Does the Vita Mix make nut butter?

[pippin07]

I am dying to make home made almond butter. I got a green star Juicer last thursday, (fulling intending to make nut butter) used it Sat night to make carrot juice, the next day the machine failed to work!!! DRAT!! Iv' had to send it back already. In the mean time I received my vita mix and was wondering if I can make almond butter in it. If so, should I first soak the almonds?

Thanks for your help!

[FloridaPatty]

It needs things moving to do what it does best. A food processor would be a better bet. If you don't have one, they are quite cheap. Or maybe even grind the almonds by hand.

[raweater]

I used to make almond butter in my food processor but it's very time consuming and hard to make it raw (the friction of the blades will get the butter very very hot and cook it unless you run it for a few seconds and allow a few minutes of cool down and repeat liek this for 30 minutes).

I also have a green star and tried making nut butter in it and it took 30 seconds to make 2 cups, I'm NEVER doing it in a food processor ever again.

I'm sorry to hear your green star failed already, are you sure it wasn't just the fuse? The manual shows how to check/replace the fuse. Is it just the motor that doesn't turn on? If so, I'd check the fuse before sending it back (unless you already have).

When you get the Green Star back, assuming you got the model 3000, install the bread stick blank and bread stick guide, it gives FAR better results (I think if you follow the manual's directions you end up with ground almond powder instead).

I also read on here someone recommending running the nut butter back through the juicer 5-6 times to make it smoother/more liquid, but I haven't made more butter since reading that so I haven't tried yet.

If you want to make some in the meantime try a food processor and allow enough cool down periods to prevent cooking the butter, when I didn't allow cool down the processor bowl got all steamy and foggy, it gets THAT hot.

[pippin07]

I'm sorry to hear your green star failed already, are you sure it wasn't just the fuse? The manual shows how to check/replace the fuse. Is it just the motor that doesn't turn on? If so, I'd check the fuse before sending it back (unless you already have).

I did'nt think it was the fuse, because it would still turn on, it just would not stay on for more than a few seconds. I even took off all the attachements in case it was becuase I had put it together incorrectly, but it still would not run more than a few seconds. Just very strange, and so dissapointing as I had just gotten it two days prior.

When you get the Green Star back, assuming you got the model 3000, install the bread stick blank and bread stick guide, it gives FAR better results (I think if you follow the manual's directions you end up with ground almond powder instead).

I got the 1000. But it did come with a blank for making nut butter.

I also read on here someone recommending running the nut butter back through the juicer 5-6 times to make it smoother/more liquid, but I haven't made more butter since reading that so I haven't tried yet.

If you want to make some in the meantime try a food processor and allow enough cool down periods to prevent cooking the butter, when I didn't allow cool down the processor bowl got all steamy and foggy, it gets THAT hot.[/QUOTE]

[raweater]

The blank for making nut butter is the one that usually turns almonds to almond flour rather than butter, the bread stick kit allows that flour to be compressed into a true butter before being ejected.

[baltochef]

I seldom want to make nut butters..I have not personally made butters in a twin-screw juicer as I do not own one; but have eaten raw butters made by people that do own one..

From talking to other raw foodists, as well as posts read online, it seems that the Green Star 3000 model fitted with the blank homogenizing bread stick plate & the bread stick guide are the cat's meow when it comes to making nut butters..

Having made nut butters both in blenders & food processors I can state with absolute conviction that after watching someone make a nut butter in a juicer outfitted as I described above; that I would never elect to make it in either a food processor or a blender again if a twin-screw juicer was available to do so..

Even with the extra time required to pass the mixture through the juicer several times in order to achieve the same ultra smooth consistency that commercial butters have; it is still far more easier & quicker than either of the other two methods..

It also is far, far easier to avoid heating the mixture up..So keeping the butter raw is much more easily accomplished..

Bruce

[raweater]

What do you mean by "it seems that the Green Star 3000 model fitted with the blank homogenizing bread stick plate & the bread stick guide are the cat's meow when it comes to making nut butters", it's particularly the "cat's meow" part I don't understand, I guess it's an expression I just never heard before.

I absolutely agree that a juicer, at least a twin gear like my green star, is the best way, I was blown away by how well it did the job comapred to my food processor (who's motor smells overheated after making nut butters, the green star's motor wasn't stressed at all by the job, it was still very cool).

By the way, I remember seeing you at least a few times saying blenders are not made to handle ice cubes by themselves, yet my blender's manual specifically says to do this, but I must say it's quite a special blender with many exclusive features so maybe that's why (it's the Breville BBL600XL (http://www.brevilleusa.com/products/bbl600xl/index.jsp?sku=bbl600xl&cID=103&pID=21&pvID=21) which has sensors monitoring the resistance on the motor and either adjusting the power to the motor to maintin constant speed under resistance or to shut down the motor in case of too much resistance), but I'm quite sure my cheap Cuisinart blender's manual also said to do this but it may be too long for me to remember. Actually I just looked at the manual online and rememeber there being an "Ice Crush" button, and the manual says:

"Boiling liquid or solid frozen foods (with the exception of ice cubes or
½-inch [1.3 cm] pieces of frozen fruit) should never be placed in the
blender jar. "

"TO CRUSH ICE: The SmartPower Premier™ 600-Watt Blender motor
is strong enough to crush ice without liquid at any speed; however for
your convenience, we have preset the best speed for ice crushing. To
give you greater control, the ice crush function automatically operates
as a pulse function. To crush ice, place ice cubes in the blender jar.
Press the On button. The On indicator light will illuminate. Press the
Ice Crush button in short pulses until ice is crushed to desired consis-
tency. See Recipe Tips section on page 8 for more details."

So I'm curious to know why you say blenders are not made to crush ice when their manuals say to specifically do this and they appear to be designed to as my current and last blender had an ice crush button/mode.

[baltochef]

Raweater

The expression "The Cat's Meow" simply means that something, someone is the best at something..Nothing else..Having made nut butters hundreds of times in restaurants using both commercial Robot Coupe food processors & Cuisinart food processors, as well as in my Vita-Prep 3 blender at home, I was simply pointing out that the twin-screw juicer does this job so much better, & more quickly than either a blender of food processor..My opinion..

As far as crushing ice in blenders is concerned, I stand corrected regarding the Breville BBL600XL and it's ability to crush ice without liquids..

Few blenders have a pulse button or mode..I don't know what the wattage, horse power, & torque ratings for the 600XL are; but if it can crush ice without liquids, then it's motor must have some impressive torque capabilities..

Crushing ice without liquids is an extreme test of a blender..Although ice is capable of being fractured, the blades of a blender are generally not the best design for such a task..As someone that has seen the mechanisms of both home & commercial ice crushing machines, I can tell you that they bear virtually no resemblance to the blades of a blender.. In addition, I have seen more than one residential blender ruined by repeatedly crushing ice without liquids for drinks at a dinner party..By someone that did not wish to go out to the store to purchase more ice that was already crushed..

Waring & Hamilton-Beach bar blenders were originally invented to make homogenized mixed drinks for restaurants & bars..Soon after their invention, ice cubes were being added to drinks to make frozen cocktails..It wasn't long afterwards before the blender manufacturers realized that even with ample liquids in the carafe, crushing ice from large cubes into a slush was seriously reducing the lifespans of the blenders..So ice machines that crushed the ice before depositing the cubes into the hopper were invented..Go into any bar, restaurant, or even smoothie bars, and you will seldom see the bartender or smoothie maker putting anything but crushed ice into even the most powerful, most expensive blenders..Because the owners of these establishments want their expensive equipment to last as long as possible before needing replacement..If I had to guess, based on my experience, I'd say that even the most powerful blenders with enclosures designed for smoothie bars, the ones costing upwards of $3000.00, would have the useful life of the blender reduced by at least one quarter to one third if whole ice cubes were always used instead of crushed ice..

When you understand how a blender is supposed to work you will understand my previous posts regarding blenders & crushing ice without liquids..Blender blades & carafes are generally designed to create a cone-shaped vortex in a liquid medium, not solids & semi-solids..The spinning vortex is necessary in order to pull downwards into the path of the spinning blades any foods that the user desires to reduce in size..

If you look at the design of the carafe of all of the best blenders, you will notice that the carafes are shaped like a cone..Blenders with newer designs often have carafes that are very square-shouldered..Such carafes are designed to be more of an all-purpose tool, as opposed to a straight-up blender..This type of blender carafe will generally crush ice better than the traditional cone-shaped carafe..This type of carafe also does not typically create as vigorous of a vortex, thus does not puree foods as finely as the traditional design..

IMO, it is the pulse mechanism, as well as the power of the Breville's electric motor that allows this particular blender to be able to crush ice without liquids..

Bruce

[SuzyQ]

I just looked in the Vita-Mix recipe book and it lists Peanut butter or Cashew butter and Raw Peanut Butter on page 17. You can also make Tahini butter (page 18) in the Appetizers section.

[faith4u]

The only way that I know of that you can make almond butter in the Vita Mix is if the almonds are roasted first. I did that years ago when I first got my Vita Mix and before I was raw.

Otherwise, you could try it but you would probably have to add a lot of oil in to get it to keep turning.