I am just wondering if there is any convenient rule of thumb for how finely one should cut fruits and veggies for the blender?

What kind of blender do you have? Most have enough power to handle the job efficiently. 1/4" or less would seem to work well enough though!

A quarter inch is very fine. 1 - 2" inch cubes works well. Whatever size you pick, you want to make sure there are straight edges for the blades to catch. Smooth, round shapes like whole oranges or peaches tend to just spin around without the blades catching.

Depends on the blender for sure. The vitamix takes big pieces no problem, even round ones with the tamper work great. My old blender couldn't even do banana no matter how well chopped (actually, I would mash it first and it still couldn't blend it in successfully) so there is a big range.

I just bought the Vitamix 5200, I ask because I think I could smell the motor after a blend which has me a little worried. Did very minimal cuts yesterday, quartered apples/oranges shaped produce and halved the greens/banannas/longer items. Wanted to see how well the Vitamix would take it.

I'll try 2" tonight, then 1" tomorrow and 1/4" the next day, see how the motor likes it and if it doesn't take too long. 1/4" does sound very fine/time consuming without other gadgets though. Only one way to find out!

Could just be "new motor smell" but thats just a guess from me, as I have never owned one.

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Are you adding any liquid? That helps get things going and is less hard work for the machine.

Adam, I've had my Vitamix for about 3 years and I have never smelled anything like burning. Have you been to the Vitamix site? There are some support answers posted there. Here's one answer from a Vitamix rep regarding a burning smell: [community.vitamix.com]

veghunter Wrote:
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> ........ Here's one answer
> from a Vitamix rep regarding a burning smell:
I agree with the link Veghunter provided. Don't allow
a blender, of any make, to process a load at low speeds (it'll
overheat).....best to
start at a low range, and smoothly move to High. It'll take a
while to learn how to use a blender, but once you've got-it...
you've got it......WY

Ah ok thanks for the link veghunter. I did use juice but I didn't know you were only supposed to keep it on low for only a few seconds then crank it up fairly quickly. My uncle was around he's a veteran of the construction industry and mentioned the new motor smell thing. I do not know if that's normal or not for the Vitamix though.

Which is better, greens on top of the blades, or fruit? I'm still having trouble getting the blade going in the beginning. Makes me think about buying the Vitaprep 3 and using the 48 oz carafe I have ordered since it is bpa free.

If you're having trouble right at the start use the plunger, that is exactly what it's for. That's what I do when I'm not using a lot of liquid and it works great.

I load liquid and fruit, then greens. If it gets stuck, which it usually doesn't, I turn it off, pick up the carafe and give it a a jiggle. Then try again. Using the tamper also works well, I'm just used to the other method.

adamlogan Wrote:
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> .....makes me think about
> buying the Vitaprep 3 and using the 48 oz carafe I
> have ordered since it is bpa free.
Load Fruit then Greens.
As far as the new 48-ounce BPA-free container from Vita-Mix
Corp., it won't fit the Vita-Prep 3. I could be wrong, but
I believe it'll only fit the Vita-Mix Creations II blender.
If anyone knows for sure, let us know.....WY

@ WY
So the 32 oz container would not work on the Vitaprep 3 either then?

I do see a 48 oz container listed in the manual, but I'm not sure it's bpa free, possibly it might be for the pro series & not the vitaprep. I guess it boils down to calling Vitamix and asking.

[www.vitamix.com]

@all
Personally I'm kinda feeling disappointed. Essentially I spent $400 on a blender so that I wouldn't have to deal with this issue of the blade needing help, and it still needs help… My blends are usually pretty warm by the time I am finished too. Having just seen these videos I'm feeling unconfident in my purchase of the 5200 and am considering returning it.

Blend Station Advance blends entire carafe w/o help
[www.youtube.com]

Blendtec Total Blender 4" 96 oz carafe blade w/ base (don't have to buy 3" 64 oz blade carafe) IDK how relavent this blender is for the market right now tho?

[www.amazon.com]

Thinking about the Vitaprep 3 too.

adamlogan Wrote:
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> @ WY
> So the 32 oz container would not work on the
> Vitaprep 3 either then?
No, the 32-ounce BPA-free container works just
fine. It, however, is a little too small for my needs. The
Polycarbonate 48-ounce is also fine (it's what I'm using now).
It's only the 48-ounce BPA-free that doesn't fit.....WY
P.S. You might call Vita-Mix Home Division, and ask them if
it'll fit your 5200.

adamlogan Wrote:
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> Which is better, greens on top of the blades, or
> fruit? I'm still having trouble getting the blade
> going in the beginning. Makes me think about
> buying the Vitaprep 3 and using the 48 oz carafe I
> have ordered since it is bpa free.


What exactly are you trying to blend?? It might give us more of an idea of what your problem is.

Did you tryr just blending you fruit+liquid first getting that all liquidy smooth and then adding your greens?

BackAgain Wrote:
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> Did you tryr just blending you fruit+liquid first
> getting that all liquidy smooth and then adding
> your greens?
That's the way I do it, and I never need
to use the Tamper. It's amazing how many Greens
you can blend into a Green Smoothie.....WY

So far I just throw whatever good stuff I can find in the carafe. What I put in is different every time, very experimental at the moment. In general I try to get as much greens in there as I can and just enough fruits to keep it tasty. I usually end up with about 50/50 up to 2/3 balance either way.

Ingredients I have used so far:
Kale, lettuce, cucumber, celery, carrots, zucchini, collard greens, cabbage, squash, bell pepper (augh!), pomelo (blech), ginger (GAH!), strawberries, bananas, blueberry, pears, oranges, apples, spinach, raisins, golden flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, raspberry, blackberry, etc.

I was trying to blend it all in one go so as to reduce the final heated temperature and oxidization. Maybe it was an air pocket or something. I'm learning to be more agressive with the tamper, to be less frightful of the motor burning out. Low for a little bit then up to high. It seems to be an intuitive activity.

Blending fruit on the lowest setting until it's mush, turning off the blender, then adding greens and the harder to blend items on top (such as three ice cubes in my case to keep the temperature cool), then switch it up to high seems to work really well for me.

I think I was putting too much stuff too many ingredients in the carafe before. I have a book about green smoothies now w/ a bunch of recipes and from a glance I'd say most recipes don't call for more than 5 or 6 ingredients, and usually they are small quantities.

adamlogan Wrote:
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> Blending fruit on the lowest setting until it's
> mush, turning off the blender, then adding greens
> and the harder to blend items on top (such as
> three ice cubes in my case to keep the temperature
> cool), then switch it up to high seems to work
> really well for me.
Yes, that is a good way to do it, and very
similar to what I'm doing. I rarely use ice because my
fruits (dried Fig and Apricots) are soaked in the refrigerator.....WY