# I just got Vitamix and I'm disappointed



## sora (Oct 7, 2006)

Hi,

I finally got Vitamix 5200 only the wet blade. It makes good smoothies - that's for sure. But I wonder if it is worth $$$. The main reason why I bought this is to make green smoothies, but my kid still does not like it if I put any greens even if it is just a leaf. She can detect slight taste and reject it.

So far I have found the followings:

It makes great cashew milk, but I'm not a big fan of it - I find it too chalky.

I've tried making pancake batter by following the exact recipe but it did not mix properly so I had to manually mix after - I never used a mixer to make a pancake batter - Is there a point?

I've trid making strawberry ice cream - I ended up having a shake. I think I did not put enough frozen strawberries. It says 1lb frozen strawberries but I did not have a scale so I put 3 cups or so. So if you don't follow their exact recipe, it might not work.

I've tried to chop up zucchin, kale and peppers at the same time. It wouldn't work. I was supposed to put one vegetable at a time in Vitamix. In my regular blender, I could throw all at once and get them all chopped up - so much faster.

I've made Marinara tomato sauce according to the recipe book. When it was blended up, it looked ok but when it was simmered, it became a soup although it was tasty. Other blenders would've done the same thing.

There might be more to be discovered but so far I think if you don't plan to drink a lot of green smoothies, vegetable cocktails or cashew milk, it's probably not worth the money. Regular bldender will do most of jobs. My friend says her regular blender does a better job of making nut butter - her Vitamix gets too hot.

I'm thinking of returning mine if my daughter keeps refusing my green smoothies.

Or am I missing something? Is there anything else Vitamix can do way better than regular blenders?
Thanks!


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## lil_earthmomma (Dec 29, 2006)

sora said:


> I'm thinking of returning mine if my daughter keeps refusing my green smoothies.
> 
> 
> > What are you putting in your green smoothies?
> ...


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## Sailor (Jun 13, 2006)

Could there be a problem with the Vitamix?

I have one, and couldn't be happier. It's incredibly powerful and fast. I've never had any issues with things not mixing smoothly. Before the Vitamix, I purchased one blender per year because I kept wearing out the motor. I've had the Vitamix for 4 years now - going strong, no problems. And between my dp and I, we use the Vitamix 3 - 4 times per day.

That was what convinced me to spend the money on it - the fact that it doesn't wear out like regular blenders. Plus, none of my regular blenders were this powerful.

Sometimes kids do better with green juices ... as in a juicer. It takes out the pulp, but leaves all the nutrients. So, it's just minus the fiber (which is easy to get from other sources). I don't know if you have a juicer, but it's an idea.

The other idea - don't call it a green smoothie or green juice. Call it a berry smoothie. Make it purple, as the pp said. If you need to make it green, for whatever reason, serve it in a cup with a lid that isn't see through. Choose a funky straw, and call it a different name other than "green".

This has worked with my dp's nephew. I don't think he's ever eaten a vegetable in his life (seriously, his parents are into processed junk). So he hated green smoothies. But, then, I added berries, and called it a purple berry smoothie and he chugged it down, lol. If I served it in a cup with a funky straw where he could never see the contents, he was fine with it too.

It's all about the power of suggestion.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

Its a blender not a food proccessor despite what there marketing says. I love mine but I just use it as a blender - smoothies & bean dip mostly. And I dont worry about it burning up like my last two blenders did in less than a year making bean dip and smoothies.


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## sora (Oct 7, 2006)

I put kale or lettuce, orange, bluberries, pineapples or apples, and cranberry juice. Sometimes I don't put purple color enough, and end up with brown colored smoothies, which looks gross. That probably turned her off too althought the tast was great. My friend suggested using oranges with kale to hide the taste of kale but it alwasy turns out brownish. This morning, I blended two oranges, kale, and crany berry juice. The taste was good but it was brown so I put bluberries and it was purplish brown, not pretty purple. And because of the orange pulps, it was too thick. I thined it out with water, then it tasted watery. Has anyone made orange juice with orange and water?

One time I ended up with green color smoothies and I told her it is kiwi juice so she drank it. The worst is brown color.

Also my daughter sips freshly made smoothies once or twice and let it sit. Then it becomes very unpleasant drink - all separated - especially kale + orange + cranberry drink I made.

My daughter seems to like thinner drink, just like orange or apple juice, not smoothies.

Anyway, let me know if anyone has great green smoothie or juice recipes or other recipes Vitamix can do really well so that I don't want to return it!


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## Sailor (Jun 13, 2006)

If your dd likes thinner juices, then you should forget the Vitamix and spend the money on a good juicer. No pulp, thin juices, and pretty colors. It's just the fiber that you will be leaving out, and fiber is a very easy thing to get from other foods.


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## SparklingGemini (Jan 3, 2008)

I have to say that I don't really think the Vitamix is worth the money.

My parents have a Vitamix and I have a KitchenAid blender and honestly? I think the KitchenAid works as well, if not better, than the Vitamix.


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## christianmomof3 (Mar 11, 2005)

I have the one with only the wet blade - and I use it for grinding grains anyway and it works just fine for that.
I make a lot of bread (bread machine) and I will grind the grain, then dump that in a bowl, then if I am putting things in my bread - like banana, apple, zucchini, I will grind that with the liquid and egg and honey or maple syrup or agave nectar or sugar that also goes in the bread, dump that in the bread machine and then the dry ingredients.
We do also make smoothies with the vitamix and it is also great for that.


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## fjernsyn (Oct 15, 2008)

When it comes to green smoothies, I know that I wouldn't drink the combinations you mentioned. I've found that smoothies that don't contain banana are fine for me - until I try to add greens. Then the texture is just not pleasant (and this is with a high-speed blender - the Blendtec rather than Vitamix). So no matter what, I always add frozen banana chunks when making green smoothies. It makes the smoothie creamier and somehow the greens completely disappear.


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## chattyprincess (Feb 24, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fjernsyn* 
When it comes to green smoothies, I know that I wouldn't drink the combinations you mentioned. I've found that smoothies that don't contain banana are fine for me - until I try to add greens. Then the texture is just not pleasant (and this is with a high-speed blender - the Blendtec rather than Vitamix). So no matter what, I always add frozen banana chunks when making green smoothies. It makes the smoothie creamier and somehow the greens completely disappear.

YUP! Exactly what she said! I buy the bananas organic from the hfs when the are turning brownish and on clearence, I then come home and cut them in chunks, freeze on a sheet pan and then stick in bags in the freezer. I actually do this with TONS of fruit! Lol...but without bananas I can drink it but picky dh think its DISGUSTING! I also buy alot of already frozen "wild" blueberries (teeny tiny things) and put about a cup of those in. they will turn the smoothie PURPLE (they have to be the small wild ones though the other kind doesn't have enough pigment for somereason)
Hope that helps...
~Kate


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## fjernsyn (Oct 15, 2008)

Chattyprincess - I do the same! I peel, break into pieces and freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a container. I used to use a big ziploc, but my green smoothies have become such a habit that I bought a tall and long but narrow plastic container that holds a ton of bananas. About two months ago I took advantage of a quicksell on bananas - 3 paper bags of overripe bananas, about 10 pounds and $0.99 each. They're almost gone, but that $3 has gotten me really far.


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## chattyprincess (Feb 24, 2009)

fjernsyn...I am quite envious of your containers! I could spend so much money and time on containers...sigh. It is truly the best way to buy fruit for smoothies (it is a spendy hobby as hubby says). I love drinking them and dd is getting more on board (3 yrs old) she will drink fish oil by the gallon but only like 1/3-1/2 her smothie....sigh.
off to the hfs for some bad fruit...WOOOHOOO!
~kate


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## LianneM (May 26, 2004)

I use mine often to grind oats into flour, as well as flax seeds. I just have the one blade but I don't care if it's scratched so I use it. I don't mix my pancake batter in it though.

For green smoothies, I add some yogurt for creaminess. I can't stand banana in mine so the yogurt is great. Also plenty of fruit (strawberries for me) and pineapple makes a big difference.

My 4yo, though, won't drink it if it's green, so I put extra yogurt and a ton of blueberries. Voila - purple smoothie, which we also freeze into popsicles.

I don't use it to chop anything - I see it as a blender that can also handle small amounts of grain/seeds







Love my vitamix! I use it several times a week.


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## WuWei (Oct 16, 2005)

I don't like apple in the vitamix. It mixes in too much air/pulp or something. It feels like drinking Styrofoam. Are you using a straw? That helps keep the frothy part at the top away from the tongue.

I like organic baby spinach leaves for the greens. I _juice_ the large, thick greens (and apple). I haven't done carrots in the vitamix. Mostly, we just do about 2 cups of baby spinach plus a cup of frozen fruit, sometimes a banana or avocado and (mineral) water.

I love the texture of the smoothie (sans apple







). Oh, and you could add a smidgen of honey. We add kefir to ours too.

Another option is to make gazpacho and soups with the blender, or hummus, dips, salsa, sauces.

I do the Sue Gregg blender batter baking with my blender too.

Pat


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## Icequeen_in_ak (Mar 6, 2004)

I've never had any of the problems that you mentioned with my vitamix. Quite honestly, I think it's the best piece of equipment in my kitchen. I use it for everything (including making soup in it).


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## sora (Oct 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *christianmomof3* 
I have the one with only the wet blade - and I use it for grinding grains anyway and it works just fine for that.
I make a lot of bread (bread machine) and I will grind the grain, then dump that in a bowl, then if I am putting things in my bread - like banana, apple, zucchini, I will grind that with the liquid and egg and honey or maple syrup or agave nectar or sugar that also goes in the bread, dump that in the bread machine and then the dry ingredients.
We do also make smoothies with the vitamix and it is also great for that.

Can a wet blade do a good job of grinding grains or oats? How is it different from a dry blade then?


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## Icequeen_in_ak (Mar 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sora* 
Can a wet blade do a good job of grinding grains or oats? How is it different from a dry blade then?

I've often wondered this very same thing, because I grind grains in mine all the time and I've never had a problem (and I've only got the wet blade). I always figured it was nothing more than a marketing thing... because I've never had any problems.


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## 2cutiekitties (Dec 3, 2006)

hmmm, I very much want to buy a vitamix now and make smoothies, and I dont even like smoothies very much!


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## Rant n Raven (May 20, 2002)

Hi Sora,

I agree with Sailor. The main reason a Vitamixer is so great is that it lasts through so much abuse. Mine is 20 years old and I have put this thing through so much. I have made wheat flour, powdered sugar, peanut butter, blended raw hunks of squash, grated parm, ice cubes, etc.

Having said that- this is not a juicer and making dough in it seems silly to me.

There is a definate learning curve for the ice cream. Put the container in the freezer (I have the old style metal one which I prefer anyway). And don't futz (spelling?







) with the ingredients. If you don't just do it quickly the temp goes up and it is a frappe. Once I was able to make peanut butter and then make peanut butter ice cream with bannana and chocolate that was a hit. My timing was right on that day since peanut butter heats up the container.

I make lots of soups and I also love the white sauce method. Downside is that this old one is noisy! But the breaker switch have made this machine last this long. However I have a confession to make- my husband just got me a 'new' old one (Vitamix 4000) off of ebay since the blade seal broke on my old one. I am going to keep them both either for parts or to fix my original one to give to my daughter when she grows up. But one repair after 20 years- chalk me up as impressed.


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## PGTlatte (Mar 7, 2004)

I make smoothies with some green in them by first putting the green stuff through the juicer, and then putting the green juice into the Vitamix with a banana, some frozen berries, and soymilk (we are dairy free). The kids never detect the green...even when I juice broccoli stems. I juice the green first because they do not like their smoothies to be pulpy.


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## sora (Oct 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *llp34* 
I make smoothies with some green in them by first putting the green stuff through the juicer, and then putting the green juice into the Vitamix with a banana, some frozen berries, and soymilk (we are dairy free). The kids never detect the green...even when I juice broccoli stems. I juice the green first because they do not like their smoothies to be pulpy.

My child also does not like pulpy smoothies. She likes thinner juice but I hate juicing. I would not want to juice and vitamix both. That's just too much stuff on the countertop. I bought vitamix to replace the juicer. But I'm still thinking of returning it. I do like the idea of drinking green smoothies but I find that I only put only a few green leaves in smoothies (I eat way more greens through salade). If I put more, I cannot tolerate, not to mention my child does not even try it.

Have any of you tried green smoothie recipes from "Green for Life?" The recipes call for a lot of greens but the recipe does not appeal to me. None of them looks tasty. But I should give it a try.


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## Sailor (Jun 13, 2006)

The Vitamix won't replace a juicer ... if that is the consistency and taste you like. I have both a juicer and the Vitamix. In the juicer, I can add a whole head of romaine or an entire head of kale or all the broccoli. Add some fruit - and it's delicious. I drink like a quart of that for breakfast.

I can't add a whole head into my Vitamix because I hate the way it tastes. Juicing really makes a difference in texture and taste, IMO.

I use the Vitamix, mainly, for regular smoothies or for things that aren't green, i.e. tomatoes, carrots, etc. I also make dips, sauces, etc. in it.

I do have the Green for Life book, and I enjoy the recipes. But, I juice 98% of the recipes. I know she makes a point in her book that green smoothies are better. But, she's really stuck on the fiber point. Frankly, I get more than enough raw fiber from my other meals. I do green juices for the nutrients/vitamins, not the fiber. So it's a moot point for me. I use her recipes for juicing and like them.


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## PGTlatte (Mar 7, 2004)

I don't mind using both appliances. And IMO the Vitamix is very justified, because it makes the smoothies WAY smoother and more whipped up than our old blender did. Anything frozen I put into a smoothie in the old blender remained as little chunks. Yuck. Before having both the juicer and the VM, I could never in any way had our kids drinking broccoli juice and saying "yummy" !! The VM makes such great smoothies, whipping the frozen berries into a wonderful texture. I can hide almost anything I've juiced into the banana-berry smoothies.


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## organicmidwestmama (Apr 27, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fjernsyn* 
When it comes to green smoothies, I know that I wouldn't drink the combinations you mentioned. I've found that smoothies that don't contain banana are fine for me - until I try to add greens. Then the texture is just not pleasant (and this is with a high-speed blender - the Blendtec rather than Vitamix). So no matter what, I always add frozen banana chunks when making green smoothies. It makes the smoothie creamier and somehow the greens completely disappear.

ita. cranberry juice is super sour if its unsweetend, and with kale? sounds yuck to me. my good friend makes the best green smoothies in an "antique" oster blender thats probably 20 years old.

her basic recipe is as follows;
frozen berries, fresh banana, a big scoop of whole milk plain yogurt, a dash of maple syrup, a ton of kale (i personally would not juice or blend lettuce, sounds gross and watery, hense the seperating you experience), an apple, and a little bit of juice or milk. its nice and thick and creamy. if your daughter likes juice it may take some cajoling to encourage smoothie drinking vs. a glass of juice that is basically liquid fructose.


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## sunnysandiegan (Mar 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sora* 
Can a wet blade do a good job of grinding grains or oats? How is it different from a dry blade then?

We got our Vitamix from Costco (road show) and I talked DH into the dry container as well. What we recall is that the wet blade pulls the contents down into the blades to thoroughly grind/mix/etc. whereas the dry blade lifts the contents up to create more space between the molecules. I can see this every time I make flour and powdered sugar. I do not recall if there are any other technical differences.

As for green smoothies, I have never made one myself (have no interest) but a friend makes them nearly every day. Her son gobbles them up and has since he was 2 or 3 (he's 8 now). She never hid the color and she did call it a green machine (based solely on the Naked Juice name). She explained to him that it would help him grow big and strong and healthy. I do not recall right now if she had him help make them or not.

I find it interesting that my own DD will eat smoothies faster and more willingly if she has a hand in making it, even with "gross" ingredients....whereas my DH will more happily drink it if he has NOT seen us make it.







I have hidden cabbage and other veggies, but not any significant quantity of large, leafy greens. I do, however, find blueberries to be quite successful in disguising nearly anything.... and we prefer yogurt as our base ingredient (whole milk plain yogurt), but also use rice bran as a base sometimes.

We use our Vitamix for many things and the least of them are smoothies. I have found in almost all cases that following the directions works best as far as steps and timing is concerned. I substitute ingredients all the time. The roasted red pepper alfredo sauce is one of our favorites. The banana oat pancakes are another big time fave! I make my flours -- different ones from recipe in VM book -- the night before and measure all the dry ingredients into a sealed container (usually making several batches for extra pancakes to freeze). I keep the wheat berries in the freezer to keep the heat down while grinding. The key is to use enough volume. I save brown bananas in the freezer in their skins and set them out on the counter during the flour making and put them in the fridge overnight. I cut off the tops in the morning and squeeze the banana into the VM. Everyone loves these pancakes! I make a berry "sauce" to go with them in the morning. I use a lot less sugar than the recipe calls for and that makes it thicker. DH won't touch it, but others love it.

The only recipe I have found thus far that does NOT work as described in the VM book is homemade peanut butter. Forget the directions.







I just dump in the roasted peanuts and leave the plastic part out of the lid and have the "stick" (what do they call it?) in the VM ready to go before I turn it on. I pretty much pulse it while jamming the stick down repeatedly until I get the consistency I like (chunky) and remove my portion and the baking portion (one glass jar)...letting the machine rest at this point. Then keep on pulsing until I get a super smooth consistency for DH & DD (second glass jar). DH almost always makes peanut butter cookies immediately after I make pb, if he is home when I do it. They turn out sooooo amazing with homemade peanut butter!!!!!!!!!


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## jenniepaige (Apr 17, 2007)

What a great thread! I am subbing on and thinking of either a juicer or vitamix for Christmas but leading towards a juicer...


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## inkedmamajama (Jan 3, 2003)

thanks for the ideas of juices/smoothies in this thread!


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## arb (Mar 14, 2006)

Our green smoothie recipe is, roughly:

1/2 frozen banana
1/2 c or so plain yogurt
3-4 ice cubes
small handful each of frozen blueberries, cherries, & strawberries (picked regionally & frozen each summer for this very purpose)
dash of vanilla
1-2 tsp honey
1 tsp flax seeds, ground fresh (I use a spare coffee grinder)
big handful of fresh spinach
plain soy milk
sometimes, a small handful of cashews

It makes a nice purple smoothie, 2-3 servings. I agree the color fades with time. I pour leftovers into popsicle molds if I get to them fast enough. I use an inexpensive Oster blender. If your main use for the VitaMix is smoothies, you would do better, money-wise, with a good, solid blender. Check the reviews and look for the ones with best ice-crushing ability. I have to stop and stir frequently to get mine going but so what?


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## EdenLove (Apr 11, 2008)

We loooove our Vitamix!!! I use it probably 2-5 times per day, seriously. It gets the most use of anything. You know, you can juice in the Vitamix. I do it sometimes when I don't feel like using our juicer - kind of a pain sometimes with all the parts, etc. The Vitamix is easier. Just fill up the container with whatever veggies/fruits you want (I usually do celery, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger, kale), add some water, and blend. Then strain this through a nut milk bag (I actually use paint straining bags! you can get them very cheaply at Home Depot or similar). Yummy juice! You could then take this juice, add some fresh or frozen fruit, and make a smoothie out of it. Much smoother... But still with lots of nutrients... Also - try making almond mylk instead of cashew mylk - that's definitely our favorite! Just soak about 2 c. of almonds overnight, or at least 5-6 hours. Add to Vitamix with sweetener (dates, honey, agave, etc.), a dash of cinnamon, pinch of cardamom, pinch of sea salt, and maybe some vanilla bean if you have it. Fill the blender up with water, blend, strain through nut mylk bag, and voila! Amazing yummy almond goodness!!!


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## Hazelnut (Sep 14, 2005)

I make a lot with mine besdies smoothies- some of our favorites are salsa, soups, dips, and hummus. I haven't tried making nut butters yet. I do wonder about mine too though. I got mine in a co op and I don't know if it's how it is supposed to be. Sometimes it seems to be excessively loud and not quite on right.


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