A powerful blender is one of the best kitchen tools you can have, and to be considered ‘powerful’ your blender should carve through ice, mix up slushy drinks, and whip through frozen fruit and nuts without struggling. I’ve tested out quite a few different powerful blenders, and now that I’ve used the KitchenAid K400 Blender, I have another great powerful blender to recommend.
The KitchenAid K400 Blender is a countertop blender with 1200 watts of power. It’s compact, has great style, and it can literally shred through ice, vegetables, fruit, and more with no problems at all. The included 16 oz. personal blender cup is also a dream to use.
Appearance and features of the KitchenAid K400 blender
The KitchenAid K400 Blender is a 5-speed blender with a BPA-free 1.66 liter bucket. It’s only 40.1 cm (15.79 inches) high so it fits neatly under your cabinets. It’s available in several colours including Passion Red, Matte Black, Countour Silver, and White.
- 1200 watt stand blender with 5 speeds for blending, mixing, and pureeing
- 1.66-liter BPA-free square single-wall jar blends up family-sized drinks or desserts
- Intelli-Speed motor control senses what’s in the bucket and maintains the optimal speed for whatever you are blending
- Preset programs include Ice Crush, Icy Drinks, and Smoothie
- Soft Start is a unique KitchenAid feature that reduces splatter by slowly building up speed in the bucket
- 16-ounce personal blending cup and lid let you blend a smoothie and take it on the go
Testing the KitchenAid K400 blender
The second I unpacked the KitchenAid K400 blender I liked it, and I hadn’t even turned it on yet. That’s because this powerful blender can sit under my kitchen cabinets, leaving me with the option of placing it neatly in a corner. With other blenders I’ve always had to have clearance for them while on the counter, so it’s nice the KitchenAid K400 Blender is so compact.
I also love how the matte silver colour resists marking and fingerprints. It makes it easy to clean and keep clean.
What you can make in the KitchenAid K400
With a powerful blender like the KitchenAid K400, you can make scrambled eggs, ice cream, frozen beverages, cheesecake, dough, and more.
Crushing ice with the KitchenAid K400 blender
For me, the ultimate test for a blender is how well it can crush ice. I’m happy to report that the KitchenAid K400 blender has no problem at all in the ice department. I put a tray of ice cubes in the blender and it pulverized them into ice chips. I didn’t have to adjust the speed of the blender as I put it on the ice crush preset, and when it was finished it turned itself off.
Crushing ice is where you can see the Intelli-Speed motor control kick in. The blender will sense what is in the bucket and keep the motor at the right speed to crush all of your ingredients.
3 presets for easy blending
There are 3 presets on this blender and I tested all of them. Smoothie will run the blender at top speed to crush whatever you’ve placed in the bucket. I used the personal blending cup and the large bucket to blend smoothies, tapped the preset, and let the blender do the work.
It definitely senses what you’ve put in the bucket because it took a bit longer to blend a smoothie I added almonds too. Every time I made a smoothie with the KitchenAid K400 it turned out great, and the personal blending cup is a must if you have kids who love to take smoothies on the go.
Whipping up eggs benny
We always use our blender on weekends when we’re making breakfast, and this blender can take on everything from french toast to scrambled eggs or eggs benny. We made hollandaise sauce in the KitchenAid K400 and my husband loved it.
He did find that there was a bit of a learning curve. When he drizzled in the butter the blender whipped it so fast at speed 3 that it became a bit too thick. He was able to use the top of the bucket and drizzle in more hot butter, and that made the sauce the right consistency.
Reduce your blender splatter
When we were making hollandaise sauce we were able to see the Soft Start feature in action. When you choose your speed and press start, the blender starts up very slowly to reduce splatter. I did notice there was less splatter on the sides of the bowl, and when you’re dealing with small quantities of a sauce like hollandaise, you definitely want to keep the sauce together in the bottom of the blender. If it splatters all over the sides, it won’t mix properly.
Clean up is easy
There is a preset for cleaning the bowl on the KitchenAid K400. You fill the bucket with warm water and turn it to clean. The blender will turn on and run at top speed to lift any food away from the blade.
The blades aren’t removable and they are very sharp, so you shouldn’t reach inside the blender and try to clean around them. If the clean preset doesn’t lift whatever is in the bottom of the bucket the first time, you can let the water sit at the bottom of the bucket for 1/2 hour or so and try again.
You can also just put the bucket of the blender in the dishwasher as both the bucket and the personal cup are dishwasher safe. The lids and plunger are dishwasher safe too.
Should you choose the KitchenAid K400 blender?
The KitchenAid K400 fits neatly under your countertop, has one family-sized and one personal-sized blending bucket, and cleans up easily. What’s not to love? It doesn’t hurt that the KitchenAid K400 has a sleek, matte finish that looks great in every kitchen and can crush ice like it’s nothing.
If you rely on your daily smoothie or you want a small appliance that has the power to crush nuts for nut butter or blend soft vegetables for dips and other dishes, the KitchenAid K400 is a great choice. It stands head to head with other high-performance blenders I’ve tried, and there was nothing I put in the bucket that it struggled with.
You can find the KitchenAid K400 blender on Best Buy right now.
