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stefoodie
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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The Oster blender my hubby got me for our first Christmas together 17 years ago finally went kaput. I'd get another one as it did really serve me well, but want to look at other options, even if it's a bit more expensive, if it happens to have more capabilities that I might be interested in. BUT if I don't have to spend that much, I want to know that too, so all opinions welcome.
So considering the Vita-Mix, but open to other suggestions. Brands, prices, sources, suggestions for what to do with it besides blend and puree...
Is the Vita-Mix also a juicer?
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stef
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 11:41am | IP Logged
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My favorite subject... I love love love my Vitamix. I looked at it for years - and finally saved up and got it 3 years ago - the best thing I ever did. ( I promise I do not get commission from the company!!!!) I have definitely got my worth of the price. I have a smallish kitchen and hardly any appliances - I use the Vitamix so many times a day. Things I do:
- smoothies
- juices
- soups
- breadcrumbs
- batters for muffins, pancakes, waffles
- baby food (now they even have a smaller container to do small amts like baby food - I may get it)
- yummy yummy icecream and sorbet
- salsa
-grating carrots and apples
- grating onions
The recipe books have lots more ideas - but I use it for the above mainly.
They also sell a dry container - I did not get it after much research and trying a friends - but it is good if you make a lot of bread - just did not work for the allergy free bread I have to make.
I grind grains in the wet container anyway. Also I use the Sue Gregg grain soaking method - so the night before I grind whole spelt/kamut with buttermilk in th vitamix and leave it all night - takes me 10 minutes to have waffles or pancakes on the table the next morning.
We had one little mishap with it - dd was making orange frosties and left a spoon in - but there is a safety mechanism - I paid $15 for a replacement and they had it to me in 3 days.
If you lived closer I would have you over and do a demonstration like they do in Costco - of juice/smoothie/soup/icecream!!!!
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aussieannie
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I second that Vitamix!!
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Bookswithtea
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I had an old stainless steel vitamix for years, and it was great. When I finally decided to upgrade, Vitamix gave me $75 credit to take the old one off the market by sending it to them! 
I've used it over the years for smoothies, pancake batter, homemade nut butters and all sorts of other stuff. I would like to get the hang of using it for quick soups, but haven't gotten there yet (would love a good recipe if anyone has one to share). Smoothies are a daily here and I was sick to death of breaking blenders on frozen strawberries. I had 3 so-called 'unbreakable' blenders before we finally bought a vitamix.
Their customer service is excellent, btw. We had a small hairline crack in our container after a couple of years of regular use. I called and they sent out a new one without even the slightest hassle. Didn't even ask me to send them the old one. We already have a grain mill, otherwise I would have bought a dry container, too. Its a great bargain compared to the cost of a grain mill and I know several who use it regularly for grinding wheat.
I'm eyeing up the small container, too!
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Jen L.
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 3:36pm | IP Logged
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Oaky, I want to here your best uses and RECIPES for the vitamix. I bought one and just haven't gotten in the habit of using it well. I love the smoothies that we make out of frozen fruit and once I made peanut butter, but I need help! Clearly I have not made it "pay for itself" yet.
(I have a wet and dry container.)
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 4:48pm | IP Logged
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Nut butters are more of a visual thing than a recipe. I found that a small amount of raw peanuts or cashews really helped to mask the more healthy nut flavors that my kids were likely to reject. You start by letting it blend into a fine powder...when it starts to sound a tiny bit slower and the powder starts to look damp, add whatever healthy oil you are into (I still don't know what to make of the current coconut oil craze  ), a little at a time, just enough to keep it moving. Don't make huge batches at once. 2 cups of nuts is plenty.
Smoothies? When I wasn't bothered by too much fruit sugar I used to make ones like this:
1ish cups Orange juice
1 frozen banana
2ish cups frozen berries, mangos, pineapple, etc.
I'm not bothered by dairy and need more protein in the mornings now, but need a lower grain diet. So now I make dairy based smoothies.
1 container your favorite healthy vanilla yogurt (or you might be able to use homemade/plain and just add some vanilla flavoring?
1/2-1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. strawberries.
Almond shakes are super yummy and healthy for the kids and also make great summer popsicles.
1/2 c. raw almonds, ground into a fine powder first in the machine.
1-2c's vanilla flavored milk alternative (I used to use soy but now avoid that...rice milk would work, I guess)
1. cup frozen cherries (a superimmunity food and also super yummy)
1 c. frozen strawberries.
1-2 frozen bananas
I have found that the cherries and vanilla flavored milk are just enough sweetener that I don't need to add in anything else. If its not sweet enough, this is a good place to add in a few dates. Blend to the consistency you like. We drink them either like a thick shake or as popsicles. You can also add some protein powder to this without noticing it too much if the formula is not gritty. I know some moms mask liquid vitamins in these for their kids.
I'm all ears for soup recipes...
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stefoodie
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How do you make juice with the Vita-Mix? Do you just throw everything in? Does it turn into juice that's like commercially produced juice or is it more gritty? Is there a receptacle for any solids to discard or does it use up everything? Reason I ask is we've never had a juicer, but my SIL had one, and she'd put everything in, sometimes even including the seeds, the peel, etc. and then her juicer would juice everything, but all the solids would be caught by a sieve like contraption and she just throws that away. Is it the same with the Vita-Mix?
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Jen L.
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 6:06pm | IP Logged
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No. The vitamix is not a juicer. It's a powerful blender. There are those that tout the benefits of fresh juice (immediate absorbtion without fiber, i think is the main thing) but not necessarily instead of using the vitamix for other fruit drinks.
I'm sure someone else will have a more complete answer...
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 6:25pm | IP Logged
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stefoodie wrote:
| How do you make juice with the Vita-Mix? Do you just throw everything in? Does it turn into juice that's like commercially produced juice or is it more gritty? Is there a receptacle for any solids to discard or does it use up everything? Reason I ask is we've never had a juicer, but my SIL had one, and she'd put everything in, sometimes even including the seeds, the peel, etc. and then her juicer would juice everything, but all the solids would be caught by a sieve like contraption and she just throws that away. Is it the same with the Vita-Mix? |
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The Vitamix makes whole juice which is fairly thick. eg I would make one with oranges,pineapples, apples, grapes, ice and hide some carrots or cucumber in it. You have to put in a lot of liquid/ice to thin it down - my kids prefer the smoothies to the juice. I peel oranges but nothing else really.
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 6:27pm | IP Logged
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Jen L. wrote:
Oaky, I want to here your best uses and RECIPES for the vitamix. I bought one and just haven't gotten in the habit of using it well. I love the smoothies that we make out of frozen fruit and once I made peanut butter, but I need help! Clearly I have not made it "pay for itself" yet.
(I have a wet and dry container.) |
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Hi Jen - I will try and type out some recipes in the next few days. I tend to use my own rather than those in the Vitamix book - and most of the time just throw things in - so have to think about them.
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Rebecca
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 9:04pm | IP Logged
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I love my Vita mix! I throw in whole fruits and veggies to make smoothies or juice. You do need to water it down though or it can be kind of thick. I have made fresh soup in it without having to drag out a pan. It only takes a few minutes to cook in the blender. I make hummus in it quite often as well.
I regret not buying the dry container for grains. If I were to purchase or upgrade again, I would buy it.
The other nice thing about the Vita mix is that it is virtually indestructible. The blender container is heavy duty and the motor base is very heavy. They have a long warranty for a small appliance, something like 7 years or so. I can't remember exactly.
I also like to make margaritas. 
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Ruth
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| Posted: Jan 24 2007 at 4:55pm | IP Logged
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I just got mine. Here it is. 
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stefoodie
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| Posted: Jan 24 2007 at 5:51pm | IP Logged
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Yay for you!!! Thanks for sharing, Ruth. I'm still on the fence. I don't need a grain mill because I already have one.... and I don't think I'll need nut butters often... my mixer has a $45 blender attachment available... I've already got an ice cream machine, and I'd really like a juicer.... and we're not into creamed soups that much...
but I am drooling, especially after checking out the recipes at the Vita Mix website! Sigh...
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 24 2007 at 6:41pm | IP Logged
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I have forgotten to post recipes. Just got back from Costco - and they had a demo which reminded me..
Our breakfast smoothie - frozen strawberries and blueberries, banana, plain creamy yogurt, maple syrup, coconut oil, orange juice - sometimes I add some whey protein.
Raw soup - quick lunch: carrot, celery, onion all chopped very small. Some parsley and garlic to taste. Boiling water - veg stock cube or seasoning such as Braggs or Spike. Add chopped cooked chicken at the end or cooked beans for protein.
Yummy strawberry icecream - frozen strawberries, fresh whole cream, honey or maple syrup, ice - yum yum
More to follow....
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MelissaClaire
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Bumping this up since VitaMix is back at my Costco and I just got my rebate check and am so tempted to use it towards this.
Is everyone still using them?
I've been reading lots about "green smoothies" as a way of getting kale and collard greens and such in the diet. Does anyone use theirs for this--do the kids drink it?
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stefoodie
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I'm so glad you bumped this up, Melissa! After putting it off for 3 years I am really, finally, getting my Vita-mix. Just waiting for it now to get back to my local Costco!
I don't have a recipe for green smoothies but I borrowed a book from the library that had one and I intend to try it. I think they used a lot of green grapes and kiwi, along with kale, etc.
Maybe someone will have a tried-and-true recipe for you.
What I'm very excited about is making my own tahini, hummus and baba ghanouj. I make the hummus with storebought tahini but the humms and baba ghanouj I can't get smooth enough with my food processor and people just won't eat them when they're still gritty (I like them on the rough side actually but I end up eating most of it).
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Molly Smith
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MelissaClaire wrote:
Bumping this up since VitaMix is back at my Costco and I just got my rebate check and am so tempted to use it towards this.
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That's what we did! It is terrific. Dh and I recently decided to make some major changes to our family diet, one of which was to get more veggies in each day. The Vitamix is THE way to do this if you don't have big veggie eaters. Oh the things you can hide! I'll start with basic tomatoes and add red pepper, carrots, onion and spinach. You don't see the "green", there are no scary chunky veggies and you get all of the nutrition.
I made Nourishing Tradition's Creamy Vegetable Soup according to the recipe, but blended it in the Vitamix and it was a huge hit. Same soup straight out of the pot would have scared my family half to death. They know what I'm putting in there, they just don't like chunky veggies.
We've made marinara, pizza sauce, soups, applesauce, all manner of smoothies, ice cream, sorbet and probably some other things I've forgotten now. The clean-up is SO easy that you really can use this a few times a day. It has been a very efficient kitchen tool for me. We did get the dry blades, but I haven't had a chance to use them yet. Soon.
It's very expensive, but with our rebate and some other things we needed to return (including some unused Christmas lights--Costco is the best for taking returns) we didn't spend any money out-of-pocket. Costco would take it right back if you didn't like it.
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Lisbet
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MelissaClaire wrote:
I've been reading lots about "green smoothies" as a way of getting kale and collard greens and such in the diet. Does anyone use theirs for this--do the kids drink it?
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I don't have a Vitamix (though I'm drooling...) but I do make smoothies each morning - as long as the berries are colorful I can add any kind of greens and no one says boo. If I use pineapple/banana etc... the greens make it a nasty shade of gray, and I wouldn't even eat it! 
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MelissaClaire
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Thanks for the input. As I research these I keep also reading about Blendtecs. Anyone have an input as to which is better?
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Donna Marie
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Is it better to try and get a Vitamix or the blender attachment for a Bosch? I have a Bosch and love it.
I just never got the blender part and now need a blender as our old faithful family smoothie maker has recently gone up in smoke...rather literally...couldn't handle large family life...
I need one that can handle large family living, that is a must! I am so tired of appliances that are made for people that don't really use them
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Tell Me About Your Vita-Mix!
