Here’s a great appetizer idea from Blendtec for your Thanksgiving Dinner this year. Since it’s made in your Blendtec Blender, you know that it will be fast and easy!
Spinach Dip
1 cup nonfat sour cream or yogurt
1 cup nonfat mayonnaise
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1 package Knorr dry vegetable soup mix
Place ingredients in blender jar in order listed above. Secure lid and press button #4.
Serve with crackers or vegetables.
Find more Blendtec recipes on our site. Recipes for Lemon Pie, Smoothies and more..
The two blenders we will cover here are the Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre (TNC) and the Blendtec Total Blender as these are the most popular choices for raw food enthusiasts. Having personally owned and used both blenders for a number of years, we will try to give an isight into each machine. Both machines are availble for sale through www.juiceland.co.uk so we are more than happy to stock them both.
Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre (TNC)
This was my first power blender and boy was I surprised when I got it home. The original TNC had a 750 watt motor which has now in 2010 been increased to 1000 watts. Firstly, it is a big old beast weighing in at just under 5 kilos and certainly took pride of place on my worktop. Well, I never actually got it to fit anywhere on my worktop, as it was way too tall – the cupboards above prevented me from storing the blender with the 64oz / 2L jug in place. Luckily, my kitchen was quite big, so storing the jug alongside the motor wasn’t a problem for me but with less counter space available – I would have found it to be a pain.
After running it in with a few smoothies made from fresh fruit, I set it to work on my first batch of hummus, the recipe was taken from the Vitamix cookbook which came with the machine. At first I was unsuccessful at making the hummus, the blender kept roaring like a monster trying to grind the sesame seeds and chickpeas, billowing black smoke and basically getting nowhere. The smoke wasn’t a problem as I had been advised this would happen as it burns off the excess grease applied during manufacture. Then I decided to start over and add the ingredients in smaller batches which this time the TNC coped with admirably. After this initial setback, I applied the same logic when making large batches for any future recipe.
The Vitamix TNC is a simple beast, 2 switches – 1 for On/Off and the other for Turbo power, then you have a dial which has 10 speed increments to select – what more can you need? When operating the machine, you switch it on and gradually increase the speed to blend the produce to the desired consistency and then switch off when done. The Turbo button is mainly used when making hot soup, just flick the switch and leave it running for 4-5 minutes and hey presto – hot soup! To be honest, being a miserly northerner I wouldn’t be using this facility much as the power it eats up is enormous – plus, I like blending my soup in the pan with by Bamix hand blender.
I happily used this blender for 5 years, grinding seeds, making smoothies, soups, sauces, cocktails. There wasn’t much it couldn’t cope with, although blending things like buckwheat sprouts did cause it stress. I intended to upgrade to the Vitamix Vita-Prep 3 when finances allowed, this is the commercial model with a bigger motor. Then came along …….
The Blendtec Total Blender
This blender is in total contrast to the Vitamix TNC with a much smaller footprint and not as tall as its counterpart – allowing it to be stored in my kitchen with the jug in place. There’s no switches or dials here, just a LCD screen and touch panel – a blender for the modern kitchen!
The original model I received was the 64oz / 2L jug with 3″ blade and 1500 watt motor, that’s twice as powerful than the Vitamix. The jug is square in shape unlike the round Vitamix one. Apparently, this means you don’t need a tamper – although I never actually used the tamper with the Vitamix and means you don’t need an extra dry jug to process dry ingredients like seed – well I never needed the dry jug for dry ingredients with the Vitamix either.
Blendtec blenders work like no other blender, they use cycles to perform each task. A cycle is a set process which runs for a certain period of time and the speed can vary or remain constant during the chosen cycle. For instance, say the cycle is 30 seconds – the blender will start on speed 2 and increase up to speed 8 before decreasing again to speed 2 and then stopping at the end of cycle. There are 25 cycles to choose form to suit the particular task you are performing, these are selected via the menus which are viewed on the LCD screen. It also has up and down arrows with 10 speed settings so you can manually take control of the blender.
So how did it perform? … Well, fantastic really. You can feel the extra power in this motor as it worked its way through tougher ingredients easier than the Vitamix could. Although, on recipes like fruit smoothies – I honestly wouldn’t be able to say one was better than the other but when it came to the buckwheat sprouts and hummus recipe, this is where I noticed the difference.
Recently Blendtec released the 96oz Wildside 5 sided jug with 4″ blades which I set to use immediately. The performance from this jug is second to none, especially when blending green smoothies – check out the video demonstration from RawFoodWorld here.
I also like the fact you can set the Blendtec blender to go and walk away to do something else and come back to find it finished. This allows me more time to do other things without standing in front of the blender waiting for it to finish so I can switch it off.
All Blendtec blender jugs are no longer made from polycarbonate as more and more evidence suggest polycarbonate to be a toxic compound causing cancer. They are now classed as BPA Free (Bisphenol-A).
So in conclusion, I now find myself with the Blendtec Total Blender in my kitchen as I just find it suits my needs more then the Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre. This is not a personal assault on the Vitamix, on the contrary I was 90% happy with it for over 5 years. Blendtec have moved with the times and produced a blender for the 21st century whilst encompassing consumer demand for less toxic products.
Juiceland is a family run business which exists to promote a healthy lifestyle through carefully selected products.They believe in selecting great products with high reliability and here you can buy your Blendtec Total Blender or Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre.
Vita-Mix 5200 vs. Vita-Prep3 – Side by side comparison (finally) and motor cooling test. Detailed explanation of both units and their differences. Should be helpful if your torn between the 5200 and the Prep 3 Video Rating: 5 / 5
www.blenderjuicerdepot.com This shows the Vita Mix Vita Prep 3 makinga green smoothie blended salad.
the Vita Mix 3 hp commercial blender is the all-time favorite blender. It is more powerful than the Vita Mix 5200 and also the Blendtec HP3A blenders. The blackberry seed test… same result, still some kernels from the seeds like with the OMNI and the Blendtec blenders as shown in other video. I actually found the problem… the seed pieces were sticking to the side of the container wall inside. When then serving the blackberry smoothie, the fragments were washed into the glass by the smoothie, thus ending up in the drink not blended up completely. The solution, use a spatula, scrape the ingredients spilled on the wall, or use more ingredients, much more to prevent sticking to the wall Video Rating: 3 / 5
Question by ahernster: Vitamix-prep 3 Blender from USA work in the UK?
Hey people!
Im going to the USA in a cople of weeks, im thinking about buying a blender there to bring back to the UK (its so much cheaper) Just wondering if it will work here? I know i’d have to get some kind of adapter etc…just wondering if any performance would be affected! :S
Thanks
Best answer:
Answer by Norm You can buy a step down transformer 220 Volts to 110 Volts but the cost of the transformer may negate the savings you make on the blender.
Vita-Prep 3 by Vita-Mix Model 1005 Features & SpecificationsVitaMix Vita-Prep 3 1005 Commercial Variable Speed Blender – Extremely versatile machine! The Vitamix VitaPrep 3 (1005) boasts a powerful 3+ Horsepower Motor with 37,000 RPM. The unit has variable speed which is great for purees, grinding whole spices and grains, vegetables and more! While the cost on this blender is pretty high we feel that after you have used a regular blender, and then a Vita-mix you will see the difference!Thi
Technology has provided many advantages to the human beings of this day and age. There are a variety of chores that can be completed faster and more effectively. Gone are the days when the people had to rely upon crude hand tools for their blending and grinding purposes. The present times use powerful blenders in their stead and in a way they are far more efficient and are able to do the job in fraction of the original time required.
There are many models and brand of blenders available in the market and they are known for their individual qualities. Blendtec blenders are also a very popular variety and this has a lot to do with their efficient blend of modern mechanism with utility.
Blenders in general achieve a lot in a short amount of time and there are so many varieties of recipes and objectives for which a proper blender is required. All these objectives centre on the fine grinding of materials that are not always small or fine. Therefore, while out for blender shopping, it is very necessary that a person should check for the strength and consistency of the steel blades and the motor of the blenders, which are the heart of the basic technology involved in a blender.
The more powerful the motor of the blender is the more is the chance that the blender itself will be powerful and function better and smoother because of it. Of course any electrical appliance has to be checked for its warranties and also its shelf life. This is imperative because the electrical appliances have a lot of rigorous job and therefore, they tire out easily.
Also, the people should check for the amount of electricity being consumed by the appliance before they buy it. This should be done to ensure that the appliance does not add up its cost in electricity bills and other maintenance charges.
There are a lot of sites on the internet that are devoted to the appraisal and review of the brands and models of the blenders that are currently all the rage in the market. A person should be sensible about their purchases and should not just fall for advertisements and promotions of the products. In fact they should research and find out more about the products so that they can make an informed decision regarding their purchases.
Again, many sites offer virtual demonstration and also have portals where the blenders can be bought directly online. They require the payments through credit cards and the desired blenders can be delivered directly to your home step.
This kind of advantage gives a lot of edge to the modern blender shoppers. Blendtec blenders seem to fulfil most of the criteria involved in the selection of good blenders and they have a lot of models that are known for their supremacy in various areas. However, the people who intend on buying it should make sure that they gather their information about the individual models from authentic websites on the internet.
Get the lowest prices on the Vitamix 5200 Power Blender. These blenders are truly amazing machines. The past week I have made Slushy s for my kids over 2 or 3 times a week.
Here is the amazing steps:
Grab 3 cups of ice and put them into the Vitamix container and turn it on. It will require a little power in the beginning and then you can turn down the dial as things get going.
Once the ice is graded – it is ready to serve. This slushy is the same type of ice you get at a professional slushy store. Add your favorite syrup (which can be purchased at Amazon or Walmart) and the like. They are great.
If you’re even remotely considering a new kitchen appliance anytime soon, you’ll probably want to take a look at versatile powerhouse. In this short Vita-Mix 5200 blender review, I want to share with you some of obvious (and not so obvious advantages of this machine over others). In this review, we’ll examine the power, functionality and ease of use of the Vitamix blender.
Power
Let’s begin by taking about the ruggedness of the Vitamix over your typical blender. The rugged Vitamix in its various editions has been in existence for the past 85 years and it’s still made in America, a rarity these days. The Vitamix has a large capacity container (64 ounces or 2 litres) which means you can prepare a delicious meal like cream of spinach soup in just 5 minutes and have enough to serve the whole family in one shot.
It’s unmatched power is due to the 2-HP, variable speed motor. The downside is the noise a motor of this size produces. But it works so efficiently, that you need not run it very long.
I’ve owned my Vitamix for the past 9 years and it runs just like it did right out of the box. If you’ve ever owned one of those cheaper blenders, you’ve probably know how quick they are to sputter and burn out, leaving you with no choice but to find a replacement. But the Vitamix is built to last you a lifetime. Should you ever need parts 10 or 20 years down the road, they are readily available from the manufacturer.
Functionality
Your Vitamix machine can perform multiple functions, making it the most versatile kitchen blender on the market. It’s perfect for smoothies, but it also prepares many more foods super-fast including: sauces, salsas, soups, nut-butters, desserts and more. When you make fresh fruit or vegetable juice, you use the entire fruit in most cases – skin and all. Then you simply add some ice or water, flip the switch and in seconds you have the most delicious and incredibly nutritious juice you’ve ever had.
Ease of Use
Everything about your new Vitamix is explained in the DVD and cookbook that comes with the unit. It’s very easy to use, with the on/off switch, variable speed and high speed switches right at the front for easy access. The variable speed dial gives you full control of the process, so you can start thick mixtures on low at first before flipping to the high speed option. Also included is a temper tool, which comes in handy to get extra thick mixtures started quickly and safely.
This Vitamix 5200 blender review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention the piece of mind that comes owning and enjoying this must-have kitchen tool. Its rugged durability makes it perfect for blending, mixing, juicing and pulverizing and it will perform day after day for you. The long-term warranty means you don’t have to worry, but once you see how well-made it is, you’ll probably feel reassured that your investment was a wise one.
Put it to the test yourself. My prediction is that the Vitamix 5200 can outperform and outlast any other kitchen blender available.
(out of 7 reviews)
White Blendtec Hp3A 
White HP3A Wildside Blender 
Black Blendtec HPA3 Wildside Blender 
Red Blendtec Blender Hp3A 631-20 
White Blendtec HP3A Wildside Combo 
Red Blendtec HP3A Wildside Combo 
Black HPA-621-20 Blendtec Blender 