The Vita-Mix Professional Series 500 blender

There is no better marriage than good wine and good food (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating… ice cold beer and fishing are also a perfect couple in my opinion). If you are a wine enthusiast or connoisseur, you will most likely agree. In my experience traversing the wonderful world of wine, I discovered that many drink lovers also love to cook, and cook like professionals. It’s one thing to go to a fancy restaurant and enjoy gourmet food, and don’t get me wrong, I love to do that, but it is another thing to prepare a meal at home that could be served in a large restaurant. The feeling of satisfaction from serving your friends or family a meticulously created dish, from the combination of ingredients to the garnish garnish, is simply breathtaking. Making your own fine food is much easier with excellent equipment. I remember the pièce de résistance in my mom’s (and her mom’s) kitchen was always the KitchenAid® Stand Mixer with all the bells and whistles. While this piece of equipment is still a terrific addition to a culinary arsenal, I found another exceptional product that I don’t know how I lived without all these years: the Vita-Mix Professional Series 500 blender.

Vita-Mix: the brand

Established in 1921, the Vita-Mix brand has built a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and durability among culinary experts. They are used commercially by professionals and in the home by cooking enthusiasts alike. What I find really impressive is that every one of their machines is built at their headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, even though they are sold in over 75 countries. Just as impressive, if not more so, is that the Culinary Institute of America has endorsed and partnered with Vita-Mix on their professional series of products; it’s actually called the CIA Professional Series by Vita-Mix. If “The World’s Premier Culinary College” is prepared to lend its name to a line of products, it knows they’ve got to be good: The institution isn’t one of those dime-a-dime trade schools advertised through real-life commercials. . aimed at children looking for something to get them off the couch. It’s the real deal.

The Vita-Mix blender: why buy it

I found that the Vita-Mix Professional Series 500 blender can do everything a food processor can do, and at the same time “crush” its competitors by doing what traditional blenders do…like a blender on steroids. I think its strengths are pureeing soups and sauces, crushing ice, grinding your own spices or coffee beans (great feature for people who like to grind their own beans…also for recipes that include coffee, like a succulent Kona crusted steak)…yum!), juicing, emulsifying homemade salad dressings (I hate it when poorly emulsified dressings separate and leave a lot of oil on the lettuce), making great smoothies…and still better, frozen drinks (I live near Margaritaville, so this is a big feature for me!). You can also prepare dough. The good thing is that while it can do all of these things and more, it’s very easy to use. Another plus is that the container is made from BAPA-free Eastman Tritan copolyester; It is more durable, lighter and safer than a heavy glass container. I could go on and on about its outstanding features and quality engineering, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll just say that I’m a huge fan…

Are there any disadvantages?

In my opinion, the only thing that could be perceived as a bit of a negative about the Vita-Mix Professional Series 500 blender is its cost. You’re going to pay more for it than you would for a run-of-the-mill blender and I’ll be honest about it. But, if you’re really passionate about cooking and have the budget, I’d say it’s definitely something to consider. If you do consider it, note that there is a 7 year performance and parts warranty on the machine, which is pretty incredible. If they’re willing to offer that kind of guarantee, they know they know the integrity of the machine and we’re willing to take that bet. Also, if you do a lot of cooking, you’ll probably use at least a couple of blenders over the years – add up the replacements and do the math… it could turn out to be the same thing. Lastly, the Vita-Mix 500 Series blender comes with a gourmet cookbook and DVD cooking class with celebrity chef Michael Symon – great little extras.

Regards… and bon appetit!