Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with blender

Vitamix or bust

supercres — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:07:40 -0800

About to pull the trigger on buying a Vitamix, an object of lust for some time. A few questions for Vitamix-experienced folks... I know blenders are a slightly controversial topic: "My $50 blender is just as good as a $400 blender!" versus "NOTHING is like a Vitamix/Blendtec", not to mention the Vitamix-Blendtec holy war. Suffice it to say that I've been thinking about this for a while, and have come to side with the super-blender advocates.

We're currently looking at the Professional 200 model, which looks to retail about $450. It seems to be equivalent to the 5200. Questions:

How necessary is the variable speed? It seems like many people/recipes/videos say to start low and ramp up to 10. Makes sense, but if I'm going to keep it one one speed and not notice the difference, I'll save myself a few bucks.

What is the best place to buy? I'm currently looking for online retailers with free shipping or brick-and-mortar in Delaware to avoid sales tax. Is there a good way to bargain-hunt these things without waiting forever? (I don't have a Costco membership, and the closest one is about 40 minutes away.) Spending so much, I'm a little wary of EBay.

How well does it do with small amounts? Will I want to add on a smaller carafe for pesto or smaller-serving smoothies?

I have a fantasy of blending a large fruit and vegetable smoothie in the morning for breakfast, then bringing the leftovers to work for lunch. (I rarely eat breakfast now but really should.) Any recommended "Total nutrition in a glass!"-type cookbooks to help wedge those super foods into my diet? Any tips on making it dead simple and super-quick? (Something like doing prep once a week.) Weight loss is not a goal (and would actually be a bad thing).

Anything else that Vitamix veterans can pass along would be greatly appreciated. (I have seen this question, which helped push me over the edge.)

Am I too old to start over again?

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:53:34 -0800

Unable to find consistent work since 2009 I'm thinking of reskilling again. I'm 38. Is this too old? I went to university in 2005 when I was 32 and came out in 2009 with a first class degree in product design. since then I have tried and failed at being a freelancer, failed at getting any design-related job at any level and now feel like I am too old for people to take me seriously.

I don't think that I will ever be offered a regular job again as my age vs skill level doesn't balance well. I've gotten all cynical with product design and no longer as passionate about it as I once was. And so I believe I will have to strike out on my own to achieve something with my work life.

Because of this I am thinking of reskilling AGAIN and learning Blender (open source 3D modelling / animation software) so, when I am skilled enough I can teach it, write books on how to use it and to use it in a freelance capacity (maybe). I feel passionate about this product and the open source ideology behind it and the strength of the community.

I predict that for deep knowledge of the product (enough for me to write and teach it) it will take me 4 years. I will be 42. Is this too old? I feel this is too old.

No idea what I am doing with my life and this feels like this might be clutching at straws / last chances / etc.

Advice welcome. Thanks. x

Blender materials, what am I missing?

RobotHero — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:32:26 -0800

I've tried yet again to tackle learning Blender, and yet again, I'm stuck on what should be a basic simple thing. Adding a material to an object. Can someone get me unstuck? Here's a screen capture for reference.

I've tried some Youtube tutorials, but they're using an older version of Blender which makes it difficult to follow along. I've read the manual but whatever I'm doing wrong I don't think it's addressed there.

I have viewport shading set to texture. It's just showing up black, so the obvious thing to check is lighting, but I have Environmental Lighting checked and that doesn't seem to make a difference, and neither does adding a point light.

What's the best blender for milkshakes?

jtothes — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:38:02 -0800

What's the best blender for milkshakes? Detailed instructions on making a chocolate milkshake with said blender would also be appreciated. Thanks!

My God... It's Full of Soup...

joelhunt — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:37:07 -0800

I need recipes for my soup-making blender thing!!! I received a Cuisinart Blend and Cook Soup and Beverage Maker for Christmas (thanks mom!), and I'm kind of underwhelmed with the number of recipes included with the machine. Basically, I'm looking for either actual soup blender recipes from people who use the machine, or pointers to soup blender recipe resources online. I realize I could adjust normal soup recipes to use with the soup blender, but I'm pretty new with it and would like a little hand-holding at this point.

Sub-question, for extra points: Anyone got a decent recipe to make potato-leek soup in this thing?

Mindblowing blenders without budget-blending prices

Shepherd — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:40:17 -0800

A blender for smoothies, nut butters, milkshakes and ice crushing: do we have to go up to the Vitamix/Blendtec range, or is there a lower-end blender that you'd recommend for our needs? Threads like this one have me 50% of the way to going with a Blendtec or Vitamix, but the price tag -- especially here in Canada -- is a scary, scary thing.

Blenders in the $50 range have always died quickly in our house, though, usually as a result of trying to crush ice or create nut butters.

So while the idea of spending $600 on a blender doesn't enthuse me, the idea of spending $50-$100 continually for an endless series of them doesn't thrill me either.

We have a Cuisinart food processor, which we love, but a blender for more convenient food prep is definitely the next thing on our kitchen-acquisition list.

Questions:

1. Is there a lower-end blender that delivers reliable nut-buttering, ice-crushing power over the long term while costing less than $500?

2. Is there a recommended Canadian retailer for such a blender?

3. If a Blendtec/Vitamix really is the best answer for my needs, which model would you recommend? Vitamix in particular seems to have a lot of 'em.

To smooth or to juice?

mecran01 — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:39:11 -0800

I just watched a documentary and some youtube videos on juicers, and I'm wondering if there is a significant advantage over using a juicer as opposed to making vegetable smoothies with fruit? I have juicer fever and am trying to slow down. We have a Bosch mixer with a blender attachment that is powerful enough to blend whole wheat kernels into fresh pancakes. My goal is to eat a lot more vegetables. We are a family of six.

electric motor noise-- just for safety? and where can I find proof of this?

atetrachordofthree — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:23:49 -0800

I have heard that the electric motor in a household blender continues to be noisy, even though the technology for a quieter one exist, is due to some sort of safety standard. I searched everywhere I can, but couldn't find any literature/ actual protocol to back this up. Does the hive mind have an inkling as to where I could find legit, cite-able sources for this?

Drinking my lunch

Squid Voltaire — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:47:19 -0800

How do I make healthy, filling juice to have as my entire lunch every day? 400-500 calories with all the protein and such that I need from lunch. In trying to lose weight, I stopped eating pizza for lunch and started eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So far so good--it cut out a bunch of calories, tons of fat and all that other stuff. However, it didn't replace it with much.

PB&J works for me because I can make a sandwich extremely quickly, without interrupting my routine, using ingredients that store well at work. I realized recently that perhaps I could substitute a Healthy Juice Drink for my PBJ--I could bring a bottle from home easily enough, and when I made it I would just put in 400 or 500 calories worth of stuff that was more healthy than bread, peanut butter and jelly.

Er... what stuff is that? How do I even know how many calories I'm juicing? I'm worried that if I just put a head of broccoli in my blender than I'll find that I'm missing protein and I'll fall asleep halfway through the afternoon. Or, alternatively, march off to the store and buy doughnuts until I feel full.

I've tried looking online, but it's mostly been pages about juice fasting as a toxicity remover, which is much more hard core than I'm looking at here.

Fruit Smoothie Nutrition

frankly mister — Sat, 28 May 2011 07:40:41 -0800

Couple nutrition-related questions concerning fruit smoothies. 3 questions:

1) I'm wondering if blending fruits tears up the cells of the fruits and what not and hence significantly diminishes the nutritional value of a smoothie, compared to eating the fruits whole. I mean, I imagine the juice of the fruits is largely unaffected by the blending, so this probably only concerns the pulp and other solids.

2) I heard somewhere that the metal blade of the blender causes oxidation in the smoothie. But I remember also reading that the oxidation is minimized if you drink the smoothie soon after blending it. Is there any truth to this oxidation thing?

3) Raspberry and blackberry seeds remain pretty much in tact when using my blender. Can the body extract and/or digest the nutrients from the seeds when they're still whole? Or must they be ground up or pulverized to get any real value? And this question extends to all such small seeds, like flax for example.

Thanks!

Protein Shakes 101

booksherpa — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:08:34 -0800

Protein Shakes 101: Give me your protein shake/smoothie tips, tricks, advice and recommendations, especially the best, most delicious recipes you have. I got a Magic Bullet for Christmas, and have recently started using it to make protein shakes for breakfast. So far, I've just used some chocolate powder from my supermarket with some 1% milk and banana. It's tasty, but I wouldn't mind changing it up each day. Also, I've ordered a bunch of samples so I can try different protein powders, but would love to hear your favorites, and ones you thought sucked. Finally, anything else I should know as I embark on my protein shake journey, like:

Soy vs. whey vs. other - what's the difference and why do I care?

Blending with milk vs. water - is there a big flavor difference, and is it worth the nutrition/calorie difference?

What fruits work best in a shake? What veggies can I blend in for better nutritional value without affecting taste? What else can I add that may be "outside the box" or not that well known? (PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter would be a good example of the last)

Best way to add fiber to my shake? The Psyllium Husk canister warnings were a little scary...

Best websites (or other sources) for shake recipes, ordering powders, reviews of powders and stuff? I know of netrition.com or vitalady.com for powders; are there other good ones?

Thanks all!

Pick out my immersion blender

nadawi — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 19:11:52 -0800

Which immersion blender should I buy? Which should I absolutely not buy? Primarily using it for soups for two people.

Help me find a high-on-power, low-on-decibels blender.

Dr. ShadowMask — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:46:28 -0800

I'm looking for a simple blender that is strong enough to transform various foods into goo, but not make me deaf or give me a headache to start my day. I seem to only be able to find two out those three requirements in any given blender. For example, I had a nice simple blender with three settings- pluse, low, high and with plenty of horsepower, but it sounded like a jet engine. I've had more expensive, quieter blenders, but they didn't seem to cut it [pun intended] in their primary function. My current strategy is to just use a noisy blender, but cover it with a cardboard box lined with styrofoam when its in use. It was not an elegant solution, so hopefully there is a blender that can meet my needs without any additional trial and error on my part.

I'd be willing to spend up to a few hundred dollars, since I've recently taken to blending entire meals to provide a nutritious snack on the go. A glass pitcher would probably be preferable since the plastic ones seem harder to clean and mine has developed a very questionable, built-in smell.

Is my blender broken?

jyorraku — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:05:45 -0800

My blender has a bit of black dust at the bottom after I use it, presumably from the black rubber connectors under the container and on top of the motor. It still works, but is this normal? Will the black stuff get sucked up into the food stuff I'm blending?

How can I fix my battery-powered blender?

Hiker — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:39:44 -0800

Can I fix my battery-powered blender? I own this Coleman battery powered blender. It's only been used about 5 times since I bought it (it sat in a cupboard for three months unused) and has been fully charged for 24 hours.

When I go to turn it on, it doesn't turn on. It makes a fast-paced "click-click-click" sound, which I assumed was an issue with the motor that turns the crank. I opened the blender up and was surprised to find the noise was actually coming from the circuit board that contains the on/off switch.

This is a picture of the circuit board. The bottom right-hand black box is the relay. This (.wav) is the sound it's making. I am a technically-savvy guy who's not afraid to DIY; what might be causing the trouble and how I can fix it?

Besides making juice and smoothies, what else can I use my Vita-Mix for?

MaryDellamorte — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:52:33 -0800

Besides making juice and smoothies, what else can I use my Vita-Mix for? It's a Christmas present I want to put to good use and I need some ideas other than the obvious juice and smoothies.

What to blend with new immersion blender?

anthropomorphic — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:10:34 -0800

I just got a brand new immersion blender. What should I blend? I've only ever made butternut squash soup and have never made smoothies. Any tips on the use of this thing and/or recipes? Aside from soup and smoothies, am I missing anything? Could I use it to cut up the butter for, say, a pie crust? Any tips on use?

I will crush you. BTW, can you give me some tips on how best to do that?

madmethods — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:55:47 -0800

Should I buy a monstrously powerful ice-crushing carrot-liquifying nut-pulverizing fruit-vaporizing circuit-breaker-throwing uber-blender? Why? And which one? I have a decent blender (KitchenAid). I've been using it a lot lately, making smoothies and soups and such, including things with ice, veggies, greens, nuts, etc. It does an okay job. Texture and processing speed seem to leave room for improvement.

There is another tier of blenders out there, things like BlendTec and Vita-Mix, that reputedly can reduce anything to a smooth and creamy consistency in seconds. So should I upgrade? If you have one of these things, what does it deliver that my merely-decent blender doesn't? Smoother texture (no graininess from veggies and nuts)? Anything else? Convince me to switch!

If I do upgrade, which brand and model should I get? Is it just BlendTec and Vita-Mix out there, or are there others? Is one noticeably quieter than the other? Or better/worse otherwise? Particular model to get? Where to buy?

Seeking glass/metal food processor

alms — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:54:01 -0800

Where can I find a food processor with a glass or metal bowl? Is every food processor bowl in the world made from polycarbonate? I would like to find an alternative because of concerns with bpa. Our most common food processor tasks are:

1) Smoothies made from frozen fruit and yogurt. The food processor needs to be able to chop up and eventually puree the frozen fruit.

2) Shredding English muffins and then blending the crumbs with parmesan cheese for coating chicken.

3) Pureeing hot soup.

I see lots of glass blenders, but a blender won't work for (2) and may not work so well for (1). Any suggestions?

How to find the number of pages in back issues of magazines.

imjosh — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:44:36 -0800

Please help me find out how many pages are in back issues of several popular magazines. I'm doing some research into shrinking magazine size and one portion of this is to try and find the number of pages in several magazines, specifically; Blender, Esquire, WIRED, Maxim and SPIN. Ideally I'd love to know the number of pages v. ads in every issue but I think that's a reach.

Do you know where I could track this information down?

Is there a certain person on a magazine staff who I should approach to try and find this?

Do you have the last 12 issues of any of these and can help me out?

Perhaps I should hire an Amazon turker...

Any recommendations for a good blender?

SeizeTheDay — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:35:27 -0800

I'm looking for a blender. I've seen this post and this one. I know about VitaMix and Blendtec. I've used a Blendtec in a previous life, but I'm not convinced that I'll ever get my return on investment for a $400 blender. I'm trying to become more healthy, and have something for breakfast that I would actually enjoy and would likely drink on a regular basis.

Right now I wouldn't use a blender for anything else. I have a Cuisinart MiniPrep, which serves my limited purpose, so I don't need a food processor combo. I've seen the recommendations for the Braun PowerMax, but Amazon hates it. I'm guessing that it would need good ice-crushing ability, but nothing "commercial grade".

I don't really have a price range, per se, but since I'd only ever use the blender for one purpose right now (a healthy drink at most once a day and most likely only 5 times a week), I'd like to keep the costs reasonable (i.e. unless someone has an unbelievably compelling reason to buy a BlendTec, $400 is a bit much). Thanks in advance.

Best thing since sliced bacon?

racingjs — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:42:38 -0800

Thermomix, useful or just another overpriced kitchen gadget? Any Thermomix users willing to share its experience? This food processor/blender/cooker is appearing in stores around here but is supposely widely popular in europe. Does it lives up to its 1000$ price tag?

Imprinting in Blender

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:48:41 -0800

How to get an "imprint" of a model in Blender? I have an object in Blender (a "chicklet" or "tile") with rounded edges.

I would like to make another object which "fits" this tile loosely. Imagine another squeezed cube with an imprint of the chicklet, with some room to fit, about the same width.

Is there an easy method in Blender for using my first object to make an imprint in a second object?

Help my dad enjoy eating again

jethrographic — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:41:16 -0800

My father is several years on from surgery to remove a lymphoma in his neck (between his trachea and his esophagus I think). He has recovered wonderfully except for some scarring that has affected his voice (minor) and ability to eat much solid food. I want to help him find new ways to enjoy eating again. He eats lots of soup, thin oatmeal, and other foods of similar consistency and even then with some problems. It takes some time, with lots of throat clearing - I think that food randomly gets hung up in some scar tissue pocket in his esophagus. He also blends many regular meals straightaway, only adding boiling water. Perhaps nutritious, but not a satisfying experience - think thanksgiving dinner through a blender – it’s all in there, but…

He has dealt with this grace and good cheer, as he is happy to be alive and content with sacrifice generally. However, in recent months I can tell this is beginning to wear on him. I’m concerned about adequate nutrition and his enjoyment from eating. He does use nutrition shakes (ensure) while traveling and is in touch regularly with his doctors.

So, I’m hoping to find some ideas that will help us deal with this in a new way:
- Ideas for meals prepared via the blender
- Implements to use beyond a blender
- Books that might to help him with simple “blender cooking”
- Exercises to improve his ability to swallow easily
- Anecdotes from similar experiences would be most welcome

Thanks folks. I know this is wide open - hoping our diverse perspectives can really make a difference for him…

Please help me learn a few simple techniques in Blender.

austinlee — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:19:27 -0800

Please help me learn a few simple techniques in Blender. Including outputting an animation to video. I'm working on a website and wanted to put a little bit of water animation into it. I found a great tutorial online ( http://www.pekaro.de/blender/water/water_tutorial.html ). The problem is I'm not very experienced with blender. I'd like to change a few things from what the author has made to fit my needs more closely.

-What I would like to do is change the "color" of the water. I guess this would mean changing the environments color.
-I would also like to change the angle of the camera.
-I would like to output this into some sort of video file that I would ultimately put into flash.
I know these are probably answers I should be able to solve on my own but I have a deadline for the website I am creating and I don't seem to be learning fast enough on my own.
Also, the website is a commercial website. Would there be any copyright issues involved with using the authors 3d water technique?

Also, I've been interested in 3d modeling for a while but haven't dedicated enough time to learning it. I tried learning maya last year for about a month and really liked it. I stopped after I got too busy with work though.... After I am finished with this animation I'd like to spend more time learning again. In your opinion which program should I focus on? I really liked how maya worked and understood it much more quickly than blender. blender seems really promising and is free.... the maya version was the learning version i was using. if i invest the time into one of the two which do you recommend.