Review of the Vitamix 7500

Vitamix 7500

For Christmas my husband got me the Vitamix 7500. I'm not gonna lie - I wasn't too thrilled. And there is a reason that I don't play poker because if I am thinking it, my face is probably saying it. As soon as I opened the gift, he knew. Have you ever received a vacuum cleaner as a present? Or pots and pans? Yeah, it was kind of like that. Now don't get me wrong, we had talked about juicers - discussed the pros and cons like we do most things before we buy them. I was concerned about the amount of time it would take to chop things up prior to making anything in the machine, as well as the clean up involved. I do 95% of the cooking, so those things are a big deal to me. And quite frankly, we have a perfectly good smoothie maker. (Albeit one that is kind of a pain to clean.) So I wasn't completely sold on the whole Vitamix idea. Or the thought of receiving an appliance as a gift.

That is why I was surprised to find one under the tree - just for me. I put the box in the pantry, and there it remained until a couple of days ago. I finally opened it up, hoping everything was there and in working order. Here is what comes in the box:

Vitamix 7500 machine and Welcome Kit

In addition to the Vitamix, you get a Welcome Kit which includes the Owner's Manual, a Getting Started booklet and a Getting Started CD.  I actually watched the CD and found it to be a waste of time as I had already read the Getting Started booklet, and the same material was covered in both.

One feature that is pretty amazing on the machine is that it has a cleaning feature. Once you have finished making your drink, salsa, soup or whatever, you simply fill the blender jar (which is plastic, not glass by the way) half way with warm water, add a couple drops of dish detergent to it, and run the blender on high for 30-60 seconds. Easy, peasy cleanup!

Yesterday morning I used the Vitamix for the first time. I made a smoothie to go with breakfast. I used an orange, 1/2 banana, 6 large strawberries, 1/2 cup grapes, 4 ounces of vanilla flavored Greek yogurt, a leaf of kale and 6 ice cubes. After blending for 30 seconds, the smoothie was ready to go. It made enough for two servings and was very tasty! I ran the cleaning cycle, rinsed out the blender jar, and set it on the dish drainer to dry. No worries about clean-up with this machine.

I still had to plan for the time it takes to prepare the fruits/vegetables for blending, but I imagine that I will find ways to streamline that process. As this blender also allows you to make soup, I am eager to try that soon. In the meantime, here's to healthier eating!

Anyone else using the Vitamix? Do you have any tips or recipes to share?