How many people here just have a regular blender?

[cara4art]

I see lots of stuff around Vitamixes, Blendtecs, etc. and they sound great, but they are so-o expensive! I just about fell off my chair when I looked them up on the web! I just use my trusty old Osterizer(10 years old) for everything that needs to be blended up, and for my green smoothies I just do it on high speed. Seems to be just fine other than the fact that I have to make dips somewhat more thin by adding a bit more liquid in order to get them to blend. Other than being expensive and with a more powerful motor, does one of these expensive things really make THAT much of a difference? You see, I've kept my kitchen so simple over the years, and it is only recently that I've been contemplating a smallish(7-cup)food processor which would be a HUGE step(as well as a big investment)for me. Other than my blender and dehydrator, I've been in the good knife+shredder+cutting board school of food prep.

[sarahrjm]

I have a regular blender! it does the job. My boss has a vitamix, and it works much faster, and does a bit of a better job blending in a shorter time. Its worth buying 1. I am saving for either the vitamix or blendtec.

They also come with great warentee's, I have been through so many cheap blenders, even before raw, when I wasnt using 1 as much!

I figure, Most people want really nice stoves to cook their food on, why not treat myself to a nice blender?

The blendtec and vitamix are great for making raw ice cream. Sometiems hard to make it in a cheaper 1.

[oai]

i have an osterizer, too. :) & i don't even have a dehydrator. i may consider it one day, but i have to try that dehydrating in my oven to see if i like dehydrated foods first.

i am thinking about a food processor though, b/c i'm so lazy about chopping. sometimes i want something nicer looking than my handy work. :p

[Rinda]

Yup! Just a regular blender here. It is part of my Bosch mixer (normally used for bread doughs, etc.) It does the job but I imagine a VitaMix would make things even smoother. Someday soon we'll likely upgrade to a vitamix.

[juliebove]

I have a Magic Bullet that I use for the occasional smoothie for my daughter. I don't like smoothies and never drink them. Have an immersion blender that gets occasional use. Have a regular blender that I never use.

[ViolinCyndee]

I only had a 'regular' blender until: yesterday! I decided to go to Linens N Things to see what they had at their going-out-of-biz sale, and got a 1000 watt Krups blender. YAY! I am psyched, and cannot wait to try it out today! My other blender is 250 watts and still works but... I def wanted more POWER!

[Crazy Healer Lady]

When I had a regular blender, I felt totally left out by people with Vitamixes and Blend-Tecs. I used a MB which died in a year, and my Osterizer was absolute junk. $50 wasted!

When my MB died, I invested in a Vitamix. It turns green smoothies liquid!! It doesn't just break it into little chunks. It's liquid, like juice. There has never been a day that I have regretted my Vitamix. It's expanded my raw choices so much. Almond milk, sauces, alfredo, green juice, puddings, crusts, pies, almond butter, salsa, guac...

You can TOTALLY get by with a regular blender!! But a Vitamix is a great option for the future! :D

[KaitAnne]

I have a regular blender :) I'd love a vitamix though!

[snoops]

I also used my Osterizer for a year. Had to stir things up all the time to get it going. Had to chop greens in my FP first before blending for green smoothies. THEN...I got a Vitamix for my birthday. I LOVE IT. Use it everyday at least twice a day. Would never go back. Definitely would recommend it over a regular blender even though they work adequately.

[MelissaO]

I started out using my good old Cuisinart blender that I have used for years, then my evil friend let me a make a smoothie in her Vitamix and that was it I was addicted. Vitamix can turn a handful of spinach and water and a few ice cubes into green juice. I saved up for mine, and would do so again. If my house were on fire I would grab my cats, my wedding album (the only really good pictures of my Mom who passed way last year), and my Vitamix.

Sure is nice to have one. Makes things so simple, easy and delish.


They used to have a promotion that you can order one, use it for 30 days, if you do not like it you can return it with them paying for the shipping cost to get it back to them.......trust me you will not return it. They also have ones that are factory reconditioned for less than new but have the same great warranty.

I made it by without a Vitamix, until I got one.....I now live on my Vitamix

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Gee, it's sort of like running water, eh? Like, if you were raised with having to walk to the well to fetch it, well, fine, no biggie. Go to a house with running water, and you're hooked!

[klomasius]

Regular blender user here, and I can still make wonderful creations.

High tech whizbang blenders go the one level further, but whether they are worth it if you are on a budget is up to you.

My blender cost $80 Aust and I've had it for several years with no sign of it bowing out.

Also, my food processor was found by the road on hard rubbish day, so it was FREE! My dehydrator is a crappy round one (now that is something I'd definitely like to upgrade, moreso than the blender).

My nut milk bags are simply large squares of cotton, a pillowcase or just a metal sieve.

I say, when your budget permits you to get the high level pieces of equipment then go for it.

Otherwise, you can be like me, finding ingenious ways to get the same effects and outcomes but having fun in the process!

Believe me, some of us are Queens and Kings of finding ways to work wonders with raw food without the fancy stuff.

:)

[Crazy Healer Lady]

A pillow case for a nut milk bag - genius!! I bought my Vitamix before I had to leave work. Def couldn't afford one now! Can't even go for the nut milk bags. Been using cheesecloth folded, but it's difficult. I'll try the pillow case idea! Thanks!

[klomasius]

Haha, Poverty, the REAL mother of invention!

I find cotton pillowslips are best, and wet the bit that the nutmilk is going to come in contact with or else half the nut milk with be soaked up by the dry cloth.

Also, after I've wet it, I place it into a large open mouthed jug and mould it to the inside of the jug. Then I pour the nut milk in, lift the pillowcase and squeeze it like a teat.

Works a charm and makes my 7 year old son laugh because it looks silly.

[raweater]

Well I just got my Blendtec yesterday and I can tell you it makes silky smooth blends that no regular blender could possibly do. I thought it was normal for my smoothies and soups to be like wet sand. Now they are silky smooth, there's no comparison in texture.

I've just written a review of my Blendtec on Epinions:
http://www99.epinions.com/review/Blendtec_TB_621_BHM_Blender/content_452726918788

[cara4art]

Well I can see that I'm going to have to save up my pennies AND make some huge hints - that review by raweater is awesome, plus other peoples' comments here about both the Blendtec and Vitamix. The Blendtec sounds REALLY good!

[raweater]

Thanks for your comment on my review. I just updated it after finding a few spelling mistakes in it.

[Seabie]

I'd love one of those high dollar blenders but I can't afford it. Let's see...house payment, car, electricity...no money left over for an expensive blender. LOL I have been using the same blender for several years and it gets the job done. I am sure the others might be easier or have added features but if I waited until I could afford the expensive blender, deyhdrator, food processor...I never would have started raw. Glad I didn't wait.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Excellent point, Seabie!

I mean, you make due, wherever. If I didn't have a vitamix or even a blender, it wouldn't be as easy, but you be darn sure I'd still be raw! Just eating different foods, and less raw versions of SAD foods. LOL!

[rawviveyourself]

If my house was on fire, I'd take my family, my cats, and my vitamix!:)

[rawstrength]

The only raw equipment that I own is a vitamix, a knife, and a cutting board. I love my vitamix and I can't imagine being raw without it.

[raweater]

I am sure the others might be easier or have added features

Just to clarify, as I've recently gone from a regular 750 watt blender to a 1500 watt blendtec, it's not that it's easier or has more features (ok the blendtec has more features, but the vitamix is the same as a regular blender except for power and in fact lacks the pulse option that most blenders have). The main difference with these high power blenders is the texture of the blend, what came out of my 750 watt blender was like wet sand and far from smooth, what comes out of the blendtec is silky smooth and homogenized. They can also blend far thicker mixtures that would break a regular blender in seconds. You can actually make instant ice cream in the blendtec by putting 3 cups of ice and 1-2 cups of nuts and flavoring and it will blend it into a thick ice cream in seconds, a regular blender could never blend such a thick mixture.

I also noticed with green smoothies in my old blender I just ended up with spinach flakes in the smoothie, with the blendtec there are no flakes, it's as if I had added green food coloring, it's perfectly blended in.

[trinity082482]

My blender cost $30

[Ilse W.]

I have a Kitchen Aid blender and my spinach/banana smoothies come out thick and very creamy. I pulse the ingredients first to make sure everything is moving in the blender, then set it on the highest speed and walk away. A couple minutes later I have a great smoothie. The blender cost me $100 about 8 years ago, but I will keep it until it falls apart. The ice cream does sound good, though, and I don't think my blender could do that.

[ltcartwright]

I have a Kitchen Aid 12 speed blender that I got as a wedding present. Until this year (when I found out about Raw foods), I had hardly used it. In order to get my smoothies "smooth" I add the liquid of choice first, then the greens. I process the greens until I get them blended first, then I add the dense and/or frozen fruits like bananas, berries, peaches, etc. At first when I added everything, I'd still get big bits of shredded greens, but blending the greens first works in making the smoothies smooth.

I will be upgrading to a high speed aka "big papa" blender when I'm 1 full year 100% Raw, every month I'm Raw, I'll be saving up to give myself this gift. So this is my incentive.

[tvillemom]

Last year, I never would have thought of getting a VM (because of the expense). I've been raw for 3 years(not 100% all the time, but 100% about 60% of the time....and 70% or more the rest of the time) and I really started wanting one about 4 months ago. When I mentioned it to DH and showed it to him online, he said, "absolutely!" I could not believe it. We are now saving, and buying Christmas for the family and kids...but I know a VM will be in my future and I can't wait to get it!!

[jacsam]

I used an Osterizer forever and then saved up and bought a vitamix. I actually walked out of the store without it because I was having a VERY HARD TIME spending that much on a blender, when I got to my car I turned around and just bit the bullet and went in and bought it. I've never regretted it and would buy another one if it ever bit the dust. During thanksgiving I used my brothers osterizer and even though it did a fine job, I thought wow, I really love my vitamix.

[HapENap]

Has anyone had sucess with using a regular blender to make smooth cheeses, deserts, etc?
If so, what was your technique? Do you just blend it for longer, add ingredients slowly???

I have a Kitchen Aid blender. Vitamix just isn't in the budget, but I want to create a smooth creamy texture mainly for deserts and cheese sauces. How do you do this? Help!!!???

[Eva]

HapENap -- I hear ya. It's an expensive machine! When you're ready, you can do payments/free shipping/refurbished etc. (http://www.uncooking101.com/saving-money-on-raw-food-equipment.shtml)and make it easier on you, then it lasts for FOREVER.

OK, in the meantime, to answer your question -- you can add some ice in place of water in recipes that need to be really smooth. The reason for this is that you will need to blend for long time, and this way the food will not get heated. You may need to stop it after a minute or two to keep the motor from overheating if your blender is sensitive.

Otherwise, I would just add a bit more water than recipes call for and chop things up more before you put them in. I put whole, unchopped food into my vita-mix because I know it's going to pulverize it faster than I could... but when I was overseas and using a cheap blender, I just chopped a lot more. It was not ideal -- but perfectly fine!!

I hope that helps. :)

[cara4art]

Well, as I said over on another thread, I finally caved and GOT the Blend-tec through my old practitioner in Santa Fe for a great deal. Loving it so much, and that baby gets used bare minimum once or twice a day too. As others say here, the texture of blended stuff is just out of this world! Loving the fact that I can stick kale and chard STALKS in there with the leaves and fruit, and it comes out fab. Try sticking those stalks in a regular blender and see how far you get...

[DuaneE]

I blew out a 650watt blender before I went Raw. After that happened I invested in a vita-mix and I simply have never regretted that purchase. I use it to grind flax meal, and spices all the time, let's not even talk about the smoothies and ice-creams. It is just simply worth the cash.

Duane