Blenders??? (spaghetti, garden, best, kitchen)

[Wilson513]

The reason that carrots, for example, do not liquify in a blender is not the blender's fault. It is that they do not have enough water in them to become liquid. If you add a little water you can liquify them with any of the suggestions above. You could really do this with any food and then take some of the water out after they have been liquified because it will separate out naturally. Of course you can use a food press that extracts the liquid and leaves the woody cells behind.

If you want baby food, this is not made by simply pulverizing a solid product unless you are talking about applesauce. They use binders and surfactants made from the material itself (so they don't appear on the label as additives) and get the consistency that baby likes. BTW, I think baby food is made in a two roll mill. At least I saw it being made that way in a food products pilot plant decades ago.

What exactly are you doing? Home made baby food?

[SXMGirl]

I would go with the Vitamix, but I agree it is very pricey. That's why I don't have one. I do have a Kitchenaid, and it works very well. I don't do as much as you are planning, but it is very sturdy. I did have a Cuisinart, but the motor burned out in less than a year.

[findinghope]

blendtec--if you dont mind spending $400...but that thing will actually make soup and warm it all while blending veggies together--it's really cool

[chicagojlo]

I use my Kitchenaid blender from time to time for the baby food but I find the constant stopping to reset it annoying. I prefer using my immersion blender or my mini chopper (both Kitchenaid also). They both seem to do a better job.

[thrillobyte]

Thanks you all for your very interesting and informative replies.

And for juice, my juicer.

I have a juicer---a very expensive one. But the "grind" of washing and cutting all those vegetables in prep for putting them through, not to mention all the cleanup and washing all the parts, finally got to me. I switched to just carrots but all that sugar! Yeech! And it bugged me that I was tossing out all that valuable pulp. Now I just cut them and cook them in a pan, but i would still like to eat them soupy or pureed.

Originally Posted by wilson1010

The reason that carrots, for example, do not liquify in a blender is not the blender's fault. It is that they do not have enough water in them to become liquid. If you add a little water you can liquify them with any of the suggestions above. You could really do this with any food and then take some of the water out after they have been liquified because it will separate out naturally. Of course you can use a food press that extracts the liquid and leaves the woody cells behind.

If you want baby food, this is not made by simply pulverizing a solid product unless you are talking about applesauce. They use binders and surfactants made from the material itself (so they don't appear on the label as additives) and get the consistency that baby likes. BTW, I think baby food is made in a two roll mill. At least I saw it being made that way in a food products pilot plant decades ago.

What exactly are you doing? Home made baby food?

That's a good idea, and I never even thought of adding water! If I don't get the Vitamix or the equally pricey Blendtec I'll try a German brand--one that's much less expensive. As to the purpose, no no baby food----I'm not that far gone--YET! No, I just want a consistency that the body can absorb the most nutrition from and still get the roughage.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

Thanks you all for your very interesting and informative replies.



That's a good idea, and I never even thought of adding water! If I don't get the Vitamix or the equally pricey Blendtec I'll try a German brand--one that's much less expensive. As to the purpose, no no baby food----I'm not that far gone--YET! No, I just want a consistency that the body can absorb the most nutrition from and still get the roughage.

As long as the teeth and gums are ok, I want to urge you to think about the liquification a little more. The body likes raw vegetables at the grind you get from chewing. It gives the intestines time to break the vegetables down and lets them move along at the right pace. The chewing is good for the teeth and gums. But, if you want a jolt of complex carbohydrates, then liquify, but think about just grinding the food to look like it does if you chew it up and then spit it out. Just sayin'

As for raw vs. cooked, you might also consider roasting vegetables in a tasty medley (onions peppers and brocolli for example) and then mashing them with a ricer or a potato masher. You don't get the raw nutrition but you do get all the fiber in an easy on the body form.

Good luck!

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by jasper12

High performance blenders from Vitamix Corporation.

This is it. It juices anything. Liquifies everything. But it is not inexpensive.

Unless you are incredibly lucky, like I was one day, and pick one up at a yard sale for $20. Best $20 *I* ever spent.

I vote Vitamix too.

20yrsinBranson

[need4Trees]

Haha!

I was just researching this today!
For a few hours in fact some I can, and I will post a couple links here for all, you may find interesting ...

saw info and vids from the actual website of both

Vita Mix
and
BlendTec

of which, these are the only 2 top blenders that will be able to make nut butters, soups, ice cream... blend greens... smoothly.

MY conclusion, for me, I see them being both Excellent blenders ...
of course there are some factors to consider...
weight
height
size...
these are minor... but
the end result
time
efficiency
durability
etc...
is really what matters, and really both seem to still be pretty great there as well...

And, so for me, with all that being said, watching vids, reading...
just by the cost (which is not always what I just "go by")
I would get the - BlendTec Total Blender at: $ 399
as the Vita Mix - $ 499 or 550 ...?
although the Vita Mix does have longer warranty with it, also seems like it is made a little better (from the reviews) ... but really...
there will always be pros and cons to both of these... although, I think they are pretty minor...
but which ever you choose (if you choose one of these...) sounds like... you are gonna Win!


So, the answer here is really only between two Blenders...
and they both seem pretty darn excellent, so I would say...

Between the 2:
BlendTec and Vita Mix ...
the choice is yours.

https://secure.vitamix.com/acb/store...005220&store=1

Blenders > Total Blender - Countertop Blender - Blendtec (http://www.blendtec.com/productDetails.aspx?id=1259 - broken link)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1AbiyzFMK4

The Best Blender Comparison: Vita-Mix vs Blendtec | Incredible Smoothies

[Emeraldmaiden]

This is my blender - the KitchenAid Pro Line. So far, it has done everything we've asked, quickly and no strain. I haven't tried raw hard veggies in it, but it does ice with no problems. Nothing's gotten stuck under the blades, either.

[jlawrence01]

Be careful with the used VitaMix blenders you'll find at a garage sale. There have been recalls on VitaMix blenders regarding motors that were overheating.