Vitamix vs. Blendtec vs. Ninja

WHICH BLENDER?!!?

To solve the ongoing dispute as to which blender/whole foods juicer should rule the blender & juicer world (and no, the $40 Black & Decker one is not in the running), we bought all three leading blenders:  Vitamix 5200S, Blendtec Total Blender, and Ninja Kitchen System 1100.

We made several recipes in all three blenders in order to gauge which blender performs the best, as well as which one is the best bang for your dollar.

Recipes:
Berry Ice Cream
Pineapple Juice
Carrot Juice
Green Smoothie
Spinach & Broccoli Soup

The Berry Ice Cream turned out find in the Vitamix and the Blendtec, though the berries were a little coarser in the Blendtec.  The Ninja left a lot of berry seeds.

The Pineapple juice was silky smooth in the Vitamix, which says a lot because Pineapple is very hard to make into a smooth juice with all the fibers in the fruit.  The Blendtec required a lot of chewing, and we even let it run twice as long as the Vitamix.  The Ninja got to run 4 times as long as the Vitamix, and it still had a lot of fibers in the juice.

Carrot Juice was a dream in the Vitamix.  We had to run it a little bit longer than we did with other fruits & veggies to get it smooth, but it turned out nicely.  The Blendtec did well with the carrot juice too, though it still was not as smooth as the Vitamix.  The Ninja's carrot juice practically required a fork.  It was like eating crunchy carrot salad (which is to say that the Ninja is abysmal at making high-fiber foods into juices.)

Green smoothies turned out well in all three blenders, with a lot of extra pulp remaining in the Ninja's smoothie.

Finally, the Spinach and Broccoli soup was piping hot and smooth in the Vitamix and the Blendtec.  The Ninja can't heat up soups.

The winner in this contest was, of course, the Vitamix.  The Blendtec was a close second, and the Ninja should have been thrown in the garbage (but we just took it back to Costco instead.)

Here's our analysis:

Vitamix:
Vitamix outperformed the other two blenders in every recipe we tried.  It blended high-fiber produce better, obliterated berry seeds, and made an excellent soup.  It is a little bit louder than the Blendtec, but it performs better.  The taper (little stick to push down your ingredients) comes in very handy if you're whole foods juicing without a lot of added liquid.  It also tends to be a tad pricier if you need the latest model (featuring the same motor, but added presets like the Blendtec has), but you can find great deals on the previous model that performs just as admirably.  Even though the Vitamix doesn't boast as powerful a motor as the Blendtec, it still outperformed the competition.

Blendtec:
This blender did a find job on smoothies and soups.  It didn't make juices nearly as smooth as the Vitamix, even when running for extra time.  Many people like the presets and digital controls.  It also fits on your counter more nicely than the Vitamix, if that's important to you.  If you're not good at layering your foods correctly in the blender, you'll have a hard time with the Blendtec because your foods will get stuck a lot (this is where Vitamix's tamper comes in handy.)  This blender was a close second to the Vitamix.

Ninja:
If you're determined to buy a cost-effective, junky blender, don't bother with the Ninja.  Just buy the $40 Black & Decker blender and know that you're getting a blender that will not perform impressively.

If you're still not sure whether you need a high-powered blender that costs a few hundred dollars, visit our associate's website:  www.greensmoothiegirl.com.  Robyn Openshaw, founder of the website, explores with great credibility and personal testimony the value of whole foods juicing with a powerful blender.

We took back the Blendtec and the Ninja, and have been in love with the Vitamix ever since we got it. We use it twice a day, sometimes more.  It's been one of the best investments we've made, and our diets and and health have benefited in wonderful ways since turning to the Vitamix.  If you haven't tried adding whole foods juicing to your lifestyle, do it now!

Omar's Rawtopia

Gourmet and almost too good to be healthy - That's what we experienced at Omar's Rawtopia.  

You read right; the entire restaurant is raw food, and everything is organic too.  Not only is it super healthy, it's one of our favorite places we've eaten.  This is the place to go if you think that nutritious, vegetarian food can't taste good.  And if you're used to enjoying good, healthy food, this will be your new favorite shindig.


Here's the menu we tried:
Appetizer - Almond Hummus and Tabouli

Main Course - Sweet Basil Seaweed Roll (A gourmet nori roll with your choice of macadamia nut rice, or hemp seeds, rolled with avocados, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, alfalfa sprouts, sweet basil sauce, and love.)


Bean Burrito (Beans consist of a purée of Tahini and sunflower seeds mixed with Mexican herbs, and spices. Topped with macadamia nut sour cream, sprouts, and served wrapped in collard greens,
or with crackers, lettuce, cabbage, and love.)

Desert - Chocolate Caramel Pie (Brazil nut crust with agave, chocolate mouse, carob chips, natural caramel sauce, and love.)

Besides the fact that we finished the meal feeling energized and great about our bodies, we loved every single bite of each dish.  The sweet basil sauce was so good that I ate the extra like it was soup.  The bean burrito had a full, savory mexican flavor, and the macadamia nut sour cream made me wish I would never have to eat real sour cream gain.  The only thing we regretted was the desert - and that's because we were so full from everything else.  But of course we loved the naturally sweetened desert with that perfect nutty crust.


Omar's Rawtopia opened in 2005.  It's Salt Lake City's only organic all raw restaurant.  The company is sustainable, boasting very little waste and using almost all biodegradable products.  They support local farmers and sustainable agriculture.

The success and uniqueness of the restaurant is due to its owner, Omar.  We enjoyed learning about why he runs a creative restaurant that serves such atypical and delicious food.  "Why raw foods?" He says, "Because it's the best thing ever.  It's amazing how when you go out to eat, you feel bloated.  When you eat at my restaurant, you leave feeling good."  And he's exactly right.  Every guest we saw at the place was happy, including us.  Omar's vision of inspiring people with good food and love lets his guests leave feeling healthier and well-cared for.  He's all about educating people to raise awareness of how we can all learn to be our own doctors by taking better care of our health.  "I care about people's health.  I care about how they feel when they leave here.  I care about how I can inspire them in life and how they can inspire me," Omar says.

In short, we give this restaurant full marks.  A+ for presentation, A+ for excellent dishes with wonderfully unique flavors, and A+ for the kindest service you'll find.

Omar's Rawtopia

2148 Highland Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
801.486.0332