Ninja Professional Plus BN801 Kitchen System Review

The blending side is the heart of the machine, and it is built for volume and for ice. The 72-oz Total Crushing Pitcher uses a stacked blade assembly and holds a 64 oz maximum liquid capacity, which is the number to watch when you fill it. The two 24-oz single-serve cups take the Pro Extractor Blades assembly for smoothies and shakes you drink on the way out. The motor is rated at 1,400 peak watts, a maximum figure rather than a running one.

Presets that match the vessel

Five Auto-iQ programs cover Smoothie, Frozen Drink, Nutrient Extraction, Chop and Dough. The base only offers the programs that fit the container mounted on it, so a blending program cannot start on the processor bowl by mistake. That removes a whole class of first-week errors.

Manual control when you want it

Low, Medium and High each run a 60-second continuous cycle, and Pulse lets you stop before the food turns to paste. Chunky salsa and rough-chopped herbs come from short pulses, not from a preset.

Chopping, puréeing and dough in the 8-cup bowl

The 64-oz Precision Processor Bowl handles chopping, mincing, puréeing and emulsifying with the chopping blade. The dough blade and the Dough preset take up to 2 lbs of dough in as little as 30 seconds, which is the standout capability of a combo machine and the reason many buyers pick this one over a blender alone.

Practical design points

Three containers share one base, the parts are dishwasher-safe, the blades are stainless steel and the machine is corded electric. The three vessels, four blade assemblies and five presets on a single motor base are what this product's design is built around: one footprint on the counter instead of two appliances.

The processor bowl comes with a chopping blade and a dough blade, and nothing else. It chops and purées; it does not cut food into slices or shreds. If your weekly prep is grated cheese, shredded carrots or sliced cucumbers, this machine will not replace the tool you already use for that job, and knowing this before you order saves you a return.

Size on the counter

At 18 inches tall, 9.63 inches wide and 7.38 inches deep, and weighing 8.8 lbs, it needs dedicated counter space. It will not tuck under most upper cabinets, and the height matters every time you lift the lid off the pitcher.

No hot liquids

The instruction booklet warns against blending hot liquids. This is not a machine that heats soup by friction: blend cold, then heat it in a pot on the stove.

Durability is the mixed signal

Buyers on Amazon are divided on durability. Some describe a machine that lasts for years, while others report the processor bowl breaking within a month of use. Reviews at other retailers mention the same early bowl failures. The warranty facts below are what you weigh that against.

A short, narrow warranty

The warranty is 1 year, limited, and vessels, lids and blades are classed as wearable parts and excluded from it. The parts that see the most stress are the parts the coverage leaves out.

Noise and small batches

The machine is loud in use, most noticeably on ice and frozen drinks. Small quantities in the wide bowl also chop unevenly, because there is not enough food to circulate; you either scrape down the sides or load more.

The 64 oz liquid line is the real working capacity of the 72-oz pitcher, so leave headroom above it. The 8-cup bowl is a genuine family-size chopping bowl rather than a small prep cup. Two pounds of dough covers two large loaves or a big batch of pizza dough in one go.

The blade assembly has to be fully seated in the bowl or pitcher before the lid will lock, and the machine will not run unless the lid is locked. That is the most common first-use confusion: if the lid will not close, lift the blade out and set it back down until it sits flush.

If the motor is pushed too hard it shuts down on its own. Unplug it and let it cool before you restart, rather than pressing the controls again straight away.

Work in the order blend, then chop, then dough. The dough blade and wet dough are the messiest step, and doing them last keeps you from washing the bowl twice.

• Cut pieces to a similar size so they chop evenly.
• Fill the bowl enough for the food to circulate, or expect to scrape down the sides.
• Use Pulse for chunky textures and the Chop preset for a finer, more even result.
• Rinse the bowl promptly after making dough, before the dough sets.
• Dry the lid thoroughly, since water can collect in the locking mechanism.

The same kitchen system also comes in red as the BN801RD1BRN, and color is the only thing that separates it from the gray BN801. Both carry the same 1,400-peak-watt motor, the same Auto-iQ presets, and the same pitcher, single-serve cups and processor bowl. Pick whichever colorway suits your kitchen, since the two perform alike.