Ninja - UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System - Machine Gray

This is my second blender kitchen system from Ninja. This multi-purpose appliance comes with a full-size 72 oz pitcher, a food processing bowl, and a single-serve 18 oz blender cup with drink lid. All of these containers are made of heavy-duty plastic that feels thick and durable. Each one fits the 1500 Watt motor base and are secured using a twist-to-lock mechanism. The base has 4 main modes: low, medium, high, and max as well as a push-to-activate pulse button. Main modes run for a maximum of 60 seconds before stopping automatically to prevent motor burnout, though can be stopped manually at any time by pressing the power or running mode button a second time. The suction cups under the base are quite strong and keep the base firmly planted on my stone countertop while the machine is operating, but are easy enough to un-stick by breaking the seal with your fingernail. The personal blender cup is short and squat, and the blade assembly is a twist-off cap threaded on the interior of the cup’s rim. While it can hold up to 18 oz if you fill it to bottom of the threads, the max amount of ingredients you can add for blending is 16 oz. It’s a good size for making a single-serve smoothie, a bowl of fresh salsa, or crushing ingredients for recipes like pesto. When the blades are installed, it is leak-proof and airtight, for this reason you should not put hot food or carbonated liquid in it as this can cause dangerous excess pressure to build-up inside. You’ll also want to avoid blending very hard, dry ingredients like grains and spices without adding liquid. With this vessel, the Max mode is an automatic program that pulses the blades in short bursts with increasing power over the course of 30 seconds. During operation, the motor is quite loud and the gear assembly that turns the blades on mine squeaks a bit, so expect it to make a bunch of noise. Included is a leak-proof, flip-top drink lid for the cup, so you can drink from it or pour out its contents mess-free. I like that this lid has a rubber grip all around to assist with twisting it on and off. The cover over the spout folds flat into a recess and stays out of the way when you drink or pour. When you’re finished blending, you'll need to remove the blades and store with the drink cap to prevent the cup from building up pressure or creating a vacuum as ingredients off-gas or cool. The large 72 oz pitcher is great for blending a large amount of ingredients completely smooth like frozen drinks and smoothies. This max capacity is when the pitcher is filled just below the lid, but the max limit for ingredients is 64 oz. It is marked with half-cup increments from 1 to 8 cups and 100 mL from 200 to 1900. For this vessel, the Max mode is a 1-minute automated program that starts off with several pulses to pre-grind ingredients before switching to a constant high powered blend for super smooth results. It was the perfect tool for breaking down cooked and cooled pumpkin to puree the stringy flesh so I could use it in soup and as pie filling. It also is powerful enough to grind ice cubes into fine, snowy powder that you can use in drinks and shakes. The 6-blade spindle for the pitcher is removable, though must be installed prior to placing food in the container so that it can seat correctly. The lid is secured by folding the handle down flat until it clicks. Once locked in, you must press the release button on top to pop up and unfold the handle to remove it. The lid also has a flip top pour spout that is leak-free when closed. If your final product is thin enough to pour, you can simply pop open the lid over the pour spout. If you remove the lid prior to pouring out its contents, you’ll need to take the blades out first, otherwise they will fall out when you pour. The 64 oz food processor bowl for this machine also has locking lid, but does not have a pour spout or feed chute; nor does it come with a disc blade for shredding and slicing, so you’ll be limited to chopping, dicing, and mincing foods. There is, however, a small door on top covering a 3/8” inch diameter fill hole. This opening is slightly funneled so you can drizzle in liquids while blending to thin or emulsify your mix. Take care to add only a thin stream of liquid if the blender is running, as air will also escape this hole and filling too fast may cause the liquid to bubble up and splatter. I found it a bit cleaner to pause blending prior to adding the liquid through the port, then close the door before continuing to blend. This functionality allowed me to thin my homemade hummus to the consistency I like without having to remove the lid to add water. Because all the blades are very sharp, be cautious when when scraping off stuck on ingredients and washing to avoid injury. The handles on the lids for the pitcher and food processing bowl can only fold flat when attached to their respective vessels, so they should be installed with the blade assemblies prior to storage. Overall, the Ninja Ultracrush Professional Kitchen System meets the needs of a full-size blender, chopping food processor, and single-serve personal blender with just one small appliance, taking up less space on my counter and even fits under my kitchen cabinets with the tall pitcher installed. It has a powerful motor that can crush and blend down ingredients like ice and vegetables smoothly and quickly. All removable parts are easy to clean as they are top-rack dishwasher safe, and oftentimes, simply running the blender with a bit of warm soapy water inside is enough to get everything mostly clean without scrubbing.

My family has been longing for a new blender and food processor combo since forever. Our current blender lacks the power needed to blend smoothies and fails as a food processor. We wanted something that could perform well at making smoothies and chopping vegetables, so we thought a Ninja product would fit our needs. After reviewing several options, we landed on the Ninja UltaCrush Professinoal Kitchen system. The biggest selling points for me were the 1500 watts of power and the multiple accessories that the Ninja UltraCrush system has. The design of the Ninja UltraCrush Professional Kitchen system is unique. The color of the blender is machine gray with four manual buttons (low, medium, high, and max). Also comes with a large 72-ounce pitcher that can make all sorts of drinks. Also comes equipped with a stacked blade assembly. Having a separate processing bowl that can chop fruits and vegetables makes this system a must buy for me. The added single serve-cup is icing on the cake. My son loves to make smoothies in the mornings, so having the ability to make one 18-ounce smoothie helps save time and money. The blades are sharp, so it is recommended to handle them with care. To clean, the manufacturer recommends purchasing a brush with a handle to clean the blades. The containers are made of hard plastic and can be easily hand washed and is dishwasher safe. The lids include arrows to help with alignment when closing and includes a release button on both lids to ensure safety. Only downside is the handles remain in the up position and can only be closed when seated in the pitcher or bowl. The Ninja Professional kitchen system is really good at both blending and serving as a food processor. As a family, we are now able to experiment with different drinks and food choices. This also allows the family to eat more healthier options, so having the UltraCrush is a huge win in my book.

Calling this a Professional Kitchen System might be exaggerating, but it is definitely more than a blender. It’s basically three devices in one: a blender, a single-serve smoothie maker, and a food processor. Each blending vessel has a single blade system (contrasting with other blenders that have multiple blades for various purposes), but each seems very well suited to do the job. Each operates at a different speed, thanks to integrated gear systems, which is something I haven’t seen in other products. Each vessel also easily and securely locks in place on the motor base, which adds a sense of safety. There are some smartly place sensors that prevent the motor from being turned on unless a vessel and lid are fully locked in place. Overall it feels like a well-considered system with features that would be a pleasure to use at home or in a commercial setting. My first complaint was during unboxing. Everything (even some cardboard inserts) was individually bagged in plastic. It seemed like Ninja must have had some extra plastic they wanted to get rid of, but I didn’t appreciate having to add all that unnecessary material to my landfill. Some of the packaging was clearly for safety purposes—to keep you from cutting yourself on the sharp blades—but this was definitely overkill. The motor base itself feels very secure on the table with little vibration when it’s operating. Suction cups on the bottom help keep it from moving around. It’s relatively quiet, which I really appreciate. The controls are easy to understand, with each button press starting a 60-second cycle for set-it-and-walk-away operation. And I always feel fine walking away from it, since everything latches and locks securely: no chance of a pitcher flying off or a top coming loose and spraying food all over the place. 18 oz Single Serve Cup: This is perfect for making a single smoothie or blending a protein shake. The blades spin extra fast, whipping a drink into creamy deliciousness. I previously had a small portable blender for this work. The Ninja gets the job done in seconds compared to my old single-serve blender which would take multiple cycles over a couple minutes to get to a smooth consistency. The first time I used it, though, I made the mistake of putting solid ingredients in first. I should have put liquid in first and solids on the bottom, since the cup gets turned upside down onto the blades. Whatever I put in first had a tendency to stick to the bottom (top) and not get mixed in by the blades. Once I knew not to do that, though, I was fine. My only complaint is that the interior of the cup has ridges and screw threads that are a bit hard to clean. (Are they for strength? Why not put them on the outside so food slides off of the inside?) 72 oz Total Crushing (registered trademark) Pitcher: This is essentially just a nice powerful blender with a big pitcher. The stacked blades make short work of crushing ice (or whatever else needs blended, and it does the work evenly (not over-crushing ice on the bottom while cubes on the top just bounce around). No complaints. The Precision Processor (TM) bowl is basically a food processor. The blades spin more slowly than in the pitcher, but still pretty quickly. It only takes a few seconds to chop vegetables or mix batter. The blades still spin fast enough that I’m not sure if they would work to mix something like bread dough (I haven’t tried yet). What I miss from other food processors is interchangeable blades: I wish it had separate slicing, grating and mixing blades. Even so, the single blade is designed to function in multiple ways. With only a single blade to choose from, this is a good choice. Overall, I think this is a fantastic appliance to have in my kitchen. It takes the place of several other appliances, and it does a great job for a number of tasks. I’ve heard other reviewers of Ninja blenders complain about bowls/pitchers cracking, and only time can speak to how well they will hold up in my experience. From first inspection, though, they appear to be made well out of durable plastic.

Ninja is well known for building powerful and versatile kitchen appliances. This review is about the new Ninja UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System. Ninja has a strong commitment to innovation and consumer-focused design. We've had a Ninja NutriBullet personal blender for several years and it's never disappointed, nor does it show any signs of aging. Our current full sized blender, from a reputable company, which is only two years old completely failed recently and the motor burned up. So when I had the opportunity to get this UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System, I was confident I'd be getting a really well designed, super flexible system, which will stand the test of time. What you get when you open the box is the base motor with 1500 watts of power (2 Horse Power), 72 oz XL Pitcher and Lid, Total Crushing Stacked Blade Assembly, 18 oz Single Serve Cup and Lid, Pro Extractor Blade Assembly and an 8 Cup Precision Food Processor Bowl/Lid with a Chopping Blade Assembly. WOW......there's a lot of great pieces, which is why it's appropriately called a Professional Kitchen System. There's little this system can't crush, pulse or mix with precision. You can make party sized servings of smoothies in the 72 oz Pitcher, or a single serving sized smoothie in the 18 0z Single Serve Cup. Or use the food processor, all interchangeably with the base motor, by simply placing it on the base, lock it in place and choose the right power level from Low, Medium, High or Max. As would be needed there is a pulse option when you use the food processor. It's intuitive and beyond easy to use. Having three appliances in one, is just brilliant and convenient. Thus far, we've used the Large Pitcher and Single Serve Pitcher and the powerful motor is quieter than I would have expected for the amount of power it has. And everything blended beyond smoothly. I'm sure the food processor will come in very handy as well. The thing about Ninja, is they make products that make our lives easier and they build quality products, which are long lasting. Cleanup is easy as well. But keep in mind the blade assemblies are removable to aid in cleanup and the blades are quite sharp, so extra care should be taken when cleaning a blade assembly. It's also dishwasher safe, though I'm not very inclined to use my dishwasher to clean mine. If there was one thing I'd change is the suction cup base on the base motor. Instead of 4 rubber feet, it has four suction cups. Don't get me wrong, they do their job really well and will ensure the blender can't move once placed on your counter. But taking the base motor off your counter takes some muscle and I do worry whether the suction cups will last as long as the base motor will. I guess only time will tell on that. Overall, I think for the price of admission, this Ninja UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System will be a great addition to our appliance arsenal and it will last a long time. It doesn't get much better than that.

I really love the versatility of the Ninja UltraCrush. It is a very versatile appliance that will fill multiple functions in my kitchen. It also has a powerful (2hp / 1,500w) motor that can to complete the toughest kitchen tasks quickly. I have been using this for 5 days now and I really love it and it has become the perfect addition to my kitchen counter. So far, I have used this to make my morning smoothies everyday with this and I really like how it takes less time than my old single-function smoothy maker. I especially like how it is able to crush the ice and blend all the ingredients together better giving me a more consistent texture and better visual appeal. I am hoping I can purchase a second (or third) smoothy cup for making smoothies for my whole family at the same time. I have also made my world famous Hummus using the 8-cup Food Processor bowl. It finely chopped and blended all of the ingredients beautifully. My Hummus turned out perfectly and it had a much creamier and consistent texture than I have been able to do in the past. I haven't tried the 72-ounce pitcher yet, but I am looking forward to using it this summer making summer beverages for my friends and family. I have 3 other Ninja / Shark products and am very pleased with their design and quality. They also stand by their products with a warranty and friendly customer service, who I've contacted with questions. They also offer links for helpful recipes and use and cleaning information. I really found the 4 suction cups on the bottom of the base to be very helpful. When I have used the blender it doesn't move, even at the highest setting. It is too tall with the 72-ounce pitcher to sit under my cabinets, so I have to move it out in order to use that attachment. But, I keep it on my counter with the 8-cup Food Processor attached and can quickly swap it out for the smoothy cup every morning. I like that each of the bowls are dishwasher safe, but I usually wash them by hand with the other things I have. Everything comes apart easily for cleaning or storing them away. I now have one less appliance on my countertop and can do a lot more with this professional kitchen system by Ninja. Overall, I couldn't be happier. This does all I hoped for and more. I feel the price is an excellent value and would highly recommend this for anyone. I also feel it would make a great gift for a new home owner or newlyweds.