[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION] - so, I've yet to use my Nutribullet blender- need to do groceries. I always wanted to make my own 'green machine' type smoothies [mix of veggies & fruits]. I was wondering, in your experience so far- are there any particular raw veggies I should avoid trying to put in the Nutribullet? It'd suck to break it, by accident, or something. I've heard so many good things about it.
Thanks, in advance, lady!
Ah! No problem! In my experience, the food type itself is not so bad.. But the smaller something is, the better. So if you have baby carrots, I'd chop them up into smaller sections or just have a couple in there. Here are the things that will 'break' the nutribullet:
- Overfilling it. When it says 'max' it MEANS it. And it doesn't hurt to go a touch under--if you're packing things in, that doesn't really count.
- Not screwing the lid on tight enough. I did a mixture of the 'Oh, it's just a bit over the max line, no big deal' and not screwing the lid on Juuuust a smidge too loose. In a completely unrelated note, It is impossible to clean the inside of the machine base itself if it gets full of green smoothie without completely taking it apart to its bare bone pieces.
- The 'blender' blade NEEDS more liquids than solids just like a regular blender. The milling blade does not need any liquids, and it works better than a coffee grinder for things like cookies, nuts, and flax seeds.. But it cannot handle large quantities at all. Small, shallow quantities are best. (Also, we made an amazing chocolate mousse in it today.... but on to the subject at hand!) What I HAVE found, though, is that the blender..it really doesn't like big frozen items. Mango chunks, banana pieces, etc. It's fine with cranberries, blackberries, and smaller frozen things, but the bigger chunky items usually always have pieces left behind. I don't really care one way or the other, but its a note. Also, the frozen items really thicken up the smoothie, so too much frozen stuff and cold liquids will make it difficult for the bullet to churn it.
- The machine seems to sound not-so-loud for like. One use. Seriously, after the first time I used it, every other time it's been stupid loud. The commercials are extremely misleading about that. So you didn't necessarily break it if it starts to make really loud, god-awful dinosaur-baby-high-pitched-shrieking noises.
- It doesn't really like hard foods. Beets, raw potatoes, things like that. Those have to be softened in one form or another before being used.
- This has nothing to do with raw/organic foods themselves.. but if you're stacking things in, pour thicker things like honey or powders over the top of the batch instead of on the bottom.. They tend to stick to the bottom of the cup and don't get totally blended in.
Other than that, I haven't really found a food item that would go into a smoothie that it hates so far. Here's a list of foods I typically use though, just in case: spinach, kale, softened broccoli, lettuce, beets, frozen berries, bananas, mangoes, pears, apples, peaches, flax seed (I usually mill it and just add it in via powder form), and just about every soup I ever make.