Kitchen

[ChazzyLady]

I was a bit tempted to buy this version of the Nutri Ninja presented during this Wedneday's ITKWD. However I controlled myself and checked out the reviews and the average was about three stars. A lot of the complaints/observations were about the FreshVac technology which is supposed to vacuum out the air before blending to eliminate oxidation which the vendor said was great for those wanting to make a whole food smoothie the night before. Many said that it seemed to fail after a few uses.

Other negative comments said that it didn't perform as demonstrated which is a huge pet peeve of mine. But, to be fair, others loved it and really liked the results. Pretty much everyone said that this bad boy is LOUD, LOL!

I don't really care about the whole fresh vac thing. I am more concerned that it works as a nutrient extractor pulverizing and liquifying solids such as hard fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. Also it's really important to me that it completely breaks down the seeds in berries--strawberries, blackberries, and especially raspberries as well as green leafy vegetables.

I guess I should be wary since it's on clearance but wanted to hear from those of you who own it.

Thanks. 😊

[cindyNC]

Epicurious had a review of stick blenders and indicated that the $95 All-Clad works for smoothies. 

The Best Simple Immersion Blender: All-Clad Stainless Steel Hand Blender

With 600 watts of power, the All-Clad is a superhero of an immersion blender. It has a variable speed dial and a turbo setting (take the top of the speed dial and crank it several steps higher), but the regular dial is so strong, we can’t imagine what you would need the turbo setting for. It made our soup super-smooth quickly and easily. At 9 ¼ inches, the shaft is longer than some of the other models we tested, so it can get down into bigger pots and containers with ease (but it’s not so crazy-long that storing it would be an issue). The blender feels comfortable to hold and easy to manage; I never felt like the blender was handling me. Considering the power this thing has, it isn’t especially loud, even on the turbo setting (though none of the immersion blenders we tested are what we would call quiet).

Given the price, the All-Clad has to earn its keep, so it’s a good choice if you really plan to put it to work. This one’s for you if you make smoothies every morning or do a lot of puréeing, say for creamy soups or baby food. If you’re someone who uses an immersion blender a couple of times a year—or just want to try one out to see if it's worth the hype—this model is more firepower than you need. (For something more affordable, we recommend the Cuisinart Two Speed Smart Stick or the KOIOS Powerful 2-in-1 Hand Blender, but more on those further down.) The All-Clad doesn’t come with a container or attachments like a whisk and chopper; the lack of accessories is either a drawback or a benefit, depending on what equipment you already have and the size of your kitchen.

[ChazzyLady]

Hi CindyNC. Thanks for that wonderful detailed response. My delay in responding to your post was trying to find an image of the stick blender I have. It's the Cuisinart Smart Stick immersion blender. It's an older model, 200 watts with just one speed but it's so powerful that I don't miss having more speeds. Here's the closest image I could find of what mine looks like:

As you can see, it's not just an immersion blender but also has a wisk attachment (really quick whipped cream), a two cup beaker and best of all a two cup mini-food processor which is fabulous for homemade salsas, hummus, baba ghannouj and more. I think this was one of the earliest versions by Cuisinart. I also use the immersion blender like you do to thicken soups as well as to puree whole tomatoes in my homemade pasta sauce. I also have a large bar blender to make my smoothies.

The Nutri Ninja product I was considering is "allegedly" a whole food nutrient extractor. As good as they are, neither my bar blender nor the Cuisinart can liquify whole pieces of fruits and vegetables, and definitely can't break down the seeds in berries. For instance, I love the flavor of raspberries but can't stand to eat them whole or even in a smoothie because I don't like a mouthful of seeds.

Still debating on whether to get the Nutri Ninja.

Thanks again.

[Renata22]

I have the nutri ninja and it is really powerful. I got it as soon as it came out and paid too much for it. The clearance price is a steal and I would grab it if I didn't already have it. It is very loud and you have to make sure not to leave it too close to the edge of the counter because it can walk. But it has pulverized anything I have ever put in it. Not sure if the one on clearance is the same model I have, but you can program this one to do exactly what you want it to. I guess you could say I like it.

[ChazzyLady]

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@Renata22 wrote:

I have the nutri ninja and it is really powerful. I got it as soon as it came out and paid too much for it. The clearance price is a steal and I would grab it if I didn't already have it. It is very loud and you have to make sure not to leave it too close to the edge of the counter because it can walk. But it has pulverized anything I have ever put in it. Not sure if the one on clearance is the same model I have, but you can program this one to do exactly what you want it to. I guess you could say I like it.

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Thanks so much Renata. I just saw your response and appreciate your comments. That's exactly what I was wondering, if the Nutri Ninja would pulverize solids. As I said earlier, completely pulverizing seeds is super important for me and it just wasn't clear from the presentation if that was happening (I even re-watched the presentation, but still wasn't sure).

I know that probably the best choice to be absolutely sure would be a Vitamix but I just don't want to invest $400-$500.00 or more for one at this time, even with Easy Pay LOL!I

Thanks again.