Review: KitchenAid Torrent Blender

I’ve been using my KitchenAid Torrent Blender for a few weeks now and can safely say it’s become a part of my daily routine.

KitchenAid Torrent Blender on eatlivetravelwrite.comOne of the reasons I really wanted to try it out was because I was interested in seeing how well it did with “juicing” – well, blending hard fruits and vegetables as it’s something I have really wanted to incorporate more of into my diet this school year.  The Torrent has met and exceeded all my expectations there. This green veggies smoothie (or a version of it) has become a standard in my house:

Green veggie juice smoothie on eatlivetravelwrite.comThe Torrent Blender manages raw carrots, cucumber, apples, celery and kale with ease.  See here.

It makes short work of frozen fruits too, with no annoying “bits” of fruit skins floating in your smoothie! I love that I am getting all the fibre from my fruits and veggies as well as the juice. Whilst I have always wanted a juicer, I love this because it produces a drink that is very satisfying in a way that juice isn’t. I rarely have to add much liquid (maybe 1/2 cup?) to make a vegetable smoothie so it’s nice and thick, like a smoothie bowl. Really does fill you up in the way a whole piece of fruit vs. a glass of juice does. It crushes ice for your icy drinks like a champion too!  So – juicer and blender in one? I’m sold!

I’ve also been happy to see the “soup” setting does a fantastic job of making silky smooth soups, like this roast potato soup:

Roasted potato soup on eatlivetravelwrite.comI love that roasted vegetables (which really do have a lot of flavour) puréed to a silky liquid in the Torrent Blender. Way to go to pack in some deep flavours without having to cook the soup for a long time on the stovetop. the ingredient feed cap allowed me to add a touch more liquid to the soup once it was finished too – I saw it was slightly too thick but the feed cap meant I could add more liquid with no fuss…

Roast potato soup with the Torrent Blender
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Silky roast potato soup.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 450g (1pb) potatoes, chopped into 2cm pieces (not peeled)
  • 2 medium onions, chopped into 8 pieces each
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 750mls vegetable stock
  • freshly chopped chives, to serve
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375˚F.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  3. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray.
  4. In a separate bowl, toss the onion and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  5. Place the onions on a separate parchment-lined tray.
  6. Roast the onions for approximately 25 minutes until they just start to colour.
  7. Roast the potatoes for 35 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
  8. Cool the potatoes and onions until they come to room temperature.
  9. Pour the vegetable stock in the Torrent Blender.
  10. Add the vegetables.
  11. Place the lid on the jug and lock into position in the blender.
  12. Select the "soup" programme.
  13. Blend.
  14. If your soup is too thick for your liking, use the ingredient funnel to add some more liquid to the jug and use the "pulse" setting to bend a few times.
  15. Season to taste and serve topped with freshly-chopped chives.

So, my thoughts?

KitchenAid Torrent Blender: The Pros

  1. It’s powerful. Manages hard, raw fruits and veggies with ease (as long as you have a little bit of liquid in the bottom of the blender).
  2. It’s fast. 1 minute 30 seconds for my green veggie smoothie in the morning? Can’t beat that!
  3. It takes the guess work out of timing.  The four pre-programmed, hands-free settings (juice, soups/sauces, milkshakes, icy drinks/ smoothies) mean you load your ingredients, simply choose a programme and walk away – the Torrent stops on its own (it makes a lovely “ding” sound to let you know it’s done).
  4. No more stopping and opening up the lid to add ingredients. The top cap allows you to add ingredients as you blend. It’s even got liquid measures marked so you can keep track of how much liquid is going in there. I have found this really useful as I work out just how thick I like my drinks/ soups – you can add a little extra liquid and see how it goes. Same with solid ingredients, you can always add more at the end of the blending process for a chunkier texture.
  5. It’s dishwasher-friendly (if you have one…). The jug, lid, ingredient cap and funnel can all go in the dishwasher for easy cleanup. I would definitely recommend rinsing lightly first, to remove any residue, seeds or fiber beneath the blades and on the sides of the jug/ in the funnel.
  6. Both the jug and the ingredient cap are BPA-free.

KitchenAid Torrent Blender: the Cons

  1. It is loud. Much louder than any other appliance I own. Thankfully, each of the programmes is also pretty quick (around 1 minute 30 seconds) so it’s not loud for long. But it’s loud.
  2. It’s heavy. I know it’s not meant to be carted around but if you don’t have room on your counter top (as I don’t) you might find yourself lugging it around where you’ll see how solidly it’s built (that is also a “pro” by the way!).
  3. It’s too tall for some cupboards. Unlike other blenders that sit on top of the motor, the jug slides in and out like a coffee maker, so it’s while it’s not as tall as a regular blender, if you don’t have modern-sized kitchen cupboards (like me, sadly), it won’t fit underneath cabinets which would be the ideal place to store it.  Mine currently has pride of place in our basement laundry corner and while it hasn’t stopped me using it, I wish I had a place to keep it so that it was more accessible. That speaks more to my old (but funky) kitchen cupboards than it does to the blender though…
  4. Cleaning the jug without a dishwasher is a little different from a normal blender jug (the blade is sharp – obviously, and the bottom of the jug is a little narrow so to get the blade clean it requires some dexterity). As I don’t have a dishwasher, I’ve been adding a little warm soapy water to the jug once I am done and pulsing it in the blender (or letting it blend at high speed if I am doing something else). This helps to loosen any stuck-on ingredients nicely. Be sure to always wash the ingredient feed, even if you don’t use it – the power of the magnetic drive means there will be traces of whatever you’re blending up there!

This all being said, the “cons” do not detract from me using it every single day. I am a huge fan and so happy to finally have a super-powerful blender that can handle tough jobs.  At MSRP $599.99CAD it’s not a cheap blender but I have found with small appliances you do get what you pay for. This is definitely a worthwhile investment.

What blender do you have and what’s your favourite thing to make in it?

Torrent Blender giveaway winner!

Congratulations to Cecile, a new blog reader whose comment in the Torrent Blender giveaway was chosen from all eligible answers by Random.Org:

KitchenAid Torrent Blender winner on eatlivetravelwrite.comCecile, I will be in touch via email to get your shipping details!  I know you are going to love your Torrent Blender too!

__________

Disclosure: KitchenAid Canada sent me a Torrent Blender to use and review and has provided one (1) Torrent Blender for the winner of the giveaway. I have not been further compensated for writing this post and all opinions are my own. this post was not reviewed by KitchenAid prior to publication.

6 thoughts on “Review: KitchenAid Torrent Blender”

  1. It looks a little like what we used to call ‘down under’ a ‘Vitamizer’. It has the same kitchen counter presence. I think it’s probably likely that these appliances prompt more consumption of fruit and veg as it’s quick and, to an extent, takes away peeling, chopping, cutting etc.

    Reply
  2. Hi, I was wondering if the torrent blender kitchenaid can cook raw vegetable for exemple for a carrot soup can we directly put the carrot and water inside the blender and put on soup setting and it will come out a hot carrot soup or do we always have to cook everything before putting in the blender? Please help.

    Reply
  3. Thanks for the review! I am going to try to juice with my Torrent today and can’t wait! It made short work of my roasted potato soup last week.

    Reply

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