Kenwood BL430 500w

I would a opt for another blender after this Kenwood BL430. I bought a kenwood and within a week it packed up. Smoking and the smell of burnt urbber coming form the blender. I returned and I had a replacment. Lo and behold the same problem. I would never buy Kenwood again!

I have purchased quite a number of products made under the Kenwood brand name. This Kenwood BL430 blender is no different. It has a variety of uses, compatible with a number of kitchen hardware. It is easy to clean, handles quite well a number of products, make dim wits like me, who cannot cook, into producing excellent results.

Kenwood BL430 500w

I'm sure everbody has watched programmes on healthy living and how we should be eating 5 portions of fruit and veg per day. Well as a family, I would say we are quite healthy, we don't east fast food and tend to have the recommended daily intake of fruit and veg.

My daughter for some time has been pestering me for a blender as she wanted to make smoothies which she said was a more fun way of having your 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. So I started looking in the shops, in catalogues and on the internet to find a well made, good brand blender, but i didn't want to pay over the odds for it.

As I think most of you would agree, Kenwood is a respectable, well known brand which has been going for a while now. So I started shopping around for a Kenwood blender. Although my daughter wanted the blender mostly for smoothies, I didn't want to buy one of those smoothie makers as I like to experiment with different ingredients and therefore I could make other things in it while my daughter made her smoothies.

I was flicking through the Argos catalogue to see what they had on offer, I found this blender and it was advertised for £24.99. I thought that was a reasonable price to pay, so off I popped down to Argos to purchase it, only to find that it had now been reduced to £19.99, you can imagine that cheered me up as I love a good bargain.

***The Packaging***

I got the Kenwood blender home and opened the box. The blender was well packaged, there were protective bags and cardboard. I took it all out of the packaging and gave it the once over, the blender wasn't damaged. In the box was the blender, the mill attatchment and some information leaflets.

***THE APPLIANCE***

BLENDER (BASE UNIT) - The blender is white and made of really strong, hard wearing plastic. It has four sucker feet, which grip onto the work top like a dream. There is a knob, which is turned for the different speeds of blending you require. The knob is also made of strong hardwearing plastic and when you turn it there is a clicking sound, which you can tell is good quality. Also on the base unit there is a pulsing button, it is a lilac colour and has a 'P' on it, you press this button down whenever you want to pulse something. The base dismantles from the actual blender jug for easy cleaning. At the back of the base unit there is the plug and wire, the wire is around 4 feet long, ideal for plug sockets that are not directly on the work top. The cable wire can be easily stored into the back of the base unit, either when it isn't in use or when you do not need alot of cable.

BLENDER (GOBLET, BLADES AND LID) - The lid of the blender is white and made of strong plastic. The lid has a thumb tab and also has a removeable cap for the oil drip feed, which is used for making mayonnase, dips etc. The lid locks into position with a mere twist.

The goblet is made of strong clear acrylic and has the measurements printed both sides for left and right handed use. The goblet is 1.5L. The goblet has a profiled pouring spout for clean pouring. The goblet screws into the blade unit.

The blade unit is made of strong white plastic and has a sealing ring at the bottom (which can be removed for cleaning) and 4 blades (2 pointing upwards and 2 downwards) which are all stainless steel.

The handle is also made of a white plastic, it is an ergonomic handle which provides a comfortable grip whilst pouring.

THE MILL ATTATCHEMNT - The attatchment is made of the same strong clear acrylic as the goblet. It also has another blade unit (which can be used for the goblet aswell).

The attatchment has a storage lid and sprikle cap (ideal for sprinking nuts).

***TO USE THE BLENDER***

Using this blender could'nt be easier.

Screw the jug onto the blade unit

Put your ingredients into the goblet

Place the lid on and turn to lock the lid in place

Place the blender onto the base unit and turn to lock (SAFETY FEATURE - the blender does not operate unless the goblet and blades are correctly positoned and locked in)

Switch it on

***THE SPEEDS***

There are 2 speeds or the option to pulse.

Speed 1 is used for lighter blending like batters, milkshakes and scrambled eggs.

Speed 2 is used for soups, sauces , pates and mayonnaise.

The pulse control button is used to operate the motor in start/ stop action. The pulse control operates the motor and keeps it running for as long as the lever in held down - this will allow you to control the texture of various foods eg. pates.

***TO USE YOUR MILL***

Put your ingredients into the jar

Turn the blade unit upside down

Screw the blade unit onto the jar

Place the mill onto the base unit and turn to lock

Switch it on

Optional: you can then use the sprinkler lid to sprinkle out your ingredients

***WHEN USING THE BLENDER***

It is best not to put dry ingredients into the blender before switching it on, as these tend to get caught under the blades and therefore the blender doesn't do it's job.

The machine won't work if the blender or mill is fitted incorrectly - very clever, important safety feature which really does come in handy when your feeling a bit lackadaisical.

***WHEN USING THE MILL***

Use dry ingredients only.

***SAFETY***

CAUTION: Blending very hot liquids may result in hot liquid and steam being forced suddenly past the lid or filler cap. Allow the liquid to coll or reduce the quantity. Protect your hands with a cloth or oven gloves when handling the hot goblet and lid.

Switch off and unplug before removing parts, after use and before cleaning.

Keep your hands away from moving parts.

Don't let children or infirm people use the blender.

***CLEANING***

POWER UNIT - wipe with a damp cloth, then dry.

BLADE UNIT - Remove and wash the sealing ring.

Brush the blades clean using hot soapy water, then rinse thoroughly under the tap. Don't immerse the blade unit in water.

OTHER PARTS - Wash by hands, then dry.

DO NOT PUT ANY PARTS INTO THE DISHWASHER.

***WHAT CAN THE BLENDER PREPARE***

Soups

Batters

Custard

Cocktails

Milkshakes

Smoothies

Biscuit Crumbs

Bread Crumbs

Salad Dressings

Mayonnaise

Desserts

Sauces

Pates

Dips

Crushing Ice - (add 1 tablespoon on water to the ice and operate the blender in short bursts)

Chopping nuts

***A FEW BITS ABOUT THE BLENDER***

Size -19 x 23 x 39 cm

1.5L Easy-clean goblet - completely dismantles for easy cleaning

Stainless steel blades - for smooth, consistent results

Pouring spout - for easy handling

Removeable filler cap with oil drip feed - ieal for mayonnaise and dips

Cord stuffer box - to avoild traling flex

Interlock system - for your safety

Two speed control - with pulse for convenience

Powerful 500W motor

***WHAT HAVE I USED MY BLENDER FOR SO FAR***

So far I have made lots of smoothies, I enjoy making these as they only take around 2 minutes to prepare and you can experiment with different flavours and recipes (there are quite a few nice recipes on the internet), they are also a good way of getting you 5 portions a day and as summer is coming up they will be lovely.

I have also made a few juices (purees) these are also ideal for summer and healthy.

My daughter made her own leek and potato soup the other day, it didn't take long and it was delicious.

I also used it for making biscuit crumbs as I was making my daughters favourite cake, and I can honestly say this beats the rolling pin and a bag method, I was shocked how quick and easy it crushed the biscuits.

We practically have used the blender everyday since we got it, so in my opinion for us it was well worth the money. If you look in catalogues and on the internet you will find that for the same price of £19.99 it will be hard to find as good a blender as this (500W, 1.5L etc), and with a name like Kenwood then you can't go wrong.

So if you are on the look out for a blender that does the job but has a cheap price then this Kenwood blender is for you.