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Article by Brooke Shoupe, RN
Key Points
- This powerful blender crushes ice into powder, as fine as you could want for snow cones.
- The lid has a built-in rubber seal and a Self-Cleaning feature that makes it easy to clean.
Table of Contents
- Retro appeal
- Multiple color options
- 5 variable speed control (with pulse)
- 3 walkaway blending programs
- Doubles as a citrus juicer and personal blender
- Up to 56-ounce max capacity
- Powerful 1200-watt motor
- Features self-clean cycle and dishwasher safe
- Die cast metal base
- BPA-free
- 5-year warranty
- Great product with mid-range price point
- Bulky
- Quite loud
I love the Kitchenaid K400 Blender‘s retro aesthetics. It’s a perfect combination of classic and modern design. In short, it’s a beautiful piece of art.
On top of its undeniable charm, it also has two completely unique hallmarks. It’s the only blending machine with a die-cast metal motor base, and it also offers a glass jar as an optional accessory. You won’t find those features often as it can increase the price of a product astronomically.
You’ll get the 56 oz (1.6 L) plastic pitcher by default. There are also more attachments waiting for you, like the single-serve cup, small batch container, and the citrus press attachment.
If you’re curious, it’s also equipped with high-tech features—three automatic blending functions, Intelli-Speed motor control, and a soft start mechanism. I’ll explain it in more detail later in this review.
To sum it up, there are many reasons to love the K400 variable-speed blender, but the best one so far is the peace of mind you’ll get from a trusted brand. By the way, it comes with a 5-year full product warranty.
K400 Variable Speed Blender Features
The KitchenAid K400 Variable Speed Blender has some features that make it very easy to use and clean. Here are my favorite key features of this powerful blender.
4 Blending Presets
There are 4 walk-away blending presets. These are great to use if you blend something as part of a larger meal and must walk away to complete another task. Multitasking is always the busy cook’s best friend!
Here is a clue as to how each of these presets works.
Crushing Ice with the K400
This is the setting to use if you want to crush ice without liquid or other ingredients. Note that this is only for crushing ice and nothing else. That makes this preset function somewhat limited, but it is still great.
Icey Drinks
The Icey Drinks setting is the one you want to use to chop down hard ingredients like ice and frozen fruit with other liquids to make delicious drinks. You can also use this setting to make chunky salsas.
Smoothies
The smoothie setting is where you want to be if you are making a pitcher of smoothies. The blades and motor are strong enough that you can pulverize just about anything you would want in a smoothie. The set it and walk away functionality of this preset makes it easy to add smoothies to your normal breakfast routine.
KitchenAid K400 Self Clean Function
The self-clean function allows you to put water and a drop of dish soap into the blender and allow it to clean itself. Then you give it a quick rinse, and you’re done.
If you need a better clean, the pitcher and it’s unique lid are both top rack dishwasher safe.
Variable Speed and Pulse Functions
The variable speed functions have a preset timer, so you can still walk away even using a custom speed. The variable speed function works for 3 minutes until you manually stop the blending. This is the longest you should run your blender in one burst.
There is also a pulse function, but of course, there is not a preset program for that, only manual control.
Unique Lid Design
I love the lid design of the KitchenAid K400 Blender. The rubber seal is built into the lid, unlike some other blenders. This is one less loose piece to clean, and the whole lid can be put into the top rack of your dishwasher.
Technology
I mentioned the four blending presets—ice crush, icy drink, smoothie, and self-clean. Blenders with walk-away blending functions are incredibly helpful when you’re juggling multiple tasks in the kitchen.
What’s nice about the Kitchenaid 400 Blender is it has an adaptive motor. It senses the pitcher’s content and adjusts the cycle for maximum efficiency. The brand calls “Intelli-Speed” motor control.
Apart from those high-tech features, it’s also worth mentioning its soft-start function. It begins at a slow RPM pulling the ingredients into the blades before accelerating to its full speed, ensuring optimum blend quality.
KitchenAid K400 Accessories
These accessories can further expand the capabilities of your KitchenAid blender. There are K400 Series blenders that come with these accessories, but none of them are included in your purchase for this particular model.
These are all BPA-free and dishwasher safe.
16 oz (500 ml) Personal Blender Jar Expansion Pack
This 16-ounce to-go cup is by far the most beautiful single-serve container that I’ve seen. Who says that you can’t enjoy your freshly blended green smoothie in style?
6 oz (200 ml) Small Batch Jar Expansion Pack
Model #: KSB2042BBA
If you only need to work with a small volume recipe, this 200ml container is more than enough to handle that task. Say you want to make a small batch of salsa, salad dressings, or perhaps baby food.
32 oz (1 L) Citrus Press Attachment
The most exciting accessory the Kitchenaid K400 have is the citrus press attachment. But I’m not sure how this goes, considering the high RPM (revolutions per minute) of blenders.
48 oz (1.4 L) Glass Jar
A blender with a glass jar is totally uncommon. It’s heavy, and it could break when the conditions are perfect. I would only recommend this if you currently have a Kitchenaid blender and you’re looking for a non-reactive container.
K400 Blender Specs
| Type | Countertop Blender |
| Brand | KitchenAid |
| Price | $$$ |
| Ratings | 4.6 out of 5 |
| Speed | 5-speed dial with pulse |
| Wattage | 1200 Watts |
| Motor | 1.5 HP |
| Base Material | Die cast metal |
| Blades | Stainless Steel Asymmetric blades |
| Container capacity | Up to 56 oz. (1.65 L) |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes |
| BPA Free | Yes |
| Colors | Black Matte (KSB4027BM), Contour Silver (KSB4027CU), Passion Red (KSB4027PA), Pistachio (KSB4027PT), Blue Velvet (KSB4027VB), White (KSB4027WH) |
| Cord length | 3.5 ft. (1 meter) |
| Application | Home & Personal Use |
| Warranty | 5 Years |
| Related Products | KitchenAid K150, KitchenAid Diamond Blender, Vitamix A3500, Vitamix E310, Vitamix E320, Ninja Foodi Blender, Ninja Professional Blender | Ninja Professional Plus, Ninja Mega Kitchen System | Ninja BL770, Breville Blender | Breville Super Q |
What can you make with KitchenAid K400?
The KitchenAid K400 is a multifunctional kitchen powerhouse. You could transform it into a citrus press or a personal smoothie or shake maker, provided that you have the proper accessories.
Indeed, it’s a beautiful product with numerous potentials. Speaking of which, here’s a partial list of what it can help you with.
*Juicing citrus is only possible with the reamer accessory.
That’s a significant amount of application, if you ask me, but the K400 (KSB40) blender also has limitations. It’s not designed for processing hot items and grinding whole grains.
Suppose you’re looking for a countertop blender that doubles as a soup maker, you should check its more powerful sibling, as listed in this guide. Or you could also check cooking blenders if you want more options.
Apart from that, the KitchenAid K400 Blender is also not capable of making flours like the Vitamix Explorian Series or the Vitamix Ascent Series.
In reality, those features are not that essential if you plan on using your machine mainly for green smoothies or protein shakes.
Now, let’s check whether it’s easy to use or not.
Is KitchenAid K400 Blender easy to use?
Operating the Kitchen Aid K400 is very straightforward. If you look at the control panel, you’ll notice the circular dial. Beside it is the power button that also doubles as a play-and-pause switch.
You can blend your items manually using the 1-5 speed levels. You could also use the three automatic blending programs for crushing ice, icy drinks, and smoothies. Just position the lever to any of those settings, press the play button, and that’s it.
The pulse mode is helpful for chopping your ingredients roughly. You can do it by simply pushing down and releasing the lever to the left, where the (P) marker is located—no need to press the play button this time.
Looking back at the Ninja Blenders, the K400 doesn’t have a complicated pitcher design. Assembly and disassembly is a breeze. I think it could get a perfect 5/5 score in terms of convenience.
However, I noticed that some users are frustrated with automatic blending functions. If you need a low-tech alternative, try its sibling, the KitchenAid K150.
Now, when it comes to maintenance, you’ll love the fact that the pitcher and lid are dishwasher safe, including all the optional accessories. There’s also a convenient self-cleaning cycle if you prefer washing it manually.
See the KitchenAid K400 Blender in action:
Don’t take my word for it, watch this quick product demo.
The KitchenAid K400 Blender is a premium countertop blending machine. Offering a powerful 1.5 HP motor, it’s capable of crushing ice, making your favorite smoothie, making sauces and dips, frozen desserts, etc. It comes with 56 oz. (1.65 L) capacity pitcher and multiple optional accessories. On top of those fantastic features, the KitchenAid K400 has a 5-year product guarantee.
