Posted by bookmama on Feb 11, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 1190 posts
How many folks out there have Vita-Mixes and what have been your experiences? Worth the money?
Posted by jkl on Feb 11, 2007 · Member since Dec 2002 · 900 posts
Jennifer Hughes posted this same inquiry some month or two ago and she got a bunch of replies. I have one and I love it. I use it mostly for smoothies and pureeing soups. Maybe a couple of times a week. I don't do any of the fancy things you can supposedly do with it. I love the seven year warranty best of all. And it works great for the things I use it for. The only drawback is the top part can't go in the dishwasher, but they give you some tips on how to wash it so it's not a big deal. It's an expensive blender, but it works out to be cheaper than buying a new one every year or so.
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Posted by freshgal on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Jan 2007 · 27 posts
I swear by my stick mixer. so easy to use, clean and store. cheaper than most blenders too. makes great smoothies, soups and even daquiris. wouldnt go back to a blender now.
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Posted by nutdragon on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Aug 2006 · 807 posts
I don't but my mother does and everytime I am at her house she draggs it out and shows me something new about how cool it is. I told her she should contact the company and try to sell them on the side. She is obsessed :D I know they're expensive; I keep hoping mom just can't stand it anymore and will buy me one :)
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Posted by bookmama on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 1190 posts
Sorry, folks, I had forgotten about the other thread. I read so many posts, I forget what I read. :( I'll try going back to see if I can find it.
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Posted by bookmama on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 1190 posts
Well, the only question from JenniferHughes I could find that looked similar was a question about juicers. I know you can juice with a Vita-Mix, but I'm interested in blender-type and other uses--any, really. It's a hefty investment and I wouldn't want it to end up just sitting on my counter taking up space and taking a chunk out of my bank account. ;)
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Posted by idioglossia on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Jul 2005 · 234 posts
Posted by hopfrog on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Sep 2004 · 905 posts
I bought my Vitamix with graduation money and I asked a similar question here before I bought it (when I first started typing this, I thought it was over a year ago, turns out its been less than a year):
I use my Vitamix everyday. The downsides that I've come across is that it is very tall and doesn't fit assembled underneath my cupboards. It also doesn't do very well with extremely small quantities of food. I still use my Braun hand blender (wonderful product) for a few things and my food processor for quite a few things, the Vitamix has not replaced those items.
But nothing gets soups or smoothies as wonderfully creamy and smooth as the Vitamix (it is amazing the quantity of whole, fresh fruit you can put in a Vitamix with just a little water to make a great breakfast smoothie). Making tofu pumpkin pie or chocolate pie filling is a dream in the Vitamix. No little white flecks or chunks of tofu. Cashew cream is delectable in the Vitamix. I quickly make up stir fry sauces, well any kind of sauce (I throw huge chunks of frozen ginger root and unpeeled garlic into the Vitamix with the rest of the sauce ingredients, no need to spend time pre chopping/grating/peeling, the Vitamix gets it all so finely chopped up I can't tell the difference), salad dressings...
One of the other posts had a discussion about grinding cashews for Dragonfly's cheese. I use my food processor to mix up the dry mix and the cashews are not as fine as I like them. After I mix the quantity I want to make with water, it goes in the Vitamix for 30 seconds and that gets the mix as smooth as it can possibly be (even better than the laborious coffee grinder trick). Reading Lezly's post just now, it looks like that is exactly what she does.
I use my Vitamix for so many things I can't remember them all. That being said, I don't think that I would encourage someone who was on a really tight budget to get one. I ate a healthy and delicious diet before I bought a Vitamix. My smoothies weren't as smooth (nothing was as smooth), but I did just fine. The Vitamix is a luxury--if it is in your budget and you want to spend money on a luxury, go for it, but don't overly strain your budget for one.
Elizabeth
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Posted by katzenfreund on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 245 posts
Hello :) we've had our Vitamix for about 13 years now... did have to get a new lid for it though, and another part twice (the one that is at the bottom and attaches the container to the main part), which both were REALLY expensive and I felt ripped off. The seal of the new top/lid started deteriorating very quickly. I use it mostly for smoothies and soups, but only once or twice a week, so haven't used it all that much. You can't make juice with it, because it does not remove the pulp. We have a champion juicer for that task. I have to say I don't think I'll be getting another one, when this one "dies". I will get a stick blender for soups and smoothies and a food processor for other tasks, such as making hummus. I haven't been unhappy with the Vitamix, don't want to give that impression either....
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Posted by bookmama on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 1190 posts
Thanks, idioglossia and everyone else. I guess it makes a difference when you're trying to find posts about it to spell it correctly (no hyphen). :P
I guess I won't rush out to buy one ;) but I'll look at it again if I need to replace the blender I've got. Now I'm on a mission to find out about immersion blenders. It's a nuisance to pour soups into the blender "in batches" then back into the pot. Makes a mess and dirties up more stuff.
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Posted by apstaats on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Mar 2006 · 661 posts
I love my stick blender for soups! I bought a fairly cheap one years ago, and I totally abuse it. It is as good as new.
Your question has gotten me thinking about fiddling around with vegetable smoothies in my standard blender. Anyone had success with this, and do you have recipes to share? I've had a heck of a time finding recipes for smoothies containing vegetables.
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Posted by volacious.r on Feb 12, 2007 · Member since Sep 2005 · 313 posts
I requested and got a immersion blender for Christmas and have been going crazy with it ever since! It's really fantastically easy for making soups, guacamole, sauces, blending messes of tofu etc. No more pouring soup into my blender in batches and dirtying every pot in my kitchen! I loooove it. ;D
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Posted by tanevab on Feb 13, 2007 · Member since Jan 2007 · 942 posts
I'm kinda blase about my immersion blender. If I do a pureed soup I like it really smooth so I still end up straining it. I don't like it for smoothies and things of that nature. I use my regular blender far more often. This year I think that a vita-mix is at the top of my b-day wishlist mix. Apstataats, I tried pureeing raw veg in my regular blender at it didn't get very smooth. You can do it but you will probably want to strain it through a mesh strainer.
Jennifer Hughes posted this same inquiry some month or two ago and she got a bunch of replies. I have one and I love it. I use it mostly for smoothies and pureeing soups. Maybe a couple of times a week. I don't do any of the fancy things you can supposedly do with it. I love the seven year warranty best of all. And it works great for the things I use it for. The only drawback is the top part can't go in the dishwasher, but they give you some tips on how to wash it so it's not a big deal. It's an expensive blender, but it works out to be cheaper than buying a new one every year or so.
I swear by my stick mixer. so easy to use, clean and store. cheaper than most blenders too.
makes great smoothies, soups and even daquiris.
wouldnt go back to a blender now.
I don't but my mother does and everytime I am at her house she draggs it out and shows me something new about how cool it is. I told her she should contact the company and try to sell them on the side. She is obsessed :D
I know they're expensive; I keep hoping mom just can't stand it anymore and will buy me one :)
Sorry, folks, I had forgotten about the other thread. I read so many posts, I forget what I read. :(
I'll try going back to see if I can find it.
Well, the only question from JenniferHughes I could find that looked similar was a question about juicers. I know you can juice with a Vita-Mix, but I'm interested in blender-type and other uses--any, really. It's a hefty investment and I wouldn't want it to end up just sitting on my counter taking up space and taking a chunk out of my bank account. ;)
Would these topics help, bookmama?
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=12237.0
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=11794.0
I bought my Vitamix with graduation money and I asked a similar question here before I bought it (when I first started typing this, I thought it was over a year ago, turns out its been less than a year):
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=3614.0
I use my Vitamix everyday. The downsides that I've come across is that it is very tall and doesn't fit assembled underneath my cupboards. It also doesn't do very well with extremely small quantities of food. I still use my Braun hand blender (wonderful product) for a few things and my food processor for quite a few things, the Vitamix has not replaced those items.
But nothing gets soups or smoothies as wonderfully creamy and smooth as the Vitamix (it is amazing the quantity of whole, fresh fruit you can put in a Vitamix with just a little water to make a great breakfast smoothie). Making tofu pumpkin pie or chocolate pie filling is a dream in the Vitamix. No little white flecks or chunks of tofu. Cashew cream is delectable in the Vitamix. I quickly make up stir fry sauces, well any kind of sauce (I throw huge chunks of frozen ginger root and unpeeled garlic into the Vitamix with the rest of the sauce ingredients, no need to spend time pre chopping/grating/peeling, the Vitamix gets it all so finely chopped up I can't tell the difference), salad dressings...
One of the other posts had a discussion about grinding cashews for Dragonfly's cheese. I use my food processor to mix up the dry mix and the cashews are not as fine as I like them. After I mix the quantity I want to make with water, it goes in the Vitamix for 30 seconds and that gets the mix as smooth as it can possibly be (even better than the laborious coffee grinder trick). Reading Lezly's post just now, it looks like that is exactly what she does.
I use my Vitamix for so many things I can't remember them all. That being said, I don't think that I would encourage someone who was on a really tight budget to get one. I ate a healthy and delicious diet before I bought a Vitamix. My smoothies weren't as smooth (nothing was as smooth), but I did just fine. The Vitamix is a luxury--if it is in your budget and you want to spend money on a luxury, go for it, but don't overly strain your budget for one.
Elizabeth
Hello :)
we've had our Vitamix for about 13 years now... did have to get a new lid for it though, and another part twice (the one that is at the bottom and attaches the container to the main part), which both were REALLY expensive and I felt ripped off. The seal of the new top/lid started deteriorating very quickly. I use it mostly for smoothies and soups, but only once or twice a week, so haven't used it all that much. You can't make juice with it, because it does not remove the pulp. We have a champion juicer for that task. I have to say I don't think I'll be getting another one, when this one "dies". I will get a stick blender for soups and smoothies and a food processor for other tasks, such as making hummus. I haven't been unhappy with the Vitamix, don't want to give that impression either....
Thanks, idioglossia and everyone else. I guess it makes a difference when you're trying to find posts about it to spell it correctly (no hyphen). :P
I guess I won't rush out to buy one ;) but I'll look at it again if I need to replace the blender I've got. Now I'm on a mission to find out about immersion blenders. It's a nuisance to pour soups into the blender "in batches" then back into the pot. Makes a mess and dirties up more stuff.
I love my stick blender for soups! I bought a fairly cheap one years ago, and I totally abuse it. It is as good as new.
Your question has gotten me thinking about fiddling around with vegetable smoothies in my standard blender. Anyone had success with this, and do you have recipes to share? I've had a heck of a time finding recipes for smoothies containing vegetables.
I requested and got a immersion blender for Christmas and have been going crazy with it ever since! It's really fantastically easy for making soups, guacamole, sauces, blending messes of tofu etc. No more pouring soup into my blender in batches and dirtying every pot in my kitchen! I loooove it. ;D
I'm kinda blase about my immersion blender. If I do a pureed soup I like it really smooth so I still end up straining it. I don't like it for smoothies and things of that nature. I use my regular blender far more often. This year I think that a vita-mix is at the top of my b-day wishlist mix.
Apstataats, I tried pureeing raw veg in my regular blender at it didn't get very smooth. You can do it but you will probably want to strain it through a mesh strainer.
Can you tell I like things really smooth?