Vitamix 5200 review: it’s a legend for a reason | Life and style

Once I reviewed practically a dozen fashions to search out the perfect blenders for The Filter, I used to be already fairly aware of one of many manufacturers I used to be testing: Vitamix. My dad and mom purchased me a refurbished Vitamix Turbo Mix 4500 in 2010, and I’ve used it to make smoothies, pesto, and different kitchen concoctions ever since. Vitamix is the founding father of the premium blender class, recognized for its spectacular warranties, in depth accolades, and steep costs, particularly on the extra high-tech fashions.The Guardian’s journalism is impartial. We are going to earn a fee in the event you purchase one thing by an affiliate hyperlink. Be taught extra.Launched in 2007, the Vitamix 5200 is taken into account its “legacy” mannequin, nonetheless holding robust practically 20 years later regardless of newer fashions just like the digital Ascent X line popping up round it. At $500, the Vitamix 5200 remains to be a frightening funding, however in the event you’re a house prepare dinner seeking to take your smoothies, soups, and sauces to the following stage, it’s effectively value it. Right here’s why.$449.95 at Vitamix$449.95 at AmazonVitamix 5200: what that you must know {Photograph}: Marian Bull/The GuardianThis is a workhorse of a blender. It has a max mixing capability of eight cups –sufficient soup for a giant ceremonial dinner! Its huge, angled blades are chrome steel and laser-cut, doing the bidding of a 11.5-amp motor, or about 2 horsepower, as Vitamix prefers to state it. Which means that it will possibly mix frozen bananas into “gentle serve” with ease, pulverize chia seeds, and switch a head of broccoli right into a silky puree.And it does the work rapidly: one other blender I examined, the Cuisinart Hurricane, took so lengthy to mix a smoothie made with ice and frozen fruit that the smoothie was now not chilly. My Vitamix whips up morning smoothies made with greens, seeds, and loads of frozen fruit in lower than a minute.All Vitamix blenders additionally include a tamper, which might be shoved into the opening of the jug cowl to maneuver alongside notably thick mixtures. That is additional useful when attempting to make one thing like peanut butter, which requires a bit of additional agitation, or to smush down a very burly hunk of frozen fruit that’s holding up the remainder of your smoothie.a vitamix 5200 blender with smoothie elements earlier than and after blendingPhotograph: Marian Bull/The GuardianOne of the nice issues about shopping for a Vitamix is its guarantee: every blender comes with a free seven-year guarantee, and you’ll add on an additional three years for $75. A couple of decade in the past, one thing bizarre was taking place with my Vitamix motor, and so they despatched me a substitute half in just a few days, with directions on find out how to repair it. The method was shockingly easy; I haven’t had any points since.SpecificationsDimensions: 20.5 x 8.75 x 7.25 in.Capability: 64oz (eight cups)Weight: 10lb 9ozCord size: 6ftAccessories: Comes with a tamper and a small cookbookJug Materials: BPA-free Tritan CopolyesterWarranty: seven yearsHow I testedTo check Vitamix 5200, I blitzed a handful of concoctions: smoothies chock filled with seeds and greens; soups filled with fibrous kale stems, garlic scapes, and broccoli; peanut butter; and pesto. I additionally crushed ice, which Vitamix fashions can solely do with the help of a tamper. (As soon as I added slightly water – to simulate the preparation of a frozen cocktail with out consuming on the job – each simply whipped up a slushie.) {Photograph}: Marian Bull/The GuardianA tamper can also be needed for peanut butter, and smaller batches of issues like pesto, however with it the 5200 bested its rivals in virtually each check. It turned a chunky soup into velvet; and blended a inexperienced smoothie with out a trace of mulchiness. It efficiently made a scrumptious batch of peanut butter, and it saved my pesto a vibrant inexperienced, relatively than turning it muddy. (Professional tip: if you would like extra-green pesto, go the additional mile and blanch your basil. It’s completely value it.)skip previous publication promotionA information to purchasing fewer, higher merchandise.Privateness Discover: Newsletters might comprise details about charities, on-line adverts, and content material funded by outdoors events. When you don’t have an account, we are going to create a visitor account for you on theguardian.com to ship you this article. You possibly can full full registration at any time. For extra details about how we use your information see our Privateness Coverage. We use Google reCaptcha to guard our web site and the Google Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Service apply.after publication promotionThe Vitamix can also be a cinch to scrub: squirt in some dish cleaning soap, fill it midway with water, and easily mix for a minute. Generally you’ll nonetheless must move a sponge over the jug’s nooks and crannies, however this hardly ever bothers me; I’m rinsing it out anyway. With my morning smoothies, I normally let the blender jug soak within the sink whereas I drink my scrumptious beverage, after which all it wants is a fast wash once I’m achieved. {Photograph}: Marian Bull/The GuardianWhat we loveOne of the largest upgrades from my outdated 4500 to the brand new 5200 is the velocity dial. Once I flip it on, I’ve two choices: I can both flip the swap on the left to “excessive” and let it go ham till the jug holds a easy combination, or I can management the velocity manually with the dial on the middle, beginning at one and going as much as 10. That is the choice I take advantage of each time, partially as a result of it’s much less aggressive – it doesn’t abruptly splash chia seeds to the far edges of the blender – and partially as a result of it assuages my concern of the highest popping off when mixing scorching liquids. (A superb trick I’ve discovered through the years is that in case you are mixing scorching soup, maintain down the highest of the blender with a clear tea towel – that may hold your partitions protected.)The 5200 is probably the best Vitamix out there, with only a easy trio of switches and knobs. The Ascent X sequence, alternatively, consists of timers; particular “recipe settings” for smoothies, frozen drinks, soups, and extra; a digital pulse button; and a “tamper indicator” that tells you when that you must use your tamper. {Photograph}: Marian Bull/The GuardianPersonally, I don’t discover any of those options notably important. I’ve a timer on each my telephone and my range; I usually know if one thing I’m mixing wants the tamper. And I’ve present in my testing that the “settings” for various sorts of drinks and dishes is usually only a query of velocity and time. Because of my eyes and ears, I can normally inform when my smoothie is totally blended.I additionally love the form of the jug. Vitamix’s shorter, 48oz jugs have a wider base than the taller 64oz jugs, and I’ve discovered that the taller jug with a extra slender base makes it simpler to mix small portions of solids with much less want for a tamper. I discovered this to be very true when making a single batch of pesto: within the 5200, the combination whizzed up fantastically, whereas the Ascent’s wider base saved extra of my elements farther away from these razor-sharp blades.What we don’t loveThere’s no method round the truth that all Vitamix blenders include a plastic jug, which might be irritating for anybody anxious about microplastics in meals. Vitamix does promote a stainless-steel jug, however you’ll be able to solely purchase it along with the default 64oz plastic jug. Vitamix sells a “bundle” with the 5200 and the smaller, 48-ounce chrome steel jug for $680, an expensive and irritating possibility for anybody who would possibly need to go stainless steel-only. {Photograph}: Marian Bull/The GuardianSome individuals wrestle with the peak of the 5200: it’s usually too tall to suit beneath a standard-height cabinet. If that’s a problem for you, the Propel 510 has principally the identical performance (two switches and a velocity dial) with a shorter, 48-ounce jug.$349.95 at Vitamix $349.95 at Amazon Lastly, some individuals discover the Vitamix to be very loud. It’s, however I’ve discovered that that is the worth to be paid for any high-speed blender.