How do you create a smoothy?

[jlee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSGjiRAr39E

Ben doing my research and it seems both Vitamix and Blendtec has issues with black residue in the pitcher. Kinda disturbing considering these blenders cost hundreds of dollars.

I haven't noticed anything with mine, but it's also fairly new.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Get a good blender to begin with. Spend a few hundred and get something that will last forever. That being said, I own a dessert shop and just personally worked on recipes last night.

Smoothie base:
8 ounces apple or orange juice
2 ounces plain yogurt

Most of the recipes then add about 2 cups of frozen fruit/berries and a frozen 1/2 banana. This is to make a 16oz smoothie. If you don't want the banana you can add a little bit of ice and water or juice to increase volume.

For berry smoothies I would advise adding about 1 tbsp of honey to sweeten the berries up a little bit.

 

[CPA]

After owning a Vitamix and seeing it in action, I would never buy a Ninja but this is a good deal:

Ninja Ultima Blender with 72oz Pitcher for $120 with free shipping.

I have a Ninja similar to this one. Absolutely love the single-serve cups. Easy to use, portable and easy to clean. I have no issues with the smoothies I make.

 

[Kelemvor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSGjiRAr39E

Ben doing my research and it seems both Vitamix and Blendtec has issues with black residue in the pitcher. Kinda disturbing considering these blenders cost hundreds of dollars.

Black Residue? Do these people not clean it after they're done? Never had any residue in ours and it gets used almost daily.

Vitamix is so easy to clean to. Put a bit of hot water in the bottom, squirt in a bit of dish soap, turn the thing on high for 20 seconds, rinse it out and you're done.

Definitely clean it out right away though. Once it sits for a bit the smoothie ingredients get stuck to the sides and don't come off as easily.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Ben doing my research and it seems both Vitamix and Blendtec has issues with black residue in the pitcher.

You just have to clean the thing every now and then. We use ours twice daily (wife's smoothie, my smoothie) at least, and so to clean the containers I soak them in hot soapy water on the weekend and rinse. Just like the problem people have with a Keurig growing shit- just freaking keep it clean!

There is literally nothing like a Vitamix. Its power, and finished result is simply amazing. Out of all the categories of kitchen products I have experienced where there is a cheap range of models and the expensive models (like knives, toaster ovens, food processor, juicer, etc.) nothing has the gap of quality like Vitamix/Blendtec and the rest.

If your blender isn't one of those it is crap, I am sorry but its true. Even if the "horse power" (which is always a lie) for your cheap chinese model lines up on their webpage it is not going to blend as nice, not going to have that amazing push to the middle effect. It also won't have all the pieces and container upgrades/replacements on Amazon. The overall experience won't be nearly as nice.

I don't know about Blendtec past the machines, but Vitamix support is amazing. If you have the black stuff problem within the warranty (which is long) they would send you a replacement container without blinking. When my container broke they second day-ed me a new one without question. It really is good warranty for the best kitchen appliance you can buy.

They are so worth the money. We have the travel kit because my wife takes ours on vacation. If mine dies out of warranty I will march down to Costco that day and buy another. They are the key to a perfect smoothie.

 

[Linux23]

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=60648.0

From what I gather it's not a cleanliness issue. It's a design flaw. And getting a new pitcher doesn't seem to fix the problem.

Have you guys tested just blending plain tap or bottled water to see if you have this issue?

 

[poofyhairguy]

It's a design flaw.

Can't be some across the board design flaw based on container because my container looks nothing like that one. It looks like:

And I have blended filtered and soapy water before, that is how I double check it is clean and there is nothing below the blades (stuff can get stuck down there). Honestly with the right tool it is pretty easy to pop the blade off an double check some gasket isn't rotting. It is all serviceable/replaceable.

 

[vi edit]

In addition to frozen banana, drop half a ripe avocado in there. That takes the smoothness texture up another notch.

 

[mizzou]

Yogurt is the key

I will do 1/2 fruits 1/2 yogurt and it's deelicious. Add in a tablespoon of milk and another wild card like a banana if you wish.

 

[sswingle]

We got the Ninja and love it.
Magic bullet on the other hand is complete shit.

 

[Linux23]

@sswingle: does it create creamy silky smoothies or are they frothy in texture?

 

[Puppies04]

What we need to do is stick 4 people in a room to see what happens, like a Reality TV show:

1. Someone who does blending & juicing for health
2. Someone who is (willingly) on a gluten-free diet
3. Someone who does the Crossfit workout
4. Someone who does the Paleo diet

It'd be like conversational American Gladiators

Need to add

5. Vegan
6. Iphone user
7. Jehovah's witness

 

[baydude]

thinking of getting the NutriBullet 900 or the Nutri Ninja Pro 900. Anyone have either?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Need to add

5. Vegan
6. Iphone user
7. Jehovah's witness

8. pc master race
9. aryan master race
10. Push pull legs master race

 

[Imported]

If you really want to get into smoothie-making, I have amassed all of my smoothie knowledge into a mega wiki page:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/78032378/Protein%20Smoothies

The primary key to a good smoothie is a frozen banana. The banana makes it creamy and since it's frozen, that makes it cold. If you just use ice cubes, it waters it down. Using other frozen fruits helps as well, since it keeps the temperature cold.

Also, you can't just lop ingredients in & expect it to taste awesome (although that's mostly what I do, but just for protein smoothies that I chug haha) - you use smaller amounts & get a recipe dialed in the way you like it. Definitely start out with some tried & true recipes (look for ones on say Yummly that have like 4 or 5-star reviews out of hundreds of reviewers).

One thing to realize is that if you've ever had a commercially-prepared smoothie (such as Jamba Juice), they're chock full of sugar. That's not a bad thing, but don't expect to get the same results at home if you're not dumping in sugar. Ice cream, yogurt, sugar, all of that stuff makes for an excellent dessert/snack smoothie.

I used to work at Jamba Juice (I still remember most of the recipes.. they keep a simple ratio). Most of the sugar is indeed in the ice cream and fruit juice. You sir, have a good resource for a more healthy smoothie.

 

[nageov3t]

I have a Ninja similar to this one. Absolutely love the single-serve cups. Easy to use, portable and easy to clean. I have no issues with the smoothies I make.

that's the blender that I have.

maybe I just don't know what I'm missing, but for the price point -- versus a Vitamix at three times the cost -- I've never found myself wishing I had anything even more powerful.

single serve cups are definitely nice, especially if I'm just doing something small like a bowl of hummus.

 

[mvbighead]

Step 1: Buy a Vitamix
Step 2: Put in the ingredients and turn it on
Step 3: ...
Step 4: Profit!

Pretty much this. We had a Kitchenaid something or other, and smoothies were lumpy/chewy whatever. Same ingredients in a Vitamix... a completely smooth and creamy smoothie.

And bananas, for me, are great for creaminess. My wife doesn't like them as much though.

 

[sswingle]

@sswingle: does it create creamy silky smoothies or are they frothy in texture?

Haven't had any frothy issues

 

[RossMAN]

If you have a few hours to kill read this thread starting with post 440 (or page 30 if you're not logged in) and higher.

There are several non-Vitamix/Blendtec suggestions offered in the above thread.

Black flecks = PTFE

http://joyofblending.com/vitamix-black-particles/

https://www.facebook.com/VitamixCorporation/posts/10152866824165874

http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-blender/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dc_CL3AvHQ

http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/vitamix-black-debris-problem?xg_source=activity

 

[Linux23]

Well I ordered the Vitamix 5200 after comments here and watching videos and other research. That blender is bad ass. I mean, it makes hot soup ready to serve from the container. Can't wait to get it tomorrow.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Awesome! It is a great blender! Mine is very close to that model!

 

[Kaido]

Well I ordered the Vitamix 5200

Congrats man, welcome to the 2HP+ club Here's some resources to get you started:

http://www.blendtec.com/blog

http://www.pinterest.com/theblendergirl/vitamix-recipes/

http://www.skinnymom.com/2014/04/09/homemade-hummus-13-ways/

http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/favorite-vitamix-recipes/

http://www.popsugar.com/food/How-Make-Nut-Butter-Out-Any-Nut-35641164

http://blenderdude.com/recipes/

https://www.youtube.com/user/fullbodyhealth/videos

Some common things people use their Vitamix blenders for: (especially since yours has the plunger)

1. Smoothies
2. Whole juices
3. Puddings
4. Ice creams
5. Nut butters
6. Nut milks
7. Jams (and jellies)
8. Hummus, guacamole, salsa, and sauces (like BBQ sauce)

I'm sure there's more, but that's just off the top of my head. I also use it for really random stuff, like making powdered sugar out of granulated sugar whenever I need it.

 

[pontifex]

my question is why did you spell smoothie 2 different ways in the OP and thread title?

 

[Kaido]

Oh and one other thing - ingredient accessibility is VERY important to my workflow. If it's a hassle to get to what I need in my kitchen, I usually just skip it haha. My blender was unloved for a long time until I made things extremely accessible to myself For the most part, I keep my ingredients in glass Ball mason jars. Here's a link, although they're available pretty much everywhere locally (Walmart, hardware stores, some grocery stores, craft stores, etc.) for a lot cheaper)

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Mason-Jar...dp/B001DIZ1NO/

I use these screw-on plastic lids: (since the included lids are a flat top with a ring, which is a 2-step process for removing, which is a bit of a hassle)

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Wide-Mout...dp/B000SSN3L2/

Here's an example with chia seeds:

With the screw-on lid:

I find it convenient to store scooping spoons in each jar so I don't have to dig around for one or cross-contaminate ingredients. You can either get some cheap measuring spoons, or if you don't need to be specific in measuring, just get a 100-pack of those tiny plastic appetizer spoons for under ten bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Tastin...dp/B00E82OVME/

I label the lids with chalkboard stickers & chalk ink. The stickers are vinyl & are reusable (no nasty sticky residue), and the chalk ink is nicer to work with than actual chalk, and still wipes off if you need to relabel the sticker. Makes it easy to find stuff when you have a lot of weird ingredients like hemp seeds, flaxseed (note that you can't digest flaxseeds whole, you have to grind them or buy them pre-ground), chia seed, and so on.

Having a professional-looking little system like this really helps me to use the blender every day because I'm not fighting myself looking for stuff. Everything is grabbable, neatly labeled, has little spoons inside, and is just easy. I keep a truckload of frozen bananas in the freezer as well, since that's my base for most of my smoothies. The trick to that is to peel the bananas, break in half, and freeze them for a couple hours on a cookie sheet. Once they're frozen, you can toss a bunch of them in a ziploc freezer bag & then just use what you need later, without having to buy fresh bananas all the time (protip: Sam's Club sells an entire box of bananas for under $30).

Your arteries are gonna look awesome in like a week :awe:

 

[Kaido]

my question is why did you spell smoothie 2 different ways in the OP and thread title?

Cunningham's Law bro