The New Adventures in Vitamixing

Further down in this post is a very old article written in 2001 when I first purchased a Vitamix blender. I had saved up for three years to buy it and I absolutely LOVED it! I wrote the original article after using it for four months. It’s now been 22 years and it’s held up well. I used my Vitamix a LOT during the first 10 – 12 years.

One time when I was making strawberry ice cream, my Mom suggested I wear hearing protection. The machine can be quite loud (especially when making ice cream). My husband gave me an old set of protective ear muffs he had out in the garage and I’ve been using them during all blending tasks. The muffs make me feel like I’m using a power tool. Given that the Vitamix has a 2 horse power motor, one one could argue that it is.

During the second decade of ownership I used the machine less frequently. I started eating whole fruits more often than smoothies and also purchased a Yonanas machine which is better at making ice cream. However, I still found the Vitamix quite useful. For example, when I unexpectedly received a free package of fresh wheatgrass, I wondered what I would do with it since I don’t have a special wheatgrass juicer. I discovered that the Vitamix can process wheatgrass with water to extract the nutrients. I also created some new tasty smoothie recipes. Some were warm and comforting for Fall & Winter and others were cool and fresh for Spring & Summer. You can click and view these recipes below. Yum!

After all these years the motor is in good condition though I had to replace the container due to leakage through the blades – I think this occurred after 10 – 15 years of use. My blender came with a 7 year warranty but now Vitamix is offering a 10 year warranty. I replaced the container with a smaller sized option that fits better under the cupboards and is more in line with my needs.

Scroll down to read my original article about this superb machine. All my thoughts and sentiments remain the same. For all recipes that can be made with a Vitamix, check out the Vitamix category.

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Adventures in Vitamixing

RecipeNet, Summer, 2001

The latest happenings in my kitchen have involved my newly acquired Vitamix. Here I’ll talk about my experiences using the machine. Those who already own one will get some new recipes to try; those who don’t can learn about this fantastic, versatile appliance.

As the Vitamix is fairly expensive, it took me a long time to decide whether or not to invest in one. For my own situation, I finally decided the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. Here is what I have found:

Benefits

1. The Vitamix’s powerful motor processes whole raw foods into juices, smoothies, soups, nut/seed milks/butters, ice cream and much more. It has helped me increase my intake of fresh whole fruits and vegetables even when I’m pressed for time.
2. One versatile well-made machine allowed me to sell some of my old 2nd rate appliances that were cluttering my small kitchen (blender, food processor, juicer). The Vitamix can also replace an ice cream maker, grain mill and the dough setting on a bread machine. According to the Vitamix web site, this machine (Super 5000 model) can do 35 kitchen tasks.
3. Whole-food fruit and vegetable juices are smooth without any pulp extraction. This means less waste, especially for people who don’t have access to a compost.
4. I used to make almond milk in an ordinary blender which resulted in a lot of leftover pulp. I could make cookies out of the pulp . . . but there are only so many cookies one can make! When using the Vitamix, less almonds are needed to make the same concentration and there is minimal pulp leftover. In fact, you could even drink the milk unstrained unless you prefer it very smooth. You can make any kind of nut or seed milk.
5. The Super 5000 model has a separate container for grinding grains which is great for those who want flours at their optimum freshness – purchasing whole grains is usually less expensive than purchasing ready-made flour.
6. Friction heat is used for making soup. . . it only gets hot enough to eat and I find that soup tastes much fresher this way. The flavours are richer and more full-bodied, and the soup does not have the same “cooked” taste as stove-top heating.
7. The Vitamix is its own dishwasher which makes for quick’n easy cleanup! Just add water, a few drops of soap and blend for a few minutes.

Drawbacks

1. While the Vita-Mix is effective at performing many tasks, it may not be quite as effective as all the top-of-the-line individual appliances specifically designed for a single purpose. However, it is less costly and takes up less space. I have found it to be more than satisfactory.
2. In spite of the money you can save by having one machine do many tasks, it’s still a fairly pricey investment. It does have a 7 year warranty. You can purchase it cheaper at a show or demo than through the Internet or a catalogue, and sometimes the demo models are sold even cheaper. Going to a show also lets you see first-hand how it works and you get to taste some of the things it can make. The standard recipes demonstrated at a show include: juice, ice cream, vegetable soup, and salsa. Contact Vitamix to see if there are any upcoming demos in your area.
3. Friction heat is created when blending for more than a couple of minutes. This is great for soups, and a non-issue for smoothies and ice creams as they take little time to blend and start out with frozen ingredients. However, things like nut milks and nut butters can take a little longer to blend and you don’t want heat damaging the essential fats. I have found that storing all nuts and seeds in the freezer solves this problem quite nicely. When making nut and seed milks I use water that is ice-cold but not frozen. 
4. The Vitamix has a 2 horse power motor which allows it to do heavy duty jobs in a small amount of time. This means it is a little on the loud side when blending at high speeds. Since most of my blending is done in less than a minute (and in some cases less than 30 seconds), I don’t notice the sound that much. When blending things that take a few minutes I do notice the loudness more, but for me this is a minor nuisance when compared to all the healthy meals I have been able to make.

Conclusion

I decided that for me, the Vitamix was a worthwhile investment. I’ve had it for 4 months and use it almost every day. I make a smoothie every morning for breakfast. I whip up a quick broccoli soup for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking. I also make almond milk, hemp milk, hemp nut butter, lemon slushies, fresh salsa, pasta sauce and soft-serve fruit ice creams with little to no sweetener (the hyper-linked recipes are my own creations; the rest come with the Vitamix cookbook).

For more information visit Vitamix online.

Note: This review was written solely to share my experiences with you; no remuneration of any kind was received from Vitamix.