Vita-mix 4500 product review

About a year ago I finally made the commitment to buy a high powered blender. Having used a Vita-mix previously and being impressed I was pretty excited to get one of my own. That first week I don't think I ate hardly anything solid; everything was blended. I made lots of smoothies, soups, purees, and sauces. While I do not use the vita-mix everyday it is still one of the most, if not the most used appliance in my kitchen. The differences I found between my vita-mix and the cheap blender that I had been using were quite vast:

My cheap blender, yes it would make fruit smoothies but there would invariably be chunks. Which in a fruit smoothie isn't the end of the world but when you are making a green smoothie with spinach you really don't want green chunks(the whole point is to get the greens with out tasting them!). The vita-mix takes care of that completely I've never had a green chunk and the smoothie is smooth.

The vita-mix can also blend things and get them smooth that a regular blender rarely if ever accomplishes. Ill blend nuts and use them as a thickener in a sauce (you would never know that's what i use because its never gritty). I blend tough vegetables into vegetable purees and soup bases. If I blend up a head of broccoli you would have no idea what it was with out tasting it because its so smooth.

Because of its high power it will actually heat up your soup if you leave it in there a few minutes. I make a very simple broccoli soup. Sometimes Ill steam the broccoli early or use left overs from the fridge. Ill leave it blending for a few minutes and the vita-mix will heat it back up.

The large capacity is helpful too. It certainly makes entertaining a lot easier, especially if I am trying to get a fruity desert out to all my guests quickly.

My only warning with the vita-mix is that its loud! be prepared to have your cat run every time you turn it on. Although usually you wont have it on but for a few seconds. It does its job quickly. Occasionally a piece of fruit will get stuck under the blade and not get blended but I find that's not even that common. It usually happens when I do not add much liquid to aid in the blending process.

One of my other draws to the vita-mix over other high powered blenders is that a friend of mine has a Vita-mix from the 70s and it still works, and well at that. It was easier to hand over the cash for it knowing that Its build to last and will be around for years to come.

Power Smoothie, Boost your Immune System

Do you have a good blender?  Have you been putting it to good use?

One of the simplest and most enjoyable beverages can also be very good for you (if you are putting in the right things) and a very enjoyable summer treat.  The benefit of blending is that you get the whole food; all the fiber and nutrients in a broken down form.  Because of being broken down it makes it easy for the body to finish breaking it down and for the body to absorb all the nutrients.

There are many different ways you can make a smoothie, but ill share with you what I put in mine.  This simple smoothie is low in calories and high in nutrients, great for boosting the immune system and help eliminating some extra calories if replacing a meal.

2 cups mixed frozen fruit (I usually buy a mixed bag, warning- Black Berries & Raspberries have seeds and will make it gritty)

1 Ripe Banana (the more brown spots the better, this makes it sweeter)

2 Handfuls of spinach fresh or frozen

Water to blend or sometimes Almond milk (water keeps it even lower in calories)

The reason for the spinach is to increase the amount of nutrients I am consuming and I find it keeps me from being hungry longer.  Because of the nice ripe banana you can't taste the spinach although it does make it a funky color.  If color bothers you put a lid on it and you wont even notice =) If your blender is not amazing place the spinach and water in first to blend then add the fruit.  Fruit chunks are fine, but who wants green chunks!  If you are going to be making a lot of smoothies you may want to invest in a high powered blender such as a Vita-mix, BlendTec, or some other industrial blender.  I've found it to be totally worth the investment!


photo credit: tiffanywashko