friend of pooh
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2005
Is it worth the cost? What do you use yours for?
Is it worth the cost? What do you use yours for?
Have you been watching QVC today??? I've been and now I want one, saw the infomercial at least 3 times today. And I should clarify I haven't been sitting around watching this all day. I keep qvc on as background noise a lot so I've been cleaning my closet, crocheting, cooking and scrap booking while watching it.
If you like pineapple. The bulk of the nutrition is in the core. The only way that I know is the vitamix handles it like cutting cake with a fork. You get to eat the whole thing.
Haha! Yep! Saw it on QVC and it piqued my interest. Just trying to decide if we would use it. Of course they made it seem like everyone HAS to have it.
I LOVE my Vitamix Professional 300. Hands down, one of the best purchases I've ever made. I'm pleased with my decision to not go the cheap route and get a Ninja, and I'm also glad I didn't get the Blendtec.
My husband's coworker just broke down and bought a Vitamix after hearing such great things from us...he had a Ninja that he loved...until it broke. The Ninja will eventually break. It just will.
I decided against the Blendtec for three main reasons: First, I did not want preset functions such as smoothie, soup, etc because if you decide to make a smoothie a little thicker or with different ingredients one day (such as maybe your bananas are frozen today instead of fresh like you might normally use), the preset time might not be enough to blend it to your liking and you have to run the cycle again. Preset functions would be wasted on me. Second, Blendtec utilizes an electronic control panel which certainly will not last as long as good old durable mechanical switches like the Vitamix has. Blendtecs certainly look prettier, but Vitamix will win 15 years from now when it doesn't need a new electrical panel. Finally, I WANTED a tamper. For certain tasks, it really helps having a tamper. I don't use it most of the time but I like having it. My husband uses it when he makes his own smoothies (whey protein, spinach, chia seeds, frozen mango, plain Greek yogurt) but if I make the same smoothie I don't need it because I'm a master of ratios (haha!) and can get the perfect consistency every time (and layer the ingredients properly). When I make homemade Lara Bars, it's nice having the tamper. Sometimes I'll use it when I make butternut squash puree to freeze.
I purchased the Professional 300 series because it has the huge 64oz low-profile jar so it can fit on your countertop underneath the wall cabinets. Some of the Vitamix models have the taller base and/or pitchers that can't slide under. It also has a quieter motor which is still loud I guess but not AS loud. We use the Vitamix 1-4 times per day. Yes, really!
I make homemade unsweetened vanilla almond milk, smoothies, Lara Bar "dough", squash purees, pureed soups (creamy cauliflower soup that tastes like baked potato soup!), and it can blend frozen drinks like nobody's business. Every day I have a frappuccino with it...and it can make the best copycat Grand Marnier shushes from Epcot!
I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have about a Vitamix and I'll post any other details about it if I think of anything else. Oh, the 300 series does have a pulse feature which I like to use occasionally.
I guess I should also add that some people buy one and rarely use it. I'm not typically a kitchen gadget person (I don't have a stand mixer, bread maker, etc) but I knew I would use a Vitamix so the investment was worth it. I make almost everything from scratch so it was a no-brainer for me. Someday I'll probably grind my own grains, and will probably make almond butter soon. Oh, it does make excellent hummus if you like it.
we mainly use it to make smoothies, frozen drinks, soft serve ice cream, nut butters (peanut butter & almond butter.) The only thing I wish is that we had bought it sooner--like when I first set up my own home!