Best Tips and Tricks for Using Your Vitamix Blender

Vitamix blenders are workhorses that will blend anything and everything, but to keep them in tip top shape and to get the most use out of them, you should know a few tips and tricks. It’s not much and it’s not complicated, but even the best machines need to be oiled to continue on and on. As you must be well aware, Vitamix blenders can make perfect smoothies, soups, sauces, nut butters, cream, baby food, and even ice cream. And here is how to show some TLC for the only blender you will ever need in your life:

1. Loading the container

This might seem trivial, but there are some secrets to how you should throw all the ingredients in. Start with liquids and make sure they have direct contact with the blades. Next go soft items, such as leafy greens and vegetables or fruits, and hard or frozen stuff at the very end. This way the blades don’t have to spin dry or work extra hard to crush frozen items first.

If you are using personal containers or blending bowls, don’t forget to reverse this order because the container has to be flipped upside down.

2. The lid plug

This little plug is more than just an opening to insert the tamper – it also doubles as a measuring cup, so you don’t have to make an extra cup dirty when you need to measure something you’re adding.

3. Tamper

Don’t be afraid to use the tamper, especially when you have to blend frozen or hard items. If your blender is stalling, the tamper can fix that with ease.

As long as you have a lid on, the blades will never reach the tamper, so it is safe to push it all you want and stir those ingredients to get things spinning again. Just don’t overfill the container when you think tamper might be needed.

4. Use high power setting

There is absolutely no reason to blend anything on low. You should start on low, yes, but increase the speed fast, because everything blends faster and better on high. High speed blending will actually keep the motor cool because the cooling fan will be maximized. Your machine is going to thank you if you’ll be blending your almond butter on high versus medium.  

5. The right quantity of ingredients

Putting enough ingredients is very important and cutting recipes in half is just as bad as doubling them up. If you skimp on ingredients, expect some splatting on the walls of the container and not much else. The blades need good friction, always.

6. Under blade scraper

Yes, you need it if you blend thick concoctions, like nut butters or hummus. This way you won’t waste food and will make cleanup process much easier. The under blade scraper gets in the tiniest of places and does a good job.

7. Wet and dry containers

For all recipes that require wet ingredients, use wet container, naturally. If you want to make powdered sugar and various grain fours, get a dry container and don’t mix the two. The big difference is that with the wet container, blades blend things together (vortex), while the dry one’s blasts things up and out (reverse vortex).

8. Cleaning

Just like everything else in the kitchen, Vitamix blender will have to be cleaned. Fortunately, unlike many other devices, this one is very easy to clean – just fill it half way with warm water and soap, and blend for 30 seconds on high. Some models even have ‘Clean’ button, so just push that.

Despite your best care and specially if you make lots of spices and blend mineral-rich ingredients, your container might become a bit cloudy with time. To take care of that, use one cup of white vinegar and half of the container of warm water mixed together. Let it soak overnight and then brush the inside with a brush.

If you blend rough ingredients, such as granulated sugar or grains, you will get small scratches on the container. And that’s perfectly fine, because it’s a sign that your Vitamix is well loved and used. If you want to prevent those little markings, consider getting a separate container for dry ingredients.