjoy a warm bowl of rice when ready for the meal.

Cons:

Starchy overflow can happen. If you either overload too much rice into the Aroma Rice Cooker, or if you put too much water into it, you will have a mess on your hands. In order to prevent this, the best thing to do is to always put proper measurements of grain:water in the Rice Cooker. This is not always possible, so I have found it best to keep a plate under the Aroma Cooker so as to catch any mess that may overflow.

Guarantee:

Aroma offers a two year warranty on the rice cooker in order to repair any damaged or broken portions of the rice cooker. Information on how to contact Aroma is provided in the instruction manual and can also be found online through Aroma's website. 

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product. 

 

Value for money?

The Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker makes for a great stainless steel device in the kitchen. At less than $50, the availability of stainless steel appliances is slim pickings for the vegan kitchen. Aroma's Rice Cooker will get the job done and leave an easy cleanup of the stainless steel pot after the cooking process. This makes it a good choice for anyone looking for an inexpensive rice cooker. Overall, I give the Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker 3/5 stars.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"Clean up is very easy." - Tsippi

"I like the fact the cooking pot is stainless steel." - Raj

 "I cook brown rice, and it comes out perfect every time." - Katherine Stott

Instant Pot Hands On Review

In previous reviews, I ran through the basics of the Instant Pot. Those reviews should serve as more of an empirical tool to find out all the specifications of the device and how it can fit in your vegan kitchen

Now I would like to give a hands on review for my favorite appliance in the kitchen. After using the Instant Pot daily for more than three months now, I know it to be one of the greatest inventions of humankind. 

I will take you through the process involved with making a standard dinner at the McNeile household. Through demonstration of pictures, I hope to provide info for all of you out there thinking about buying an electric pressure cooker.

Let's Get Cooking

Rice, Pinto Beans, Peas, Corn, Broccoli

To begin, our meal for tonight will be brown rice, pinto beans, and mixed vegetables. By no means a complex meal, which is a huge plus in my book. As you can see, all the food goes into the single pot all the the same time, making this a one-pot meal.

I will fill the Instant Pot with water and water only after the ingredients have been added. In my experience, I simply try to fill water up to the amount of volume the food ingredients already occupy, and then a bit more. I know this not scientific, but my food turns out great by eyeball measurements each time. 

After everything is loaded up into the stainless steel cooking pot, I seal the pressure cooker with its lid. It is important to make sure the pressure valve is set to correct position so that pressure can actually build within the pressure cooker. Once all that is done, I press the 'Multigrain' function.

Cook time is approximately 40 minutes. Before owning the Instant Pot, I used an Aroma Rice Cooker to make my rice dishes I ate for dinner. Cooking brown rice in these machines could take up to two hours at times! Cutting my cook time in half has been a real life saver for my bus schedule.

When everything the cooking function is complete, the Instant Pot will loudly beep to let you know its time for dinner. You will need to slide the safety valve to the right or left to release the pressure, this will let forth a large amount of steam. My first few times using the Instant Pot I was scared I would burn myself when flipping the pressure valve, but it is completely safe as long as you do not stick your hand directly over the vent.

I added Kale to the dinner.

As you can see in the picture, the rice an beans have cooked thoroughly and are extremely firm. No sort of soupy mess exists and everything is perfectly moist.

Now, I am a big eater when it comes to starches. The Instant Pot stainless steel cooking bowl is 6 Quarts. For dinner, I tend to eat about 3-4 Quarts each day. Now, I only eat breakfast and maybe a piece of fruit throughout the day, so dinner is always a big meal for me. It is certainly possible to feed a family of three with the Instant Pot alone. Beyond that, I think more food would need to be brought in to supplement the output of the Instant Pot.

Pros of the Instant Pot:

• Easy to Use. Press a button and forget it.
• Low Cost. Cooking with pressure saves on energy costs since food cooks so much more efficiently.
• Stainless Steel Pot. Have no fears of chemicals being scraped off into your food.
• Simple to Clean. Stainless steel is so easy to clean, use either the sink or dishwasher.
• Extremely rare to have a starchy mess. I regularly ran into trouble with the Aroma Rice Cooker when it came to starchy overflows while cooking rice.

Cons of the Instant Pot:

• I wish it had an On/Off switch. To power it on and off, you have to unplug/plug an electric outlet cord.
•  Some of the functions are pointless for vegans.

Conclusion

I would recommend the Instant Pot to anyone and everyone. Not knowing how to cook healthy food is no longer an excuse with the Instant Pot. Something as simple as rice and beans can be made night in and night out. Dependability and craftsmanship of the Instant Pot truly has put my mind at ease when it comes to planning meals. I give the Instant Pot 5/5 Stars.

Something Fishy Is Going on With Spiral Slicers

After doing a bit of research on spiral slicers (or handheld spiralizers), I came across some odd finds on Amazon.Com. It appears that the world of spiral slicers is coming to be dominated by Chinese knockoffs of the famous GEFU Spiral Slicer Brand. Below are my results:

1. Kinbar Spiral Slicer

Kinbar

GEFU

Currently, this spiral slicer is enjoying a fair bit
of popularity. However, notice that these spiralizers look the exact same!

Home Chef

Reviews for the Kinbar are mixed. Some people do comment that it is an okay spiralizer, but others denounce it as a piece of junk. Furthermore, it is obvious that many of these product reviews are from fake accounts as shown by their poor skills with English grammar.

2. Home Chef Spiral Slicer

Once again, this product looks exactly the same as GEFU.

Just like Kinbar, the 5/5 positive reviews are fakes. That does not stop Amazon from selling the product though.

3. About 4 Other Designs Copy GEFU

Be aweare mainly of Home Chef and Kinbar. They promise a great spiral cutting experience, but their products are merely a cheap imitation. Beyond these two brands, be highly suspect of anything that basically looks like GEFU's design.

4. Dark Truth about GEFU

Some customers buying GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicers at Amazon.com report that that they received a fake Chinese knockoff. This problem could be potentially worse than just copycat products. If low quality fakes re being sold in place of the most respected spiral cutter on the market, we could be in for some tough times.

Conclusion

My advice is to buy GEFU Spiral Slicers from only trusted merchants on Amazon. Do not buy from merchants with low seller rating scores, nor buy from merchants that have just launched.

My review of the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer

Is the Veggetti Spiral Slicer a Scam?

Most people worry about whether or not 'As Seen on TV' products are scams or not. With the release of the Veggetti, many now wonder if the claims made in the commercial are too good to be true. Below, I will run through the reality of the Vegetti.


1. Is the Veggetti Commercial Lying?

Since most people are introduced to this product through the commercial, we should address whether or not it is truthful. From my perspective, the commercial is perfectly truthful in what it claims.

What is mainly being sold is a kitchen gadget that will spiralize zucchinis. They do not deviate from this idea too much, they simply show how much better of an idea it is to eat raw vegetable pasta versus bleached white flour pasta.

2. Will the Veggetti Actually Cut Vegetables?

Yes, the Veggetti will actually cut through your vegetables. Now, the Veggetti does not make picture perfect strands out of the things being cut. The thin/angel hair pasta setting will make a bit of a mess out of what is being cut. The thicker cut setting does a much better job at making pleasant looking strands.

The Veggetti is primarily designed to handle the softer fruits and vegetables. Zucchini gets cut through with ease. Now, things like potatoes are much harder to cut through.

3. Is the Veggetti Worth the Price?

For a spiralizer, the Veggetti is actually one of the lowest priced on the market. If you are only wanting to spiralize zucchini, it is a reasonable purchase to make.

Here is my review and take on the Veggetti. 

4. Are there Better Alternatives?

Yes, most definitely. All spiralizers are relatively inexpensive, so price differences should not be a huge deal. Before buying a Veggetti I would recommend a few different products.

For a handheld spiralizer, I think the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer is much nicer.

In terms of the absolute best spiralizer, I would recommend going with a counter top model. For that, I would have to say the Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer by Spiralizer is the absolute best choice to make.

Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter Review

Product Review: Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter

Company: Amazon via seller Veggetti

Price Range: $15-$20

Features:

• Easy To Hold and Handle
• Stores in Minimal Space
• Dual Stainless Steel Cutting Blades

Pros: 

For anyone looking for an inexpensive spiralizer the Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter will make a great addition to the kitchen. Whether you are looking to make raw pasta, prepare stir fry ingredients, or looking to simply cut vegetables into strands, the Veggetti gets the job done.

Veggetti's main claim is that it can spiralizer your zucchinis into thin strands, and it fulfills this promise. Cutting a zucchini goes by easily enough. Simply hold the zucchini in one hand and push upwards toward the spiralizer; with the other hand, twist clockwise as strands of zucchini spirals spill forth.

Since this device can be held in the palm of your hand, it stores in just about any space. One of the main issues with counter top spiralizers is the space requirement they have. No such issue arise with the Veggetti, place it in a drawer with the rest of the kitchen gadgets after cleaning with no worries at all.

Cons:

Cleanup can be tough. Cleaning most spiralizers is a relatively simple process, but Veggetti seems to just be a bigger pain for some reason. Rinsing it off in the sink with warm, soap water may not always be enough. There may be small bits of veg left on the device, so a run through in the dishwasher on the top rack may be necessary.

Please realize this is one of the lowest priced spiralizers on the market. As such, the quality of this tool is lower than a GEFU Spiral Slicer. While it may not be as attractive or as functional as the GEFU, it still fulfills the basic job of spirlalizing vegetables.

Guarantee:

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

 

Value for money?

The Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter gets the job done for one low price. While competitors on the market may be of higher quality and more attractive to look at, the Veggetti will slice through zucchinis just like any spiral slicer. Overall, I would give this product 3/5 Stars.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"It's amazing and easy to use." - Vegan Stylist

"Perfect zucchini "spaghetti" - Blue Stocking

"Amazing product, not so amazing clean up." - Jordyn

Oster BCCG08-RFP-NP9 8-Speed Blender with Food Processor

Product Review: Oster BCCG08-RFP-NP9 8-Speed Blender with Food Processor

Company: Amazon via seller Oster

Price Range: $50-$60

Discount: Save Money at Amazon

Features:

• 450 Watts Motor
• 6 Cup Glass Blending Jar
• Metal Blending Blades
• BPA-Free Food Processor Jar
• Programmable Blending Options

Pros:

Save space and money in your kitchen with the Oster BCCG08-RFP-NP9 8-Speed Blender with Food Processor. Usher in both a quality blender and a capable food processor for less than $60. With the blender, make all kinds of frozen drinks like fruit smoothies. A dedicated food processor handles jobs like salsa making and food prep.

Make smoothies with ease with the Oster 8-Speed Blender. With its 450 Watts motor, this blender gets the job done efficiently. Thanks to the metallic blending blades and metallic gears, this blender is strong enough to get through any blending job. Ice gets crushed quickly and will do a great job in making for thick smoothies. The power of this blender for the price is surprising.

Unlock all sorts of potential with the Oster. Blending is more than just making smoothies. Prepare your own bean dip with cooked beans. Hummus is so easy to make, you will never need to buy it from the store again. Wit a food processor, all sorts of possibilities arise. My favorite use is to make things like salsa, prep work for salads, and chopping vegetables for soup stock.

Cleanup takes only a few minutes after each use. Be careful when cleaning the glass blending jar, you do not want to drop it on the ground. Also, be sure to remove the blending blades carefully when cleaning. Otherwise, everything is easy to rinse out in the sink. The glass blending jar goes on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, everything else on the top rack.

Cons:

You will have to deal with the noise. While the Oster 8-Speed Blender may be a small bundle of efficiency, it makes a loud noise. Thankfully enough, it gets through the blending jobs fast enough that you will not have to deal with the droning of the blender for too long. Plus, if you run the blender on a programmed function, you can leave the room while it blends.

Fruit smoothies blend up well and are liquified nearly perfectly, but green smoothies do not come out well. In order to get a liquified green smoothie that is free from any small bits, you will need to get a more powerful blender. 450 Watts is simply not enough to get all those fragments liquified.

Guarantee:

The Amazon A-Z Guarantee is the best guarantee in the market. In the event that the product is not delivered, delivered in a broken condition, or is not meeting the quality expectations of the buyer, the item may be returned to Amazon for a full refund. A 30 day window exists to file a claim to Amazon over any problem that may come up with the product.

Value for money?

The Oster BCCG 8-Speed Blender makes for a great first choice when it comes to blenders. Smoothies come out great and ice is blended easily. Along with making drinks, this blender proves to be an even better deal due to its food processor capabilities. Plenty of people report long term satisfaction with this blender, and I am sure any new buyer will find lasting joy with the Oster Blender.

Where to buy:

Amazon - Oster BCCG08 8-Speed Blender with Food Processor

Continue to read reviews at Amazon:

"The food processor attachment is also a plus!" - Rachel

"Can't imagine what all the higher priced units do better than this guy does. " - Shwillia

"Came in good conditation and works very well, both blender and food processor." - LaRue A. Rigby

How to Juice Whole Fruits and Vegetables

One of the great dreams of juicing is juicing whole fruits and vegetables in one single go. Sadly, practically all juicers require dicing of fruits and vegetables to make them juice ready. Prep time is annoying and inconvenient.

The Kurvings Whole Slow Juicer solves all these problems. No other juicer on the market delivers results like the Kurvings model. You can literally stick an entire apple in this juice without any prep work at all.

Saving time is great, but so is getting higher juice yields. Think about it, when cutting up an apple we leave behind a sizable amount of fruit that could still be juiced. With 100% of fruits and vegetables running through the Kurvings Juicer, the juice yields are far higher than what an experienced juicer would ever see.

Juicing should be something that relaxes your body, not aggravates you. Messing around with a juicer where you had to spend 10 minutes cutting up veg was simply a pain in the rear end. Running a whole apple or carrot through a juicer at one time is a moment of absolute bliss after years of micromanaging a juicer.

Check out John Kohler as he juices whole fruits and vegetables in his Kurvings Whole Slow Juicer:

                                       

             My Review of the Kurvings Whole Slow Juicer

Kurvings Juicers

Whole Slow Juicer

Articles:

• How To Juice Whole Fruits and Vegetables

Which Nutritional Yeast To Buy? Seven Product Comparison

With so many different options for Nutritional Yeast on the market, which is the best to buy? Today we will review all the brands currently out there and shed some light on each one.

Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning

At only 4.5 ounces, this version is the least expensive option currently on the market (Less than $6). This makes for the Bragg product to be a great starter choice for anyone looking into getting started with Nutritional Yeast. Here are the Pros for this product:

• Easy to use. The flakes are applied with only a shake of the bottle.
• B12 Fortified.
• It does have a strong cheese flavor to it.

Overall I give the Bragg product 4/5 stars. It does a great job as a beginner product, but gets pricey when wanting to buy larger amounts at one time.

Now Foods Nutritional Yeast

Now Foods is one of the few companies to offer both the flake and powder form of Nutritional Yeast. I will review the flake form since it is the most popular of the two offered. Here are the Pros for the flake form:

• Mild flavor, less sharp than most brands of Nutritional Yeast.
• Large flakes. 
• Fortified with B Vitamins. 

Now Foods receives 2/5 stars from me. Call it being picky, but I simply do not like the look of Now Foods plastic bottles holding a food item. I understand that many kinds of powders/flakes are held in plastic bottles to keep out moisture, but I simply do not like the white tub look. However, I must commend them for making a well flavored product.

Hoosier Hill Farms Nutritional Yeast

Be careful on this product. Amazon.com does not sell it directly, so the price can fluctuate from time to time. Otherwise, here are the Pros:

• Comes in a nice plastic, resealable jar.
• Sold in 1 lb increments. It is nice to have a bunch on hand.
• Flavor is a bit more gourmet than other brands. Slightly more nutty while still being mild.

Hoosier Hill  Farns gets 3/5 stars. While both the flavor and packaging are certainly nice, the price is pretty high to be paying for this brand.

Bob's Red Mill Large Flake Nutritional Yeast

There is a motto in my household, you can never go wrong with Bob's Red Mill. Does the motto still hold up when it comes to Nutritional Yeast? Here are the Pros:

• Flakes are definitely large. Remains flaky and not at all powdery.
• Sharp cheese flavor.
• I trust the B12 claims here more than other sources.

Bob's Red Mill made another fine product here, I give it 4/5 stars. In particular I think the cheesy taste is great with Bob's, but it does tend to be one of the more divisive Nutritional Yeasts on the market where some hate it and some love it. Price point for this product is a bit high, so be aware of that.

Kal Nutritional Yeast

Of all nutritional yeasts offered, Kal here is the best bang for the buck. Does it deliver? Let's look at the Pros:

• Size. At 22 oz, this is a lot of Nutritional Flakes to be buying in one purchase. Thankfully, the price is very competitive.
• Taste of these flakes is cheesy. I would term Kal the standard taste of Nutritional Yeast.
• Packaging for these flakes is nice, it is like buying rolled oatmeal in cannisters at the store.

Kal receives 5/5 stars from me. With a great taste, price, and packaging, the product offered by Kal is simply the best I have been able to find online.

Red Star Nutritional Yeast

Rounding out the last item on the list is the Red Star brand. There may be a bit of debate on this product, but I will try to stage it evenly. Here are the Pros:

• Cheapest source if you can find in bulk bins. This is the bran my local food co-op sells at a great price.
• Taste is okay, also a very standard flavor.
• If buying online, the packaging is nice and easy to use.

Red Star Nutritional Yeast when buying online only gets 3/5 stars from me due to its high price for a small amount of product. When bought from bulk bins, it receives 5/5 stars.

Conclusion

Kal Nutritional Yeast receives my vote for the best Nutritional Yeast to buy online. It tastes great and is sold at the most reasonable price. It arrives in a nice package that is easy to store and should last you for several months at a time.

Nutritional Yeast: Where To Buy

Nutritional Yeast is not the most common ingredient you will find in kitchens all across America. No, it remains an incredibly niche item only vegans seem to use. With that said, vegan centric products are by no means easy to source and purchase.

 Local Sources

Walmart certainly will not cater to our needs, so finding it in a small town in America will likely not be happening. I have found it before in a locally owned grocery store that had a health food section, but the price on the Nutritional Yeast was absolutely outrageous.

Your best bet for finding a local source is going to a local co-op or a Whole Foods. At the local co-op I frequent, they sell Nutritional Yeast in the bulk bins for a very reasonable price at $7.99 a lb. Apparently Whole Foods does not carry Nutritional Yeast in its bulk bins and you will need to buy a prepackaged version instead.

Online Sources

For anyone unable to find a great deal on Nutritional Yeast in a bulk bin purchase, I would recommend just buying it online. Amazon.com offers plenty of variety when it comes to choosing which brand of Nutritional Yeast you get, all for a competition price.

Slight differences do exist in nutrtional yeast from one brand to another. That is the great thing about Amazon.com, if you do not like one brand, just choose another. Want Nutritional Yeast flakes? Okay, go with this product. Want Nutritional Yeast powder? Fine, go with this brand.

Related Articles:

What is Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast Comparison

Nutritional Yeast: A Quick Rundown

It seems like all new vegans find out about nutritional yeast within a month of going vegan. Rather than finding out about it myself, my vegetarian mother actually introduced me to the stuff. For anyone still in the blue, I will run through its basics.

• Nutritional yeast is mainly branded as a cheese substitute for vegans. When baked it sort of looks like cheese, and tastes a little like what cheese tastes like.
• Most nutritional yeasts are loaded down with vitamins, including B12. It is always good to get extra B12 in the diet, but you should still supplement the vitamin.
• Nutritional yeast is sold in a flaky or a powdery form, most prefer the flakes. 

That is really all there is to this vegan centered product. I see plenty of debate online as to whether nutritional yeast is the greatest thing to grace vegan kitchens, or if it is only meh.

My own personal favorite use of nutritional yeast is to add a couple of hearty sprinkles to a dish of baked or mashed potatoes. The nutritional yeast will thicken the potato dish up a good deal and make everything taste a little creamier.

Other great dishes to sprinkle nutritional yeast over include:

• Kale Chips
• Vegan Pizza
• Popcorn

You can find nutritional yeast sold at health food stores in either the bulk bin or in individual packages. Keep in mind though, nutritional yeast is pricy, even when buying in bulk. At the local organic co-cop in my town, nutritional yeast runs at $7.99 a lb.

Amazon.com also has a great selection of vendors for nutritional yeast. Prices here are competitive
with what you could find locally. Keep in mind too, a little goes a long way with nutritional yeast.

Related Articles:

Where To Buy Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast Comparison