November 04, 2010

Object of lust finally acquired



I just can't understand what took me so long to do this post. After all, I acquired something I'd been wanting, dreaming about, lusting after, for such a long time, and when I finally got it ... no mention. I've been holding out, keeping it to myself, enjoying it day after day without sharing. But now I confess, I just couldn't wait any longer, I got myself a Vitamix. OK, it's a reconditioned one, but sooooooo? I finally gave in to the "lowest price ever" and ordered it in August. My plan was to order and have it sent to me while we were in Wisconsin this past summer, to avoid the ridiculous and regressive 10% sales tax in Seattle. I thought it would be great to be able to make myself smoothies and fruit ice cream all summer. But I waffled and worried over the cost, and whether I "really needed it" so long, that in the end it was too late to get it before we left Madison, so I ordered it and had it sent to Seattle as something to look forward to on our return.

Do I like it? Oh Yes. But it took a few tries before I got the hang of using it, and I made a couple of compost-worthy bloopers before settling in to enjoy a new level of creamy deliciousness. I was fascinated with the idea of making soup in the Vitamix like the happy cooks do in the demo videos, so I assembled a bunch of veggies to test it out. Let me tell you, never put a piece of lime rind, no matter how small, into a blender. The result will be so disgustingly bitter and vile you will have to discard the soup. No amount of guilt over wasted food will get you to eat it. No.

Next I tried to make ice cream. "So easy," gushed the woman in the video. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but but it may have had something to do with ice cubes. I didn't end up with ice cream, but that's all you need to know about that. The good news is that my Vitamix and I have reached an understanding, and now I love it.



The smoothies I used to make with the Kitchenaid were good, but I could always tell they were made with frozen fruit. With the Vitamix, the smoothies are so creamy and smooth, no matter what I put into them, they're more like a milkshake. I put it to the test with some blackberries I had picked and frozen. With the regular blender, the smoothies were seedy, but in the Vitamix, they were smooth.



I made all-fruit ice cream using a banana, frozen blueberries, frozen mango, non-dairy milk, and vanilla. Yes, it was very, very good. Then I made it for company using banana, frozen blueberries and frozen peaches. I made so much that after we stuffed ourselves, there was still some left, so I put it into a covered dish and stored it in the refrigerator. When I found it two days later, it had turned to pudding, and still tasted creamy and great. I've also made cashew cheese that was perfect.



I decided to try making soup again for this post. I started with carrots, celery, garlic, and water in the Vitamix. It takes about seven minutes at high speed to purée and cook soup, but after about three minutes I blended some tahini into the soup and put it into a pot to finish cooking.



I seasoned it with salt, pepper, dill weed, crushed red pepper, coriander, balsamic chili vinegar, and truffle oil.



It was wonderful but I think I prefer my pressure cooker and immersion blender for making soup. It's quieter.



To go with the soup we made pasta with a sauce of Field Roast Mexican sausage, crushed tomatoes and broccoli. Yum.

32 comments:

  1. How loud is the vitamix? I have a blendtec, which I mostly love (it's broken twice now, and I'm waiting to get it back). But it's so so so loud. I assume that's just the tradeoff for having a ridiculously powerful blender ... I don't think I could listen to it for seven straight minutes, though. My soups will have to go in a pot.

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  2. I'm holding out on buying the Vitamix.....for NOW :) The soup looks delicious!

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  3. your soup sounds incredibly tasty! congrats on your Vita... I have what I call an "old lady" vita (shh, don't tell her!) because I've had her for probably 14 years?? I love it, use it almost daily, with no issues ever.

    enjoy !

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  4. Power blenders are the bomb! I wish they weren't so expensive so all foodies could have one. Isn't it nice to have smooth smoothies?

    I am in love with the color of your soup. I remember not loving cream soups as a child, so it's been many years since I had any but it might be time to give them another shot. They always look so good, maybe my tastebuds have changed! :)

    About the Ellen show - if my plan backfires and Ellen invites me it would be aweful! I'm way too shy to be on TV. Thanks for asking though, now you made me think about adding a note that says "I'm too much of a hermit to be on the show myself" :D

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  5. Yay Vitamix! I'm convinced I'll be the last to get one. Haha.

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  6. Radioactive,
    I was surprised at how less-than-loud (not exactly quiet, but not bad) it is. It actually seems quieter than my Kitchenaid. Any blender that runs for seven minutes making soup, though, is bound to be annoying. I'd read that the V was quieter than the B but I have no first hand knowledge of that.

    JL,
    I'm not saying I NEEDED the Vitamix, just that I love it.

    Kristina,
    I once saw an "old lady" Vitamix at a garage sale and kicked myself for quite a while about not buying it. I'd probably still have it! I do like the BPA-free container. Does yours have a glass container?

    River,
    Yes, "smooth" has a new definition when smoothed in the Vity. My cream soups are creamy, but don't contain any creamers so they're yummy without being cloying. Just a small spoonful of tahini gave the soup all the body it needed.

    I was thinking you wouldn't want to be on TV, and neither would I. I WAS on TV twice, and it was terrifying both times. I should post about it. HA!

    Mo,
    Now that I've finally gotten one, you may be right!

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  7. You are making my mouth water here Andrea and of course I am green with envy :)

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  8. nice! i want one! congratulations. i personally can't justify buying a vitamix right now but if i ever go raw (which i'd really like to try) it would pretty much be a necessity. goodness, i'd love something that obliterates blackberry seeds in smoothies. what's the difficulty level of cleaning it?

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  9. Congrats on your lust object acquisition!!! I want one too:)))

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  10. It's like an alternate universe! I've been really really wanting a blender, but since my birthday is in the next couple of weeks, and then Christmas, and then next year I'm getting married, I felt selfish buying that potential "gift" for myself. But yesterday I couldn't help it. I bought a $30 blender so I could make butternut squash soup. I do have a little "day-after" regret, (my fiance was not happy - I stole his gift idea) but I have this sick, deep-satisfaction. Maybe I'll still get a really nice blender next year. I love your smoothie!

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  11. Oh my gosh, I sounded like an infomercial after I got my vitamix - but you are right, some of the soups came out so horribly that I couldn't gag them down (asparagus soup from a raw vegan cookbook was so terrible I couldn't even drink it with my nose plugged). Your soup sounds wonderful! I make a curry carrot soup with avocado that I'll have to post - the avocado makes the soup so creamy and it's yummy a bit chilled.

    I started putting macadamia and peach smoothies together - so delicious. It's not the best food combining but nuts + fruit = heavenly ice creamy goodness.

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  12. Jacqueline,
    No need to be envious. I got along fine with an ordinary blender until now. I envy all the fun you're having with that adorable baby. (I vote no on violent video games. :D)

    Emily,
    I don't find cleaning it to be a problem, but I wish I could remove the base without ordering a special tool.

    Aimee,
    It is a fun new toy. Now that I'm used to having it around, I should attempt to be a little more creative.

    Merut,
    Happy birthday in advance! Your fiance could get you an immersion blender as a gift. Those are really handy for blending soup right in the pot.

    Cami,
    I can only imagine what the raw asparagus soup was like. I started out to make a curried carrot soup but had a sudden desire for dill, and one thing led to another. I'd like to see your recipe for carrot and avocado soup.

    I usually add raw almond butter to my smoothies — or cashews.

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  13. What a great new kitchen toy! Congratulations on the acquisition!

    I have to resist the urge to buy a vitamix (mainly because I never blend anything. Small reason not to get one though!). They make it look so awesome on the adverts and demos I get a bit carried away and start thinking it will change my life :P

    It looks like you have a great freindship with yours though, now that you have reached an understanding ;)

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  14. Congrats on the Vitamix! All the food looks great. I love the color of that carrot soup!

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  15. Congratulations!!! You are so lucky. It's definitely worth the money. We are going with a Blendtec soon I can't wait.

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  16. I have the shorter and fatter Blendtec and I feel the same way about it. Amazing. It's changed my life for sure.

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  17. I can only dream of someday owning a Vitamix or Blendtec. :o) I have hopes that Santa will bring me one, but I don't think Santa understands why a blender should cost so much. :o) Everything looks delicious!

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  18. I *LOVE* my reconditioned Vita-Mix! It is such a great kitchen too. I am glad to hear you are enjoying yours! Have you tried making flours in it yet? You can make bean/lentil flours so quick and easy!

    Courtney

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  19. Not,
    It's not always easy to resist things you don't need, even when you don't need them (?) but if you don't blend things, maybe a blender would just sit on the counter taking up space. That's what happened to my mixer, which is probably something you use a lot. Now it takes up space in the basement.

    Rose,
    The color really was intense. I think it's Nash's carrots. They're the best!

    Dreaminitvegan,
    I'm sure you'll love it. Maybe I'll just have ice cream for dinner — no one will be here but me.

    Aimee,
    It's a wonderful machine!

    Michelle,
    I used to hope Vitamix would send me one to test on my blog, but you might have a better chance with Santa. :D

    Courtney,
    Do you use the regular blade or do you have the dry jar?

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  20. Oh, I wish I had one of those! Congrats for finally getting one though, it's always nice to strike something off your wishlist.

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  21. Congrats! I love mine for smoothies and when I need something really smooth (like hazelnut butter for homemade nutella), but though I tried a soup when I first got it, I haven't made one since. Basically. . . it's a blender. ;)

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  22. I've heard so many great thinks about the Vitamix. I just bought a blender a few months ago, but when this one finally kicks the bucket I may have to splurge and get a Vitamix. If I had one of those I'd make lots of fruit ice cream too!

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  23. Islaborg,
    It took me a REALLY long time to finally buy one, but I'm glad I finally did.

    Ricki,
    I agree. But the soup-making videos are so convincing!

    Kiersten,
    You know, I don't think I ever tried to make soft-serve in my regular blender, but it probably wasn't up to the task. Sometimes it even left chunks of fruit in smoothies.

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  24. All-fruit ice cream. Mmmmmm....

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  25. VITAMIX ENVY!!!
    I'm loving the ice-cream but that soup just totally called to me - I'm gonna whip up some soup later.
    :)

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  26. Zoa,
    all-fruit plus non-dairy milk and a jab of almond butter.

    Jeni,
    in a pot or in a vitamix?

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  27. Yay! Welcome to VitaMixLand! I love mine, too, though I find it a nuisance to scrape stuff like hummous out of the bottom. That's my only complaint! I love how it grinds up things like sesame seeds and flax seeds. My food processor leaves them unscathed, but the VM has them turned into powder in seconds.

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  28. Andrea

    I just use the regular blade, I guess, as I only have 1 blade and 1 container. It works just fine!

    Courtney

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  29. Penny,
    I haven't tried making sticky stuff yet but I can see that it might be hard to get it out. The blades are sharp!

    Courtney,
    I'll have to try it.

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  30. Isn't the Vitamix wonderful? I love the variety of things it can do. And I love your blog!

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  31. Fun! I'm sure you deserve such a fun kitchen tool. It all looks so healthy. I got a Blendtec this past year - with two containers, and I feel like I need yet another one - they are in constant use.

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  32. Rach,
    Thank you! Yes, the Vitamix is my new best friend. (of the inanimate variety.) :D

    Jenny,
    I'm not sure where I would store a second container if I had one. I haven't tried making flours in my vitamix yet but I probably will, even though I don't have the proper jar.

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