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s/o Vitamin vs Blendtec and a Wolfgang Puck Q


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I have a Blendtec.  It is not good at mixing things where this is not enough liquid involved and you are trying to make a smooth paste or blended liquid.

 

So....it's ok to grind wheat and pulverize other flours.

It's great to make smoothies with a lot of liquid.

 

It is not good at reducing semi-frozen berries into a smooth paste. There's not enough liquid to get it to churn.

It is not good at making nut butters.

It is exceedingly frustrating to make frosting or the like with it.

 

So, a Blendtec is good; but know it's limitations. I'm not sure that the Vitamix has the same limitations.

Also, if you are making heavy duty amounts of flours (grinding wheat, oats, popcorn for cornmeal), a separate grinder like a Nutrimill is the way to go.

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Is a blendtec cheaper? I got my Vitamix reconditioned for $299. I'm also unimpressed thus far.

I've been comparing them at Costco for a year waiting for my $30 blender to die. I'm unhappy with your comments and I want more specific information on both. I don't see myself making peanut butter. I like a lot of the vitamix recipes though.
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I have a Blendtec. It is not good at mixing things where this is not enough liquid involved and you are trying to make a smooth paste or blended liquid.

 

So....it's ok to grind wheat and pulverize other flours.

It's great to make smoothies with a lot of liquid.

 

It is not good at reducing semi-frozen berries into a smooth paste. There's not enough liquid to get it to churn.

It is not good at making nut butters.

It is exceedingly frustrating to make frosting or the like with it.

 

So, a Blendtec is good; but know it's limitations. I'm not sure that the Vitamix has the same limitations.

Also, if you are making heavy duty amounts of flours (grinding wheat, oats, popcorn for cornmeal), a separate grinder like a Nutrimill is the way to go.

Oooh good idea! I do make my husband do all of the dishes so it really doesn't matter anyway. :lol:

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Well I've only had mine a few days, but so far I haven't been impressed and I have followed directions exactly.

Lately it seems like I've been reading that it's nothing more than a good blender. I can't spend that much on a blender. If I want a good blender that won't break (I've totaled like 7 cheap blenders) I'll get a Blendtec. Maybe I'll buy one of each and return the one I don't want. Kidding.

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I have a friend who swears by her Blendtec, after having Vitamix. I don't love the style of controls and so went Vitamix, which I used extensively working in coffee shops and bubble tea shops, but they're both awesome blenders. I haven't heard a bad review on a Blendtec yet.

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I don't have a blendtec but love my vitamix. I would constantly break other blenders. With the vitamix, I can throw whatever in it and know it won't break (including the plastic cap. Oops). I have made soup (it heats it up in the blender!), non-dairy ice cream and smoothies, and other stuff. I'm considering making cashew butter soon. There was a bit of trial and error with it for a bit, especially when playing with a new recipe, but we really like it. Best part is it is basically self cleaning.

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I love my Blendtec. I have to admit that my kid and I spent WAAAAAAYYYYY too much time watching episodes of "Will it Blend?" On YouTube, so Vitamix never stood a chance when we were ready to upgrade. We blend wheat berry, make green smoothies, make non dairy ice cream/sorbets, and just about anything else you can imagine. I haven't had one ounce of trouble or disappointment from it, but then again neither has my girlfriend who has a Vitamix. Honestly I think it's just personal preference. They really aren't that different.

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I love my Blendtec.

 

As far as design goes:

I like that it fits neatly on the counter and under the upper cabinets (Vitamix is taller and sometimes it doesn't fit)

The flat touch pad control panel wipes clean super easy

It cleans itself wonderfully but the blades are blunt so no worries about putting my hand in there for cleaning

No tamper to mess with as it is designed to pull stuff down into the blade.

 

Function:

If there is not enough liquid, it kinda stalls and I have to add more. This happened several times when I first got it until I could judge my liquid levels (sometimes even the suggested recipes would need an adjustment)

 

I LOVE the power! I had an Oster blender for years. In green smoothies it left parts you kind of had to chew. The Blendtec blends everything smooth. I make Chocolate frozen pea smoothies (tastes like a Wendy's frosty) several times a week for ds. There is no way the peas would blend in to disappear in a regular speed blender. I make vegan "cheese" sauce often and love that I don't have to soak the cashews for hours anymore. They blend smooth is seconds.

 

It is so easy to use, ds12 makes his own banana "ice cream" and cleans up when he is done. (That is a real testimony to how easy it is to clean!)

 

It does not clean floors, wash dishes, or fold laundry. So no perfect, but extremely nice ;)

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I think they're both good blenders.  I have a Blendtec because they're based in the town I grew up in and I have a lot of K-Tec stuff.  But I think either is fine.

 

I use mine to make peanut butter (I've never had trouble with nut butters in a Blendtec), hummus, fermented soybean paste, besan flour from garbanzo beans, whipped cream, coconut milk, tahini, pureeing tomatoes, hot soups, pureeing all sorts of fruits, grinding flax seeds, cracking grains, smoothies, ice cream, and a lot more.  A lot of those things aren't possible in a regular blender and I have zero regrets about my Blendtec.

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There was something about the Blendtec in the comparisons that I thought I wouldn't prefer but maybe I should give it a look.

 

Idk though; my overall impression is that, for what I need, I may be able to just use a $100 blender.

I think your vitamix is faulty. I'm slowly replacing all kitchen appliances, many utensils, shoes, and a few other things with very good versions. I'm tired of my blenders breaking, I'm tired of plastic spatulas. I will have nice things if it takes me 20 years to do it!

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http://www.blenderbabes.com/blender-babes-101/blender-reviews/blendtec-vs-vitamix/#performance

 

This link explains the pros and cons of the Vitamix and Blendtec.

This was awesome. I'm getting a Blendtec. You can walk away while they're going, the blades are already dull, and you don't need a separate jar for flours. They both make whole food juices (pulp not separated), they both heat soup, they both make flour, ice cream, can be used as mixers, and are self cleaning.

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The recipe comes from Everyday Happy Herbivore. She calls it, "P. Chocolate Smoothie". My son calls it, "More Chocolate Peas"

 

1 cup nondairy milk (I am sure you could use regular milk, bit I use almond)

1/2 - 1 frozen banana. (The recipe calls for 1/2 but I almost always use a whole one as it adds sweetness)

1/2 cup frozen peas (sometimes I add more)

2tbsp unsweetened cocoa ( I actually never really measure this)

Agave to taste (by using more banana, I don't need as much but I am still pretty generous)

 

I run it through the "smoothie" setting on the Blendtec, taste it and add more cocoa or agave as desired and run again on smoothie setting. If you only use the smoothie setting one cycle, you will still see bits of green pea. Using two cycles, you could never guess it has any peas. I like to play with the liquid. Sometimes I make it think like a Wendy's frosty, and other times I thin it down to be more drinkable.

 

We also like the Banana Frosty from the same book:

2 frozen bananas

1tbsp unsweetened cocoa (I use more)

1/4 cup nondairy milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I use more)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Alter consistency by adding/omitting milk

Like peanut butter? Add 1 tbsp (omit cinnamon & vanilla)

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This was awesome. I'm getting a Blendtec. You can walk away while they're going, the blades are already dull, and you don't need a separate jar for flours. They both make whole food juices (pulp not separated), they both heat soup, they both make flour, ice cream, can be used as mixers, and are self cleaning.

My ds always "walks away" when blending. These powerful little machines are LOUD. I love mine, but I can't run it when dh, who works shift work, is sleeping. I didn't read any mention of this when I was researching. It wouldn't have stopped me from buying one, but I wish I had known.

 

Hope you love yours. Have fun experimenting!

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This was awesome. I'm getting a Blendtec. You can walk away while they're going, the blades are already dull, and you don't need a separate jar for flours. They both make whole food juices (pulp not separated), they both heat soup, they both make flour, ice cream, can be used as mixers, and are self cleaning.

I love my Blendtec!

 

I have never had any problems with making things like nut butters, but I use the small Twister container for them, so maybe that makes a difference. I also haven't had any trouble blending things smoothly, even with very little or no extra liquid added to the container.

 

My favorite thing about it is the dull blades. I once got a pretty nasty cut on the blade of one of the Ninja blenders and that was a major reason why I chose a Blendtec.

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This was awesome. I'm getting a Blendtec. You can walk away while they're going, the blades are already dull, and you don't need a separate jar for flours. They both make whole food juices (pulp not separated), they both heat soup, they both make flour, ice cream, can be used as mixers, and are self cleaning.

You can walk away from Vitamix, too :)

 

Let us know what you thingI'm of the Blendtec when you get one.

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You can walk away from Vitamix, too :)

 

Let us know what you thingI'm of the Blendtec when you get one.

 

Oh, shush. I didn't read that. That was a massive selling point. I'm one of those once a month cooking crazies. It will be a few months, but yes I will tell you all about it and upload a picture of me hugging it and crying with joy that I *finally* have a good blender.

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So what about the Blendtec "walking" across the counter - any issues with that?

 

I'm thinking maybe I could return my Vitamix and try the Blendtec based on the size specs alone (and that twister jar).

 

The lack of having a tamper does frighten me, since I've had to use the one with the Vitamix so much. Has that been an issue for you Blendtec owners?

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So what about the Blendtec "walking" across the counter - any issues with that?

 

I'm thinking maybe I could return my Vitamix and try the Blendtec based on the size specs alone (and that twister jar).

 

The lack of having a tamper does frighten me, since I've had to use the one with the Vitamix so much. Has that been an issue for you Blendtec owners?

 

 

My Blendtec has moved around when the jar was getting out of whack.  So I had it replaced under the warranty and it stays put again.

 

I do have to stop the blender sometimes and poke things around since there's isn't a tamper.  

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My vitamix has never "walked". It stays put right where I put it. I walk away from it all the time. I have very little counter space so even a slight move would send it to the floor and that has never happened. That's so weird.

 

 

 

Yes, they are both loud but I think one or the other has a quieter model for 1k.

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Oh, shush. I didn't read that. That was a massive selling point. I'm one of those once a month cooking crazies. It will be a few months, but yes I will tell you all about it and upload a picture of me hugging it and crying with joy that I *finally* have a good blender.

I do my own version of oamc by quadrupling recipes. Buying a turkey roaster and using it as an enormous crockpot was the best purchase I've ever made.

 

I confess I will be replacing my kitchenaid stand mixer AND Vitamix with a Bosch.

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I do my own version of oamc by quadrupling recipes. Buying a turkey roaster and using it as an enormous crockpot was the best purchase I've ever made.

 

I confess I will be replacing my kitchenaid stand mixer AND Vitamix with a Bosch.

 

 

Oh my gosh you really need to stop posting in my thread. Can't my Blendtec be a mixer?

 

I'm considering converting to a quadrupeler rather than a oamcer. How many kids do you have and how often do you cook?

 

Can I have a link to your Bosch?

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I have five kids so far, and a husband who fasts until dinner. What I do is plan two meals per week that are crockpot or batch style like sauces, toppings for noodles/rice/potatoes, or soups, and just do that in the turkey roaster. My kids still eat lightly by and large, so 6 serving recipes work for a meal. I use cookbooks like Crock On, as every recipe in there my family adores, and it's whole food, low-ish carb cooking. Quadrupling allows me to use costco sized cans of beans, bags of celery, three or four pounds of ground meat, etc.

 

I schedule one meal a week of leftovers, two quadrupled recipes, one pizza night, one fast food like taco dip or cracker spread, and one or two where I thaw one of the frozen entree portions and just make a starch or salad. Works great, keeps prep at dinner times every night to an absolute minimum.

 

The Bosch is fabulous, everyone inknow who owns one has loved it. They're powerful and don't take up ton of space. I know gals who have had them for fifteen, twenty years and do whole grain bread daily - still no burned out motors. They have shredders, cookie paddles, blender, and other such attachments, all apparently solid and durable:

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/boschukm.html

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The Bosch with a blender attachment struck me as a much better use of the same money than a Vitamix. But my blender was burning out and I merely hated my kitcheaaid, so I only replaced the blender. Big mistake. I'll be reselling my Vitamix here sooner or later.

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So what about the Blendtec "walking" across the counter - any issues with that?

 

I'm thinking maybe I could return my Vitamix and try the Blendtec based on the size specs alone (and that twister jar).

 

The lack of having a tamper does frighten me, since I've had to use the one with the Vitamix so much. Has that been an issue for you Blendtec owners?

No walking. :)

 

No need for the tamper thingie, at least not for anything I have made with it. I did use the rubber spatula thing to scrape the sides of the Twister jar when I was making some kind of sticky nut butter once, but that's the only time I can recall having to use it.

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That's the one I have, except mine came with the mini Twister jar and not the full sized Twister. I got mine at Sam's Club, but I can't remember how much I paid for it. I think it may have been $329, but I could be wrong.

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That's the one I have, except mine came with the mini Twister jar and not the full sized Twister. I got mine at Sam's Club, but I can't remember how much I paid for it. I think it may have been $329, but I could be wrong.

Are the buttons super neat?

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The Bosch is an awesome appliance, but if you want more blending than mixing, I wouldn't count on it to replace the Vitamix. I just sold my Bosch because I don't really do bread anymore, and I'm not much of a baker. I just needed more from a blender, and I didn't want to put all that on my Bosch.

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We have had our Vitamix for 23 years. The blades are still sharp and the motor still strong. We use it for smoothies, frozen fruit creams, and tasks that a food processor might do. We do grind very small amounts of grains, but this is not the Vitamix's best feature. We are glad to have made this major purchase all those years ago.

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The Bosch is an awesome appliance, but if you want more blending than mixing, I wouldn't count on it to replace the Vitamix. I just sold my Bosch because I don't really do bread anymore, and I'm not much of a baker. I just needed more from a blender, and I didn't want to put all that on my Bosch.

I wonder if that's why you're not happy with the Vitamix? Several of my friends own both and said that the strength of the blender for smoothies and soups is comparable, with the Vitamix having slightly better blades for chopping. And one, if you have the base, is $380 cheaper! The quality difference between your Bosch and Vitamix is fairly minimal, from all I can tell. The Bosch is a superior appliance to most and the motor is very, very high quality.

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The Bosch blender does not have the power of the Vitamix. I mean it's a good blender, but it doesn't have the ability to make a smoothie that is perfectly smooth (certainly not in the time a Vitamix is supposed to do it).

 

I've had my Bosch for a while, mainly purchasing it for bread making, and I had the blender the entire time; it's a great machine, but I don't think you can ask of it what you can of a Vitamix or Blendtec.

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