Vitamix 5200
for me, this wasn't just a blender purchase. It was a long-term kitchen investment. And 16 years later, if this one disappeared tomorrow, I would buy another Vitamix without hesitation. And honestly, that's probably the highest recommendation I could give any product.
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While the build quality is absolutely excellent, and you can tell that this machine is built to last in industrial kitchens, there may be some drawbacks for the average cook.
Cites build quality, durability, heat resistance
This thing is this thing is bulletproof, but that may be the blender that you want to go for if this is a little bit too expensive.
And the only thing that I've had to replace was was actually this lid because I lost it like 2 weeks ago. Somewhere in between me shooting my pee video and this video, I misplaced the lid. So, I bought a new one. The old lid was absolutely perfect. Everything over here is still doing amazingly well.
I have used this for 8 years extensively. I have beaten the crap out of it.
Um, all of the connections, these things are metal.
And as it blends, it creates a vortex to ensure that everything blends really evenly.
Cites ease of cleaning, surface finish, power and output
Now, a simple task like the soup is a great exhibition of the full power of this blender.
And as you can see here, the results are a velvety smooth, perfect pureed soup.
Now, this is a good time to talk about the self-clean function, which a lot of blender companies market as a feature, and all it means is that you can add soapy water to a blender and run it, and it does a pretty good job of cleaning it.
And despite this mixture getting incredibly thick and lava hot, it created the smoothest puree and the whole garlic which I added in the beginning completely disappeared.
I've made plenty of nut milk in the past and the Vitamix does exceptionally well.
I use about 500 g of roast peanuts and at low speeds once the nuts become hot enough and broken down enough they eventually become this beautiful crunchy peanut butter which turned out absolutely amazing.
The Vitamix 5200, however, is not like most other burgers. As long as you start on a low speed to break down all of those chunky bits and slowly turn things up to high and let it spin for about a minute, you are left with the creamiest smoothie or protein shake of your life with the bare minimum or even no bits at all…
Now, I've made blended frozen drinks with this in the past, like a margarita, and it handled it with ease.
But blending a lot of ice in this tall chamber seemed like a bit of a difficult task. For the most part, the ice at the bottom crushes perfectly. But the ice at the top remains chunky and very hard to blend, even with the temper.
And lastly, having a two horsepower blender is an incredible amount of power. But at max power, it's also incredibly noisy, especially with some thicker substances.
And this honestly does majority of tasks better in my humble opinion, but that's just me.
The manufacture date on the back proves just how old this thing is, and over all those years, I've only replaced one thing: the tamper. That's it.
Cites durability
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I have owned this Vitamix 5200 since 2010. Not 6 months, not a year, not even 5 years. I've owned it for nearly 16 years, and the crazy part about it is that I use it almost every single day.
Cites durability
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Owned 16 years
I've gone through coffee makers, air fryers, vacuums, and countless other appliances over the years, but my Vitamix is one of the few purchases that has simply stayed. It still works exactly like it did when I bought it.
there's no machine that will make a smoothie as good as this
the motor still runs strong, the controls still work, the container is still in great shape, and it still makes incredibly smooth smoothies.
Cites build quality, power and output
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This right here is the Vitamix 5200 and it is the gold standard blender for pretty much the entire restaurant industry, especially the fancier restaurants.
Cites reputation
people often look at the price and immediately think about how expensive it is. But, here's the question I always ask: Is it actually expensive if you only have to buy it once?
Cites price
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when people ask me if a Vitamix is worth it, I don't think about today's price. I think about the fact that I've been using the same machine for almost 16 years. If I had bought three or four cheaper blenders during that same period, I probably would have spent the same amount of money or possibly more.
just like the stand mixer these things last forever
Cites durability
but there's absolutely no way you spend money on this and you don't use it over over and over and over and over and over and over and over again
this eliminates the necessity to have great technique in sauce making because this will just make a good sauce
Cites ergonomics, power and output
if you have a broken emolion this will force that to be an emolion because of the horsepower that's in the engine in it
out of any machine that I use in the kitchen aside from like the basics like a stove I use this machine probably more than anything I own
There are not a lot of points of failure on this machine.
And the best part is because it's so extensively used inside of the restaurant industry, replacement parts are super easy to find. So, if you wanted to get a new blender top, you will definitely be able to find this online for sure, but maybe even close by to in a restaurant supply store.
Cites availability, repairability
Um, even if you do burn out the motor, there's a little reset switch on the bottom.
Now, sauces like a pesto or a mayonnaise are absolutely child's play for this machine.
Cites size and capacity
This narrow long design does make it excellent at small batches of ingredients as well as much larger batches of preparations.
most mornings, I'm blending frozen fruit, protein powder, greens, and ice, and it handles everything without hesitation.
Cites versatility, power and output
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I also own the dry container, and with that attachment, I've used it to grind grains into flour. I sometimes will grind my peppercorns. So, again, that's something most standard blenders simply aren't designed to do well.
The controls, being the two switches and the dial, are incredibly simple to use, but they do require a little bit of technique to use to the best of their abilities.
Cites learning curve (against), safety (against)
Now, a big downside to the system is accidentally starting the machine when you've forgotten your switch on high power turned on or you've left the dial on 10. A lot of splattering will happen if you do not have a lid on.
You have a super inconveniently You have a super inconveniently placed plug.
Now, certain parts remain completely untouched, so you do need to wash the lip separately, but in general, the container as well as the base of the blender are quite easy to clean.
Cites ease of cleaning (against), noise (against)
Wow, this thing is insane. I could blend something from the other side of the kitchen.
Now, as far as controls, it has a simple dial with 10 number settings, but for when you want something really ultra super smooth, you can kick things into high gear and unlock the full two horsepower that this machine is capable of, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a blender.
Cites adjustability, ergonomics, maintenance, weight
And this is where the temper that comes with the Vitamix comes in handy here as it helps you to push your ingredients down into that vortex of blending and destruction.
The blade is inside of the blender top. It just pops on really super easily.
It is big and powerful, but it is not too big and too heavy and too clunky that it prevents me from using it.
But some things like the peanut butter or the ice would be easier to carry out in a wider machine like a food processor for these larger batches.
Cites portability (against), shape and form (against)
The blender itself also comes in at a total size of about 50 cm. So it may not fit under some uh shorter set cupboards.
they're expensive
Cites price (against)
Next, while the container is super hardwearing and made of very high quality, heatresistant plastic, after many years of use, it does start to get cloudy in appearance and does show signs of wear.
Two judgements rest on this sentence:
- durability Owns it cites durability (against)
- appearance Owns it cites appearance (against)
The only noticeable mark, and I can't even find it cuz I'm not wearing my glasses, but there's like a little crack somewhere over here. It's It's internal, but it has not broken yet.
Now, I've been using this blender personally for the past 15 plus years to make countless purees and soups and dips and sauces and a number of other delicious things.
I have own this particular model for 8 years.
do I think it's a necessity for a beginner cook probably not