KitchenAid is a brand that’s proud of its history. And rightly so; its iconic stand mixer has changed astonishingly little in the last 75 years. So it’s no surprise that the design of its stand blender follows the same design principles, with curved retro lines, simple controls and a solid build.
KitchenAid has a lot in common with Smeg appliances. They’re both design-led brands with a wide choice of colour options and a retro aesthetic that’s not twee and works well against a modern backdrop. Whatever your kitchen’s style, a KitchenAid appliance is likely to complement it.
We’re testing it in the almond cream colour but in the UK, it’s also available in red, matt black, glossy black and charcoal. This is a fairly limited colour range, lacking the more eye-catching colour options such as pistachio, in which other models are available. There are six US colour options, including an ice blue shade.
Design and appearance
1.4 litre jug
Dishwasher-safe
Inbuilt blender blades
The blender comes in two parts (or four, if you count the two-part lid). There’s a 1.4 litre BPA-free plastic jug and a chunky blender base with a square footprint. Altogether it stands 37cm high, with a depth of 22cm and a width of 17cm. It’s tall but it should have plenty of clearance under standard kitchen cabinets.
The blender blades are built into the bottom of the jug, which means they don’t need to be removed and there’s no need to touch them at any point. The jug and lid are dishwasher-safe but the best way to clean the jug is to pour in warm water, a couple of drops of washing-up liquid and run the blender for 15-20 seconds on the highest setting.
If you do this right after use, nothing will get stuck to the inside, so there’s no need to clean by hand and risk a finger. Beware though: when I was first cleaning it for use, I was a bit heavy-handed with the washing up liquid and had a small foam explosion when I removed the lid.
The jug has millilitre markings and if I were to criticise anything about the design of this appliance it would be that these are not particularly easy to read. There’s also no clear maximum fill line, which would also have been useful.
The lid itself is completely watertight – you can hold the jug upside down and it won’t leak at all. It also has a twist-out central plug, so you can add ingredients during blending. The complexity of the lid, however, does make it a bit more difficult to clean.
Performance
3 speeds
Crushes ice in seconds
650W motor limits functionality
As you’d expect from the simplest blender in the KitchenAid range, its functions are equally straightforward. Its controls amount to a single dial, with three speeds and a pulse/ ice crushing function.
It doesn’t come with a manual or recipe guide and unless you’re crushing ice, you’ll need to experiment to find out the best speed to use. However, since there are only three options, you can’t really go wrong.
The K150 crushes ice in seconds and can easily chomp through frozen fruit. It’s ideal for making smoothies or cocktails. The blended drinks I made came out light and velvety.
However, this appliance only has a 650W motor. If you want to add nuts or kale to your recipe, you’ll end up with a mixture that’s grainy or fibrous, so don’t buy it and hope to use it as an all-purpose food processor.
Price and availability
The K150 is available in the UK from Donaghy Bros and KitchenAid. In the US, you can buy it from Amazon or again from KitchenAid.
As the brand’s entry-level blender, there have been compromises in the build. The base has a plastic surround, rather than the brand’s characteristic die-cast metal. This feels like a reasonable compromise in the US, where it retails for $99.99. But in the UK, it feels harder to justify the £229 RRP.
If you want a KitchenAid blender in the UK and can spend a bit more, the K400 is a better value purchase. It has a die-cast metal base, a glass jug, a 1200W motor and 8 speed settings. It also comes in a wider variety of colours including teal, pink and pistachio. It has an RRP of £279 and you can buy it from Currys.
Blender accessories
The K150 is compatible with extra accessories, which are available to buy in the UK, although we couldn’t find them for sale in the US. You can buy a 500ml personal blender jar which attaches to the base (£49); a citrus press which does the same (£49); and a glass blender jug (£59) to replace the plastic one.
You can see all the accessories on the KitchenAid website.
Verdict
If you’re in the US and you’re looking for a decent quality blender for smoothies, shakes, dips and sauces, the K150 will serve you well. It’s beautifully designed and a pleasure to use.
However, given its low wattage and lack of premium-quality materials, its UK price point makes it much harder to recommend.
Specs
KitchenAid Stand Blender (K150): Specs
650W motor
1.4 litre capacity
BPA-free plastic jug
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