Blendtec Total Blender – Will It Blend?

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Andy

I was first introduced to the Blendtec through the viral video sensation “Will It Blend?.” When I heard that there was a video of someone putting a brand new iPhone in a blender, I just had to see for myself.  And in case you haven’t seen it, here it is:

Tom Dickson, the star of “Will It Blend” is also the inventor of the Blendtec Total Blender.  After I saw this video, I was impressed, but it didn’t occur to me to actually get one of these expensive but very cool blenders.  At least not until I got the recommendation to start drinking green smoothies that I posted about a couple of days ago.

I first tried making smoothies in a good quality “normal” blender I borrowed from my parents.  They had used it for many years with great success, but I had a great deal of difficulty making green smoothies with it.  In order to get it to blend, everything had to be chopped by hand first, and even then, no matter what I did I got a “chunky” smoothy – yuck.  Sometimes I had to blend it for 10 – 12 minutes, and I still had a not smooth smoothie.  There was also lots of scraping the sides of the jar with a spatula to get all of the food down to the blades to be blended.  This was clearly not something I was going to keep doing, but it gave me a chance to find out that I loved the green smoothies.

Enter the Blendtec.  I got my new Total Blender, and set off to make my first smoothie.  I put everything in the jar and pushed the “smoothie” button.  It went through its automatic cycle, and then…. hmmm….  not smooth…. better then the old blender, but not done.  No problem – I blended it some more manually, but I was not thrilled.

Then I Looked at the Instructions!

See, Blendtec doesn’t consider what I was making a “smoothie.”  They call it a “green drink” or “whole juice.”  I needed to press the “whole juice” button rather then the “smoothie” button.  I tried another smoothie, but this time pressed the “whole juice” button – and wow!  An amazingly smooth, wonderful drink.

Here’s another episode of “Will it Blend” where Tom shows how to make what he calls a green drink.  It’s similar to my green smoothies.

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Green Smothies

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Andy

A green vegetable smoothie in a glass.My blender odyssey started when a nurse suggested that I should try drinking green smoothies.  Like many people, I don’t eat enough vegetables to be healthy. So her suggestion was to start making these very healthy and delicious (or so she said) green smoothies.  Turned out she was right – but before we go on there’s something I need to clear up first.

Why This is NOT Juicing

There’s an important difference between making juice and what I’m talking about here.

The difference is that a juicer discards the pulp of the fruit and vegetables you are using, on the other hand, making a green smoothie in a blender, you are eating the whole food.

In any fruit or vegetable, all of the fiber is in the pulp.  By including the fiber, you lower the glycemic index of your smoothie – slowing down the absorption of the sugar and nutrients into your body.  This helps to keep blood sugar in balance, and I’ve found it makes a big difference in how I feel.

So What’s in a Green Smoothie?

The simple answer is to start with about 40% green leafy vegetables and 60% whatever fruit you want to use, plus some water and/or ice. (I use about 3 cups of water and  1 cup of ice when making 2 quarts of smoothie.)  You’ll find the balance of vegetables and fruits that works best for you.

Veggies that work really well include spinach, kale and romaine lettuce.  I’m picking these in particular to recommend because they have almost no flavor in the finished drink -perfect for people like me who are not big vegetable fans.  You can use whatever green leafy vegetables you want.  It’s just important to vary them so you get a balance of nutrients.

Almost any fruits work fine.  My favorites include all kinds of berries, apples, grapes, kiwi, oranges, lemons, limes, peaches, nectarines and plums.

But How Do They Taste?

A young girl enjoying her healthy, green smoothie.
I think they taste great, but you’ll have to try one for yourself!

And by the way, they don’t have to be green in color – you can make many colors depending on what you put in.

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Blendtec Total Blender – What is it?

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Andy

The Blendtec Total Blender really is different from “normal” blenders you may have used. The most significant difference is its power. Most blenders will do fine for for some kitchen tasks, puréeing cooked vegetables, making smoothies from powders or fresh fruit cut into chunks, or the occasional frozen drink. The Blendtec will do those to of course, but the design of its blades and its additional power allow it to blend whole foods. And I really do mean WHOLE FOODS.

One time as an experiment I “forgot” to peel the three Kiwis that I was putting into a smoothie. They went in whole, skins and all. The resulting smoothie was perfectly smooth, as if the skins had never been there, though it was rather bitter in taste, so I don’t recommend doing it that way  However, it does give you an idea of what the machine can do.

Other experiments I’ve done have involved unpeeled citrus fruits. Again the results were perfectly smooth, though somewhat bitter. I do normally peel my citrus, but I never worry about the seeds, they blend beautifully. I blend apples with the skins on, and though the machine will blend the seeds fine, I do take them out because of the trace amounts of arsenic they contain. I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Fire and Ice

There are also a couple of things you can do with the Blendtec that are just not possible with normal blenders. They sort of sit at opposite ends of the food spectrum. I frequently make both ice cream and hot soups using only my blender.

I make ice cream by blending whole fruit with ice, milk, and a little bit of sugar. I also love to make sorbets where I leave the milk out.

But I think the most amazing thing that I do with my blender is make hot soup. I use whole vegetables, fresh herbs, and store-bought (or homemade) broth–all straight from the refrigerator. The power spinning the blades at high speed generates so much friction that the soup actually becomes hot, and quite delicious.

So what is the Blendtec Total Blender? It’s my favorite, and most frequently used kitchen appliance.

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