By Jennifer Crewell, Contributor
As the mother of two toddlers, I used to struggle with making sure that both kids were getting proper nutrition. After many failed attempts and too much wasted food, I started making smoothies for breakfast to trick them into eating what I wanted them to eat. The plan was brilliant and I was totally scoring points for mom of the year. Then my archaic blender suddenly stopped working. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled to be given the opportunity from Ninja Kitchen to review the new Ninja Ultima™ Blender! The day it arrived I was a little apprehensive to take the Ninja Ultima Blender out of the box. The blender’s power and size was intimidating!
To start out with, the Ultima has some pretty impressive stats. The blender features dual-stage Blending Technology that utilizes 1500 watts and 2.5 peak horsepower. It has impressive total crushing blades that work some serious magic with Ninja’s newly developed high speed cyclonic blades. With ten different PRO Variable Speeds, the Ultima can be used for everything from juices and smoothies, to grinding and milling. In my experience the Ultima Blender is truly a one-stop-shop machine.
The other night for dinner, I was trying to come up with a main dish that incorporated some random food that was about to go bad. I carefully sliced a couple of apples and a bell pepper. I was completely disappointed to find the beautiful chicken that I thought I bought, was anything but appetizing. In a moment of contemplation, I saw the Ultima Blender out of the corner of my eye, and had the brilliant idea of making chicken nuggets. Because even chicken nuggets can be brilliant in my household. I whipped out the trusty Owner’s Guide and low and behold there was a user friendly chart mapping out Function, Type of Food, Suggested Blades, and Speed Settings. All of the food fit into the large, 72 ounce pitcher without a problem. I mixed the chicken, apples, and peppers to my desired consistency and then added some flour to bind it together. I then made little balls with the paste (for lack of better words), flattened them, rolled them in flour, and then baked them to perfection. The best part of all was the Ultima made quick work of my ingredients, and that was the moment that the blender completely won me over.
The Ultima Blender also came with two 16 ounce Single Serve cups that are great for personal smoothies. I found the cups to be especially easy and convenient. As an added bonus, preparing the smoothies in the personal cups made for a very quick cleanup and fewer dirty dishes in the sink.
I have two rather trivial complaints about the blender. First, with the pitcher attached the blender is just shy of fitting under my kitchen cabinets. Second complaint, the blender is pretty loud. In fairness, I am not sure how the noise stacks up with comparable machines because I do not have a reference point. (Editor’s Note: My high speed blender is pretty loud too).
With that being said, the blender is consistent and quick. Given the functionality and versatility, the Ultima can replace many kitchen gadgets. The price of the blender (especially compared with others) makes the Ultima an awesome addition to your kitchen.
Some features that I appreciate include:
- A very sturdy non-slip base
- Smart lid technology with easy release
- Drip-free pour spout on the lid
All of the detachable parts are dishwasher-safe, and made of BPA-free plastic, which means easier clean up. Additionally, there is a two year limited warranty on the blender.
Even though the blender was initially intimidating, after giving it a spin the past few weeks I have found that the Ultima is very user friendly. I highly recommend The Ninja Ultima Blender to anybody who is looking a powerful blender that can do it all. The MSRP for the Ninja Ultima Blender $259.99.
For more information about the Ninja Ultima visit NinjaKitchen.com. You can connect with Ninja on Facebook and on Twitter.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, I was provided a Ninja Ultima Blender from Ninja Kitchen to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
