any blenders actually blend?

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2

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  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
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    Go to the vita-mix website and show your wife the benefits of the vitamix. Only blender you will ever buy. I think you could blend rocks if your really had to.

    OK, I've gotta ask. Why would you have to blend rocks? :wink:
  • bettyboop573
    bettyboop573 Posts: 610 Member
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    i just have a cheap little hand blender since we mostly use it for soups and smoothies...works great and you can use it right in your cup!
    What do you mean by "hand blender"? Like an immersion blender? Would it break up frozen strawberries?

    Also going to check out this ninja thing.... interested to see what that is/how much it costs.

    lol sorry i wasnt very specific there...yes it is an immersion blender, you can pick tghem up fairly cheap....we use it everday and my hubby always has frozen fruit and strawberries in his shakes :)
  • kristiek7
    kristiek7 Posts: 198
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    I agree about the cost..........I won a Blendtec...........and it is super amazing........whips everything to shreds in seconds.......but it is soooo much money!!!
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    Mine is a Cuisinart with an ice crusher button. I've never had a problem and I use it daily. I've owned it for about 6 years now, it was about $100.

    Are you using enough liquid? I know blenders can be strained if you use like a bunch of frozen fruit and a measly ½ cup of fluid. If you are cutting cals add water. I know it sounds gross to add ½ cup milk, 2/3 cup water, ¾ cup ice, ½ banana and chocolate protein powder together (the milk-water part not the delicious chocolate banana combo of course) but I've been doing that the past month and love it! It’s so cold and my smoothie is XXL size and for less than 250 calories!

    - Vita mix (sp?) ones are very expensive

    -Magic Bullet's do NOT crush ice. Trust me, I watched a cube go spinning around and around. Should grind smaller frozen fruit though as my sister loves her and never uses ice.


    2 votes for Cuisinart, you know what to do :)
  • LizardIsANerd
    LizardIsANerd Posts: 113
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    Breville Ikon Hemisphere. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&biw=1148&bih=678&q=ikon+hemisphere+blender&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=11249714582642023801&ei=CE5ATeWyOMG88gbiormVBA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQ8wIwAQ#

    It comes with a lifetime warranty. It was blender #8 in about 4 years and my friends went together for it for me for Christmas one year. :)
  • Gary6030
    Gary6030 Posts: 593 Member
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    Magic Bullet for the win. If you have an ALDI's grocery store near you they have one exactly like it for $24.99 I bought one and love it. If not Magic bullet for sure.
  • LizardIsANerd
    LizardIsANerd Posts: 113
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    Go to the vita-mix website and show your wife the benefits of the vitamix. Only blender you will ever buy. I think you could blend rocks if your really had to.

    OK, I've gotta ask. Why would you have to blend rocks? :wink:

    To make concrete?
  • fantm
    fantm Posts: 87 Member
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    We have a Breville blender and it is freakin' awesome. I've never loved an appliance as much as I love this blender! It crushes ice like nobody's business, in practically no time at all. LOVE it and highly recommend it.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    First let me say that I am a small appliance killer. I have committed small appliance genocide and when I walk down the blender aisle in Target you can hear them all rattling on their bases. They fear me!

    That said, my husband bought me a Vitamix for my birthday about four years ago and I have yet to even overheat it. I blend frozen strawberries, oranges, pineapples and bananas all the time with zero issue. Yes, a Vitamix (or a Blendtec which is another quality blender) is expensive! But my husband figured it was cheaper to buy a VM than keep replacing the blenders I was killing.

    If you use your blender a lot then it's worth the investment. VM and Blendtec (BT) blenders are the most commonly used in restaurant settings because they get the job done and they last. VM has a 7 year warranty and you can buy refurbished blenders from their site that will come with the same 7 year warranty. I use my blender every day, many times more than once a day.

    The VM is a tall blender and with the regular container it will sit high enough that it won't fit under your cabinet. The BT is lower profile from what I understand and will slide under with no problem.

    I use my VM daily for green smoothies but I've also used it for making soup, pureeing fruits, blender pancakes (pancake batter made with whole wheat (or other grain) berries and usually flax seed too.) I also make nut butters (almond is our favorite), flax meal, and even blend all the leftover skins and peels (including egg) into a nasty looking sludge that is awesome for composting!

    I should note, I am not a salesperson, just a happy customer. I have fibromyalgia and started the green smoothies in August. For the first time in years I am feeling good and have had a regular workout schedule. My pain is less, my fatigue is less and I feel mentally clearer than I have in a long time. I saw someone at Christmas who I hadn't seen in a year and she was gushing about how great I look. Not that I've lost weight since she saw me last, she told me I looked so healthy and that I was glowing! Just my plug for green smoothies! :)
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member
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    First let me say that I am a small appliance killer. I have committed small appliance genocide and when I walk down the blender aisle in Target you can hear them all rattling on their bases. They fear me!

    That said, my husband bought me a Vitamix for my birthday about four years ago and I have yet to even overheat it. I blend frozen strawberries, oranges, pineapples and bananas all the time with zero issue. Yes, a Vitamix (or a Blendtec which is another quality blender) is expensive! But my husband figured it was cheaper to buy a VM than keep replacing the blenders I was killing.

    If you use your blender a lot then it's worth the investment. VM and Blendtec (BT) blenders are the most commonly used in restaurant settings because they get the job done and they last. VM has a 7 year warranty and you can buy refurbished blenders from their site that will come with the same 7 year warranty. I use my blender every day, many times more than once a day.

    The VM is a tall blender and with the regular container it will sit high enough that it won't fit under your cabinet. The BT is lower profile from what I understand and will slide under with no problem.

    I use my VM daily for green smoothies but I've also used it for making soup, pureeing fruits, blender pancakes (pancake batter made with whole wheat (or other grain) berries and usually flax seed too.) I also make nut butters (almond is our favorite), flax meal, and even blend all the leftover skins and peels (including egg) into a nasty looking sludge that is awesome for composting!

    I should note, I am not a salesperson, just a happy customer. I have fibromyalgia and started the green smoothies in August. For the first time in years I am feeling good and have had a regular workout schedule. My pain is less, my fatigue is less and I feel mentally clearer than I have in a long time. I saw someone at Christmas who I hadn't seen in a year and she was gushing about how great I look. Not that I've lost weight since she saw me last, she told me I looked so healthy and that I was glowing! Just my plug for green smoothies! :)
    Quite an endorsement. I'll check out the refurbished ones.
    I have to ask - what's in a green smoothie?
  • janesmith1
    janesmith1 Posts: 1,511 Member
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    However in most studies Blendtec beats Vitamix. I own a Blendtec and it's really awesome. Get the larger bottle for it as well when you buy it. If you buy it from Costco it's a couple of bucks cheaper too.

    Here is a link for Blendtec Road Shows
    http://www.blendtec.com/road_shows

    You'll find one near you, buy it at the road show. I put the date on my calender since I bought my original one at Costco, then wanted the larger jar for it & went back to another road show.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
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    My Ninja Prep works just as good as the Vita Mix at work.. It's about a year old.
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member
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    I think I'm going to try the ninja. Saw a lot of good reviews online, and I can't bring myself to spend $400 on a blender. Anyone have anything bad to say about the Ninja?
  • sheepyfred
    sheepyfred Posts: 7 Member
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    If you use your blender a lot then it's worth the investment. VM and Blendtec (BT) blenders are the most commonly used in restaurant settings because they get the job done and they last. VM has a 7 year warranty and you can buy refurbished blenders from their site that will come with the same 7 year warranty. I use my blender every day, many times more than once a day.

    I was just going to say the same thing :) My grandma has had her VitaMix for about 17 years and it's still good as new. My mom bought one about 10 years ago and uses it everyday, sometimes more than once. We've made everything from soup to ice cream in it. The soup is hot right out of the VM container...it's pretty sweet.
  • goatstew
    goatstew Posts: 50
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    I use the blender on my Bosch mixer, it works great! The best blender I've seen is the Blendtec, but they are pricey! Sometimes Costco has good deals. Good luck!
  • TrudyLea
    TrudyLea Posts: 27
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    OK - to me it is hands down if you can afford a vitamix buy it! I think it will last the rest of your life.

    That said I have used the magic bullet and liked it but it didn't do a great job with frozen stuff. If I was just blending my protein drink it was great but when I added ice or frozen fruit I never really got it all broken down the way I wanted it. I did drink a lot of protein drinks right after my surgery and completely wore out a magic bullet. It did take two years.

    Then I bought a Ninja (I bought it at Costco thinking that if I don't like it or it doesn't do what I want I can always return it.) I must say that it is great. It manages the frozen items much better than the bullet did. I like the blades up and down with it and I get a more consistant blend rather than smooth at the bottom and less smooth at the top. I also like that the one I bought has three sizes, one being a pitcher size where I can make smoothies for the whole family.

    Still ... I am contemplating buying a vitamixer. I just think it will be sort of like my Kichen Aid stand mixer. I've had it for twenty years and it just keeps going and going, I use it all the time, have an attachment that shreds that i use all the time. Four hundred dollars may not be a lot if you never have to another one again...

    Good luck and let us know what you decide!
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
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    I treated myself to a Vitamix. I LOVE it and use it daily.
    I, too, thought I'd never spend that kind of money on "just a blender" but believe me, it's worth it.
    You'll go through all those cheaper blenders over the years which would've paid for the Vitamix or Blendtec.
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
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    The idea of green smoothies is a turn off to many (just like spending $400 on a blender!!! lol)
    but once you taste (buy) one ... you get hooked.

    Green smoothies are made with either spinach or kale or parsley or romaine or other greens along with liquid of your choosing (I use coconut water) and added fruit. Many people use bananas and berries.
    I also add 1 T flaxseed to mine.

    You will NOT taste the greens but will benefit from all the vitamins and minerals that the greens hold.
  • ralevin
    ralevin Posts: 131 Member
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    The idea of green smoothies is a turn off to many (just like spending $400 on a blender!!! lol)
    but once you taste (buy) one ... you get hooked.

    Green smoothies are made with either spinach or kale or parsley or romaine or other greens along with liquid of your choosing (I use coconut water) and added fruit. Many people use bananas and berries.
    I also add 1 T flaxseed to mine.

    You will NOT taste the greens but will benefit from all the vitamins and minerals that the greens hold.

    yum.... :huh:
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    On the Blendtec vs. Vitamix: There is a yahoo group that is billed as the "Vitamix Group" but the owner of the group has both blenders. He's used both of them extensively and his opinion is that it just boils down to personal preference. I personally have not used the BT but have seen them in action and would buy either one.

    I have a Bosch and have the blender attachment for it. It is also a fantastic blender but I feel my VM has the edge. Things just get smoother and it is a bit more durable than the Bosch. I also didn't like that when I grind flax seeds in it they get stuck under that stupid little ring that is such a pain in the hiney to take apart and put back together just so. The VM I just put some soap and hot water in it and run for a few minutes and it's clean.

    Green smoothies are amazingly good! My kids BEG me for them and even my picky husband likes them. He has had issues with kidney stones though so I use romaine lettuce as the green base for his (spinach is high in oxalates. There is controversy about whether restricting oxalates in a diet is necessary for kidney stone sufferers but he feels he'd rather not risk having to pee out another rock!) :)

    One bonus on buying the Ninja at Costco is that Costco has a fantastic return policy. If you get it and find that it's not what you hoped it would be they'll take it back. I'm a kitchen appliance connoisseur so I like trying out new toys, er, appliances.

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