Adventures In Vita-Mixing
The latest happenings in my kitchen have
involved my newly acquired Vita-Mix.
Here I'll talk about my experiences in using the machine. Those who already own one will
get some new recipes to try; those who don't can learn about this
fantastic, versatile appliance.
As the Vita-Mix is fairly expensive it took
me a long time to decide whether or not to invest in one. For my own situation I finally
decided the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. Here is what I have found:
BENEFITS
The Vita-Mix's powerful motor processes
whole raw foods into juices, smoothies, soups, nut/seed milks/butters, ice cream and much
more. It has helped me increase my intake of fresh whole fruits and vegetables even when
I'm pressed for time.
One versatile well-made machine allowed me
to sell some of my old 2nd rate appliances that were cluttering my small kitchen (blender,
food processor, juicer). The Vita-Mix can also replace an ice cream maker, bread machine
and grain mill. According the Vita-Mix web site this machine (Super 5000 model) can do 35 kitchen tasks.
Whole-food fruit and vegetable juices are
smooth without any pulp extraction. This means less waste, especially for people who don't
have access to a compost.
I used to make almond milk in an ordinary
blender which resulted in a lot of leftover pulp. I could make cookies out of the pulp. .
. but there are only so many cookies one can make! When using the Vita-Mix less almonds
are needed to make the same concentration and there is minimal pulp leftover. In fact you
could even drink the milk unstrained unless you prefer it very smooth. You can make any
kind of nut or seed milk.
The Super 5000 model
has a separate container for grinding grains which is great for those who want flours at
their optimum freshness - purchasing whole grains is usually less expensive than
purchasing ready-made flour
Friction heat is used for making soup. . .
it only gets hot enough to eat and I find that soup tastes much fresher this way. The
flavours are richer and more full-bodied and the soup does not have the same
"cooked" taste as stove-top heating.
The Vita-Mix is its own dishwasher which
makes for quick'n easy cleanup!
DRAWBACKS
While the Vita-Mix is effective at
performing many tasks, it may not be quite as effective as all the top-of-the-line
individual appliances specifically designed for a single purpose; however it is less
costly and takes up less space. I have found it to be more than satisfactory.
In spite of the money you can save by having
one machine do many tasks it's still a fairly pricey investment. It does have a 7 year
warranty. You can purchase it cheaper at a show than through the Internet or a catalogue,
and sometimes the show demo models are sold even cheaper. Going to a show also lets you
see first-hand how it works, and you get to taste some of the things it can make. The
standard recipes demonstrated at a show include: juice, ice cream, vegetable soup, and
salsa. Check out the Vita-Mix
web site to see their show schedule.
Friction heat is created when blending for
more than a couple of minutes. This is great for soups, and a non-issue for smoothies and
ice creams as they take little time to blend, and start out with frozen ingredients.
However things like nut milks and nut butters can take a little longer to blend and you
don't want heat damaging the essential oils (same goes for grinding grains). I have found
that storing all nuts, seeds and grains in the freezer solves this problem quite nicely.
When making nut and seed milks I use water that is ice-cold but not frozen.
The Vita-Mix has a 2 horse power motor which
allows it to do heavy duty jobs in a small amount of time. This means it is a little on
the loud side when blending at high speeds. Since most of my blending is done in less than
a minute and in some cases less than 30 seconds, I don't notice the sound that much. When
blending things that take a few minutes I do notice the loudness more, but for me this is
a minor nuisance when compared to all the healthy meals I have been able to make.
CONCLUSION
I decided that for me the Vita-Mix was a
worthwhile investment. I've had it for 4 months and use it almost every day. I make a smoothie every morning for breakfast. I whip up a quick
broccoli or kale & rice soup for dinner when I don't feel
like cooking. I also make soft-serve fruit ice creams with little to no sweetener, almond
milk, hemp nut butter, lemon
slushies, fresh salsa and pasta sauce (the hyper-linked recipes are my own creations;
the rest come with the Vita-Mix cookbook).
For more information visit Vita-Mix online.
Note: This review was written solely to
share my experiences with you; no remuneration of any kind was received from Vita-Mix.
Summer 2001
RecipeNet Kitchen
www.recipenet.org
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