Calling all Vita-Mix owners...

[Mrs. Papaya]

Hey guys. If you have a Vita-Mix, can you help me out by answering some of these questions?

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?
Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.
Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?
Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?
Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?
How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?
Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)

Just trying to get a sense of how much a Vita-Mix could expand my raw cooking. My cheapo blender is possibly on its last legs (though I am impressed it lasted this long, to be honest). Thank you!

[sport]

I will answer the ones that I have knowledge of.

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?
I believe that the smoothies are smoother.

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
Yes but not as well as a processor so would not bother.

Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?
Are the seeds dry. I have tried sesame seeds to make humus and failed. Had to do them in the coffee grinder and then add them to the zucchini in the blender.

Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?
Processor is better.

Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
Absolutely NOT. Failed miserably.

How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
Nearly al of the time.

How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?
What is the easy clean option.

Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)
No

Having said all of that I still think that it is probably the best one.

[DebB]

I'm a relatively new VM owner as I've been using a Blend Tec. But I'll answer what I can...

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
I realize they say you can, but I don't. I have a nice 11 cup FP and that's what I use to process with, not the blender.

Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
Every night for the past 2 weeks I put in frozen blueberries and frozen strawberries (both from Costco) with aboug 2 tablespoons water and blend. now - my arm does get a workout pushing that frozen fruit down into the blades, in fact I have to stop mid way and rest my arm! But when I'm done I have THE most delicious tasting berry sorbet.

I also take 1 frozen banana and frozen strawberries and do the same thing, really tasty and with just 1 banana it doesn't taste 'banana-y'.

Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?
It depends on how soft or how dry your dates are. If mine are super fresh then no. If they're a little dried, yes I do soak them because I like it when they blend completely.

How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
It all depends what I'm blending. If it's something very liquidy I don't use it at all. If it's having trouble blending, then I use the tamper. That's something I'm still getting used to cuz BT doesn't have a tamper (although I do have a BT tamper made from wooden dowels that I ordered off ebay and have used it for things like 'juicing' wheatgrass)

How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce?
I fill it halfway with warm/hot water and a little bit of dish soap and process. But if it's real sticky or dried on this won't help. Then I let it soak full of water.

Just trying to get a sense of how much a Vita-Mix could expand my raw cooking. My cheapo blender is possibly on its last legs (though I am impressed it lasted this long, to be honest). Thank you!

Once you have a high speed blender -- you'll wonder how you got along without one! It's definitely worth it. I bougt mine at Costco's road show, the 5200 for just under $400 - cheaper than buying directly from VM even.

[Raynne413]

Hey guys. If you have a Vita-Mix, can you help me out by answering some of these questions?

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?
Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.
Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?
Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?
Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?
How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?
Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)

Just trying to get a sense of how much a Vita-Mix could expand my raw cooking. My cheapo blender is possibly on its last legs (though I am impressed it lasted this long, to be honest). Thank you!

Smoothies are much easier and faster. I also use it to make nut flours, brownies, cakes, etc (although now that I have a good processor I'll probably change over, because I've overheated my VM with the brownies). I like that it gently heats things, so you can use it to slightly warm mylks or soups. I've also used it to make icecream.

Honestly, I originally bought my vitamix with the idea of replacing almost all of my kitchen appliances, including the food processor. I've since learned that it really is nicer to have both, and I bought a Cuisinart food processor.

You could make nut pates. I've ground nuts to make cakes and things. I think the main problem could be overprocessing so that you end up with flour instead of chunks.

If you are doing thicker mixtures, it works but you have to be really careful not to overheat.

I think guacamole and salsa would work well, just don't overprocess into soup. :)

With the frozen fruit, I think you'd need a BIT of liquid to get things moving well enough to blend. And if everything was frozen solid, you'd probably need more fluid than that.

I sometimes soak my dates just for the heck of it, but I don't think you have to. They blend well. At least the Medjools do.

I use the tamper sometimes if I'm doing a smoothie to make sure the fruit gets blended. And I use it when I make almond butter (but I'm probably going to change over to the food processor too).

I've found the best way to clean it after something sticky is to fill it about 3/4 of the way full with water and a little soap and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Then put the lid on, put the pitcher back on the base, and blend on high for a minute or so. Then pour the dirty water out and rinse.

In my experience, you can use either container for grinding, I think the dry container is just more efficient. However, if you are using a REALLY small amount of seeds or nuts, it probably wouldn't work well.

[DebB]

I don't know if this video will have helpful information for you, but I thought I'd toss it in. It's by John Kohler, "Blender vs Food Processor - Differences Fully Explained (http://www.youtube.com/user/rawfoods#p/a/u/0/_J6oQCfYxrY)". He's showing a food processor, a Blend Tec and a VitaMix. *Ü*

[T-Bird]

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?

smoothies, salad dressing, cashews for sour creme

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
use the cuisinart

Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.

use the cuisinart

Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?

use the cuisinart

Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?

use the cuisinart

Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?

you'd have to keep up with the plunger quite a bit - but you can make a sorbet-ish texture - yes

Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?

no - but they'll be more processed if you do

How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?

50%....I love to stack the ice/fruit greens, so I don't need to....

How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce?

immediate cleaning is best

Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?

no

Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)

not the greatest.....my 10$ little coffee bean grinder works better for this.

[devil's angel]

what a vitamix is good for ....
it is great for smoothies but does need water ,
it is excellent for making ur green smoothies
makes the best chili sauce
most wonderful soups
my mom can grind down almonds to a powder in her vitimix , but i dont know what she is using ... i prefer my coffee grinder for grinding into a flour ,
it is awesome for chocolate sauce
it purees carrotts and hard veggies with water .


i love my vitamix and wouldnt use any other brand .. mine is easy to clean as long as i rinse it out after every use ... even when it is super sticky . u couldnt do any better in my option . good luck . they are awesome and make raw food so much easier ... i use mine everyday .

[ferb]

I just saw on hsn where wolfgang puck has a 68 oz 1.6 hp blender for sale for 150.00 with free shipping today only...thought about buying it to try but upon researching it's made in china (and i'm leary of the quality)the demo they made; peanut butter, soup (and they cooked it by leaving on the blender for 4 mins????), scrambled eggs- 4 mins to cooked, icecream-strawberries frozen, milk sugar, sorbet-mango and mango juice, it all looked delish but still have a few hours to decide whether to buy or not.

[LaniB]

I don't know if this video will have helpful information for you, but I thought I'd toss it in. It's by John Kohler, "Blender vs Food Processor - Differences Fully Explained (http://www.youtube.com/user/rawfoods#p/a/u/0/_J6oQCfYxrY)". He's showing a food processor, a Blend Tec and a VitaMix. *Ü*

Deb, you are such a great resource!! I just watched this video and it's excellent!!! I decided I'm going to splurge now for a food processor to partner with my Vita-Mix

[DebB]

Deb, you are such a great resource!! I just watched this video and it's excellent!!! I decided I'm going to splurge now for a food processor to partner with my Vita-Mix

Thanks LaniB - I'm so glad that helped you out! I'm a *huge* food processor fan and wouldn't want to be without it. I remember when I got my first one (from my neighbor, it was a really old sweet Cuisinart) I was intimidated by it and thought, "What will I EVER use this for...?" haha! The first thing I made was cole slaw and I was HOOKED. Enjoy your FP! You'll love it. *Ü*

[Raynne413]

Thanks LaniB - I'm so glad that helped you out! I'm a *huge* food processor fan and wouldn't want to be without it. I remember when I got my first one (from my neighbor, it was a really old sweet Cuisinart) I was intimidated by it and thought, "What will I EVER use this for...?" haha! The first thing I made was cole slaw and I was HOOKED. Enjoy your FP! You'll love it. *Ü*

I will definitely sat it has made making salads SOOO much easier because I tend to have "everything but the kitchen sink" salads.

[nnj925]

I have to tell you without answering all your questions since other people did.

I did NOT want to buy the vitamix I couldnt afford it. But I have to tell you it was the best things I probably ever bought! I bought it from their website refurbished it not only looked brand NEW but it works like brand new. And I saved money.

I make green smoothies every single day. Every afternoon I make a fruit smoothie before my work out. We just made raw Banana, vanilla ice cream. We make Sorbet. We have made HOT soup.

I use my NINJA (food processor) to chop nuts but to be honest I mostly chop nuts with a knife I like it better.

Anyway....I would have to say if your debating paying that MUCH for a blender b/c you think you might not get your money worth...well if you are trying to get more RAW or if you are RAW you will definetly use this thing ALL THE TIME. :)

good luck

[raweater]

I have a Blendtec but the same anwers are true in most cases:

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?

Truly smooth smoothies, thick blends that would burn a regular blender's motor in seconds

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)

No, a blender cannot be used as a food processor in most cases, they are not for the same job at all.

Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.

The food processor is much, much better for this.

Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?

Again, food processor is better for this.

Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?

No, it's practically impossible to chop using a blender (even more so with a Vitamix which lacks a Pulse function), it's going to turn to a smoothie in no time, so unless you want smooth chunkless salsa or guacamole it's not the tool for the job. But if you don't have a food processor, then the Blendtec with the pulse option can let you get much better chunky results than you can with a Vitamix.

Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?

The only reason I'd see for doing this is making a sorbet, and again the food processor will do a much, much better job.

Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?

I buy them fresh but I'm sure they can blend dry dates.

How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?

If you get a Blendtec, never, it doesn't have or need a tamper, the blades are designed to create very powerful suction eliminating the need for a tamper, in the 3-4 years I had my Blendtec I never saw the need for a tamper.

How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?

I fill it half way with water, press pulse a few seconds, repeat a 2nd time and it's clean.

Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)

Yes, assuming they are seeds that don't easily turn to butter, such as flax seeds can easily be ground to power. I once tried grinding whole cloves and it stained the jar, so to grind things like cloves you might want to use a cheap coffee grinder.

So it seems like you're wanting lots of food processor jobs with a blender, is this because you do not have a food processor or just because you're trying to find ways to use it as much as possible?

In any case a blender is best for liquid things and a food processor is best for either coarse chopping like chunky salsa or for a large batch of something very think like nut butters, pates and sorbet made of frozen fruits.

[sport]

My tamper was dirty this morning and I really tried to make my smoothie without it but failed miserably.
I had to give up and wash the tamper.

[raweater]

Are you serious? The Vitamix can't even do a SMOOTHIE without the tamper? That's simply beyond ridiculous and if that's the case I will even more strongly recommend people avoid it. The Blendtec can blend things so thick that putting the blender upside down doesn't even cause the blend to move, yet it can blend that absolutely fine with no tamper.

[Revvell]

As I've said many times, I have both and still prefer the VM. I just turn it on, stick the tamper in and let 'r' ride! All ya gotta do is rinse off the tamper. No big deal.

[MyRedPanda]

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?

I have never tried a Blendtec but I have heard great things about them. I think any $300 + blender will do the trick, honestly, but I will speak from experience as a VM owner. My husband talked to the smoothie shop at his office though and they had great things to say about the Blendtec, which they use. Anywho,...

Almond butter or any nut butter (a regular blender would get too hot and leave tiny pieces of nuts), Nut milks (again, consistency is key here - a regular blender could do a nut milk but you would not get even consistency and I think many of the nutrients would not be released), green smoothies (regular blender leaves chunks

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
I suppose you can, there is a section in the recipe booklet that talks about it, but I have a Ninja Master Prep, which I had prior to buying the VM, so I just use my Ninja for chopping

Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.
By nut pate I am assuming you mean nut butter? If so yes, see above.

Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?
Again, see nut butter comment above. Basically you can call it whatever you want, depending on what you add, but nut butter, pate, or dip, its just crushing some nuts really finely and then adding some stuff for taste

Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?
Again, recipes in manual, but I use Ninja for this also

Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
Yes, but this would be more like an "ice cream" They have ice cream recipes in the book as well. I would think you would need to add some water though, just add less to make it thicker. All the ice cream recipes use milk and sugar, you could use water and agave.

Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?
I always soak dates, I hate hard dates though

How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
I love my tamper. I use it all the time, but I guess you don't have to. I put whole apples and carrots and stuff in there though, and then push it into the blade on variable speed two - three, just to chunk it up a bit, then remove the tamper and blend full blast.

How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce?
With soap and water

Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?
Yes
Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)
No, for seeds (like wheat berries) you need the dry blade container. Anything "powdered" is "dry" hence "dry blade container"

[rpage]

Hey guys. If you have a Vita-Mix, can you help me out by answering some of these questions?

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?
Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.
Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?
Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?
Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?
How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?
Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)

Just trying to get a sense of how much a Vita-Mix could expand my raw cooking. My cheapo blender is possibly on its last legs (though I am impressed it lasted this long, to be honest). Thank you!


I can not really answer your questions, yet. We just got our Vitamix 2 days ago. I can tell you however it makes a fantastic smoothie! Wow is this thing powerful compaired to our old basic blender! It truly is amazing. I expect we will use ours at least twice a day and more. :excited:

[LaniB]

Here are my answers: :throwhearts:

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well?
Banana "ice cream" and blending everything super smooth (if I want it super smooth)

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.)
Not really. The video DebB posted is an excellent description of the differences. You can "chop" soft veggies to make a salsa or guacamole (on low setting so it is not a soup), but if something is too hard or too thick the Vita-Mix won't be happy unless you add water. I am planning to get a Food Processor soon (I have a 4 cup Cuisinart one at the moment that has done for me in a pinch - I often try to use the Vita-Mix for food processor functions and it is frustrating. Some recipes I don't even attempt)

Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore.
Haven't Tried

Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds?
Probably, if you are adding a good amount of some liquid to the seeds.

Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it?
Yes, I do. Make sure to use a very low speed and not for too long

Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water?
I do this with bananas, but if frozen too hard I have to add a bit of water

Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies?
No

How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it?
Just when blending very thick things where the vitamix needs help. I usually don't need it for my morning smoothies. The tamper is a great help though when making thick nut based recipes or frozen bananas

How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own?
Answering for both your last 2 questions - I always use the easy clean option and everything gets out from under the blades

Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)
Not a small amount - see the video DebB posted - too small of an amount will just sit at the bottom of the vitamix. Has to be enough to basically cover the blades or it won't do much & you'll be disappointed.

Good luck!!

[raweater]

Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.)
Not a small amount - see the video DebB posted - too small of an amount will just sit at the bottom of the vitamix. Has to be enough to basically cover the blades or it won't do much & you'll be disappointed.

Good luck!!

This is another huge advantage to the Blendtec, due to it's propeller shaped blade that sucks things down strongly into it which eliminates the need for a tamper, it's able to grind an amount that is nowhere near the blade level because the suction is so strong it even sucks air causing a powerful wind tornado inside, and even though the blades never touch the seeds, the tornado will lift them up right into the blades. I could grind 1/4 teaspoon of flax seeds in my huge 96 oz jar with no problems at all.

If you want to see a video let me know and I can take one, but it is a great feature of the Blendtec which allows it to never need a tamper and to be able to blend or grind a quantity so small it doesn't even reach the blades.

[laura-jane]

I didn't read everyone else's answers but here are mine:

What do you make in your Vita-Mix that a regular blender couldn't do as well? Sigh... About a gajillion things!! Mostly, it just blends things so well. NO MORE CHUNKS!! I make chocolate icing with hard dates, nut sauces, and much more.

Can you really use it as a food processor? (To chop veggies.) NO! You need a stand-alone food processor.
Can you make nut pates in it? I currently make nut pates in my GreenStar juicer, but cleanup afterward is a bit of a chore. Not really, again, you'll want to make your nut pates in your food processor.
Can your Vita-Mix make a large batch of thick dip made from seeds? YES!
Can you make good, chunky salsa or guacamole with it? Mmmm, not sure, if I wanted it to be chunky I'd use my FP.
Can you really put a ton of frozen fruit (bananas, whole strawberries, etc.) in and blend them up even without water? Yes, but it does need a BIT of water to get going.
Do you have to soak your dates before blending them into smoothies? Nope
How often do you have to use that tamper thing that comes with it? I barely ever use my tamper
How do you clean it if you make something "sticky," like a nut dip or sauce? Does the easy-clean option always work on its own? I blend it up again with water in it. Then I rinse it immediately. I have no idea what the easy clean option is.
Can you grind a small amounts of seeds into a finer powder? (With just the regular Vita-Mix, not the special dry blade thing.) I use a coffee bean grinder for such things.

Lastly, this is what you need in a fully stocked raw kitchen: Vitamix, food processor, nut/coffee bean grinder, dehydrator, juicer. The end!

[levy1]

I have to tell you without answering all your questions since other people did.

I did NOT want to buy the vitamix I couldnt afford it. But I have to tell you it was the best things I probably ever bought! I bought it from their website refurbished it not only looked brand NEW but it works like brand new. And I saved money.

I make green smoothies every single day. Every afternoon I make a fruit smoothie before my work out. We just made raw Banana, vanilla ice cream. We make Sorbet. We have made HOT soup.

I use my NINJA (food processor) to chop nuts but to be honest I mostly chop nuts with a knife I like it better.

Anyway....I would have to say if your debating paying that MUCH for a blender b/c you think you might not get your money worth...well if you are trying to get more RAW or if you are RAW you will definetly use this thing ALL THE TIME. :)

good luck
Same as me. Wanted a Vita Mix for years. Wouldn't but it because of the price. Now mine is 6 months old and going raw it has really helped me. I soak dates and prunes overnight, use the soaking water, add a banana and breakfast is served quickly. Of course you can use all kinds of fruit. I am now into making sprouted soups and humus in my blender. Best purchase for me in years!

[MysticTree]

I soak dates and prunes overnight, use the soaking water, add a banana and breakfast is served quickly.


That sounds really appealing and I am not a big banana eater or smoothie eater for that matter.