Victoria recommends that we use a Vitamix for making our green smoothies. She says that a Vitamix is not just a simpleblender like the ones you can find at any department store. It is called a high speed blender, because its speed goes up to 240 mph! That means that its blades don’t even have to be sharp; even if they were just dull metal sticks they could still liquify something as hard as, for example, blocks of wood. In order to reach such performance, the Vitamix has a 2+ peak horsepower motor. Any simple blender will blend the tough cellulose of greens only so long as its blades are sharp. Unfortunately, when the blades become dull, they just move around pieces of banana and the blender very quickly overheats. To receive the full benefits of green smoothies, the cell walls of the greens need to be ruptured which means a high speed blender is a worthy long term investment. I have used the same Vitamix for over 12 years.
If you are interested in purchasing a Vitamx you may like to go to our web site and use the link to place an order so you will receive free shipping www.rawfamily.com
Tips for Using Blenders from Victoria Boutenko
- After washing your blender container, always let it sit upside down, to prevent water from getting into the bearings. In my family we simply keep our blender containers upside down at all times. I learned this important tip while visiting the Vita-Mix Corporation. The staff explained that this simple habit could extend the life of the blender at least 50%.
At a raw food festival, I noticed some chefs struggling with the Vita-Mix lid. Contrary to popular belief, it is really easy to open the rubber Vita-Mix lid. Simply squeeze it above the arrow on the top rim of the pitcher. You may find this arrow on both sides of the container, right above the Vita-Mix logo. It is hard to see but as soon as you find it once, you’ll easily remember where to push.- When emptying your blender container, avoid using metal utensils. Use wood or plastic instead. Every time metal touches the blades, they get duller.
Dear Moriah,
You can purchase a Tribest Personal Blender for travel. They are around $70.
http://www.personalblender.com/main.asp
I will be travelling to the US in August – I need to get a Belender good for travelling – I saw one on the the web site here but I can,t locate the info , Pls can anyone provvide the info -preferably dual voltage , Thanks Moriah
I had a Vitamix for five years, I will NEVER buy another, Word to the wise, your blades will wear out. Buy a set of blades when you buy your vita mix, beacause this company has radically changed, they used to stock blades,& parts for years. They do not have anything for my Vita Mix 4500. I will never ever buy another vitamix. I am using an Oster Fusion 1000 watt Blender wich cost $50. it does a great job making my green smoothies.
Andy, Its good you are persisting and enjoying the green smoothies. I’ve been to Ireland and I remember that produce was in a lot of plastic bags. Have you thought about looking into wild edibles, perhaps dandelions, clover and lambsquarters. Our farmers have started selling edible weeds at the markets, its a blessing for them as they can make money from something they used to consider a pest. You could talk to some farmers and ask if they would bring you some wild edibles. Another ideas is growing your own wheatgrass and others greens.
A Blendtec is still a good choice.
I have a blendtec and love it as well
I didn’t really have a choice and had to get a Blendtec as it’s not really possible to get Vitamax in Europe.
But I have to say I’m happy with the choice though. I love the smoothies.
We also don’t get a lot of different greens here in Dublin. I get mostly Cabbage, Curly Kale, Spinach. That’s it. Sometimes I find on the farmers market Chard and that’s more or less it.
Seems like I life on the moon.
It’s fine if that all you have. The point is to break the greens up as much as possible, if your smoothies are ’smooth’ then its a good sign that the machine is working.
Is it OK to use a food processor instead of a blender? I have an awesome Kitchen Aid food processor. I don’t have the funds right now to invest in a Vitamix blender so I’ve been using my food processor.
Thank Emily…what I actually do with the pulp is add it to my veggie soup. It thickens it a bit, and I feel like I am not loosing the fiber. I will try my Oster also, especially when I want to use papaya or bananas…they are not juicer material.
You may like to read an article on this blog called ‘Blending V’s Juicing’. It’s okay to use your Oster Blender if thats all you have. Juicing is also good, however it takes out the fiber.
How about using a juicer if I don’t have a supper dupper blender? I have an Oster blender, but also have a Power Juicer that I love. I am new to juicing, but want to get the maximum from my veggies. Thanks.
We have had a VitaMix for 11 years and love it! Regarding the drying method, we were drying our VitaMix completely inverted or upside down on a towel. This was not good, because the water sat in the blade area, it rusted out the blade from the bottom and one day it simply locked up. After calling the wonderful customer service at VitaMix, they gave us a new drying position. We now dry it at an angle. The lid serves as the perfect wedge for setting the container at an angle to dry. We fold a kitchen towel to make a long drying station. Bottom of the container rests on the lid at one end of the towel, top of the container on the end of a folded towel. Go VitaMix and Go Green!
I store my smoothie in a jar with a lid, that way it’s easy to shake it up when I want to have some more. To help your blender last as long as possible I think it could be best to avoid letting it sit in the fridge with liquid in it.
I meant I leave the JUG in the fridge-NOT the whole blender!!!
I leave my blender in the fridge with leftover green smoothie in it for the day. Should I do this considering what you say about water getting into the bearings? I have a BlendTec Xpress BPA free jugs (only blender I could find locally-eg Australia)