How to Make the Cheapest Vitamix Blender Work As Well As the Expensive Ones
While the Vitamix Explorian E310 is the cheapest Vitamix model you can get, that doesn’t mean they’ve skimped on its features. However, the fancy preset features you’ll see on their more expensive models like the Ascent X5 are missing from the Explorian. This may seem like a knock against the blender, but once you figure out how to operate it without the presets, the Explorian is actually better suited for people who want more control over their blending. It’s also simple – here’s how I do it.
I was lucky enough to test the Ascent X5 before testing the Explorian (here’s my review of the Explorian and Ascent if you’re torn between the two), and I noticed a consistent pattern with the presets. The presets have the most efficient timings and blade speeds programmed to match the food you’re trying to cook. After seeing this pattern play out over enough blending sessions (and reading the Vitamix manual in my spare time, because that’s who I am), I found that I could basically mimic the Ascent’s presets.
Don’t take it to heart
Whether you’re making a smoothie, soup , or frozen dessert , all presets start off slowly for a few seconds — and you have to do it manually with the Explorian. If you’re not careful during the initial blending, there’s a good chance a ton of your main ingredients will stick to the lid. I’ve done it. It’s annoying. (If you’ve already done it, just stop the machine and use a small rubber spatula to scrape it all back into the container.)
It is during this slow chopping that the blades can grab a lot of the ingredients at the bottom of the container. Depending on what is at the bottom, it will hopefully be liquid or ingredients that release a little liquid and will ultimately help to chop the ingredients higher up at higher speeds.
All you need to do is make sure the Explorian’s center switch is in the far left position on level 1. Turn the switch on the right side to the “On” position and stir slowly for about 10 seconds.
Increase the tempo
After that initial low-speed blending, Vitamix presets always shoot up to the highest speed: level 10. That’s one of the reasons I love presets: At that speed, they finish everything in under a minute (except for the hot soup function). But, preset-shmi-set — you can do that manually with any Vitamix model.
After 10 seconds of slow chopping, keep your hand on the speed knob and consistently rotate it to the highest speed on the right side. Do this for 7-10 seconds. The coward in me always thinks about stopping before level 10 (it’s too powerful!), but just do it.
At this point, the operation may be complete and you can simply turn it off. But watch the consistency of your mixture to see if you need to repeat the speed process. That’s the beauty of manual control. If the consistency doesn’t even out or the blade whistles freely without grabbing anything (as can happen with thicker pastes), you may need to reduce the speed again.
Don’t forget your handy picking tool.
While it’s not pretty, its angular mini baseball bat is important, no matter the Vitamix model. If your mixtures take more than a minute or two to get silky smooth (again, excluding those delicious hot soups you whip up), you should use your tamper. Not using the tamper means you’ll have to blend longer, and that’s a surefire way to heat up your mixture. It’s definitely not ideal for a cold fruit smoothie.
Remove the center cap in the lid and the tamper will go through it. Use it to smash the ingredients into the blades. This will speed up the mixing process considerably, does not require much effort and is easy to clean.
How to Clean a Vitamix Container
My steps for cleaning the Vitamix Explorian container are another imitation of the Vitamix Ascent self-cleaning. First, rinse the container and lid with warm water to remove most of the residual mixture. Fill the container halfway with warm water (I fill it a little more than halfway because the container is wider at the top) and add a few drops of dish soap. Snap the lid on, make sure the center cap is secure, and place it on the base. Run the machine on low speed for a couple of seconds, then gradually increase it to maximum speed for about 30 seconds.
Flip the right switch to the off position. Rinse the container and you’re done. If you have any stubborn stains—peanut butter always does—clean them up with a soapy sponge or dish brush. Once you’ve mastered the manual controls, you won’t miss a thing with your Vitamix Explorian.