The Most Important Manual Settings I’ve Mastered in Eight Months of Using the Vitamix Ascent X5
In fact, it only takes one smoothie to forever remember to check that the lid on your blender is on. The feeling of banana chunks in my hair after I’ve already showered is seared into my memory, and discovering dried fruit splatter weeks later serves as a long-term reminder of how to properly secure the Vitamix Ascent X5 before pressing start. But beyond that big lesson, there are plenty of smaller ones. Here are the most important manual settings and tools I’ve mastered in eight months of using the Vitamix Ascent X5 .
Presets are just the beginning
I’ll admit, I fell in love with the presets on this machine before I ventured into manual territory. Honestly, if you’re the type to set it and forget it, that’s reason enough to buy this top-end blender, and you could be perfectly happy running the hot soup , nut butter , smoothie, frozen dessert , and sauce settings forever. (Read my full review to see the tests I ran on the preset features.) However, I’m an experimental type by nature, and I’ve occasionally encountered situations where a preset didn’t seem to suit my needs. So I broadened my horizons and took matters into my own hands.
Manual Speed Dial
One thing I learned from watching the presets work is what happens with the timing and speed of the blade. Basically, these two things make up any given preset, whether it’s the smoothie function or the hot soup function. They start off slow, and after a few seconds, the speed increases to level 10 (the fastest speed) and stays there for a while. Sometimes the speed will slow down again and increase again before stopping.
After a few attempts at mixing my own salsas, marinades, and sauces, I began to realize that there was a reason for the slow start and the rapid increase in speed later. Starting at high speed can mean that ingredients are thrown into the lid and may never come back down unless you stop the machine to scrape the edges. This is annoying and can increase the overall process time.
Instead, I settled into the manual speed mode, keeping it at level 1 (the slowest speed), which chops the ingredients slowly, either loosening the mixture or breaking up larger ingredients into more manageable chunks. After about five to ten seconds, I’d increase the speed to level 10, all the while keeping an eye on my mixture and texture. I’d probably end up staying at level 8 for a while and reducing the speed back to level 2 to check the consistency. I use the same technique as the presets, but adjust it to suit the specific needs of the recipe.
Button + :15 seconds
This feature is related to presets, but it’s important to my weekly routine, so I think it’s useful here. The +:15 seconds button is one of the few buttons on the display, and yet I ignored it for a while. It’s a simple idea, but it makes a huge difference: you press this button when you think your blend needs another 15 seconds of processing, or press it twice for another 30 seconds, or hit “stop” somewhere in between. I make fruit smoothies a few times a week, and this is especially useful when my fruit blend isn’t starting out strong. For example, if I’ve added spinach or large chunks of apple and they’re stuck at the top of the container halfway through the blend. I just press the almighty +:15 button until I’m satisfied those elements are fully incorporated.
Tamper
As for the ingredients getting stuck on top, I’ll be honest: I was tamper-resistant. The tamper is the baseball bat-like plastic thing that comes with Vitamix blenders, and it’s designed to help force ingredients into the blades safely. It’s easy to use, just push it into the container through the hole in the lid. However, as a lazy person who’s afraid of getting extra kitchen utensils dirty, I started my Vitamix journey waiting and hoping that the blender would do its blending job. Then I’d get annoyed when the preset ended and bits of fruit were stuck on top. Meanwhile, a little tamper symbol would appear on the display telling me, “Hey, hi, use this now.”
I’ve finally come to my senses: I now begin most blending tasks with the tamper in hand, ready to go. It’s my fault if my food takes longer to cook than expected if I don’t use it. It’s not even hard to clean; it’s smooth plastic (I’m still working on it).
Pulse button
As for the only remaining button on this control panel, I finally started using the pulse button. It’s funny because when I use a food processor, the blender’s cousin, I love the pulse button. I rely on the pulse much more than the power button. I started using the pulse button on the Vitamix when I wanted to better control the texture.
The pulse button only mixes while you hold it down. It allows you to make short bursts at whatever speed you want, and stops as soon as you remove your finger. It takes the pressure off of running a preset or even starting the blend manually, and the texture is gone before you know it. I’ve used the pulse button to make muffins in a blender , which works great, but you have to be careful not to overwork the batter. The pulse button is perfect for blending for a second or two, just to incorporate your ingredients.
Things I learned the hard way
Don’t tilt the container while the machine is running. Why would anyone do that? Certainly not to avoid using the tamper, but instead to try to shake the stuck material into the blades. This makes a terrifying grinding noise and will scare your cats out of their slumber. Plus, it’s inefficient. The container sits neatly on a gear driven by an incredibly powerful motor; it’s not held in place by a clamp or anything. If you tilt the container, you’ll just grind away the very expensive metal gears without doing much to what’s inside the container. Remember, the tamper is your friend.
Check to see if the lid is closed. The Vitamix does not detect if the lid is closed, like many food processors do. If the lid is not on the container when you press start, it will continue to run as is. Of course, you want to keep your hands and any other objects and body parts safe while the machine is running, but you will almost certainly end up dirtying your food if you run the machine without the lid. Just a quick glance up is all you need to blend safely and without making a mess.