I May Have a Vitamix, but I Use This Ninja Blender Instead
After writing many cookbooks and having a very busy kitchen with two teenage girls who also cook regularly, I was in the market for a new blender.
For years, friends, family, and my own mom swore by the Vitamix. But I wanted to make sure, so I asked my fellow Facebook followers—many of whom are culinary experts. Unilaterally, they commented with "Vitamix." Naturally, with so many votes for Vitamix, I just had to see what the buzz was about. So, I picked one up at my local Costco and gave it a whirl.
My experience with the Vitamix
Earlier in the pandemic, I tested and wrote three cookbooks using the Vitamix blender I had at the time. This blender was great when I wanted to make a large batch of soup or salsa. However, my teen girls would want to make themselves smoothies and smoothie bowls daily—and that's where the issues would generally arise. For some reason, Vitamix has a hard time blending these ingredients together without a little manual assistance and human intervention to help move the process along.
Although the Vitamix includes a wand that helps mix around the contents of the smoothie, it never seemed to work well enough, especially when attempting to make smoothies for more than one person. My girls would frequently become frustrated, working tirelessly to start and stop the Vitamix in order to produce a well-blended smoothie. I also found with the Vitamix that when I had smaller portions to combine, like while making hummus or a bean dip, the contents wouldn't always blend completely in these cases, either—even with the help of the wand.
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In comes the Ninja
While working through my frustration with the Vitamix, I was also sent the Ninja® Foodi® Power Blender & Processor System With Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor to test out and provide my feedback. Initially, I had my girls try the Smoothie Bowl Maker component, and they were elated with the results. As daily smoothie drinkers, my girls gushed about this device so much that even their older brother asked to be taught how to use it. Over the summer, my son started frequently making smoothies using the Ninja, too. Recently, when I dropped him off to start his junior year of college at the University of Michigan, he begged for his own Ninja blender as we helped move him into his new apartment. I happily purchased one for him.
Now, I have three kids, ages 15, 17, and 20 years old, all hooked on using this Ninja blender-food processor combo—not to mention that I've used it for recipe testing and dishes, too. In addition to blending smoothies and smoothie bowls, the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System with Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor is also durable enough to be used as a food processor and can even mix dough.
My favorite Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System features
There are several functions of the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System with Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor that I really like, including the three receptacles for one blender base. It's a versatile, easy-to-use, easy-to-store kitchen appliance that can blend or process food in the Power Blender & Processor Pitcher, extract nutrients with the Nutrient Extraction Cup, and whip up a thick and delicious smoothie bowl in the Smoothie Bowl Maker.
The Smoothie Bowl Maker also comes complete with a built-in tamper, which can create thicker smoothie bowls and nut butters as it powers through chunky or frozen foods. The Nutrient Extraction Cup helps create smoother extractions, smoothies, and other frozen beverages while simultaneously bringing out the vitamins and nutrients from fruits and vegetables via a more concentrated breakdown of ingredients compared to other Ninja models. Pop on the Spout Lid, and you have a convenient travel cup for your smoothie, too!
Other great features that the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System with Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor has to offer include:
- A powerful, 1,400-peak-watt motor using Ninja's innovative smartTORQUE™ enables it to crush and churn through even the thickest ingredients without stalling or need for any additional shaking or stirring.
- Variable speed controls that let this appliance start slowly and gradually accelerate to the appropriate speed as needed for more precise chopping and mixing.
- Six preset Auto-iQ® programs for one-touch extractions plus blended, puréed, or chopped dishes.
After trying out the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System with Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor, it has become the primary blender on my counter, and I use it several times a day. As for my Vitamix, I've found that I don't use it nearly as much and have since retired it to my cabinet. It's hard to find a good use for it now that I have a powerful Ninja blender and food processor to give me all the functionalities I need.
