The widespread stereotype of the narrow specialization of the blender gradually began to break into reality: a high-quality stationary model can not only whip initially semi-liquid substances and grind soft products, but also break the ice into the smallest granules, prepare mashed soups and smoothies, cocktails and fruit necks.
All these functions are only part of the capabilities of the Moulinex Ultrablend + blender, the device really makes you reconsider your views on the standard daily menu and change the usual approach to cooking, it is so easy to prepare nutritious and healthy dishes with it.
For me personally, this particular model is the best for several reasons: it takes up a bit of space, is multifunctional, allows you to choose your own working mode, and also saves time on cooking simple dinners.
Content
Design, equipment and ergonomics
The package is quite standard: a motor unit, a pusher for products made of plastic and a spacious jug with a volume of 2 liters. The increased wall thickness of the jug made of tritan used in professional models does not make it heavy, but at the same time ensures its resistance to mechanical damage.
Figure 1 - The appearance of the blender
In the upper part of the jug there is a place for a rubberized black lid, which fits snugly to the bowl, preventing crushed products or mixtures from pouring out. In the center of the lid there is a transparent cup that can be easily removed if you need to add any products during cooking.
The blender is quite compact, the engine compartment is only 18 cm wide, a little more than 10 cm in height and 30 cm in depth. For comparison: L’EQUIP BS5 Cube for each parameter has at least 2-3 "extra" centimeters, like Bianco Di Puro Forte and other "home" models. The height of the blender with the installed jug is 30 cm. The device weighs 5 kg without taking into account the filled jug, which is quite standard for stationary models.
The blender is made in a minimalist style, as can be seen in Figure 1: a strict black and gray color scheme, clear, even lines of the case and button contours allow the gadget to be an indispensable element of the kitchen of any style.
Instrument Operation Modes
The blender has 6 programs that regulate the rotation of the knife. It consists of six stainless steel blades that can rotate in three directions. The Tripl’Ax technology allows them to perform cutting movements in several planes at the same time, which ensures high efficiency of the device when working with products of any hardness.
Figure 2 - Color indication of the working panel of the blender
The blender is equipped with a color indication of the control buttons, this can be seen in Figure 2, as well as a small LCD-display, which displays basic information about the operation of the device: the selected mode, speed and time remaining until the end of cooking. At the bottom of the case there are buttons corresponding to the modes:
- Cooking soup;
- Cracking ice;
- Sorbet making;
- Self-cleaning function of the device;
- Chopping nuts;
- Preparation of cocktails, smoothies, necks and other similar mixtures.
As you can see in the same figure, if you wish, you can not only change the operating mode, but also the speed of rotation of the knife (maximum mark - 45,000 rpm), the cooking time, and also activate the pulse mode, which is designed to grind particularly hard products .The principle of operation is simple: for a short period of time, the blender’s knife is turned on at maximum speed, after which it stops to allow coarsely chopped pieces to settle to the bottom, and after that it is activated again.
Figure 3 - Knife with six blades of the Moulinex LM936E10 blender
Unlike submersible blenders with metal gears, this option is better suited for thorough grinding, as food fragments are processed more often by knives. Therefore, the mass at the exit in stationary models is more uniform, devoid of lumps and small pieces of food.
The rotation speed is adjusted using the displayed buttons on the panel (a total of 10 speeds are provided). At the start, the knives begin to work not instantly, but smoothly, which, firstly, improves the speed of food processing, and secondly, ensures their safety.
Home blender tests
The simplest blender test is making a smoothie using the appropriate preset mode of operation. Classic smoothie implies the following set of products:
- 4 sweet oranges;
- Grapefruit;
- 3 bananas;
- A bit of ice (a small handful with a palm will be enough).
Figure 4 - Preparation for the preparation of smoothies
Figure 5 - Fruit inside the jug awaiting mixing
The filling order is not so important, the main thing is to roughly represent what the output volume will be. For example, if I put too many fruits in a jug, literally pushing them inside, this, firstly, will not affect the condition of the knives in the best way, and secondly, it can simply squeeze the cork out.
Figure 6 - Blender in the process and the resulting smoothie
As a result, I got a slightly sour drink, which I decorated with mint leaves and served to the table along with whole slices of grapefruit.
One of my favorite dishes is Czech draniki, which differs slightly in the method of preparation from the Belarusian version, but their basis is the same for any national cuisine - potatoes chopped into a homogeneous gruel. And this blender is suitable for its preparation in the best way possible, just use the same smoothie preparation mode (as you can see in Figure 7, I did not turn on the motor to full speed, activating only 5 counts in speed. This is quite enough to get the substance density needed for making pancakes .
It should be noted that the power characteristics of the 1,500 W motor are enough to work reliably with products of any rigidity.
Figure 7 - Chopping potatoes for cooking potato pancakes
Finally, the last test I conducted was to test the gadget’s ability to crush ice, for which the manufacturer has provided an appropriate mode. Despite the fact that I have already used ice to make a smoothie (in Figure 6 you can see it at the bottom of the bowl), if only ice is loaded in the jug, it is enough to turn on the device at 2-4 speeds depending on its quantity. The device dealt with 350 grams of ice in about 40 seconds.
Impressions of use
Frankly speaking, the gadget's impressions were most pleasant: it is simple to operate, does not require special care and helps to cook and do practically nothing in the kitchen in the morning, and that’s all that an unmarried person needs. The number of recipes for dishes that can be prepared using this appliance is really large, and several basic ones are already listed in the instructions for use.
Figure 8 - The contents of the photo book with recipes for the blender
I’d call it the only drawback, the noise emanating from the motor, still you expect less loud work from a device with such a cost, but on the other hand, the cooking time for most dishes does not exceed 2 minutes, because this is absolutely not a critical minus.
At the same time, a real surprise for me was the fact that a blender can be used to prepare high-grade flour and dough for thin pancakes.Flour was necessary for making muffins with currants, and I tried to make it from previously peeled and washed buckwheat, and at 4 speeds, chopping about 200 grams took less than a minute. The dough was whipped on the smallest “transmission” of the motor, the recipe is standard, wheat flour of the 1st grade, 2 large eggs and two glasses of milk (to taste, of course, sugar or salt is sometimes added, but I prefer to eat pancakes with condensed milk, so I can do without these ingredients).
But if making pancakes and cupcakes for me is more like spontaneous experiments, then I prepare “green smoothies” (nutritious mixtures consisting mainly of greens, berries and a small amount of fruit) so that I can quickly regain strength and not use fast food after football matches . And, surprisingly, with the help of a blender, I forgot that I do not particularly like fresh dill, parsley and other “green” products, and in mixtures their taste is completely different. With the help of this device, one cocktail is a matter of 5-7 minutes (washing and rough cutting of products). For raw foodists, I think such a gadget will be a real discovery, there are so many different soups and cocktails in the recipe book.
Moulinex LM936E10 and competitors in the market
Direct competitors in the segment among the models introduced on the market in 2019 include Kuvings KPB-351B, L’EQUIP BS5 Plus and L’EQUIP BS5 Cube. Strange as it may sound, all three models have more powerful engines (1,700-2,000 watts versus 1,500 for the Moulinex model), but they lose at maximum speed, having even less than 40,000 rpm. The number of programs for gadgets also differs in a smaller direction, on average, they have from three to four, plus they have smaller glasses.
The L’EQUIP BS5 Cube version generally has only 6 pre-installed speed options, which, of course, limits the manual adjustment of the rotation of the knives, and this obviously does not work for the gadget. Other devices have the same scatter as the device from Mulineks.
At the same time, the gadget that I observe is the only one that is equipped with a full-fledged display with convenient information output, all other devices have mechanical control, and to increase the time manually by a certain number of minutes, you will have to spend a lot of time. In quality and reliability of the outer cover of the bowl and the casing, in my opinion, the only competitor to the Moulinex LM936E10 is the Kuvings device, which also has a plastic casing with metal inserts and a tritan jug.
Finally, as expert estimates based on the tests show, despite the fact that other blenders also have knives working in three planes, it was in Moulinex LM936E10 that this technology was brought to almost perfection (the correct angles between the blades, the distance between the attachment points) . A study of the Runet forums showed that the cutting edge of Kuvings knives is very short-lived compared to Moulinex and L’QUIP.
Summarizing…
In conclusion, I want to say that buying a blender will justify itself at 100% only if you give yourself a report, for which it will subsequently be used. Proper use of its functional equipment will save a huge amount of time and prepare delicious dishes without labor costs. As my poor culinary experience tells me, the main thing is to start; For example, I could not imagine before the purchase that I would be able to quickly make cupcakes, pancakes and smoothies, but with the help of this gadget it became possible.
If fruit shakes and necks are not needed, then with the help of a blender you can cook full-fledged soups and sorbets, which will also combine all those various useful ingredients that are contained in the products. Finally, the gadget is suitable even for baby food.
