Vitamix TSV 24/08/13

[iloveshopping]

Yippee mine was shipped today. Hopefully will get it Tuesday.

 

[Letz-be-avenue]

Please let us know what you think of it, when it arrives, it's got great reviews so far! X

 

[Jockscrap]

For chopping onions, have the VM RUNNING on 1 or 2 and drop a quartered onion through the lid.

I can't comment on juicers as I have never owned one, but they look a heck of a faff, hard to clean and wasteful to me.

I still have my stick blender (Bamix, good one, which I used a lot until I got my VM), which still has its occasional use. I think it is easier to stick blend a pan of soup in the pan than transfer to and from the VM. Can't think what else I've used it for recently.

Food processor: still used fairly regularly, and definitely wouldn't ditch. I still use it for pastry, biscuit and cake making (I have done a sponge mix in the VM and it was okay, but my Magimix is better). Again, it isn't used as often as the VM performs a lot of the same tasks but is MUCH quicker and easier to clean, and is out all the time.

Blender: I can't see any further use for a regular blender.

 

[louise66]

To make liver cake I take:
The CHEAPEST liver I can find usually OX
Eggs,
Olive oil,
Rice flour,
Oat flour,
Dried herbs ,garlic powder
1: Grind the oats and rice until it is fine (in the Vitamix).
2:Blend the liver with the eggs ( in the Vitamix, it will look as though someone has died) until smooth.
3: Add the olive oil
4: SLOWLY add in the herbs, garlic, rice and oat flour until it is like cake mixture.
5our in to a shallow baking tin (I use my Q silicon bake ware) until it is about half an inch thick.
6: Microwave until it is set.
7: Allow to go cold
8: Cut into the size pieces you need
9: Put back into a large baking tin in a single layer and put BACK INTO a HOT oven to dry out.
10: How long you leave it depends on how hard you need it.
I always make a BIG batch and store some in an air tight container and freeze the rest.
I use this for training classes ,treats during the day and when out walking as a reward for coming back to me. I quite often have a trail of dogs following me down the beach.
It sounds a lot more difficult than it actually is and there are no hard and fast quantities I just use my instinct.

Thanks, Madmax, and I'm sure my two guys will thank you when they've tried it. Looks quite healthy and, because boxers have such sensitive stomachs, I watch what I give them.

 

[madmax]

Thanks, Madmax, and I'm sure my two guys will thank you when they've tried it. Looks quite healthy and, because boxers have such sensitive stomachs, I watch what I give them.

I have tried to remove a lot of the ingredients that can upset their stomachs. Which is why I use rice and oat flour not wheat.
I also like the fact that I know exactly what has gone into the treats rather than buying them which if you read the labels can be full of additives and E numbers.
I sometimes replace the liver with left over chicken which works just as well.
Good luck with them and I hope they love them as much as my 3 do.

 

[Snowstorm]

Really looking forward to seeing what you all think once it arrives!

 

[iloveshopping]

It's arrived even though the DX tracking number kept saying a msg about unknown tracking numberl

 

[louise66]

I have tried to remove a lot of the ingredients that can upset their stomachs. Which is why I use rice and oat flour not wheat.
I also like the fact that I know exactly what has gone into the treats rather than buying them which if you read the labels can be full of additives and E numbers.
I sometimes replace the liver with left over chicken which works just as well.
Good luck with them and I hope they love them as much as my 3 do.

Thanks again, Madmax, I'll probably make it quite soft, as my older guy, the dad, has a problem with his throat, so I've to be extra careful what I give him. I'm vegetarian but, to be honest, I think dogs need their meat, and I do like them having liver, as a change from their James Wellbeloved fish kibble.

 

[stratobuddy]

On one of the threads it said that the IW Omniblend is 3 hp. I've just had a look, and the motor is 950 watts. Even if a motor is 100% efficient, 1 hp needs 746 watts. So a 950 watt motor CANNOT be more than 1.27 hp.

It is all explained in Wiki and there are various sites to convert watts to hp.

So IW must have found a way to overcome the laws of physics!

 

[iloveshopping]

I've had a smoothie with frozen mango and banana with yoghurt which I didn't like (my own concoction). Then an apple with apple and mango juice which turned out I like a cloudy apple juice but thicker. An iced latte coffee - very nice. Some summer squash soup from recipe book - very smooth. It's deffo just a blender but a very powerful blender. My old Kenwood blender would burn out quick with this amount of use. I do like the fact that you just place it on its base - no locking it into place. I like flicking the on switch and rotating dials, very seventies cars feel.
I think I will keep it rather than buy the cheaper omniblend because it is more powerful. Spare parts will be easier to source if needed. I'd rather keep one blender than have to buy another one in possibly five years time. The QVC creation vitamix is only guaranteed for 5 years - no idea why.
The insulated smoothie cup isn't of much interest. The recipe book is inspiring.
All done it is just a blender but a quality one and I can intend to use it a lot.

 

[iloveshopping]

Making cocktails now - a slippery road to ruin. Here is another recipe book from the Lakeland site where they sell the smaller vitamix.http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16900/Vitamix-Aspire-Black. - look under useful documents for the PDF link.
I have also been looking at magimix blender - the one that has a separate grinder at around £199, £155 without the separate grinder. Gets good reviews on amazon and john lewis.
I could be tempted to buy it and return the vitamix.

 

[Tiddlywinks]

Mine is here but I'm in two minds.... I ordered red but it's a sort of burgundy colour which is a bit disappointing.

Also, it is LOUD... You can hear it outside even with the windows closed... and I'm used to loud noise as I live near a flight path! More worrying, the lights in the kitchen dipped slightly when I switched it on . Dread to think how much power it's using for a six minute soup.

I'm hoping Stratobuddy might be able to give me a clue about whether I should be worried.

Anyway, I'll give it a go and see if I can stand the noise and hope the electrics can take it.

I'll report back soon...

 

[stratobuddy]

The machine MUST have a label on it stating how many watts it uses. If you let me know I'll tell you more info.

Some models are up to 1500 watts according to Google. However, a normal kettle is much more than this, about 2500 watts. However, a kettle uses "clean" power, whereas a motor is "dirty" and could have a power surge when it starts up, unlike a kettle, even if it uses less power in total.

Try it in the same socket as you normally use your kettle and see what happens.

 

[bsj]

Making cocktails now - a slippery road to ruin. Here is another recipe book from the Lakeland site where they sell the smaller vitamix.http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16900/Vitamix-Aspire-Black. - look under useful documents for the PDF link.
I have also been looking at magimix blender - the one that has a separate grinder at around £199, £155 without the separate grinder. Gets good reviews on amazon and john lewis.
I could be tempted to buy it and return the vitamix.

What's the recipe book like that came with the QVC vitamix, are there many more recipes than in the Lakeland one? Thanks

 

[iloveshopping]

Had a quick compare so far the qvc book is larger. 23 soup recipes compared to 13 in the lakeland book. Some recipes are the same in both books and some are different. The qvc creations book has more than 400 pages compared to lakeland at 176 pages.
The qvc vitamix machine was made especially for qvc and only has a 5 year guarantee.

 

[iloveshopping]

The machine MUST have a label on it stating how many watts it uses. If you let me know I'll tell you more info.

Some models are up to 1500 watts according to Google. However, a normal kettle is much more than this, about 2500 watts. However, a kettle uses "clean" power, whereas a motor is "dirty" and could have a power surge when it starts up, unlike a kettle, even if it uses less power in total.

Try it in the same socket as you normally use your kettle and see what happens.

It says 220-240v 50hz 1000 -1200w. Nothing dims here when I use it. I'm not planning to use it to make hot soup. I use it for cocktails, iced cafe latte, making muffins, green smoothies. I do like it but it is a lot of dosh

 

[Akimbo]

:bandit:Flickering lights you say?

Are you making smoothies with it or re-animating a corpse? :devil:

Mwahhhh hhahhh hhhaaaaaa! :grin:

 

[stratobuddy]

It will probably be about 1100 watts then, as our electricity is 230 volts these days. The motor will probably be just over 1 HP.

I wish they didn't have a "specially made for QVC" model, the reduced guarantee sounds like they made a "cheap and nasty" one to get the price low (well, not actually LOW, but more profit for Q). I think the IW model was a standard one.

It shouldn't dim the lights though, which is why I suggested trying a different socket above. The lights should be on a different mains circuit to the sockets in any case.

I don't see the point in running it for 6 minutes to heat up soup. I would just liquidise the ingredients then put it into a saucepan to heat, much more efficient use of energy.

 

[Akimbo]

I don't see the point in running it for 6 minutes to heat up soup. I would just liquidise the ingredients then put it into a saucepan to heat, much more efficient use of energy.

LOL! I didn't hear them mention this in their sales patter!

 

[bsj]

Had a quick compare so far the qvc book is larger. 23 soup recipes compared to 13 in the lakeland book. Some recipes are the same in both books and some are different. The qvc creations book has more than 400 pages compared to lakeland at 176 pages.
The qvc vitamix machine was made especially for qvc and only has a 5 year guarantee.

Thanks for that, I had bought the Aspire form Lakeland only a couple of weeks ago, loved it but I returned it just last week as the jug developed some strange cracks, , I ordered the TSV one, but I'm still waiting for it to arrive, but I miss it so much, was tempted to go back to Lakeland and buy again. According to QVC customer service it could be next Friday before its here, I thought it would arrive this week. Tempted to go back to Lakeland and just refuse delivery from the courier when QVC finally decide to deliver (I'm starting to think its lost), but if the book has more recipes, might be worth the wait, I cant go another week without my Vitamix! Only other difference is the jug size and the colour, but I read the red is not a true red but more burgundy. Price wise there is very little difference. Decisions decisions.... Oh and the Lakeland one is also a 5 year warranty.