I tested the KitchenAid Artisan K400 Blender to see if it was worth the hype

KITCHENAID has cemented itself as one of the leaders in producing high-quality kitchen electronics such as mixers and blenders.

One of the brand's releases, the KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender, claims to whip up everything from shakes and soups to cocktails, so I've decided to put it to the test to see what all the hype is about.

• KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender, £299 from John Lewis -

With summer heading our way many of us might want to begin the health kicks by focusing on in-house meals and snacks, luckily I've had plenty of opportunities to test out the Artisan K400 blender, morning, noon and night.

The KitchenAid Artisan K400 looks great on the kitchen counter—it's just the right mix of style and utility.

Pros:

• Soft start feature that avoids any splashes
• Pre-set recipe programmes
• Self-clean cycle

Cons:

• The blade isn't detachable

Rating: 5/5

KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender review: first impressions

We're a nation obsessed with vitamin-rich smoothies... and I also love a good frozen cocktail, so a blender is an indispensable kitchen appliance these days.

With its powerful 1.5 Peak HP motor, it's incredibly easy to make your smoothies and shakes each morning and snack-time using this hi-tech blender.

This design features the signature ribbed glass KitchenAid jar, with a capacity of 1.4l - easily big enough to make drinks for the whole family.

With a sturdy die-cast metal base and knob and precisely angled, asymmetric stainless steel blades, it can slice through a lot more than bananas: I used the tool to make a variety of meals and snacks, like hummus and baba ghanoush dips as well as vegetable soups.

The blades are well-equipped to obliterate leafy veg, ginger and nuts - it easily mushed, pureed and macerated everything I put in it.

• KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender, £299 from John Lewis -

READ MORE:

• KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8l stand mixer review
• Smeg Stand Mixer review
• Morphy Richards MixStar compact stand mixer review
• Bosch Multitalent 8 MC812M853G food processor review

5-speed dial

I've had a KitchenAid blender before, and it was nowhere near as intuitive or easy to use as this model.

There's a five-speed dial, going from slower to faster (known as the 'Soft Start' feature), which picks up speed and force to give you a delicious, ice-cold smoothie or shake in seconds - without any splatter.

You can also choose to use one of the pre-set functions for crushed ice, icy drinks or smoothies, and there's also a Pulse setting.

It's very straightforward to play around with the different settings to find the one that works best for what you're making. The smart Intelli-speed control and adaptive motor adjust based on the ingredients to produce just the right texture.

• KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender, £299 from John Lewis -

Pre-set recipe programmes

You have a range of options when it comes to precisely controlling the speed of the blender, depending on whether you're spinning tomatoes and avocadoes into salsa, turning veg into soup, or making pina coladas.

The Pulse function is designed for tougher veg and fruit, as well as chopping nuts. It automatically switches off after a few minutes.

The crushed iced function runs at the blender's highest speed for 30 seconds and quickly became a favourite for cocktails at home - I loved making daiquiris, pina coladas and other frozen delights and pretending I were poolside somewhere tropical... instead of in the back garden.

I even made lots of non-alcoholic versions for the kids.

There are also separate smoothie functions to puree fruit or blend ice cream and other delicious sweet stuff for milkshakes and an icy drink function for anyone who uses frozen fruit in their drinks.

• KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender, £299 from John Lewis -

Self-cleaning

One of my favourite features of this appliance is that unlike the near-constant scrubbing I've had to do with most smoothie makers, this blender has a self-clean cycle.

Just fill the jar with some dish soap and water and run the self-clean cycle setting, which will clean the machine in under a minute.

The jar and lid are also dishwasher-safe, so you can run a cycle with them, too.

What colours is it available in?

From basic black to pistachio (a retro mint green), KitchenAid's K400 Artisan blender is available in 11 shades to suit your kitchen style and decor.

There are bright and pastel shades like Cherry Red, Almond Cream and Kyoto Glow, which was KitchenAid's 2020 Colour of the Year and is a bright yellow shade which adds just the pop of colour you need to your kitchen.

I'd also add that the cord isn't too long or unsightly—I barely noticed it on the countertop.

What accessories are included?

The blender comes with a 1.4l glass jar with blades and a sealing lid with a removable cap.

Optional accessories for the Artisan K400 blender include a 1l citrus press, 500ml personal jar, and 200ml small batch jug.

KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender review: final verdict

Having been a smoothie addict for some time, I've been through my share of blenders.

This is my favourite for ease of use and family-friendliness: With four young children constantly requiring healthy snacks and playful drink ideas, this machine has been a staple in our daily routine for the past couple of months. I was able to use it multiple times a day because it's so easy to clean.

If you have a baby, this can easily double as a baby food blender, and I love that the large capacity of the jug means there's enough to satisfy the whole family each time you whip anything up - there were often seconds to be had.

This was always a struggle with my NutriBullet, as I regularly had to use two jars to make enough shakes for us all.

If I had to find a negative, it's that the blade isn't detachable, although, in my experience with the KitchenAid Artisan K400, that didn't affect the cleaning process as much as expected.

I'd also like to think this machine is contributing to a healthy lifestyle change for the whole family - our fruit consumption - especially bananas - has gone up significantly.

Where can I buy the KitchenAid Artisan K400 Blender?

Blenders are a hugely popular item for most kitchens, as a lot of home cooking involves blending things, be it soups and smoothies or pates and sauces.

Since many kitchens use them, finding the KitchenAid blender couldn't be simpler, as many electronic retailers are likely to stock them.

If you don't want to head out to the high street, here's a short list of online retailers that stock the blender:

Is there an Alternative to the Kitchen Aid Artisan K400?

As mentioned before, blenders are a hugely popular kitchen appliance, so finding an alternative isn't too hard.

If, for whatever reason, the KitchenAid doesn't do what you need it to or is simply a bit too pricey, don't worry—there's plenty of competition from the likes of Ninja, Nutribullet, Philliphobs, and Tefal.

Here are a handful of those blenders: