Vegan Kitchen Appliances: April 2015

Review: Nutri Ninja Auto iQ (BL482)

After reviewing the Nutri Ninja Blender, I was eager to see what the Ninja Company would come out with next. I mean, the Nutri Ninja was an amazing blender: it was powerful, affordable, and compact. How could the Ninja Company ever one up this machine?

Well, the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ attempts to do just that. It offers all the great features of the Nutri Ninja Blender, but with the added bonus of Auto iQ technology. Below I run through my thoughts on the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ. The prime question in my head is this, is the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ worth the extra cash?

Specifications:


Price	$150 and Less
Power	1000 Watt Motor
Size of Blender	15.8” x 12.8” x 7.9 inches ; 10 pounds
Blending Pitcher	18oz. Pitcher, 24oz. Pitcher, 32oz. Pitcher
Warranty	1 Year Limited Warranty
Blades	Nutri Ninja Extractor Blades
Bonus Goodies	200 Page Color Cookbook

Pros:

As weird as it seems, decent blenders made for the whole family are getting harder and harder to find. Now we have blenders designed for fitness lovers, blenders for dieters, blenders for raw vegans, blenders for chefs. How about a blender for a family? The Nutri Ninja Auto iQ will well suit your family with its easy to use functions, powerful motor, affordable price, and multiple blending cups.

Plenty of blenders out there have powerful motors, but are limited in their blending ability by poor blade design. With the Nutri Ninja series of blenders, you'll find the best blades and blade design the Ninja Blending Company has yet released. The combination of a 1000 Watt motor spinning maximum efficiency blades leaves you with nearly flawless results for just about anything you could think to blend.

We all mess up in the kitchen. It may be burning the bread in the oven, it could be making too liquidy of a hummus, or it could be making a chunky smoothie. The Nutri Ninja's Auto iQ technology removes that 'human error' problem from the blending process. Just hit one of the two automated blending functions, and you'll be good to go. At the end of the blending process, your smoothie should be the perfect consistency.

If you need to blend for a family or a spouse, you absolutely need multiple blending cups. Ninja provides 3 different sized blending cups with this unit: a small 12oz cup, a regular 24oz cup, and a jumbo 32oz cup. Each of these blending cups can be loaded with your favorite fruits and ice, locked onto the Nutri Ninja blending base, blended up, and then be ready to go as a portable smoothie holder. No pouring and multi-step cleanup needed.

One of the things I hate about the Vitamix Blender is how difficult the blending pitcher is to clean. Since it is so large, I have to scrape every little nook and cranny to get it all cleaned up. The compact size of the Nutri Ninja Blending Cups makes cleanup so much faster and more efficient. Just add a bit of warm water and dish soap after you finish drinking your smoothie, pulse it a few times on the blending base, and rinse out. You're done. If you would like to use the dishwasher, no problem, the blending cups and blending blades are dishwasher safe.

Cons:

Be prepared for the noise. Honestly, I don't think this blender is all that much louder than most high powered blenders on the market. However, many people are surprised that this small of a machine can get as loud as it does. Avoid blending at the crack of dawn and you should be fine.

The Ninja BL482 loses a few points in my book due to its build quality. First, the machine rattles a bit on the counter while blending. To fix this, a rubber placemat is needed. Secondly, the plastic this blender is made out of feels a little on the 'cheap' side. Even if it may fall short of my standards, it carries out its sole job of blending exceptionally well.

Tips and Tricks of: Nutri Ninja Auto iQ

Purchasing:

Amazon.com will provide the most convenient way to buy this blender for many. If you have Prime Membership, Amazon will deliver the Nutri Ninja to your doorstep in less than three days of ordering. Problem is, the price of the Nutri Ninja can swing up and down.

Bed Bath & Beyond is another solid choice for anyone looking for the Nutri Ninja BL482 model. Pricing stays solid at BB&B, so expect to pay $120 when buying from them.

If you are willing to settle for a Nutri Ninja Auto iQ BL481 model, Walmart.com is a great place to pick it up. For only $110 you can snap up this powerful little blender. Keep in mind though, the BL481 model comes with one less blending cup than the BL482 model.

Operating:

Don't Overpack Your Small Containers. Even if it seems like a good idea to pack as much nutritiously bountiful fruits as possible, leave a little free space. Last thing you want is mess on your hands that takes five minutes to fix.

Be Sure to Use Water while Blending. Almost all smoothies need liquid in order to blend. Ice actually needs liquid water to turn into a nice smoothie consistency. Plenty of recipes exist online, but the best way to get a proper consistency is experimentation.

Maintenance and Cleaning:

Rely on Rinsing and Blending for Most Cleaning. After finishing up your smoothie, do a quick rinse out in the sink, add warm soapy water to the blending container, and run the pulse setting a few times. Rinse out once again in the sink and leave the blender to dry. Your blender will be all clean after that.

Use Dishwasher Once a Week for thorough Cleaning. Using the dishwasher for every cleanup of the Nutri Ninja is overkill. Nothing is more frustrating than realizing your blender is messy in the morning because you haven't yet ran the dishwasher. Weekly cleanings in the dishwasher will keep everything spick and span, but anymore than that is too much.

The Nutri Ninja Auto iQ comes with a One Year Limited Warranty. Ninja's policy towards returns is not ideal, you may have to pay shipping charges for returns. Feel confident when buying though, Ninja products hold up much better than similar blender models (Nutribullet).

Value for Money?

The Nutri Ninja Auto iQ BL482 is a solid blender for anyone needing a sub-$150 machine. 1000 Watts of blending power packs a punch, and you'll be able to blend ice and fruit into a thick smoothie consistency in a matter of seconds. While there are a few downsides to this blender, the positives far outweigh its faults. If you need a blender to make smoothies for an entire family, I would highly recommend the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ. Overall, the Nutri Ninja Auto iQ receives 4 out of 5 stars.

Where to Buy: