The Vita-Mix Professional Series 500 blender

There is no better marriage than good wine and good food (well, maybe I’m exaggerating… ice cold beer and fishing are also a perfect match in my opinion). If you’re a wine enthusiast or connoisseur, chances are you’ll agree. In my experience traversing the wonderful world of wine, I discovered that many wine 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’s another thing to prepare a meal at home that could be served in a big restaurant. The satisfying feeling of serving your friends or family a meticulously created dish, from the combination of the ingredients to the garnishing of the garnish, is simply breathtaking. Making your own fine dining is so much easier with great equipment. I remember the pièce de résistance in my mother’s (and her mother’s) kitchen was always the KitchenAid® stand mixer with all the bells and whistles. While this piece of equipment remains a fabulous 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 up a strong reputation for quality, reliability and durability among culinary experts. They are used commercially by professionals and at home by cooking enthusiasts alike. What I find really impressive is that each of their machines is built at their headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, even though they are sold in over 75 countries. Equally 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 Vita-Mix’s CIA Professional Series. If “The World’s Premier Culinary College” is prepared to lend its name to a line of products, it knows they have to be good: the institution is not one of those dime trade schools advertised through real-life commercials. . aimed at kids looking for something to get them off the couch. It’s the real deal.

The Vita-Mix blender: why to buy it

I’ve found that the Vita-Mix Professional Series 500 blender can do everything a food processor can and at the same time “crush” its competition 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!), make juicing, emulsify homemade salad dressings (I hate when poorly emulsified dressings separate and leave a lot of oil on the lettuce), make great smoothies…and still better, frozen drinks (I live near Margaritaville, so this is an important feature for me!). You can also prepare dough. The good thing is that although it can do all these things and many more, it is very easy to use. Another advantage is that the container is made of 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 downsides?

In my opinion, the only thing that could be perceived as a bit 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 regular blender and I’ll be honest about that. But, if you’re really passionate about cooking and have the budget, I’d say this is definitely something to consider. If you do consider it, keep in mind that there is a 7-year parts and performance 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 gamble. 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…might turn out to be the same. Lastly, the Vita-Mix 500 Series blender comes with a gourmet cookbook and DVD cooking class with celebrity chef Michael Symon, great little extras.

Greetings… and good luck!