# what can a VitaMix do that a blender & food processor can't?



## caedmyn (Jan 13, 2006)

I have a Vita Mix that rarely gets used that I'm thinking about getting rid of. About the only thing I've used it for lately is coarse-grinding grains for hot cereal, and I have a grain mill that will do that. I also have a food processor that I love, and I'd probably get a blender for making smoothies if I get rid of the Vita Mix. But before I get rid of it, I want to make sure there's nothing I would use it for that a blender or food processor couldn't do.


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## tinuviel_k (Apr 29, 2004)

I don't know if I could go back to a regular blender after my Vitamix. I was visiting my mom this month and used her fairly nice blender on about five occasions and it just about drove me insane. It wouldn't crush ice evenly in my smoothies, left big lumps of stuff, and was so darned slow. Then it leaked all over the place after the base came slightly loose, and it was a lot harder to clean than the Vitamix.


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## desertpenguin (Apr 15, 2005)

my dad just got me one for my bday..i love it! i have been using it every day to make smoothies. it's so much easier to clean than my blender. i also made some soft serve 'ice cream' today (i was actually trying to make a smoothie...used milk, a banana, and frozen pineapple and mango and it turned out thick, so i figured i'd just eat it that way! was pretty good.) i also plan on using it to make juices at some point.


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## desertpenguin (Apr 15, 2005)

oh yes and i also plan on making soup with it...the vitamix will heat up the soup for you. nice, because i don't have an immersion blender.


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## caedmyn (Jan 13, 2006)

You know, the thing I like least about the vita mix is that it is so darn hard to clean! The blender I used to have was much easier to clean because the bottom actually came off.


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## VikingKvinna (Dec 31, 2003)

I don't know why you would rather have three appliances -- blender, fp, and grain mill -- when the one VM would do everything that those three would and more. To me, the VM is so versatile, and does a better job with so many things -- smoothies, crushing ice, grinding grains, making smooth sauces, making soup, grinding meat, shredding cheese, chopping veggies and herbs, etc. -- than the other appliances.

As to cleaning it, you can just put in a drop of dish soap and some (3/4 full) water and whiz it for a few seconds, then rinse. Super easy. I also occasionally put my canisters through the dishwasher.


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## kdmama33 (Jun 20, 2006)

The Vitamix is so easy to clean! A few drops of soap, some hot water, turn it on, and it cleans itself. I'm not sure what you're doing to clean it, but I can almost guarantee that you're making more work for yourself than you need to.

I have a food processor that I use for other things, and I also have a Magic Bullet, which I love. But I wouldn't give up my Vitamix, all the same. I can't make soup in my food processor. And I can't make creamy smoothies for more than one person at a time in the MB. Not to mention that the VM will grind my nuts into coarse meal ... with our food allergies, and the TF limitations, I'm certainly not going to find crispy almond flour anywhere else to substitute for wheat. (I know you have some of the same allergy/sensitivity issues we do, as well.)

Try getting out the instructional DVD and the cookbooks that came with your VM and see if you can come up with new ways to use it. It really is very versatile and invaluable in a from-scratch kitchen.


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## caedmyn (Jan 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kdmama33* 
The Vitamix is so easy to clean! A few drops of soap, some hot water, turn it on, and it cleans itself. I'm not sure what you're doing to clean it, but I can almost guarantee that you're making more work for yourself than you need to.

I have a food processor that I use for other things, and I also have a Magic Bullet, which I love. But I wouldn't give up my Vitamix, all the same. I can't make soup in my food processor. And I can't make creamy smoothies for more than one person at a time in the MB. Not to mention that the VM will grind my nuts into coarse meal ... with our food allergies, and the TF limitations, I'm certainly not going to find crispy almond flour anywhere else to substitute for wheat. (I know you have some of the same allergy/sensitivity issues we do, as well.)

Try getting out the instructional DVD and the cookbooks that came with your VM and see if you can come up with new ways to use it. It really is very versatile and invaluable in a from-scratch kitchen.


I've tried the "just add a bit of soap and water and turn it on" method of cleaning and it seems like there's always stuff that doesn't come off and so it has to be cleaned by hand, particularly with nut butters. Maybe if I used really super hot water it would work better. That's the main reason that I use it so little, because I hate to clean it.

Unfortunately the cookbooks are packed away in storage and it'll probably be at least 6 months before they're unearthed. Oh well...I did make sunbutter in the vitamix a couple of days ago and it actually did a decent, easy job with the pounder thing (well, easy until it was time for the dreaded cleaning), so maybe I'll keep it around for a while.

Somebody should start a business selling crispy almond meal...they'd probably do pretty well with all the GF TF'er around.


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## caedmyn (Jan 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *VikingKvinna* 
I don't know why you would rather have three appliances -- blender, fp, and grain mill -- when the one VM would do everything that those three would and more.

My grain mill makes much finer flour than the Vita Mix, and my food processor does a much better job of chopping and shredding things than the Vita Mix does.


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## tinuviel_k (Apr 29, 2004)

Yeah, I also find my grain mill does a superior job for grinding, and I use my food processor a ton too, especially for slicing and shredding. My Vitamix doesn't replace those appliances at all for me.
I find I use my grain mill, food processor, Kitchen Aid, and Vitamix all 3 or more times a week. So many appliances, but I wouldn't want to do without any of them.







My husband thinks I'm nuts, but he can't talk because he lived on ramen and mac and cheese before he met me.


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## VikingKvinna (Dec 31, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *caedmyn* 
My grain mill makes much finer flour than the Vita Mix, and my food processor does a much better job of chopping and shredding things than the Vita Mix does.

Oh, well, sounds like you've got your answer, then...







I am *not* a gadget person and don't have room for all that stuff cluttering up my kitchen, so I love my VM and use it several times a day. But if it's not working for you, then why not let it go? The resale value is high and someone else would love to snap it up, I'm sure.


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