Expert review KitchenAid Artisan 5KSB4026

When I take the blender out of the box, I notice the sturdy and robust motor block. It's nice in size and quite heavy. This keeps it stable on the counter while mixing. The pitcher is made of glass and also feels sturdy. You can simply place the pitcher on the motor block and you don't have to tighten it. The lid has a 45mm cap with a size indication. This is useful for measuring alcohol for your cocktail, for example.

The blender has automatic programs for crushing ice, making smoothies and cocktails, and cleaning the blender. Operating the blender is easy as well. You turn the dial to the correct program or to the desired position. Next, press the start button. The blender slowly builds up the speed to the right setting. What strikes me is that the blender makes a lot of noise during mixing. Especially at the high setting.

The pitcher is made of glass. This makes it heat resistant, so you can also prepare hot ingredients. For example, I cooked vegetables in a pan and mixed them into a thick soup in the blender. The blender is also suitable for ice cold ingredients. You can mix some ice cubes or make your own sorbet in the blender in the summer, for example. I find it very useful that the pitcher is suitable for ingredients of all temperatures. This way, you don't have to check whether something is too cold or too hot.

I made the same smoothie twice in different blenders to compare the result. One in this blender and one in the previous model. I put the fruit, juice, and some ice cubes in the pitcher. I turned on the automatic smoothie program. What strikes me is that the blender builds up speed slowly. Very useful, because the ingredients don't fly upwards and then don't get mixed properly.

I am positively surprised by the result. The smoothie from this blender is indeed smoother. There are no chunks in it and there is no foam on the smoothie. The smoothie can easily be poured from the pitcher into my glass and less leftovers are left in the pitcher. The taste is also slightly different, more like a whole. Later, I mixed a smoothie with oatmeal and this smoothie was also completely smooth.