Any DIY Smoothie experts ?

[rsutoratosu]

Been making smoothies for pennies compared to buying expensive ones from store and less sugar. So I been using this bella rocket for 2-3 months now
http://www.kohls.com/p/bella-kitchen-rocket-blender.shtml

The blades getting dull, and larger to blend, I can't find replacement blade or parts on their website.. so i might have to eventually buy a new blending unit.. anyone use something similar that last longer ? the amazon reviews for the bella have been horrible but luckily mine is lasting.. thanks

 

[Howard]

Why not a blender?

 

[Kelvrick]

In before $400 blender is recommended.

<= Owns a blendtec. Get one of those or a vitamix. Won't ever have to buy another blender.

 

[Kaido]

I have a Blendtec. Worth every penny & does everything advertised.

We went through 3 blenders before we decided to finally save up & get the stupid $400 blender. Yes, it will turn a jarful of ice into snowcone material. Yes, it will liquify meat. Yes, it is amazing. I've never had a problem with it, and the square jar is awesome. My only complaint, aside from the price, is that it's so noisy you'll wake up your neighbors.

You'll be amazed at how much stuff you can make with it, too...I just made applesauce yesterday in it. I've made peanut butter, ice cream, salsas, etc. Having a hardcore blender opens a lot of doors to awesome (and easy) cooking.

 

[RGUN]

Gave up on cheap blenders long ago. Bought a vitamix from costco, don't regret it at all. Actually one of our most used household items.

 

[Mixolydian]

In before $400 blender is recommended.

<= Owns a blendtec. Get one of those or a vitamix. Won't ever have to buy another blender.

I have a Waring Pro.

 

[darkswordsman17]

We got one of those single serve blenders, its a GE model. At first I wasn't happy because I figured I wouldn't use it much. But I actually did, so it kinda worked out.

Its been ok but not really any better than a normal blender. My only real issue is that stuff like ice cream/yogurt gets stuck to the sides and so you have to shake it or add more liquid to get it to blend well. But I like thicker/chunkier frozen drinks like that so it might not be much of a problem for well blended smoothies.

I've kinda though that it might be better to have a full size blender and then just get some sealable containers and make several and put the rest in the freezer. Especially if you're trying to get yourself to eat healthier like protein shakes or whatever. Just a little more time and cleanup will get you a lot more drinks. Plus you'd have a full size blender for party mixes and whatnot.

Hmm, the GE we have looks almost the exact same, enough that I think there's a good chance they're the same but different brandings. Ours has held up ok, it still chops up ice and full sized frozen strawberries decently enough for me. If you like really smooth well blended ones though I'm sure it probably doesn't hold up well.

 

[preslove]

1st law of smoothie prep: Rinse the carafe immediately after pouring the smoothie, before drinking.

You don't have to completely wash it, but you want to get the remnants out and into the sink with a little bit of water, because it will soon cake on and be a bitch to clean.

 

[rsutoratosu]

these small stuff is easy to clean, single serving, etc, less storage.. ill look into blenders... pricy though

 

[Imported]

I used to work at Jamba Juice back in college and all we had were Vitamix blenders. Very easy to replace blades and such and they took tons of abuse. I'm still trying to convince the GF I need to replace my Kitchen Aid blender (hasn't failed me in 3+ years of use now) for one or a Blendtec.

 

[RossMAN]

these small stuff is easy to clean, single serving, etc, less storage.. ill look into blenders... pricy though

When it comes to blenders, you have 3 options:

1) Cheap crap.
Here are some smaller blenders which are also significantly cheaper, assuming of course you have access to someone who is a CostCo member:

http://www.costco.com/Magic-Bullet-26-piece-Blender-Set.product.11493455.html

http://www.costco.com/Ninja™-Kitchen-System-1100.product.100008753.html

2) Blendtec $329 at CostCo B&M, smaller, fits underneath cabinets easier and has pre-programmed buttons.

3) Vitamix $379 at CostCo B&M, larger, manual control, very popular.

Search YouTube.com for Blendtec vs Vitamix and you'll find hundreds of videos from smoothie crazies and raw foody hemp wearing hippies.

 

[Kelvrick]

I have a Waring Pro.

But will it blend?

 

[Imported]

Here's my KitchenAid: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-5-S.../dp/B000CSNVDS

Hasn't failed me in 3 years of use and its perfect for smoothies; its $100. When it does break down, I'll get a Vitamix or Blendtec though.

 

[Mixolydian]

But will it blend?

I sure hope so.

 

[Kelvrick]

I sure hope so.

Just wondering what kind of paces you've put it through?

I'm still amazed whenever I make peanut butter in my blendtec. I just put in some roasted peanuts and follow the instructions of how to blend. No salt, no oil, nothing else.

 

[lothar]

When it comes to blenders, you have 3 options:

1) Cheap crap.
Here are some smaller blenders which are also significantly cheaper, assuming of course you have access to someone who is a CostCo member:

http://www.costco.com/Magic-Bullet-26-piece-Blender-Set.product.11493455.html

http://www.costco.com/Ninja™-Kitchen-System-1100.product.100008753.html

2) Blendtec $329 at CostCo B&M, smaller, fits underneath cabinets easier and has pre-programmed buttons.

3) Vitamix $379 at CostCo B&M, larger, manual control, very popular.

Search YouTube.com for Blendtec vs Vitamix and you'll find hundreds of videos from smoothie crazies and raw foody hemp wearing hippies.

Where does KitchenAid fall in all of this? I think it's $100 or so.
I've been using it for almost 3 years now without any issue.

Prior to getting that, we were using cheap $25-35 Wal-Mart blenders like GE, Hamilton Beach, and Oster that break every 3-4 months.

 

[HomerSapien]

I have a Waring Pro.

Ditto. Love it. Tried to talk myself into one of the ones that can blend an iPhone, but just couldn't spend more than 100.

The ninja ones are horrible. You will get chunks that just won't blend and are tough to clean.

 

[lothar]

Here's my KitchenAid: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-5-S.../dp/B000CSNVDS

Hasn't failed me in 3 years of use and its perfect for smoothies; its $100. When it does break down, I'll get a Vitamix or Blendtec though.

Yep...Same one I have except it's Onyx Black.

 

[RossMAN]

Where does KitchenAid fall in all of this? I think it's $100 or so.
I've been using it for almost 3 years now without any issue.

Prior to getting that, we were using cheap $25-35 Wal-Mart blenders like GE, Hamilton Beach, and Oster that break every 3-4 months.

In between cheap crap and Blendtec/Vitamix? Let's call it 1.5?

If you're happy with it's performance and price you paid, that's all that matters. Personally I'm quite happy with my Blendtec for $299 and my free Wildside jar ($12.95 shipping).

 

[RossMAN]

Here's a good video on how not to create a smoothie.

 

[Baked]

3 meat Chili smoothie sounds amazing.

 

[datalink7]

Here's a good recipe:

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

 

[Miramonti]

Our bella worked great for frozen fruit smoothies until we upgraded to a vitamix and we set it aside. i think we only paid $15 for 2 of them, cheap to replace.

 

[mjrpes3]

I have this Oster model...

http://www.amazon.com/Oster-BPCT02-B..._title_kitchen

Extremely loud... but hasn't failed me yet these last 4 years... *shrug*

 

[Stifko]

The ninja ones are horrible. You will get chunks that just won't blend and are tough to clean.

I have a ninja and it works fine. sometimes a little of the whey protein mix might get stuck to the side of the container and not mix up completely, but there are no chunks. You have to let it blend. It is a PITA to clean though.