I have wanted a super duper blender for YEARS. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned my desire for a super duper blender on this blog several times. I am happy to report, I am finally the proud owner of a super duper blender and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
One day my Auntie Barb (who is a happy VitaMix owner and got me on the quest for a super duper blender in the first place) mentioned the Blendtec Total Blender. I did a little research and decided that the Total Blender was my super duper blender dream. Since I have this food blog, I thought I’d give a shot at getting one of these blenders for a product review. I emailed Blendtec and they responded immediately. And sent me my dream blender! (By the way, Blendtec told me I could keep the blender or give it away on my blog. Now, I love all of you dear readers very much…but…there’s no way I’m giving this blender away. I just can’t part with it! Maybe next time. And now that you all hate me, let’s get back to the post.)
Here are the reasons I love the Blendtec Total Blender:
– First and foremost, our smoothies are soooo good. The texture is amazing. No more Jamba Juice for us.
– Preset buttons…there is a computer chip in the Total Blender with a bunch of presets. You want a smoothie? Just hit smoothie. You want soup? Hit soup. It does all the slowing down and speeding up for you and knows just how long to go for.
– You don’t need a little stick thing to push everything down. If you get the right combo of fluid and liquid and/or put things in the right order, you never need to push your ingredients down into the blender. It’s amazing. Once in a while we don’t get the balance right and have to do a little urging, but not very often.
– It blends things to bits. Or I should say PULVERIZES. You can toss strawberries in whole, leaves and all…and you don’t even notice there are LEAVES in your smoothie. The motor is super strong, so this would outlive several normal blenders in succession. Definitely makes it worth the investment.
– It’s really easy to clean. No parts to unscrew and get all yucky.
– If you make soup, it blends so fast it heats the soup up! Although, when I made my tomato soup (which was yummy, very fresh tasting), I did heat it on the stove afterward to get it really hot. I’m still perfecting the art of blender soupmaking.
Only one thing so far that I didn’t love about the blender – peanut butter. I don’t know if my peanuts were just old and yucky or if I was doing something wrong, but my peanut butter was gross. I may try another type of nut butter, but I’ve decided homemade peanut butter isn’t for me.
I didn’t know it until after I got the Blendtec, but this blender is the one that was made famous on YouTube with the “Will it Blend” series. They do crazy stuff like blend iPhones, it’s funny. So, not only is my blender awesome, it’s famous! 😉
So, there you go. As I indicated, Blendtec did provide me with the blender, but I was not paid for this post. I really love it. And if I was a bazillionaire I’d buy you all a Total Blender right now. Aren’t I generous?
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
If you ever come across a good strawberry smoothie recipe, please post! Enjoy the blender!
Great site and review! Have you made hummus yet?
I am so loving your comments…
MNStacey…I think I need to do a follow up post with our favorite smoothie recipes. In fact, I’m going to! And I think they all incorporate strawberries, so you’re in luck. Stay tuned…
kiki – no I haven’t, and yes I need to! I can’t wait to try hummus…have a recipe you like?
More blender recipes/ideas would be great if you could post. I feel like I need to use my blender more often.
I am really jealous. I have read about these blenders and even seen one in person at Costco. I think they are the best blenders out there hands down. Someday I want to own one too. Enjoy!
Groupon had them on sale $199
my contact at blendtec just sent me this link for making peanut butter…so I suppose I’ll give it another whirl! for those of you looking for blender recipes, there are lots of other tutorials at this link as well, thought you might find helpful. although, I do promise to share more blender-related recipes in the near future.
http://www.blendtec.com/videoplayer.aspx?sku=A3-31E-BHM&video=03.+Connoisseur+-+Peanut+Butter.flv.
Blendtec! I love it – I just read an article on this blender and the guy who invented it in a BYU alumni magazine. He really does blend some pretty crazy stuff – apparently he blends pieces of wood all the time.
jane, what do you like about the Blendtec over the Vitamix? wondering how they compare besides the push button display…
Jenny, first, you do not need a blunger in the middle to keep pushing the food down to make it blend and chop properly. The machine is designed to cause a vortex when running that automatically pulls the food down into the bottom so that is continually mixes properly with no effort on the part of the user. It is also has a much more powerful motor with infinitely more settings and speed. Just a much better designed machine and much easier to use and clean.
I’m officially very jealous. I hate our blender (which isn’t even close to being a nice one) and we’re on our second one in the past 6 years, and we don’t even use them all that often, but the cheap ones can’t handle making baby food for a few months. . .
{with my mouth hanging open…} they what? They GAVE you a Blendtec? Those are the best blenders. We used the pro series in my coffeehouse. I am so green with envy – enjoy, you lucky girl!
Ohh This is AWESOME. You seriously just emailed them and they sent it?! That’s awesome!!!
jenny – blendtec over vitamix? definitely the push button display. I just push a button and walk away, don’t have to speed up, turn on and off, etc.
the other big thing is you don’t need that push down stick thing that I obviously don’t know the name of. although, the newer vita-mix blenders don’t look like they have it anymore, so I think they’re pretty similar nowadays. (ps- when I got my blender, the vitamix still had that stick thing, so I think that must be a new upgrade…this is all going off looking at pictures on the website, I’m no expert)
bottom line…I think the blendtec has an edge, but that said you probably can’t go wrong either way. as Kim M mentioned, regular blenders just don’t hold up. these better quality blenders are totally worth the investment because they last…and being able to easily make smoothies makes you much more likely to actually make them. and they’re good for you!
melissa and beth – I have to say, the day I got my blender in the mail, I was thanking my lucky stars I was so diligent with my food blog – it paid off! 🙂 I mean, the blender isn’t the ONLY reason I’m glad I have the blog…but it’s a good one! 🙂
How much do they cost? Break it to us easy…
Currently it is $280 for a refurbished total blender. Even better than Costco and comes with a 7yr warranty.
http://www.blendtec.com/products/category/factory-recertified
list price is $599…but it’s for sale for $399. did that make it seem not as bad? 400 is way better than 600, right? if you can afford the initial investment, it’s worth it in the long run…
Costco in the Phoenix area currently has road shows featuring the BLENDTEC TotalBlender for $299. I bought one last night! 1/12/13 . I watched the demo and did not hesitate a second. Great investment in a healthier lifestyle.
I’ve just finished a delicious Mixed Fruit Smoothie……and the cleanup was so easy: one piece container and the lid! No taking apart the blade, screw-on bottom and seal.
Forgot to mention:
1. Costco has an 8 year guarantee
2. Costco have a ” no questions asked” return policy
We bought a Vitamix last year and we love it! We make smoothies all the time. It is also nice for soups and sometimes we make whipping cream in seconds. We also got the “dry” blender which will grind up grains and make flour. It did come with the stick, which is needed if there is not enough liquid and too much frozen stuff. Glad you are enjoying your blendtec. Great blenders are a wonderful investment!
Can it grind wheat?
liz, thank you for this comment – AWESOME info!!!!
yes, although I think the Kitchen Mill that they make is better for grinding a fine flour. here are two references with more info:
“Does the blender grind wheat? Yes. For best results add wheat 1/4 cup at a time, emptying the jar after 2 cups have been added. Wheat grinds at a higher temperature in the blender jar than when using the Kitchen Mill. To get a very fine grind and to keep the nutrients, always use the Kitchen Mill” http://www.blendtec.com/FAQ.aspx
“Can the Blendtec Total Blender make flour from dry grains?
The “Speed” Key can turn the Blendtec Total Blender into the ultimate grinding and milling machine. You can grind the hardest of whole wheat into a fine flour in under 50 seconds. It will also grind to a cracked flour consistency or stone ground flour consistency.” http://www.totalblender.com/total_blender_faqs.html
Here’s a link to their Kitchen Mill, which I’ve heard is fabulous, although I’ve never personally used it: http://www.blendtec.com/productDetails.aspx?id=1257
1) Blendtec makes the kitchen mill so of course they can’t tell you it’s obsolete.
2) It does a phenominal job grinding anything from cracked wheat to pastry flour. Really. Experiment with how long you run the blender.
3) If you are worried about warm flour at the end then just freeze your wheat ahead of time. I tried it today and ended up with room temperature finished flour.
4) IMPORTANT – Just an fyi, as this is only a cosmetic problem. When you blend grains in the bledtec OR vitamix the jars will immediately (read: the very first time you try it) begin to fog/resurface/cloud the inside of the jar. You can still see through it, but it becomes translucent slowly instead of transparent. If this really bothers you then get a second jar “just” for grains. Otherwise, consider that fogging as a badge of awesomeness.
Why would you want strawberry leaves in your smoothie? Even if you can’t tell?
Chlorophyll!
two reasons! 1) you don’t have to take the time to cut the tops off and save on washing a knife and cutting board! 2) ruffage! 😉
I am super jealous.
As a Jamba veteran (it was my first job at 15 years old). There are some tricks to making a good smoothie, a lot of it has to do with the order you add the ingredients. Add liquid first, then fruit then solids like frozen items.
Additionally, (from an artist/designer perspective) if the colors of fruit are analogous, their flavors tend to blend well together. (aka: if your smoothie turns out grey, it probably won’t taste good)
I just ordered one from Bed Bath and Beyond. they’ll give you a 20% off ANYthing coupon when you sign up for the email list, so it ended up being $320. plus I hear they have a great return policy, so I figure if I don’t make a REAL change and start adding significant veggies in, then I haven’t earned it and I’ll return it. oh, and they gave me free shipping since most of the blender sites are doing that. now, just waiting anxiously for it to arrive!
so glad you got it! and thanks for the tips on getting it for such a great price!! 🙂
Dear Jane Maynard:
I saw your article regarding how much you enjoy your Blendtec Total Blender. I recently purchased the same blender. I was hopping you could provide me with an easy Tomato Basil Soup that could be made in the blender. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
Regards,
Lawrence
lawjonesjr@yahoo.com
hi lawrence!
so far the only tomato soup I’ve done in the blender is one that is in the cookbook that the blender came with. it was good, but not a tomato basil soup – it had cheese. had a very fresh flavor, too.
here’s a tomato basil soup recipe that you could possibly adapt to a blender recipe: https://thisweekfordinner.com/2010/01/05/tuscan-tomato-soup/
I’ll shoot out a quick tweet on twitter to see if anyone has a good blender recipe.
hope this is helpful – and enjoy your blender, you’ll love it!
jane
Jane:
I just got my Blendtec yesterday (4-28-10). I saw the demo at Sam’s club and I was hooked. I found your site by googling Blendtec recipes. I too am very interested in new ways to use the blender. I love cooking and think that this will be a true asset. I must say that mine was not free, but I think it will be an investment I won’t regret. Keep the info. coming. Thanks!
We have had our Blendtec for 1.5 years, use it almost daily and LOVE IT!! I haven’t done much in the soup department… want to get into that. Thanks for your review, I concur! And I had to buy my own blender! 🙂
You can’t go wrong with a Blendtec. We had a kitchenaid for a long time but finally wanted something nice. We briefly looked at Vitamix blenders but after asking family friends decided to go with the FourSide Blendtec blender and we’ve now got a recipe site to show off all the cool recipes we’re trying.
My husband developed a tooth abcess on a weekend and you can guess, he couldn’t chew, extremely painful. Our Blendtec became our lifesaver. Kept him fed with smooth, cool beverages, hot, creamy, nutritious soups, all with rapid prep time, and no-fuss cleanup. At least his dentist didn’t get a grouchy, starved patient!
Purchased ours at Amazon.com after cashing in all our rewards points. Final cash out of hand price equaled $127.00. For healthy eating, don’t know how we ever got along without it.
Are there any independent sites with a lot of recipes for the Blendtec? I have wanted one for a long time and finally bought one on sale at Ccstco last week, and was really disappointed at the low number of recipes. I have googled, but not come up with anything yet. As popular and good as the machine is, I would think there would be a lot of people out there with good recipes to share. I am a 76 year old single man who hasn’t cooked in a long time, and would like to make my experience with the great machine a lot better and fulfilling without having to make stuff up on my own and by experimenting.
Hi Richard! Congrats on getting your Blendtec – you’ll love it!!! I am going to get in touch with the folks at Blendtec to ask them your question – stay tuned!
Just got the Blendtec a couple of days ago and am VERY impressed after just making some fruit juice (grapes + strawberries = amazing) and a green smoothie with avocado, spinach and fresh pineapple = also very good.
I’d also like to find more recipes online as Richard mentioned a few months ago. I’m sure that adapting some recipes should be fairly simple, but it would be even better if they were already adapted for the Blendtec!
Thanks for your site
Richard and Damon – we just moved and I just found my Blendtec recipe book. Did you get one with the blender or not? Let me know and maybe I can get some recipes shared from there!
oh! And I also did get this response from Blendtec!
“We have some recipes on our site at: http://blendtec.com/recipes, we also post recipes on our YouTube channel: Blendteconsumer. You can also check out our Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/blendtec/ (Blendtec recipes, Blendtec videos, and Blogger Recipes). Let me know if that helps.”
I just got my blendtec- Luv it! Bed Bath & Beyond- I signed up with them and got 20% off
any 1 item coupon. The only caveat is that you have to go into the store to order and use coupon!
GREAT tip!!!
I got my Blendtec last year and i am absolutely in love with it. Use it at least 2 – 3 times a week if not more. Such a great product.
I just ordered the total Blendtec last night from Costco’s website! I am so excited and cant wait!
I’m excited for you! 🙂
I also was gifted with a blendTec for my juicing and healthily living class, Blendtec rocks!
Just ordered mine in the UK from Costco. It included the wildside and fourside container.
Am hoping it makes good juices as well as smoothies.
If you want fiberless juice from a blendtec get a “nut milk bag” to filter out the fiber. Otherwise the whole juice it makes is phenomenal.
another great tip, liz! thank you!
Dr. Oz has an online recipe for a green drink. It is very nutritious and gets in a variety of foods we might not enjoy alone,
I love my blendtec Designer Series total blender too. I have mostly made smoothies with it so far but I am excited to make soups, nut butters and nut milks as well. I also love blendtec’s new raw food line called blendfresh, it makes smoothies and everything so much easier. My kids love how it tastes and it makes it so easy for them to get all of their fruits and veggies in each day. http://www.BlendRawFreshFood.com
I am in the UK and work shifts at an airport. Bought mine from Costco yesterday. My aim is to try and eat less bread and rubbish airport food at work. Look forward to seeing tips on your blog or any advice for a total newbie!
you are going to LOVE it. ours is still a workhorse and I’m grateful we have it every time we get it out!
Blendtec makes a blender jar for making nut butters , called a twister jar. It is great for a lot of things. I love it for thick sauces. Jams, hummas. I own both blenders and love blentdtec the most.
good to know about that blender/twister jar, thank you!
Jane,
Live the post. I’ve been a VM/BLENDTEC owner for more than 15 years.
I currently use an ICB3 pro BLENDTEC model I bought on Craigslist from a coffee shop owner. It has the sound enclosure like you see at Starbucks or Jamba Juice. The cycle counter says 18,116 on it as of today. I “smoothie” 4-5 times a week. Yes, I love it. I also it to make frozen desserts – sorbets, ice cream, etc. Meyer lemon sorbet and mango sorbet are favorites.
And yes, BT and VM both have recipe books and recipes online.
Not to gloat too much but I paid $25 for my ICB3 3 years ago, and just recently saw a few more for sale on CL.
Here’s to health!
oh man, craigslist is such a great idea!!! I’m going to remember that.
and that is amazing…18,116! wow!
thanks, russ!