I have a decent Oster blender but that ain’t cutting it. I really enjoy a thick shake, and that includes tons of ice and guar gum. Added to my casein-based protein powder, things sometimes get too thick for my blender to handle.
Anybody has any recommendations for a monster, superpowerful blender than won’t set me back hundreds of dollars??
I heard an add for vitamix blenders on the radio the other day. www.vitamix.com It says it can handle all the thick stuff, and all that - but the price tag (when I visited the site this morning, oddly enough) was over $500.
I use a ‘smoothie maker’ one that I got at target - it’s got like a 2HP motor or something, can handle fruits and powders and ice very well, and has the option of dispensing it out the spout or on the lid.
I’ll try to find the brand name tonight.
I own the most powerful blender that Cuisinart makes. After complaining to a friend about cleaning this thing up every day, he recommended his Cuisinart stick blender. Little hand held thing with 1/3 the wattage of my big blender. He swore up and down it would work good with ice.
So I bought it. Holy crap, turns ice into snow in seconds. Just as quickly as my big blender and VERY easy to clean up. Don’t know what guar gum is, so can’t say anything about that. But this will turn a cup of ice + liquid into a smooth shake in seconds. I’ve used this with protein powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, nuts, ice and water all in the same shake and it worked great.
Here’s the one I got:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13485062
If you don’t mind the cost the vitamix is the way to go. I have used them when I worked in a few bars and restaurants years ago and they are the industry standard for commercial kitchens.
That said I picked up the upgraded kitchenaid blender from the local box store and it is great and is only a quarter the cost. Blends everything from the thickest frozen shakes to tough whole foods like broccoli or carrots without the motor straining.
http://www.target.com/KitchenAid-Kitchen-Aid-5-Speed-Blender/dp/B000H2X9JK
The Vita-mix is all that. However, it is hundreds of dollars. I got a factory reconditioned one for $350.
The OLD KitchenAid mixer was such a load of crap. I bought it thinking it would be good since the stand mixer is such a workhorse, but no. I had to send the base back to be fixed 3 times in 18 months. I still need to throw that piece of junk away.
I know people who are still using the Vita-mix they bought like 30 years ago.
[quote]Heliotrope wrote:
If you don’t mind the cost the vitamix is the way to go. I have used them when I worked in a few bars and restaurants years ago and they are the industry standard for commercial kitchens.
That said I picked up the upgraded kitchenaid blender from the local box store and it is great and is only a quarter the cost. Blends everything from the thickest frozen shakes to tough whole foods like broccoli or carrots without the motor straining.
http://www.target.com/KitchenAid-Kitchen-Aid-5-Speed-Blender/dp/B000H2X9JK
[/quote]
Any idea on the wattage of that one?
It seems like the Blendtec would be the mcdaddy of blenders at 1500-watts of power. Runs at about 400$.
I don’t think I’ll ever spend that kind of money on a blender…at least not until I spend the same amount on a HDTV first.
I wholeheartedly give the Vita-Mix my T-Nation thumb of Approval. Kinda on the expensive side, but you are definetly getting your moneys worth
I have been using an older KitchenAid 3 speed mixer for almost 2 years without a problem. I got it on clearance after burning out several other models previously making super thick shakes a couple times a day. This thing has been a warrior. You might be able to find one on the cheap somewhere because they have/are discontinuing it.
After burning through cheap blenders I picked up an inexpensive (but not crappy) Waring Pro bar blender. It�??s noisy as hell and whips stuff into a froth if I leave it going to long, but it also chews through just about anything and only has to settings to think about.
I went to costco and got suckered into buying one of the blenders that they were having a demo of. Powerful sum bitch. I could throw in a t-bone and it will liquify the bastard. I paid 149.99!
[quote]Growing_Boy wrote:
I went to costco and got suckered into buying one of the blenders that they were having a demo of. Powerful sum bitch. I could throw in a t-bone and it will liquify the bastard. I paid 149.99! [/quote]
wow blended t-bone…
Maybe a new shake: The Bone Marrow protein shake…
Great for your calcium intake.
get one of these… chuck norris? yes that’s right!!!
This may sound ridiculous but the magic bullet was one of the best purchases I’ve made. It is the perfect marriage of power/cost/and convenience. It is the perfect size for a shake and you just flip it over and drink, clean up is 10 sec. max.
I didn’t believe it but after I hear John Berardi rave about it, as he uses it exclusively for his supershakes I thought I’d give it a try. I haven’t gone back.
This one is badass and stylish:
[quote]Bachovas wrote:
Heliotrope wrote:
If you don’t mind the cost the vitamix is the way to go. I have used them when I worked in a few bars and restaurants years ago and they are the industry standard for commercial kitchens.
That said I picked up the upgraded kitchenaid blender from the local box store and it is great and is only a quarter the cost. Blends everything from the thickest frozen shakes to tough whole foods like broccoli or carrots without the motor straining.
http://www.target.com/KitchenAid-Kitchen-Aid-5-Speed-Blender/dp/B000H2X9JK
Any idea on the wattage of that one?
It seems like the Blendtec would be the mcdaddy of blenders at 1500-watts of power. Runs at about 400$.
I don’t think I’ll ever spend that kind of money on a blender…at least not until I spend the same amount on a HDTV first.[/quote]
That’s the blender I’m currently using. I’m not sure on the wattage, but I’ve been using mine for over a year now and it’s still going strong. I tend to make pretty thick shakes and haven’t had any issues with it.
I picked up mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They usually send a 20% off coupon every week in the paper, so that helps with the cost.
[quote]ytbones wrote:
www.willitblend.com
Just watch the videos.[/quote]
For real. When you want a little iphone in your Metabolic Drive.