Guest guest Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 Hi LeAnn, Thank you for your detailed reply. 1. Chicken salad - I put the chicken and mayo in together so I guess that was my mistake. 2. Nut butter - I had exactly 3 cups of nuts, started on variable 1, increased quickly to 10, then switched to high and used the tamper as you explained. Still it did not work as I expected. It did not turn into a powder as you said. It immediately went to the sides and the blade was " free spinning " . 3. I am on a very limited diet due to health issues and DH does not like milk shakes, smooties, etc. a > > Hello Kania, > > You came to the right place! Sometimes there is a bit of a " learning curve " to how to use the Vitamix, but once you get the basics down, you won't see how you could live without it! (at least that is my goal ;-) > > I'll put my answers to your questions in bold... > > 1. I tried to make chicken salad but it turned out more like pate. I liked it but DH did not like the consistency. How do I make chicken salad so that all the ingredients are blended, but not blended so much that it turns into pate? > > I have a Chicken Salad Recipe on my website. All of my recipes give " how to " information - not just the recipe. http://vitamixlady.com/recipes/#Chicken%20Salad After reviewing this recipe - can you let me know if you did things differently? Let me know if you think these instructions might help you get a chunkier chicken salad next time. > > 2. I tried to make nut butter yesterday following the instructions in the recipe book. The nut butter never started flowing at all. Any time I tried to increase the speed the nut butter would be spread/pushed to the sides and the blades were spinning freely without blending the nuts – not sure that makes sense. Basically, there was no nut butter on the blades. I find it a lot easier to make nut butter in my $45 food processor. > > To make nut butters you should not be able to " increase the speed " , it should already be on High. Nut Butters are ONLY made on high. When you first start the machine, you always start on variable speed 1 then turn the dial up to 10, but THEN to make nut butter you flip the switch on the left from Variable to High. > > Also to make nut butters, you should always use 3 to 3.5 cups of nuts. No more, and no less. It requires enough nuts in the container to properly process nut butter, so too little won't work, and too much can over heat the motor (it's a good idea to check out the FAQ section of my website also as I cover over heating your motor). > > Once you have the 3 to 3.5 cups of (roasted is best) nuts in the container, ramp up the machine and be sure that it is on High. The first thing that will happen is that the nuts will turn into a powder (and fluff up a bit). As soon as the it is not " fluffing up " any more and the powder is starting to fall into the middle (this only takes seconds) begin to use your tamper LIBERALLY. Push that tamper into each corner, going from corner to corner to corner, tamping over, and over, and over. In the beginning, keep the tamper in the corners and do not push down in the middle - the middle is where the air comes in and this helps keep the motor cool. If you plug up that air hole, the motor can over heat. > > While you are pushing the tamper from corner to corner to corner to corner REPEATEDLY and CONTINUOUSLY, what is happening is that each " shove " of the tamper pops an air bubble, and each time that you pull the tamper up, another air bubble forms immediately. Also each " shove " of the tamper is pushing some of the mixture into the blades to be processed. Stop tamping and all you have is an air pocket with blades spinning freely and nothing is getting mixed! > > Slowly you will see the nut butter forming at the bottom of the container and working its way up, and each " shove " of the tamper is mixing more and more of the nut " powder " into the nut butter, until finally, there is no nut " powder " left. > > At this point (when there is very little or no powder left, but it still isn't creamy smooth) I usually try to plug up the air pocket by plunging the tamper down into the middle and holding it down in there. IF you get it right, you will hear a sudden, low growl. If you keep the tamper all of the way down into the container, in the middle, and let it growl for about 5-10 seconds at the most, you should get a really creamy, smooth nut butter. This advice is exactly the opposite of what I stated earlier about keeping the tamper out of the middle, but it is something I do right at the end, only after all of the powder is gone, and only for 10 seconds MAX in order to get the nut butter REALLY smooth and creamy. Here is a helpful post I made to the list about the different sounds the Vitamix makes /message/12471 (check out paragraphs 5 and 6). > > 3. Last but not least – it is very hard to clean. So much of the nut butter I made was stuck in the bottom and hard to get out. Neither my husband nor I drink smoothies, so adding milk or nutmilk, etc. to make a smoothie does not work for us. > > Ah, this it the FUN PART! The best way to clean the Vitamix after making Nut Butters is to make a Milk Shake or Ice Cream that requires nuts like, Peanut/Chocolate/Banana Smoothie! I made nut butter just the other day. I purposely left nut butter in the container, then I added Rice Milk, two Frozen Bananas, and a spoon full of Raw Cocoa Powder. Buzzed that up on High and Voila - my hubby got a delicious, chocolate/banana/peanut butter shake! If you ordered your Vitamix from me, I always see that a 3-pack of Vitamix spatulas are included with your order. These spatulas are very firm all of the way out to the edge, and they are also nice and narrow. I couldn't get along without these spatulas! > > Keep this concept of using what is left over in the container for something else and do it as often as possible. When I finish a Green Smoothie, I always buzz up a bit of water in there and drink it (ok I'm weird). When I make hummus, I leave it in there and try to follow up with a soup. When I make Salsa I always leave a lot in the container, then add and avocado to make guacamole (which I usually eat all for myself in one sitting ;-) > > PLEASE let me know if you were doing things differently, and these tips were helpful! > > Blessings, > Lea Ann Savage > Satellite Beach, FL > (321) 773-7088 (home) > (321-961-9219 (cell) > www.VitamixLady.com > www..com > <))>< > > Begin forwarded message: > > From: " a Carlton " <kristina.carlton@...> > Date: August 7, 2011 10:29:03 AM EDT > < > > Subject: some questions > Reply- > > > Hi, > > > > We bought our Vitamix about a month ago. I do like it but I am not in love with it like I thought I would be. I watched the demonstration at the store and also watched the DVD that came with it. Right now I am not seeing the value in it since it's not cheap, but maybe I am doing something wrong. Here are my issues/questions: > > > > 1. I tried to make chicken salad but it turned out more like pate. I liked it but DH did not like the consistency. How do I make chicken salad so that all the ingredients are blended, but not blended so much that it turns into pate? > > 2. I tried to make nut butter yesterday following the instructions in the recipe book. The nut butter never started flowing at all. Any time I tried to increase the speed the nut butter would be spread/pushed to the sides and the blades were spinning freely without blending the nuts – not sure that makes sense. Basically, there was no nut butter on the blades. I find it a lot easier to make nut butter in my $45 food processor. > > 3. Last but not least – it is very hard to clean. So much of the nut butter I made was stuck in the bottom and hard to get out. Neither my husband nor I drink smoothies, so adding milk or nutmilk, etc. to make a smoothie does not work for us. > > > > Thank you for any suggestions. I want to love my Vitamix like other people love theirs, but right now I am wondering if I need to return it. > > > > Kania > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 You are welcome!I caught my mistake on the "milk shake" recommendation and sent another email… you could use the left over peanut butter in a Thai Soup or it would go awesome in a sweet potato soup as well! Honestly, just about any soup would taste fine with a "touch" of peanut butter in it…Another demonstrator adds an avacado and some dates to the left over peanut butter to make a mousse!What kind of nuts were you using? Peanuts are the best to learn with. Here is a video - does this help any?Hopefully your next attempt at chicken salad will be what you are looking for. I make chopped veggie salads (and chop meats to add to them) all of the time :-) I do find it best to chop each ingredient individually and combine in a bowl with the mayo or salad dressing. Blessings,Lea Ann SavageSatellite Beach, FL(321) 773-7088 (home)(321-961-9219 (cell)))><'>www.VitamixLady.comwww..com<))>< On Aug 7, 2011, at 6:38 PM, Kania wrote: Hi LeAnn, Thank you for your detailed reply. 1. Chicken salad - I put the chicken and mayo in together so I guess that was my mistake. 2. Nut butter - I had exactly 3 cups of nuts, started on variable 1, increased quickly to 10, then switched to high and used the tamper as you explained. Still it did not work as I expected. It did not turn into a powder as you said. It immediately went to the sides and the blade was "free spinning". 3. I am on a very limited diet due to health issues and DH does not like milk shakes, smooties, etc. a > > Hello Kania, > > You came to the right place! Sometimes there is a bit of a "learning curve" to how to use the Vitamix, but once you get the basics down, you won't see how you could live without it! (at least that is my goal ;-) > > I'll put my answers to your questions in bold... > > 1. I tried to make chicken salad but it turned out more like pate. I liked it but DH did not like the consistency. How do I make chicken salad so that all the ingredients are blended, but not blended so much that it turns into pate? > > I have a Chicken Salad Recipe on my website. All of my recipes give "how to" information - not just the recipe. http://vitamixlady.com/recipes/#Chicken%20Salad After reviewing this recipe - can you let me know if you did things differently? Let me know if you think these instructions might help you get a chunkier chicken salad next time. > > 2. I tried to make nut butter yesterday following the instructions in the recipe book. The nut butter never started flowing at all. Any time I tried to increase the speed the nut butter would be spread/pushed to the sides and the blades were spinning freely without blending the nuts – not sure that makes sense. Basically, there was no nut butter on the blades. I find it a lot easier to make nut butter in my $45 food processor. > > To make nut butters you should not be able to "increase the speed", it should already be on High. Nut Butters are ONLY made on high. When you first start the machine, you always start on variable speed 1 then turn the dial up to 10, but THEN to make nut butter you flip the switch on the left from Variable to High. > > Also to make nut butters, you should always use 3 to 3.5 cups of nuts. No more, and no less. It requires enough nuts in the container to properly process nut butter, so too little won't work, and too much can over heat the motor (it's a good idea to check out the FAQ section of my website also as I cover over heating your motor). > > Once you have the 3 to 3.5 cups of (roasted is best) nuts in the container, ramp up the machine and be sure that it is on High. The first thing that will happen is that the nuts will turn into a powder (and fluff up a bit). As soon as the it is not "fluffing up" any more and the powder is starting to fall into the middle (this only takes seconds) begin to use your tamper LIBERALLY. Push that tamper into each corner, going from corner to corner to corner, tamping over, and over, and over. In the beginning, keep the tamper in the corners and do not push down in the middle - the middle is where the air comes in and this helps keep the motor cool. If you plug up that air hole, the motor can over heat. > > While you are pushing the tamper from corner to corner to corner to corner REPEATEDLY and CONTINUOUSLY, what is happening is that each "shove" of the tamper pops an air bubble, and each time that you pull the tamper up, another air bubble forms immediately. Also each "shove" of the tamper is pushing some of the mixture into the blades to be processed. Stop tamping and all you have is an air pocket with blades spinning freely and nothing is getting mixed! > > Slowly you will see the nut butter forming at the bottom of the container and working its way up, and each "shove" of the tamper is mixing more and more of the nut "powder" into the nut butter, until finally, there is no nut "powder" left. > > At this point (when there is very little or no powder left, but it still isn't creamy smooth) I usually try to plug up the air pocket by plunging the tamper down into the middle and holding it down in there. IF you get it right, you will hear a sudden, low growl. If you keep the tamper all of the way down into the container, in the middle, and let it growl for about 5-10 seconds at the most, you should get a really creamy, smooth nut butter. This advice is exactly the opposite of what I stated earlier about keeping the tamper out of the middle, but it is something I do right at the end, only after all of the powder is gone, and only for 10 seconds MAX in order to get the nut butter REALLY smooth and creamy. Here is a helpful post I made to the list about the different sounds the Vitamix makes /message/12471 (check out paragraphs 5 and 6). > > 3. Last but not least – it is very hard to clean. So much of the nut butter I made was stuck in the bottom and hard to get out. Neither my husband nor I drink smoothies, so adding milk or nutmilk, etc. to make a smoothie does not work for us. > > Ah, this it the FUN PART! The best way to clean the Vitamix after making Nut Butters is to make a Milk Shake or Ice Cream that requires nuts like, Peanut/Chocolate/Banana Smoothie! I made nut butter just the other day. I purposely left nut butter in the container, then I added Rice Milk, two Frozen Bananas, and a spoon full of Raw Cocoa Powder. Buzzed that up on High and Voila - my hubby got a delicious, chocolate/banana/peanut butter shake! If you ordered your Vitamix from me, I always see that a 3-pack of Vitamix spatulas are included with your order. These spatulas are very firm all of the way out to the edge, and they are also nice and narrow. I couldn't get along without these spatulas! > > Keep this concept of using what is left over in the container for something else and do it as often as possible. When I finish a Green Smoothie, I always buzz up a bit of water in there and drink it (ok I'm weird). When I make hummus, I leave it in there and try to follow up with a soup. When I make Salsa I always leave a lot in the container, then add and avocado to make guacamole (which I usually eat all for myself in one sitting ;-) > > PLEASE let me know if you were doing things differently, and these tips were helpful! > > Blessings, > Lea Ann Savage > Satellite Beach, FL > (321) 773-7088 (home) > (321-961-9219 (cell) > www.VitamixLady.com > www..com > <))>< > > Begin forwarded message: > > From: "a Carlton" <kristina.carlton@...> > Date: August 7, 2011 10:29:03 AM EDT > < > > Subject: some questions > Reply- > > > Hi, > > > > We bought our Vitamix about a month ago. I do like it but I am not in love with it like I thought I would be. I watched the demonstration at the store and also watched the DVD that came with it. Right now I am not seeing the value in it since it's not cheap, but maybe I am doing something wrong. Here are my issues/questions: > > > > 1. I tried to make chicken salad but it turned out more like pate. I liked it but DH did not like the consistency. How do I make chicken salad so that all the ingredients are blended, but not blended so much that it turns into pate? > > 2. I tried to make nut butter yesterday following the instructions in the recipe book. The nut butter never started flowing at all. Any time I tried to increase the speed the nut butter would be spread/pushed to the sides and the blades were spinning freely without blending the nuts – not sure that makes sense. Basically, there was no nut butter on the blades. I find it a lot easier to make nut butter in my $45 food processor. > > 3. Last but not least – it is very hard to clean. So much of the nut butter I made was stuck in the bottom and hard to get out. Neither my husband nor I drink smoothies, so adding milk or nutmilk, etc. to make a smoothie does not work for us. > > > > Thank you for any suggestions. I want to love my Vitamix like other people love theirs, but right now I am wondering if I need to return it. > > > > Kania > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi LeAnn, I don't eat peanuts....we were making walnut/pecan butter. Right now we are leaning towards taking it back. it's just a lot of money for making soups for DH. Thank you for all your help though. a > > > > Hello Kania, > > > > You came to the right place! Sometimes there is a bit of a " learning curve " to how to use the Vitamix, but once you get the basics down, you won't see how you could live without it! (at least that is my goal ;-) > > > > I'll put my answers to your questions in bold... > > > > 1. I tried to make chicken salad but it turned out more like pate. I liked it but DH did not like the consistency. How do I make chicken salad so that all the ingredients are blended, but not blended so much that it turns into pate? > > > > I have a Chicken Salad Recipe on my website. All of my recipes give " how to " information - not just the recipe. http://vitamixlady.com/recipes/#Chicken%20Salad After reviewing this recipe - can you let me know if you did things differently? Let me know if you think these instructions might help you get a chunkier chicken salad next time. > > > > 2. I tried to make nut butter yesterday following the instructions in the recipe book. The nut butter never started flowing at all. Any time I tried to increase the speed the nut butter would be spread/pushed to the sides and the blades were spinning freely without blending the nuts – not sure that makes sense. Basically, there was no nut butter on the blades. I find it a lot easier to make nut butter in my $45 food processor. > > > > To make nut butters you should not be able to " increase the speed " , it should already be on High. Nut Butters are ONLY made on high. When you first start the machine, you always start on variable speed 1 then turn the dial up to 10, but THEN to make nut butter you flip the switch on the left from Variable to High. > > > > Also to make nut butters, you should always use 3 to 3.5 cups of nuts. No more, and no less. It requires enough nuts in the container to properly process nut butter, so too little won't work, and too much can over heat the motor (it's a good idea to check out the FAQ section of my website also as I cover over heating your motor). > > > > Once you have the 3 to 3.5 cups of (roasted is best) nuts in the container, ramp up the machine and be sure that it is on High. The first thing that will happen is that the nuts will turn into a powder (and fluff up a bit). As soon as the it is not " fluffing up " any more and the powder is starting to fall into the middle (this only takes seconds) begin to use your tamper LIBERALLY. Push that tamper into each corner, going from corner to corner to corner, tamping over, and over, and over. In the beginning, keep the tamper in the corners and do not push down in the middle - the middle is where the air comes in and this helps keep the motor cool. If you plug up that air hole, the motor can over heat. > > > > While you are pushing the tamper from corner to corner to corner to corner REPEATEDLY and CONTINUOUSLY, what is happening is that each " shove " of the tamper pops an air bubble, and each time that you pull the tamper up, another air bubble forms immediately. Also each " shove " of the tamper is pushing some of the mixture into the blades to be processed. Stop tamping and all you have is an air pocket with blades spinning freely and nothing is getting mixed! > > > > Slowly you will see the nut butter forming at the bottom of the container and working its way up, and each " shove " of the tamper is mixing more and more of the nut " powder " into the nut butter, until finally, there is no nut " powder " left. > > > > At this point (when there is very little or no powder left, but it still isn't creamy smooth) I usually try to plug up the air pocket by plunging the tamper down into the middle and holding it down in there. IF you get it right, you will hear a sudden, low growl. If you keep the tamper all of the way down into the container, in the middle, and let it growl for about 5-10 seconds at the most, you should get a really creamy, smooth nut butter. This advice is exactly the opposite of what I stated earlier about keeping the tamper out of the middle, but it is something I do right at the end, only after all of the powder is gone, and only for 10 seconds MAX in order to get the nut butter REALLY smooth and creamy. Here is a helpful post I made to the list about the different sounds the Vitamix makes /message/12471 (check out paragraphs 5 and 6). > > > > 3. Last but not least – it is very hard to clean. So much of the nut butter I made was stuck in the bottom and hard to get out. Neither my husband nor I drink smoothies, so adding milk or nutmilk, etc. to make a smoothie does not work for us. > > > > Ah, this it the FUN PART! The best way to clean the Vitamix after making Nut Butters is to make a Milk Shake or Ice Cream that requires nuts like, Peanut/Chocolate/Banana Smoothie! I made nut butter just the other day. I purposely left nut butter in the container, then I added Rice Milk, two Frozen Bananas, and a spoon full of Raw Cocoa Powder. Buzzed that up on High and Voila - my hubby got a delicious, chocolate/banana/peanut butter shake! If you ordered your Vitamix from me, I always see that a 3-pack of Vitamix spatulas are included with your order. These spatulas are very firm all of the way out to the edge, and they are also nice and narrow. I couldn't get along without these spatulas! > > > > Keep this concept of using what is left over in the container for something else and do it as often as possible. When I finish a Green Smoothie, I always buzz up a bit of water in there and drink it (ok I'm weird). When I make hummus, I leave it in there and try to follow up with a soup. When I make Salsa I always leave a lot in the container, then add and avocado to make guacamole (which I usually eat all for myself in one sitting ;-) > > > > PLEASE let me know if you were doing things differently, and these tips were helpful! > > > > Blessings, > > Lea Ann Savage > > Satellite Beach, FL > > (321) 773-7088 (home) > > (321-961-9219 (cell) > > www.VitamixLady.com > > www..com > > <))>< > > > > Begin forwarded message: > > > > From: " a Carlton " <kristina.carlton@> > > Date: August 7, 2011 10:29:03 AM EDT > > < > > > Subject: some questions > > Reply- > > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > > > We bought our Vitamix about a month ago. I do like it but I am not in love with it like I thought I would be. I watched the demonstration at the store and also watched the DVD that came with it. Right now I am not seeing the value in it since it's not cheap, but maybe I am doing something wrong. Here are my issues/questions: > > > > > > > > 1. I tried to make chicken salad but it turned out more like pate. I liked it but DH did not like the consistency. How do I make chicken salad so that all the ingredients are blended, but not blended so much that it turns into pate? > > > > 2. I tried to make nut butter yesterday following the instructions in the recipe book. The nut butter never started flowing at all. Any time I tried to increase the speed the nut butter would be spread/pushed to the sides and the blades were spinning freely without blending the nuts – not sure that makes sense. Basically, there was no nut butter on the blades. I find it a lot easier to make nut butter in my $45 food processor. > > > > 3. Last but not least – it is very hard to clean. So much of the nut butter I made was stuck in the bottom and hard to get out. Neither my husband nor I drink smoothies, so adding milk or nutmilk, etc. to make a smoothie does not work for us. > > > > > > > > Thank you for any suggestions. I want to love my Vitamix like other people love theirs, but right now I am wondering if I need to return it. > > > > > > > > Kania > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.