
Blendtec: A 99% Rationale
I love gadgets and my kitchen is full of them: mini-food processor, mini-crockpot, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid, deep fat fryer, slow cooker… You get the picture, but one item I’ve always lacked was a blender…until recently. I splurged and went with a Blendtec Total Blender, $400 worth of blending goodness. Yes, $400. I get that this is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a blender when there are tons of cheaper blenders out there, and I’m sure something as simple as a Magic Bullet would suffice for smoothies.
Here’s my justification. I’ve been on a smoothie kick of late but the only place I can find one close to my office is at Whole Foods. They charge $7.50 a drink which I think is a little absurd for some blended frozen fruit and ice. A couple of bags of frozen fruit — enough for five smoothies — is $12, plus a carton of coconut water is $3.95. Instead of spending $37.50 on smoothies a week I’m now spending $15. A weekly saving of $21.50. In 19 weeks I’m going to be even. In 20 weeks that $400 Blendtec will start saving me money.
The BF thinks my rational is ridiculous. He thinks the idea of spending $7.50 on a smoothie to begin with is too much. I’m sure he’s not alone in thinking that. But he’s wrong. In addition to saving money, it’s pretty to look at and I will make many other things in the blender, not just smoothies — margaritas for instance.
Who’s right? Leave your thoughts in the comments, and enjoy a recipe for my smoothie du jour.
1 Cup of pineapple chunks
1 Cup of Mango chunks
1 Cup of blueberries
200ml plain coconut water
If I’m going to the gym I’ll throw in a serving of whey protein. I’ve been using the same tub of powder for about two months. I don’t go to the gym all that often.
Tip: I let the frozen fruit thaw in the fridge overnight; makes for a more straw friendly smoothie in the morning.
I think it is worth it if you are a smoothie fanatic. I’ve been using a cheapo blender for a while and it is starting to lose its oomph. The Blendtec and Vitamix are both looking pretty good. Plus, like you said, frozen cocktails! And delicious potato-based purees! And restaurant-quality soups! And, if you are procreationally-inclined, you can save a TON on baby food.
i covet those high-speed blenders, but the price tag has always inhibited me. then again, i’ve bought an Excalibur Dehydrator at $200, and same for my Champion juicer so… maybe some day when i have a sugar daddy 😉
oh ps – i just really want to make actually *smooth* cashew creme. even if i powder the cashews in my blender before adding water it still ends up grainy. sigh.
Your rationale is correct – you are saving money. But couldn’t a $40 blender also produce smoothies and save you an additional $360?
Our magic bullet broke the first time we tried to make margaritas in it. So…yes, $400 is fine, IF it makes booze things.
And just think, you can also make peanut butter, almond butter, pesto, mayonnaise, etc. etc. etc. and save money on the store-bought versions of those. Totally worth it.
Your rationalizing reminds me of myself. I love gadgets, too, and have been trying to rationalize buying a kitchenaid mixer. I have a cuisinart blender, and it was more expensive than normal, and I LOVE it! Your BF is crazy! 🙂
I’m with Janine up above. Why spend that much on a blender. I love my Oster. Those smoothies would be like PROFIT!