Kitchen

[RollTide2008]

I have that Ninja and am quite happy with it.  I'm very satisfied with the power and the quality.  It is much more limited than a traditional food processor.  It doesn't slice, dice, or shred.  I don't care, I do those things with a knife or box grater.  I make pie crust in it, but make yeast doughs by hand.  It does not have the chute in the top.  I make salad dressing in the small smoothie cups though.  I mostly use it for things like black bean burgers, pureed soups, smoothies, and things like that.

I don't use a blender enough to justify the expense of a Vitamix.  This machine does what I want it to do at a fraction of the price.

[KatieB]

America's Test Kitchen recommended Cuisinart Custom 11 as the best food processor on the market....

[Poodlepet2]

@RollTide2008, after I had bought my Ninja, I caught the tail end of an in commercial that said "Order now and get the food processor attachment free...".

I called Ninja-and the sales number given on tv, and nobody knew anything about it.  It was a brilliant idea, because it had they body and function of basic food processor s.....and it sat on the power base. 

Do you know if they ever started selling it?

For the money, the Ninja is a great little machine, but with my flours and butters, it just didn't measure up to "free-standing"machines.

I also love the fact that all processing components are dishwasher safe and you don't have a million pieces like a standard processor does.

Poodlepet2

[sandraskates]

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@Poodlepet2 wrote:

@RollTide2008, after I had bought my Ninja, I caught the tail end of an in commercial that said "Order now and get the food processor attachment free...".

I called Ninja-and the sales number given on tv, and nobody knew anything about it.  It was a brilliant idea, because it had they body and function of basic food processor s.....and it sat on the power base. 

Do you know if they ever started selling it?

For the money, the Ninja is a great little machine, but with my flours and butters, it just didn't measure up to "free-standing"machines.

I also love the fact that all processing components are dishwasher safe and you don't have a million pieces like a standard processor does.

Poodlepet2

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@Poodlepet2- My Ninja system had at least 10 different pieces! Granted they stashed together a bit easier than those of a food processor but still -  they took up a lot of space. :-)

The other thing I didn't like about my Ninja system was the little clear washer would not stay in place. If that got lost I don't think the components would work properly. Perhaps the newer models are better.

[IamMrsG]

Good morning, All, and thank you for coming forward to help me in my decision making.  

 @Poodlepet2, thank you, but your assessment of my culinary skills is too generous.  I am just a home cook. I was accepted into a culinary school in my younger days, but, pulled out after considering the long hours it would require away from our baby boy.  I had quit a good job with a promising future to be a stay-at-home mom, and ultimately decided to remain one. Then, many years later I worked alongside the chef in a winery, and quickly learned, by that time, I was too old to work so hard. Working in a restaurant kitchen is demanding and stressful work. 

Anyway, I made my processor purchase two days ago.  As is generally the case, DH was the most influential in my decision.  He pushed for the Ninja, impressed by the 1500 watt, 2 horsepower, motor.  Looking for a processor bowl with a feed chute, I found a system that should actually surpass my need, a "Ninja Kitchen System with Auto IQ."  It will go right back if it fails to meet expectations, but I surely do not look forward to re-packing it.  It took nearly an hour to unpack, wash, and store all the components. 

I have not used it yet, but DH is expecting a smoothie for breakfast this morning.  

 

Again, I thank each of you for your opinions and advice.  I came here for direction because I knew I could count on this community of cooks.

[chickenbutt]

Hey Mrs G!  

I saw your thread the other day but didn't say anything since you were only interested in reviews on that one brand/model and I don't have any experience with it.

But I wanted to stop by and say, now that you have made your purchase, I hope you enjoy your machine and it gives you many years of service!  

[IamMrsG]

Hello, @chickenbutt!  Thank you for the good wishes for my processor decision. For future reference, your input would have been welcomed.

I used the Ninja yesterday to make smoothies.  DH and I used to juice a lot, but the novelty quickly wore off because of the labor intensive cleaning of the machine afterwards.  That, added to the fact it took a bathtubful of greens to produce a glass of juice, caused the love to wear thin rather fast.  So when the Breville broke down, we chose not to replace it.

Yesterday's experience was much nicer. As reviews had warned, the motor was loud, but each glassful in the Ninja took 30 seconds and there wasn't a single shred of fiber to scrape out anywhere.  

For anyone interested, here is the smoothie we made:

Sunny Day

1 12 ounce serving

1 medium carrot, cut in quarters
½ small orange
½ ripe banana
1 small celery stalk, cut in quarters
1/4 cup water
2 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into the 24-ounce Tritan™ Nutri Ninja® in the order listed.  Select Auto-iQ™ EXTRACT.

[sandraskates]

Wow @IamMrsG - that is one honker of a Ninja set! You might need to build a little storage unit for all those components. :-)

Glad you're enjoying your purchase.

[IamMrsG]

@sandraskates   I am fairly certain I over bought for my needs.  As I've said previously, I can probably slice or dice, then wash and dry the knife in less time than it would take to pull out and set up the equipment.  

I am fortunate for storage space, so that wasn't an issue.  My biggest concern was hoping I like this set and would not have to re-pack it for return. The wrapping, bagging and boxing involved was remarkable.  If this company takes as much care in manufacturing as they do packaging, I'll be set for life with this Ninja.