Mixing it Up

Viking

If you’ve spent any time toiling over kitchen tasks, you know that motors trump muscles. To that end, manufacturers of small kitchen appliances are making it easier than ever before to whip cream, knead dough or froth a smoothie.

Today you’ll find food processors that have more capacity, and food processors, countertop blenders and stand mixers that have redesigned blades. We found that these blades blend, chop and slice food more quickly and uniformly than conventional blades did. And because prices have remained about the same as they were 2 years ago, you’re getting more for your money.

BLADE RUNNERS. When it comes to the design of the blades that blend or slice food, two brands—KitchenAid and Ninja—stand out among the crowd. Last August, KitchenAid introduced a food processor that has a slicing blade that’s adjustable from the outside of the machine via a lever. On other models, you must remove the lid to change the slicing width. This feature makes the slicing process easier and more efficient, because you can adjust the slicing thickness more quickly. KitchenAid’s blade also performs at both slow and fast speeds—the other food processor that has an adjustable slicing blade, which is made by Cuisinart, has only one speed. We found that two speeds are handy for different foods. (Softer foods, such as tomatoes, slice more cleanly at the slower speed, while a fast speed is necessary for harder foods.)

Although the externally adjustable blade combined with variable slicing speeds is an industry first, the added features (and a slightly larger capacity) don’t cut into your wallet. The price of the machine ($250) is identical to that of the previous model.

KitchenAid this year also introduced an accessory, the Flex Edge Beater ($40), for its line of stand mixers. What’s new is that it’s the first time that a stand-mixer manufacturer has produced its own bowl-scraping-blade design. Until now, these spatulalike blades have been available only from third-party vendors.

Although we wouldn’t be surprised if other manufacturers follow in KitchenAid’s footsteps to deter their customers from buying third-party accessories, you should know that these spatulalike blades work essentially the same regardless of the origin. A flexible strip that’s along the edge of the blade scrapes the mixture off the side of the bowl as the mixer runs. However, we found that KitchenAid’s self-scraping blade, like the third-party versions, struggles to scrape off—and aren’t recommended by manufacturers for—stiffer mixtures, such as bread dough or cookie dough.

Meanwhile, a blender by Ninja, which is a brand that Euro-Pro introduced in 2009, has taken blade design in another direction. The Professional NJ600 ($100) has a series of blades that run along a long stem that’s placed inside of the blender jar. Other blenders have blades only at the bottom.

We found that the Professional NJ600’s design is more effective than are conventional blade configurations. It crushes ice quickly and evenly into a snowlike consistency and blends a cold soup to a velvety-smooth consistency. Conventional blender-blade design can lead to uneven blending or the need to stop occasionally to push the mixture down. Consequently, the blade design allowed Ninja to raise the bar on jar size to 72 ounces. Blenders typically top out at 60-ounce jar capacity, but we found that the stacked-blade design ensures that even a 72-ounce mixture blends fully. We anticipate that other manufacturers will retool their blades to make them more effective, although it seems unlikely that any will top the 72-ounce jar size as a result.

VERSATILE VIBES. Manufacturers of small kitchen appliances continue to make their products more versatile then ever before. We found three manufacturers of immersion blenders—DeLonghi, Hamilton Beach and KitchenAid—that make more attachments for their products than they did 2 years ago. Consequently, you now will find chopper, pan-blender and frothing attachments, as well as caps or attachments that are intended to protect nonstick pans from being scratched.