What I Thought
I've used several blenders throughout my life. I've also used some food processors and other kitchen gadgets. I discovered 2 things: 1) Not all of these are made the same (duhh...right?) and 2) Just because it's expensive, doesn't mean it actually works any better.
What My Old Blender Didn't Do To Well
Have you ever passed by the blender section and see all of the great models with pictures of a bunch of fruits or vegetables? The first thing that comes to mind are smoothies.
I ended up buying a low/medium-end model (in the $40-something range). I packed it with a bunch of strawberries, a banana, and some water. Since my fruits were frozen, I didn't think I should use ice.
...well, to make a long story short, it took over 5 minutes just to make sure that all of the contents were blended well. Even at that point, there were a few lumps.
Smoothie Machines - Are They Worth It?
A friend of mine got into smoothies because of the great one I made for him. He ended up spending close to $100 on his. It looked pretty cool. It had a spout and a tamper (the stick-like object used to stick inside the blender and shove/mix the contents down into the blades.
Several months later, the motor wasn't as powerful (it was dying) and the spout was leaking.
My Friend Changed My Mind!
A friend of ours actually bought the Vita-Mix several years before we did. She showed us how well it made smoothies. I discovered that the Vita-Mix was like no other blender. It's high speed blade utilizes the power of friction.
...which leads to - "Friction Cooking". Have you ever heard of blender that could cook for you? My friend created a fast concoction (a hearty soup in less than 6 minutes). I was pretty amazed by that.
All of this and more opened my mind to actually buying the blender (actually, it's more than a blender). When my wife reminded me about it, I told myself that I had to buy one ...not just for convenience, but for a healthy diet as well.
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