Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

We recently bought a Vitamix 6300 and so far really digging it. Amazing how easy smoothies are to make and how little calories they have.

If you have been using one for a while, please share your tips and recipies.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Bob (Chainsaw13) has one! Sounds cool. I know he does soups in them.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I mostly use mine for making homemade peanut butter. Roast off 1lb of peanuts in a 425F oven for 16-18 minutes, stirring every 5-6 minutes to get an even roast. Let cool for a couple of minutes after taking out of the oven, then blend away. Takes about a minute for the smoothest PB youve ever had. Key is listening for the change in sound as it blends.

I have made soup a couple of times, using the recipes from the book that came with mine. Love being able to just dump everything in there and have hot soup in a matter of minutes.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Another good drink to make is almond milk. I meant to make some last night to try and hone in on the right ratios. But with some simple flavorings, this sort of reminds me of Mexican horchata. This should get you started.

1c water
1/2c ice cubes
1/4c raw almonds
1/8tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp vanilla extract
4 drops liquid stevia

Blend until smooth.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

We've made almond milk a few times. It's best to soak the almonds overnight in lightly salted water. This morning we had a spinach with strawberry, almond milke, cucumber and something else smoothie for breakfast. Quite good and satisfying. Keep me going for 5 hours without wanting to eat anything else.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Wife is driving me nuts to get her one.
Just trying to justify the cost as this thing is a pretty buck.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Have to buy at Costco when they have a rep there. I saved $150 over buying on Amazon. Elys was driving me nuts with this too and I finally caved in. Actually, it's quite nice. So easy to make a smoothie, and quite cheap. Buy frozen fruit, freeze ripe bananas and you make $5 drink for 50 cents!

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I need to get back to making more smoothies. Great way to get even more fruits/veggies into the diet. I tried doing some kale smoothies when I first got it. You can't use a lot of that in the beginning. It's a really strong flavor and won't break down as easy as spinach.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Anyone ever happen to have used both a Vitamix and a Blendtec? If so, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts comparing the two.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

We have the Blendtec which is awesome, but have not used the Vitamix so I can't compare but I doubt you could go wrong with either :tu

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Not me Adam. But I've heard the Blendtec's are another good choice and were on my radar. I ended up getting a killer deal on a closeout Vitamix which was hard to pass up.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I got a ninja blender after researching and wanting to get something to make healthy smoothies. It's not nearly as nice as a vitamix or blendtec, but you pay a fraction of the cost too. So I knew what I was getting myself into and have been pretty happy with it.

I made a smoothie the other day just winged it.

1 orange, whole, just peel off the outer layer and leave the pith
1 cup of baby spinach
2 peeled carrots
1/2 water
ice cubes

Makes a smoothie that tastes like orange juice but you're getting an extra 3 servings of veggies and even taking advantage of the nutrients in the orange pith. What I've noticed with these high end blenders is that you can extract more out of your ingredients. Like using avocados (whole, peel and seed too), cantaloupes (whole), strawberries (keep the green part on top), Oranges (pith and seeds), so you get even more nutrients than if you ate them and left those parts out. When they are blended, they don't affect the taste at all.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Are you sure about the avocado seed? Seems like it might be a bit too hard. I won't try though myself, can't stand avocados. Upsets my stomach something fierce.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Yep, some don't use the peel, but the seed is ok and high in fiber.

Another one is banana peels - add those into a smoothie, but make sure you buy organic ones.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Interesting article comparing the two, Blendtec and Vitamix.
http://smallapplianceshortcuts.com/b...er-comparison/

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Interesting article. My model Vitamix has three programs, plus the variable speeds.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Mike, Bob, can you think of any real shortcomings of the units you do have? Cavitation problems with lighter/thinner liquids? Any experience blending lots rehydrated seeds? (like from peppers). I'm looking to eliminate the step of a hand cranked food mill for some sauces.

Wicker chairs are high in fiber too. Just saying. :D

Thanks Carlos. I like the fact that the author of that article went and compared the specification differences between the two, but after reading it, I'm left wondering if the author has ever seen the operation of, let alone used either one of the blenders.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I will say that the Blendtec must have quite a bit of liquid to get the job done or it just spins it's wheels (literally), hell my wife had trouble making ice cream the other night because it got too thick and wouldn't blend :sh

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Only regret so far is I don't have the counter space to leave it out all the time. It'd get more use that way. I've not made any lighter/thinner mixes in it so I can't comment on cavitation issues there.

I'll give it a shot this weekend with some rehydrated peppers this weekend to see how it performs. I'm guessing from the results I've seen with other things, those will get mixed up rather finely.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

All this talk made me hungry, just did this salsa.

Attachment 13291

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Same here. We love our Blendtec. Great machine and very powerful. We use it mainly for smoothies and made ice cream once using Blentec's recipe. Haven't tried making the butters yet.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I use our Vitamix daily for protein shakes. Originally got it for my wife to use but I use more than she does.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Decided to give some dried chiles a try. Soaked 6 whole anchos in some hot water for 30 mins, including all the seeds and stems. Once rehydrated, into the blender jar with some of the soaking water. Started on low, let it go for a bit and went to a medium speed. Once all the big chunks were broken up, I let it rip on high. Blended for a total of maybe 1.5 mins. Then ran the purée thru my medium mesh sieve. This was all that was left. The purée is quite smooth.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

BTW, I have the Vitamix Pro 500 series model.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Awesome. Thanks a bunch.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Made up some cashew milk last week; it comes out a lot smoother than the almond milk and is quite lovely. Today's smoothie was cashew and coconut milk, frozen banana, 5 frozen strawberries, a touch of sugar and a little water. Great way to start the day.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Hmm...cashew milk. Hadnt thought of that. and I happen to have some raw cashews at home.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

We have been making smoothies in a standard blender for about a year now. My wife is claiming that this "10 yr old" blender is quitting on us because it gets bogged down with a blender full of frozen fruit.

She is eyeing these fancy new blenders like the Vitamix and others in that class (Ninja, etc). We primarily use the blender for smoothies and it is good to hear that it does in fact work as advertised.

Perhaps I will cave in soon.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Damnit. I knew I didn't want to read this thread. AT first, I thought "vitamix" was those premade vitamin packs a la GNC. Then I started reading, and started thinking "you know, I DO need a new blender." Now I have a refurbished Vitamix 7500 in my cart, with my pointer hovering over the "place order" button.

I mean, $399 IS a good deal for that machine, right?

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I think I am tired of wife bugging me and as soon as I can get over some recent unexpected expenses, will concede to the force.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Soak the cashews for a couple of hours with a little salt and then blend. I end up adding more water.

Making a smoothie right now. Coconut & cashew milk, Avocado and Ice. I freeze shelled avocado halves. Works great.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I am thinking if I am going to give in, might as well go all the way.
Thinking of Professional 750.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Depends on the model. New you should be able to find them close to that amount.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Wow! That's got all the bells/whistles. I have the 500 and love it. The 750 looks like it has more presets, as well as the new shorter container.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

After research and comparisons, I had the 500 in mind at first and then found some articles on the added features in the 750, like self cleaning and additional presets.
The lower and wider container is nice for below cabinet storage.
It's like $75 more.
While I still find this hard to justify, if being thrown in, might as well caugh up for the latest version.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

http://blenderreviews.us/vitamix/vitamix-7500/

Best price I could find for a new model was around $530. Granted, I didn't look very hard.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Is the professional 750 a different one from 7500 or are they playing with a zero?

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Only difference is the presets. 750 has them. 7500 doesn't.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Why can't companies make a cheap one, a middle of the road one and an expensive one?:r

Oh, and name them that way too.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

The 6300 is the fancier one Costco offers when Vitamix is doing a show. The DVD that comes with is using the professional model (not sure which one). The only difference between the two is the housing is more plastic like while the pro is all metal housing.

6300 has the tall container which fits in my kitchen, but our cabinets are mounted higher than standard. I wanted ample room for the epresso machine at the time I mounted them.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

OK I made a smoothie that didn't go well. :r:noon

2 carrots
1/2 c. frozen mango
1/2 c. orange juice
3 leeks (this is where I went wrong). Had this been kale or spinach I think this would have been a winner. Plus 3 was way too much.
ice cubes

I thought I had read that leeks were a good sub for leafy greens and boy was I wrong. It wasn't necessarily that bad. I think if I took out the fruit and made it a strictly veggie smoothie, I could have added garlic and tomatoes and it would have been great, like a V8 smoothie. I had never tried leeks in smoothies and thought the "onion"-y taste would get overpowered by the orange juice and mango - NOPE. But I hate onions, so my palate instantly pushes back on them.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I used raw garlic (one clove) in my juicer once and that was a big time mistake. It was so strong it hurt drinking and I love garlic.

Ya, leaks are like onions, not something I would put in a smoothie. Beets on the other hand, yummmy. Just don't use more than half a beet per serving.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Anyone else tried PB2 in their smoothies? PB2 is dehydrated peanut butter. They remove 85% of the fat. Yes, I know it's the good fat, but if you are watching calories this is a nice alternative.

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

I LOVE my Vitamixer. Use it every day. This guy has some good prices. I watch some of his gardening videos on youtube.

http://discountjuicers.com/vitamix.html

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I saw a recipe for "Nutella", hazelnut and cocoa spread without all the sugar and crazy oils that Nutella has.

I just adore Nutella, and can't wait to try it out!

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Don't forget the Costco warranty. If the Vitamix breaks for some reason bring it back for a full refund! (Costco employee for 25 years, I have to plug the store ;) )

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Costco said it was a 90 day return policy on Vitamix and 5 year manufacturer warranty. I love Costco in general, spend thousands a year there!

Re: Vitamix - Anyone into them?
 

Finally did it.
A Professional 500 is on its way to pacify the better half.