How to Use Ninja Blender: Tips & Tricks to Get You Started Without Injuries

What’s the longevity of a Ninja Blender? Can you blend frozen fruits with the machine? Would a Ninja Kitchen system replace a food processor? These are some common questions in the Ninja Kitchen community forum and Amazon’s Customer questions & answers section. I have decided to do this topic today as it seems many people don’t know how to use Ninja blender, which is quite risky, if I may say.

While it’s one of the bestselling brands in the market, Ninja blender could be dangerous if used wrongly. Not to say a Blendtec or Vitamix blender isn’t, but Ninja requires double attention to ensure maximum efficiency and safety.

Total Crushing Technology: Great but Potentially Dangerous

The total crushing technology has been one of the most crucial features in a Ninja blender. While looking at Ninja Blender 1500 Watts, I mentioned the effectiveness of the feature when it comes to crushing ice and working with frozen fruits. Due to limited time, I didn’t remember to mention the precautionary measures from the manufacturer, which’s what I would like to touch on.

Despite being Ninja’s signature system, the total crushing technology uses an exclusive blade assembly, with six sharp blades mounted at different heights. Unlike my Vitamix 5200 that has a fixed blade, this stacked blade system has a convertible style that can be removable from the pitcher. So, you’ll always come in contact with it when cleaning, before you blend, and as you serve your smoothie.

In the process of removing and attaching the blade, quite a number of people have suffered lacerations injuries. In November 2015, Ninja Kitchen even had to recall up to twelve blender models so that they can issue a solution.

Surprisingly, Ninja BL660, one of the bestsellers on Amazon (with over 21,000 positive customer reviews) was amongst in the recall. It had seven different variants affected, including BL660, BL660B, BL660C, BL660QCN, BL660QPL, BL660W, BL660WM.

But as the stacked blade was the key to the Total Crushing feature, the company couldn’t alter the design. They only imposed multiple stricter precautions and warnings in the instruction manuals. So, you’ll need to peruse them before you do anything else.

Is a Ninja Blender Really Worth it?

Even after the recalls, many people continued and still favor Ninja blender over the rest. Of course, you’ll find comments that wish to have a high-end Vitamix or Blendtec, but their high tag has had many seek alternative solutions. And when it comes to an alternative high-power blender, Ninja Kitchen has been at the top for a while now, albeit Nutribullet is coming up pretty well, then Oster has unbeatable pricing.
Here’s a summary of the eight top reasons why people love Ninja blender:

• Generous Pricing:

This is the first main reason Ninja is a favorite to many households. You can get a nice countertop blender that even has the famous Auto-iQ blending programs at less than $100. But if you want to take your blending to the next level with the brand, prepare to spend around $180 or $190.

• Powerful Motors:

In General, Ninja is one of the choices if you need the best blender for ice and frozen fruit. It has a powerful motor that ranges as high as 1500 watts, if you agree to withstand the deafening noise. The least goes to the Ninja Nutri Pro that packs a 900-watt motor, which is still strong enough to eat through icy foods.

• Sharp Blades:

If you can handle them with care, Ninja blender blades can be very helpful in chopping from their sharp edges. They also help enhance blending and relieve stress on the motor to improve longevity.

**Even when the motor rates 1500 watts, a regular blender use “low-grade” components to sustain the low price-point. This is why a blender like Ninja has sharp blades to cut through ingredients, whereas high-end machines have blunt edges to pummel through the foods. So, Vitamix or Blendtec relies on the motor power to blend or grind stuff.**

• Versatility:

Another reason Ninja blenders are famous is because of their multifaceted design. Nearly all countertops, especially those with Total Crushing Technology, support the standard full-size jar, single-serve cups, and the food processor bowl. Hence, allowing you to perform specific functions with greater efficiency.

That said, though, Ninja blender isn’t ideal to make a milkshake from the nature of the blade assembly and also no space for a tamper. It also tends to struggle to refine small grains (due to the blade as well). Thus, not the best if you need to be making flour.

• Easy to Store:

Most consumer Ninja blenders have a total height of about 17-18 inches when the jar is locking to the base. As such, you can easily slip under the standard 18-inch cabinet to keep your kitchen neat and childproof.

• Durability:

Even though we can’t compare with a true high-power blender, Ninja systems can serve you for long when properly maintained. From a quick survey on the community forums, many people confirmed the motor to last for one to five years. But this is for light users who don’t do heavy-duty blending regularly.

Ps. the blending container is mostly the first to die, with either cracking on the sides or breaking its plastic drive system.

• High Recommendation:

It’s obvious everyone is more likely to buy the best-rated products compared to those with negative reviews. Ninja has been very successful on this one, specifically on Amazon, whereby multiple blender models rank with more than 10,000 positive ratings.

• Many Options to Pick

Last but not least, Ninja has a wide range of products to choose from for your kitchen. Each blender series is available in several variations, featuring different accessories to use. As I said earlier, many blender models support full-size, single-serve, and food processor tasks. So, you’ll find a single series has up to ten variations that only differ from the choice of accessories included. A good example is Ninja BL770 vs BL771 that is part of the Ninja Kitchen System category.

How to Use a Ninja Blender Properly

Although I’ve forgotten to mention, Ninja Kitchen does have individual single-serve personal blenders. Some of them have buttons you can use to operate and others don’t have any. So, the way you work your Ninja will primarily depend on the system at hand.

• Working with a Ninja Countertop Blender

The following are seven crucial tips that can help ensure you can make the best of your full-size Ninja blender without injuries.

• Read the Manufacturer’s Guidelines

Many of us hardly read through the setup and instructional manuals that usually come with machines. But when it comes to Ninja, you truly have to review the various guidelines if you’re to make the most with your machine. In the manuals, you will knot only know how to start and operate your blender but also understand the various warning and cautions.

• Assemble Everything You Need

When you get a full-size Ninja blender, you’ll notice more than eight accessories in the box. Powerbase, 72-ounce pitcher + stacked blade + lid, food processor attachment + dough hook + chopping blade, and single-serve cups + pro extractor blade. Of course, some will have lesser or more accessories than this, but whichever the case, you should make sure the table has all the items you need.

If you’re making a smoothie for a whole family, the full-size pitcher bundle and power base are all you’ll need. Don’t crowd the workspace with accessories you aren’t using or start looking for the lid when you have already loaded the container. Remember, peeled fruits like apples start discoloring when exposed to air.

• Lock but don’t Load

After you place the pitcher on the base, you have to make sure the safety tabs lock it in position. Otherwise, the machine won’t power on or at extreme risks getting an electric shock.

Next, you’ll need to connect stacked blade assembly onto the gear shaft, carefully and properly. It will fit loosely on this drive system part, so you have to make sure it stands straight. Otherwise, the lid won’t close well and the machine won’t switch on.

• Maintain the Maximum ingredient marking line

You should always load ingredients into the container after setting up the stacked blade; not before. Also, make sure you don’t exceed the highest MAX filling line, which is at the 64-ounce mark when blending liquid mixtures.

Once done with that, you can now secure the lid on top of the jar, making sure both align properly. Failure to do that the lid won’t close properly, which could lead to an injury as not all blender models have the safety self-lock feature.

• Give the Power and Blend

If the base, blade assembly, and lid are all locked in position well, you can now connect the power cord to the electrical outlet. All ninja blenders, except the Foodi smart TORQUE series, have three different running speeds. So, make sure the speed you’re running is the right one for your task at hand. If it’s pureeing and liquefying, the highest is the best, then chopping and mixing the lowest.

• Wait and Remove the Stacked Blade

If you’re not using automated programs, you can stop blending with the available power button. But like any other motorized machine, do wait for the blade to stop spinning to serve your recipe. With Ninja blender, you actually have to wait until it’s completely still to avoid the blade shooting out of place.

If it’s a smoothie, and maybe you surpassed the MAX filling line, you can use the pouring spout to serve into the glasses. But for things like salads and salsa, you’ll have to serve from the main mouth. So, always remember to remove the lid and stacked blade first as rushing to hold it (when dropping) could leave you some serious deep cuts.

• Clean Immediately With Caution

With any blender, you should always clean after use to prevent the container from clouding and also the foul rotten smell. Yet again, Ninja Company reminds their consumers that the stacked blade is extremely sharp. Thus, should be washed with a cleaning tool that has a handle to “avoid direct hand contact with the blades”. The blade has crevices where food materials can hide. So, make sure you wash thoroughly to prevent it from ruining your next recipe.

• Working With Single Serve Personal Blender

If you have a single-serve personal blender like the Ninja Ninja BL480D, the operation is not the same as that of a countertop machine. Of course, you’ll still need to read through the Ninja safety guidelines before blending. But few things will change in between.

If it’s loading the ingredients into the blending cups, you should never exceed the maximum line. Too much pressure inside could cause issues of leaking, and also the blend might not have enough space to whirl. Thus, leaving you with an inconsistent smoothie blend.

Another thing, the line of Nutri Ninja Pro doesn’t have control buttons like those of the Ninja BL480D. It also doesn’t lock for a hands-free control feature as we saw in the Nutribullet vs Magic Bullet vs Ninja review. So, you can only blend in short pulses by pressing down the cup from the top when inverted, of course.

The Best Ninja Countertop and Personal blenders Comparison Chart

Please Note:
Despite having a 72-oz capacity, the full-size blending container has the Max line at the 64-ounce mark. As such, the extra volume is to ensure you have got enough room to hold the blade for removal without touching your smoothies. But if you won’t mind serving through the pouring spout and agree to keep a keen eye, I see no reason you shouldn’t do eight or eight-and-a-half cups of content. Just do it knowing the potential risks as stated in the manufacturer’s guidelines.

To Conclude:

We can all agree Ninja is a remarkable blender for home use. It’s amazing pricing, compelling performance, and the kind of flexibility you’d want when you live alone. If it’s a machine like the Ninja BL660, you can choose to use it for large blending, single 2-cup blending, or food prep tasks.

Also, the company has a wide range of products to choose from, with some featuring cool styling that compliments your modern kitchen setting.

But again, Ninja blenders are for light users who won’t be crushing ice every day or don’t need grinding coffee and other grains. The blades, both the stacked 6-blade assembly and the Pro extractor blade, also have pointy, razor-sharp edges. So, you should handle them with great care to not add the recipe with your finger’s red juice.