A couple of months ago, I received a Vitamix 5200 as a gift from my boyfriend. Ever since, my green smoothies aren't quite the same. They don't seem as smooth but kinda airy and after sitting for a while (like when I take to work) the smoothie separates. Am I blending too long? Too short? Wrong speed?

Help! I need some blending tips.

Thank you in advance.

Patty

hey sewraw!
what are you blending?

when you say it seperates is it like a foamy layer, a watery layer and a chunky layer>?

and ya what is it your blending

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I am just trying to make green smoothies (fruit, greens, water) which were always fine with my previous blender. BUT, in between my posting this and now, I went back and did something almost unheard of - I re-read the directions for making smoothies that came with the Vitamix. Well, low and behold! If you follow those directions for use of the controls, the smoothies turn out great!

I am not even sure I could describe the layers either.

Thank you for your replies.

Patty

Well Patty,
good to know that everythings okay now!
Something happened the other day to my daughters unfinished green smoothie...

She had left it half full on a shelf in her room. Well I was looking around in the morning for it and never found it (cuz i always wash 4 cups and 1 was missing) soooooooooo
after she gets home from school she finds it and screams that something has happened to it. I can't even explain the mess it made. It like imploded or something. Most of the liquid had left (all over the shelf and floor) and all that was left was this foamyness. All that I could think that happened to it is that it fermented with the added dates. I dunno.

Sometimes I believe that these smoothies are so nutritionally powerful that they come alive! It was like that old movie called The Blob!


So theres my smoothie horror story. It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

Thank you Jennifer. What is that a picture of on your signature?? It is rather intriguing. Patty

hiya patty,
the pic is some veg juice right after juicing. kale, celery, cuke, carrot, lemon and beets. i gave it a slight stir and voila! i thought it was pretty so i took a pic. mystery solved!

It is amazing how often folks spend hundreds for their blender and proceed on their own, even though the included recipe book includes "Blending 101" and its delightful recipes list each ingredient in the order in which they should be placed in their blender jar for the best results, even specifying which automated and timed cycle will produce the best result.

A good rule of thumb: liquids go in first, soft items next, firm items next, fozen fruits (if any) next, and ice (if any) last.

A second rule of thumb: ice cubes which have been outside the freezer for a short time (while you prepare everthing and add everything else to the blender jar) will blend better than adding ice that is -10 F. straight from the freezer to the blender jar.

A postscript: if your blender has a Pulse button, use it whenever your automated cycle is finished, but you still have ice granules which aren't completely blended. A few pulses will finish the job and eliminate any incomplete blending.

Manolie

hehe well were probably all guilty at one point or another of being so excited with a new appliance we just charge right in

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist