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What kind of blender should I buy for making smoothies?
11 Comments
 Expert | 10 years ago All of this is fascinating. I fear I've perhaps been abroad for too long, but i'll throw in my two cents. Do as they do in Brazil and India, where juice is a way of life and marketing of hyper-priced, infomercial, one-trick kitchen trinkets is less rampant. Try an indian Dal Grinder like the Super-G or Sumeet. Theyre less than $150, last a lifetime, come with three different blades and jug sizes and turn anything (anything) into pulverised, drinkable goodness. From there it's up to you how much of the fruit to put in. Stems, sure. Seed, ok. Peel... Erm OK. Remember: if its only juice you're after, your basically drinking sugar water. if you want the value of the goods, get some of the pithy, rough stuff in there. If it gets to "rough" for ya, just toss in some water and raw, full-fat yoghurt to smooth out your Broccoli-asparagus-kiwi-green-machine. Then get back to using your grinder for making Keralan spice mixtures, and chutneys.. Oh and have a croissant every once in a while (not in the juicer). Upgrade to Grokker Premium to unlock Expert advice. |
10 years ago I highly recommend the Blendtec Blender over the Ninja Professional. It's a bit more expensive than the Ninja Professional above, but if you want truely "liquified" smoothies it is leaps and bounds above. I used to have the Ninja Professional and it left a little bit of fiber in my smoothie. Reviewed here: | |
I have a vitamix blender and omega juicer, and I use the blender way more than the juicer. If you are looking to make an investment, I recommend getting a good blender. I love my vitamix, but I'm sure the Blendtec works just as well. On a budget, Cosumers Report recommends the Ninja (compared to a vitamix or Blendtec). Blenders are great because it keeps the fiber; if you do not want the fiber a juicer works best...but, then again you can always blend and then use a strainer to separate the fiber from the juice... Yeah, I totally recommend getting a blender over/before a juicer :) Hope tis helps | |
11 years ago Hi Folks, Vitamix and Blendtec are awesome but too expensive if you can't afford a $400+ blender. You can find my personal review of this excellent blender here: Cheers! | |
11 years ago So true Sandy, the nutibullet is a great buy and does a great job. I travel with my "Bullet" which is even a smaller version of the Nutri-bullet. Thanks for sharing! | |
11 years ago If you are on a budget and only want to make single serving smoothies then the Nutribullet is also a great buy. It's about $99 and can be found at Target and other major retailers. It does a great job blending and I've been using mine daily for over a year now and love it. I also have a Blendtec for bigger jobs but for my everyday AM smoothie I use my Nutribullet. | |
 Expert | 11 years ago Post by Leah Putnam: Post by Lorna Borenstein: There are so many juicers and blenders on the market now and I cannot tell which one I should buy. They are not inexpensive and do not want to make a wrong investment. Leah Putnam any advice on makes and models to consider? Hi Lorna, Here is a run down on the types of Juicers on the market. When you are looking at juicers you’re considering shelf life or how quickly the juice begins to oxidize and how much juice can be extracted from the fruits and vegetables. There are a few variables to consider when selecting a juicer. Heat, oxidation, yield, shelf life and price. Starting at the lower end of the spectrum you will find the Centrifugal Juicer. This type of juicer uses a fast spinning grater to shred and breakdown the fruits and veggies and then strains the juice to separate the fiber from the liquid. This juicer is typically easy to use, quick to clean and has the lowest price tag. The draw back is that method used to grate and spin the fruits and vegetables causes the juice to oxidize (you usually end up with a fair amount of foam) and the enzymes to start denature quicker. This means you will want to consume this juice within 15 - 20 mins. The next step up in quality and of course price is a Masticating Juicer which has a slow screw shaped gear that chews up the cell membrane of the veggies to release the nutrients and then squeezes the juice through a mesh screen. With this type of juicer you will usually end up with more juice, more nutrients intact, less foam, and a longer fridge life of about a day or more. Up from there you will find the Twin Gear Juicer. This type of juicer works at even lower speeds. It chews up the veggies and fruit between two gears that squeeze out the juice and leaves a very dry pulp. The end result will be more juice, more nutrients intact, less foam, and a longer shelf life. You can store your juice for up to 72 hrs in fridge. The Green Star is a twin gear juicer and is the one I use. A good idea would be to use some of the criteria that I have mentioned and do some research for yourself on the different makes and models available on the market and what fits your needs. You may even consider using my traveling method of juicing which is a mini blender and a paint strainer. This is quick and easy with very little cost involved. But what I always tell people who ask is that hands down, the best juicer is the one you use. As far as a blender goes, I use a Vitamix which is a high perfomance blender. Blentec also makes a good hight perfomance blender. Good luck and let me know what you come up with. To your abundant health and juicing, Leah Thank you, Leah. This is so helpful! I'm STILL looking for the perfect juicer for me - this is a great help. Upgrade to Grokker Premium to unlock Expert advice. |
11 years ago Wow Leah Putnam I had no idea there was so much to it, fascinating! I think I will start with the Vitamix as my first investment. Thanks you, Lorna Post by Leah Putnam: Post by Lorna Borenstein: There are so many juicers and blenders on the market now and I cannot tell which one I should buy. They are not inexpensive and do not want to make a wrong investment. Leah Putnam any advice on makes and models to consider? Hi Lorna, Here is a run down on the types of Juicers on the market. When you are looking at juicers you’re considering shelf life or how quickly the juice begins to oxidize and how much juice can be extracted from the fruits and vegetables. There are a few variables to consider when selecting a juicer. Heat, oxidation, yield, shelf life and price. Starting at the lower end of the spectrum you will find the Centrifugal Juicer. This type of juicer uses a fast spinning grater to shred and breakdown the fruits and veggies and then strains the juice to separate the fiber from the liquid. This juicer is typically easy to use, quick to clean and has the lowest price tag. The draw back is that method used to grate and spin the fruits and vegetables causes the juice to oxidize (you usually end up with a fair amount of foam) and the enzymes to start denature quicker. This means you will want to consume this juice within 15 - 20 mins. The next step up in quality and of course price is a Masticating Juicer which has a slow screw shaped gear that chews up the cell membrane of the veggies to release the nutrients and then squeezes the juice through a mesh screen. With this type of juicer you will usually end up with more juice, more nutrients intact, less foam, and a longer fridge life of about a day or more. Up from there you will find the Twin Gear Juicer. This type of juicer works at even lower speeds. It chews up the veggies and fruit between two gears that squeeze out the juice and leaves a very dry pulp. The end result will be more juice, more nutrients intact, less foam, and a longer shelf life. You can store your juice for up to 72 hrs in fridge. The Green Star is a twin gear juicer and is the one I use. A good idea would be to use some of the criteria that I have mentioned and do some research for yourself on the different makes and models available on the market and what fits your needs. You may even consider using my traveling method of juicing which is a mini blender and a paint strainer. This is quick and easy with very little cost involved. But what I always tell people who ask is that hands down, the best juicer is the one you use. As far as a blender goes, I use a Vitamix which is a high perfomance blender. Blentec also makes a good hight perfomance blender. Good luck and let me know what you come up with. To your abundant health and juicing, Leah | |
11 years ago Post by Lorna Borenstein: There are so many juicers and blenders on the market now and I cannot tell which one I should buy. They are not inexpensive and do not want to make a wrong investment. Leah Putnam any advice on makes and models to consider? Hi Lorna, Starting at the lower end of the spectrum you will find the Centrifugal Juicer. This type of juicer uses a fast spinning grater to shred and breakdown the fruits and veggies and then strains the juice to separate the fiber from the liquid. The next step up in quality and of course price is a Masticating Juicer which has a slow screw shaped gear that chews up the cell membrane of the veggies to release the nutrients and then squeezes the juice through a mesh screen. With this type of juicer you will usually end up with more juice, more nutrients intact, less foam, and a longer fridge life of about a day or more. Up from there you will find the Twin Gear Juicer. This type of juicer works at even lower speeds. It chews up the veggies and fruit between two gears that squeeze out the juice and leaves a very dry pulp. The end result will be more juice, more nutrients intact, less foam, and a longer shelf life. You can store your juice for up to 72 hrs in fridge. The Green Star is a twin gear juicer and is the one I use. A good idea would be to use some of the criteria that I have mentioned and do some research for yourself on the different makes and models available on the market and what fits your needs. You may even consider using my traveling method of juicing which is a mini blender and a paint strainer. This is quick and easy with very little cost involved. But what I always tell people who ask is that hands down, the best juicer is the one you use. As far as a blender goes, I use a Vitamix which is a high perfomance blender. Blentec also makes a good hight perfomance blender. Good luck and let me know what you come up with. To your abundant health and juicing, | |
11 years ago There are so many juicers and blenders on the market now and I cannot tell which one I should buy. They are not inexpensive and do not want to make a wrong investment. Leah Putnam any advice on makes and models to consider? |
