Banana and mango smoothie - so easy to wear! (Kenwood BL440)

Name: SusanLesley

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Product:	Kenwood BL440
Date:	01.05.08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Efficient, easy to use, smart, good price.

Disadvantages: You need to be careful when you remove the full jug from the base.

Recently I decided it was time to replace my blender. The old one was looking pretty sad with a cracked jug and I figured it was only a matter of time before there was a messy accident! As it happened it was the new one that gave me this experience, but more about that later!

I do enjoy my smoothies so the blender stands permanently on the kitchen work surface and gets used on a regular basis, so it isn't one of those gadgets that get relegated to the back of the cupboard!

We had still got some Debenhams vouchers left from a wedding present received three years ago (we don't shop at Debenhams very often!) so we took a look there and found a Kenwood BL440 which was a blender with a grinder attachment and was just £20.

This was ideal for me - I didn't want to pay a fortune for a 'smoothie maker' when this would do the job just as well and I got a grinder as a bonus!

The blender has a generous one and a half litre jug with twin speeds and a pulse feature so that you can give you control over the amount of time the blender is operating - for making pates etc. where the correct texture is important.

The grinder is a small basic unit with stainless steel blades ideal for grinding coffee or chopping nuts. I haven't actually used the grinder on this particular model yet but have used them on other models in the past and have found them quick and efficient.

The blender is white with an 'ergonomically designed handle' which is basically a handle that is easy to grip so that you can twist the blender to lock it on the base or remove it from the same. The acrylic blender jug is transparent (obviously), with a pouring spout and is calibrated down both sides for left or right handed use. The blades in the blender are stainless steel and very sharp so be careful when you are cleaning them! The lid has a removable centre piece so that extra liquids can be added during the blending process.

To use the blender you just have to put the jug onto the 500 watt base power unit and twist it until it locks. You then place the items you want to blend into the jug and put the lid on again twisting it until it locks into place.

The safety system means that the blender will only operate when the jug is twisted and locked into the base unit.

On the front of the base unit there is a dial to twist to the right once for the slower speed and again for the faster speed. Above this there is a further control which you just press down for a burst of extra blending. When using this control the blades only spin whilst the control is depressed so you have more control over the blending process.

Once the blending process is complete the jug is twisted back off the base unit and the mixture can them be poured into a glass.

To clean the jug unit the whole thing comes to pieces to give the lid, the jug, the sealing ring and the blade unit. These can then be thoroughly cleaned in water with ordinary washing up liquid and then dried and put back together ready for the next smoothie!

This dismantling process is where a problem can occur if you are not very careful. My first attempt at using the blender ended with me wearing my smoothie!

I used the blender as instructed and made a pint of banana and mango smoothie. I gripped the handle and twisted to remove the jug from the base unit except that the thing separated at the point where the blade unit joined the jug and thus the contents flooded out of the blender all over me, the work surface and the floor! I am now very careful to hold the bottom of the blade unit as I twist the jug from the base so that the unit separates in the correct place!

Apart from that false start the blender has been an excellent addition to the kitchen. In fact as I have been writing this review I took a break and made a breakfast smoothie from skimmed milk, two bananas, a tablespoon of blackberries and an Oatibix biscuit - yummy! Other favourites to add to my usual base of milk and bananas include mango, raspberries and strawberries.

I would definitely recommend this piece of kit!

This will be posted on Ciao in the fullness of time.

Summary: A great blender for your smoothies.