Reviews – The Holistic Journal

There was much excitement in the house when the news that a new, powerful blender would be arriving imminently. My 14 year old daughter couldn’t wait to try her hand at soup, smoothie and sorbet making! So, when it arrived we were all keen to have a play… and it didn’t disappoint.

I’ve had an interest in ‘clean’ eating for a few years now and 2014 saw that interest become more of an obsession! I’ve done a 21 day raw vegan cleanse, various 3 day juice detoxes and have a juice or smoothie most days. The Optimum 9400 out-strips any blender I have tried before as it is both hugely powerful and also seriously easy to clean – and I love the lightweight jug. Plus, an extra bonus is that it is quieter than some of the cheaper options.

My first blender was a cheapy £20 one that I soon realised was not up to the job as it did not crush ice and really didn’t have the grunt to make smoothies actually smooth… there was no point even trying making anything thicker in it. My next blender was the Duronic BL1200 and it has done a reasonable job over the past 12 months; it crushes ice, is OK with frozen fruit and I have made a few raw cheesecakes with it too, though without a plunger it was a bit fiddly. I did have a couple of issues with it which required new parts. I can’t fault the Duronic customer services though, they have been speedy and helpful. So I would say it’s a good one to get if you’re just dipping your toe in the water.

The Optimum 9400 though is for you if you’re serious about incorporating more healthy food into your diet – it is awesome at everything: smoothies, soups, desserts, salad dressings, dips… anything you want to make that is unprocessed, good for you and of course delicious!

Other, cheaper blenders will tide you over but you need something more capable to last the distance and take you to the next level when it comes to being able to experiment with more recipes and really up your raw/veg/fruit experience.

My daughter and I have had lots of fun experimenting with recipes and this is just the beginning. I have a list of smoothies, soups and more that I want to try out that will take me months to get through. There is such an abundance of fabulous recipes available both in the supplied recipe book and online that you really are spoilt for choice as to what to try next!

Speaking of the recipe book, you do get one supplied in the box and it gives a lovely range of recipes that will get you started with your blender. So, if you’re completely new to blending then you will have something to get you started. We’re working our way through them all!

Rather brilliantly, you also get a nut milk bag in the box – which means you can immediately make your own nut milks, which are super easy to do and of course much healthier than any you could buy in the shops.

I am delighted with the Optimum 9400 – it’s a wonderful blender that opens up new possibilities for healthy eating. I would recommend it to you highly. In fact I now have a growing number of friends who own them and they are all ridiculously in love with their blenders! haha – if you want a blender that will last and enable you to do anything you could possibly want to do with a blender then try the Optimum 9400. You won’t be disappointed!

Things we’ve made so far:

This amazing ‘Cherry Berry Pie Recipe‘ from Jo Balfe at the Nectar Cafe: http://thenectarcafe.co.uk/cherryberry-pie/

Which came out like this (not as beautiful as Jo’s but delicious non-the-less!):

Mango Sorbet – we made it simply with ice and mango pulp but will be trying these 3 Sorbet Recipes: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/1003505/3-easy-sorbets-made-in-the-blender

We also have been having a go at hot soup (yes you literally just add veg and then let the blender heat it up – magic!!)

I’ve also used the Optimum 9400 to make passata and other sauces that I’ve mixed in with say mince or lentils to create a thick, tasty sauces without the need for flour or other thickeners.

[Sneaky parent tip] if you have children you can blend up all sorts of great veggies and add them to say a bolognaise or cottage pie and they are non-the-wiser! A brilliant way to get more veg into their diets. Also, most children love smoothies and even more so if they can make them – I have seen my daughter easting far more healthily since we started blending and she loves any excuse to have a go with it and make something. It’s also encouraged her to try LOTS of things she wouldn’t ordinarily try, which is fantastic.

What do you get?

The base unit
A BPA free lightweight plastic jug with ‘plunger’ lid
Nut milk bag
Recipe book
Spatula

The Specs:

– Powerful Industrial High Speed 3 Horse Power motor – The Most Powerful motor for any blender
– Incredible speed of 44,000 rpm, able to freeze ice cream and heat soups
– Variable Dial- 9 Speed Control Settings
– Heat-Resistant BPA FREE 2L Jug – Wet & Dry Applications
– Approved by FDA, UL and the European Commission for Food Safety
– High quality tamper tool
– State of the art Two in One Stainless Steel blade cutting assembly – Crushes ice, nuts and fruits in seconds
– Built-in sensor to detect over-usage; prolonging life of blender
– Green Energy Consumption: Proprietary carbon brush motor only draws the power demanded