Vitamix Ascent X5 Is the Best Blender I’ve Ever Tried.
Blenders are a staple appliance for all chefs, and if you are one of them, you should consider upgrading. In my 12+ years as a professional chef, I have spent most of my time telling people to consider a good food processor rather than a blender. That was until I tested the Vitamix Ascent X5. I have to say that after extensive testing of the Vitamix’s properties, I’m pretty darn impressed.
Vitamix Ascension X5
Vitamix is a well-established name in the blender world, so it didn’t surprise me that their brand’s newest line would be a force to be reckoned with. The Ascent X series includes four models: X2, X3, X4 and X5, with prices ranging from $550 to $750. These are not budget models, that’s for sure. Keep in mind that good blenders from inexpensive brands still cost $200 or more.
This blender has 10 preset programs, including smoothies, sauces, nut butters, and hot soup. It also features a tamper (more useful than I expected) and the digital touchscreen display is backlit and easy to navigate.
The warranty for a specific device is 10 years. Not only is it nice to know that you can get help if you need it, but also that the company fully expects this device to last at least ten years. You can imagine the cost of $75 for a year of use.
However, I wanted to know if the performance was worth the money. So I put the machine through tests that many blenders fail to handle.
Testing Vitamix Ascent X5
Even the worst blender can make a smoothie, so I skipped that and instead made a series of three samples: bean dip, nut butter, and hot soup. These recipes have sticky ingredients that most blenders can’t completely blend, let alone turn into a smooth paste. The soup may seem simple, but the special challenge here is that Vitamix claims that the soup can be made and reheated right in the blender. Apparently, the friction of the blade will get hot enough to heat the entire batch of soup in about seven minutes.
Bean Dipping Test
I decided now was a good time to make my favorite kalamata and white bean sauce, so I gathered the ingredients and added them. I usually prepare this dish in a food processor. Because beans are sticky, if I make this (or any other bean sauce) in a blender, some of the beans will break just above the blade, causing the bottom beans to be overly pureed and the top beans to be barely crushed. The process of stopping the machine and dropping the beans repeatedly becomes annoying.
However, not with the Vitamix Ascent X5. I went to the incline preset using the rotary knob and pressed start. The machine used two different set speeds to completely devour the ingredients. In less than three minutes, I made the creamiest kalamata bean sauce. The only thing I was missing from the food processor was adding a few olives, so instead I chopped them with a knife and mixed them into the sauce at the end.
Hot soup test
For this test, I decided to make a simple tomato soup. At this point, I knew the soup would be smooth, so I wanted to see if the keep warm function was just empty words.
Well: I was confused. Stunned. A little scared. This machine did exactly what it promised and made me perfectly hot soup.
I roasted the tomatoes in the oven and added them, seeds and all, to the blender. I added some roasted garlic cloves, tomato paste, chicken broth and seasonings, went to the hot soup icon on the touch screen and pressed play. Most other functions do their job in about three minutes, but the hot soup function lasts seven minutes. I first noticed that the color of the mixture is pale pink, which you can see in the picture. After a couple of minutes, I didn’t notice much change, so I left the room to check again.
When I returned after leaving a couple of minutes in the program, there was a noticeably different color and steam at the top. The machine actually heated the soup to the point where the ingredients were cooked, which I now know was almost boiling.
After it was all over, I checked the temperature: 180°F. The soup was as good as if I had simmered it on the stove for 20 minutes, and the texture was silkier than my immersion blender could ever achieve. (Keep in mind that it doesn’t get any hotter, so you’ll need to add precooked vegetables to the blender.)
Nut butter test
I would never advise anyone to make nut butter in a blender. You’ll burn out your motor, get a patchy texture, or get tired of waiting because the constant blending can take 20 minutes. Even in a food processor, which is much better suited for making nut butter, you will have to wait a while.
This time I decided to make cashew butter because the cashews in the big bin at my corner store were especially pretty. In terms of ingredients, nut butters are nothing. I roasted the cashews in the oven for about seven minutes, cooled them, and added them to the blender. I found a cute nut butter icon and let it rip. At this point the tempera comes into play. I was too caught up in the power of the machine on the first run so I started tamping too late, but on the second spin I kept smashing and squashing the nut butter with great success.
Within four minutes I had high quality cashew butter coming out of the blender. (The preset is for two minutes, so if you tamp down right away, you’ll be faster than me.) It was faster than opening a store-bought jar, stirring the released oil with a knife, and cleaning up the resulting oily mess.
Is the Vitamix Ascent X5 blender good?
This is the best blender I have ever used, hands down. However, I didn’t like the fact that it has loud autofocus. My cats hated it, my fiance nagged at me, I considered wearing earplugs during soup. However, this blender can handle any task you throw at it. I have never gotten smoother soups or sauces from the appliance. Now I can really understand how and why people make baby food using this particular brand of blender. It is fast and uncompromising in velvety results. Making hollandaise or mayonnaise in this blender will be stress-free.
Is it worth the price?
This is a question only you can answer, but here’s what I’d like to consider. What do you cook and how often? If you see yourself making soups, nut butters, or baby food on a regular basis, then you should definitely buy this blender. If you use a blender to make smoothies or sauces every day, or are thinking about starting your own home business where this appliance can serve a purpose, then yes, this blender can handle that kind of pressure.
But if you dig the blender out of the cupboard when you need it occasionally, make smoothies in the summer, and store the blender for the rest of the year, then I would consider a cheaper model from a different brand.
The last thing you need to think about is cleaning. My favorite feature is the self-cleaning program: I hate cleaning as much as I love cooking. Unlike other blenders where you have to disassemble the container to clean every part, the instructions prohibit removing the bottom using the blade. But that’s okay, because in addition to providing a soapy sponge for wiping tough spots, the self-cleaning feature works like a charm.
The Vitamix Ascent X5 is on sale right now on the Vitamix online store for $649.95, which is $100 off the original price. This is a great time to purchase one for yourself or as a gift.