I would never think to be waxing poetic about a blender, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do in this review of the Kenwood ThermoResist BL705 Blender.
The first blender I ever got was a wedding present and it made it a good 15 years before it died. It wasn’t a very good blender, but it did the job. Its replacement was a slightly better blender and did a slightly better job, but neither was impressive. I therefore wrote off all blenders as pretty boring appliances. The Kenwood ThermoResist has changed my mind.
Right out of the box I knew why this one was priced at $199.99. Yeah, I know, that’s a lot for a blender and it was part of what made me want to try the thing. How in the world could a blender be worth that much? I had to know.
First, I noticed the quality of the unit. The goblet is glass, not plastic, and it’s substantial. This makes it lean toward the heavy side, but it also means you can use it on both hot and cold foods. It’s also very large and will hold 56 ounces. If you’re blending drinks for a crowd, then you’re going to save a lot of time.
The Kenwood ThermoResist BL705 base unit is very sturdy with only two buttons and a large dial to choose your speed or simply pulse the blades. It’s also got four suction cups that keep it in place on the counter the minute you set it down. There’s no need to press it into place since its own weight does the job.
Setting the goblet on the base was much easier than my other blenders. The drop-on glass goblet needs no twisting to make sure it is set correctly. Once it drops into place, it’s in. That’s it. Simple, easy, and efficient.
The blender also comes with a small mill that’s perfect for nuts, coffee beans, or herbs. It’s even got a screw-on-lid so that when you remove the mill from the base you can then unscrew the blades and use the lid instead. I tried the mill to finely chop almonds for my Christmas cookies and it worked beautifully.
The blade unit is a combination of heavy-duty plastic and metal with wickedly sharp blades. They’re like steak knives so you really do need to be careful that you don’t slice your fingers cleaning them off. The one drawback to the unit is that the blade assembly cannot be submerged which can make cleaning sticky things difficult.
All of the other parts of the unit, except the base, can be submerged for easy cleaning. You can even put the goblet in the dishwasher. The durable plastic lid has a vented filler cap that pops in and out easily as does the sealing gasket. Nothing is flimsy and it all fits snugly in place without having to work to make sure that things are lined up correctly.
It’s also very simple to use. Yes, it’s a blender so it shouldn’t be complicated but this one has two buttons and a dial. That’s all. There’s a button for soups and one for ice or you can use the dial to select one of five speeds or to pulse the blades.
Blending was quick with a minimal amount of scraping needed on things like pie fillings and dips. It was also quieter than I expected. I even gave it a try on ice and it had the ice down to practically slush in no time flat.
Storage is always an issue with appliances but this one was easier than most. The wide, flat base of the goblet lets you stand it without the base and not have to worry about it being toppled if you don’t have tall cabinet space or don’t want to leave it on your counter. Also, the cord stores right inside of the base so it won’t end up in a tangled mess. The Kenwood ThermoResist BL705 Blender retails for $199.99.
GeekMom received this product for review purposes.
