I’ve debated purchasing a Vitamix for years. Will I use it? Is the expense worth it? As a professional chef, I’ve known the answer all along. The answer is yes!
I finally took the plunge and am happy to say that I am the proud new owner of a sexy, red Vitamix. Just FYI, I had the same debate with myself about purchasing a food processor years ago. The food processor has been totally worth it, and no, the two machines aren’t interchangeable.
The first project I decided to take on with my new love was homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (a.k.a. Nutella).
I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of making my own almond or peanut butter, so why not go all out and make Nutella instead? So, I did like anyone else would do, and I looked up a recipe on the interwebs.
As I was reading through the ingredients, I noticed the recipe called for milk. I thought this seemed strange, but against my own judgement, I added the milk. Just as I had suspected, the mixture wasn’t spreadable… it was pourable; more like a thin pudding.
How could I remedy this ‘milkshake’ back into an actual spreadable consistency? The only thing I knew to do was to toast more hazelnuts, melt more chocolate, make a new ‘thick’ batch and re-blend with the already existing batch.
Thankfully, this plan worked! Plus, now I have even more to share with friends.
Here is another Nutella recipe by the Minimalist Baker (also referenced in Tom’s blog on vegan peanut butter mousse).
Want to experiment with more nut butters at home? Here's a graphic from eReplacement Parts on how to make a variety of nut butters using your Vitamix blender, as well as some ideas on how to use them.
Do you know when to use your blender, immersion blender or food processor? Bon Appetit has a good article about the different machines. The Chopping Block also developed our own guide which includes tips and recipe suggestions for each electric. Download our Food Processor vs. Blender vs. Immersion Blender guide today!