Some women dream of bags and shoes. I dream of kitchen appliances and cookware. No Louboutins and Manolo Blahniks for me, the way to my heart is through Le Creuset and Wedgewood. One such longstanding goal of mine was to own a Vitamix, and it finally got actualized! I am now proud owner of a Vitamix 5200 Total Nutrition Center and am going to review it for you!

I got my Vitamix 5200 from the Tavola Shop, you can find the price and details here. Why did I get the Vitamix 5200 and not the new Vitamix Pro 750 Heritage? The reason was simply and only the price difference (almost double). Otherwise, the latter is a far more powerful and superior machine, especially when it comes to how finely it pulverizes anything. However, the Vitamix 5200 is a bestseller and a more popular choice amongst consumers, again, because it’s easier on the pocket and still a very powerful and robust machine.

 

Dimensions and specs: The Vitamix 5200 stands 20.5” tall when the 64 oz container is sitting atop the motor base. The base itself measures 7.25″ wide, 8.75″ deep and weighs in at 10.5625 lbs. I got mine with a stunning red base. It has a very heavy duty, industrial look to it, but that has actually become an attractive brand identity for Vitamix.

What made me get a Vitamix, and should you get one too? My desire to own a Vitamix has very much to do with the nature of kitchen experiments I engage in. I needed a powerful blender. Whether you need a Vitamix or not depends entirely on your kitchen needs, and I will be listing below some of the pros and cons of the Vitamix 5200 to help you make an educated decision.

Pros: 

• The blender base and motor come with a built-in cooling fan, a thermal protection system, and a retractable cord.
• The 64oz jug is big enough to prepare portion sizes large enough for a bigger family.  It is fitted with a spill-proof, vented lid (no more accidental blender fountains) and has laser cut, stainless steel blades.
• The jug is made of poly-fiber carbon, which is the same material as airplane windows, which makes this jug not only very resilient but also very easy to clean.
• The jug is calibrated in ounces as well as milliliters.
• A tamper to help you mix and push down any stubborn pieces of food. This tamper is built in such a way that it can never touch the blade (provided you keep the lid on, as you always should and must.
• There is an auto shut-off feature in case the unit gets too hot.
•  It comes with a full 7 year warranty, and I’ve known people who have had their Vitamix blenders for well over a decade, with no complaints.
• It is a very robust blender

Cons: 

• It’s noisier than most personal use, lower tier blenders
• It’s bulky
• Fixed blades, which can make scraping food out a bit tricky
• It’s a little more technical to use than your average personal use blender (3 knobs instead of just one)
• It is not dishwasher safe, BUT,  it’s extremely easy to clean. Throw in some hot water, a squirt of dishwashing liquid, and blend for 30 seconds. Voila, squeaky clean
• Speed variation: you can NOT leave this blender running at low speed for long durations, as that will actually damage the motor.

What can you make in a Vitamix? 

This is a very versatile machine, and you can make a plethora of items in this ranging from chilled smoothies, through creamy nut butters, to hot soups! That’s right, 7 minutes of non-stop blending produces enough motion-induced heat from the blades to actually make the liquid inside reach boiling point! My big Vitamix experiment is going to be Anthony Bourdain’s Laksa Paste, which I previously tried to make by juicing my galangal and lemongrass in the Kenwood Purejuice, and it broke the juicer.

Verdict on Vitamix’s ability to pulverize galangal and lemongrass, two of the toughest, most fiberous herbs: 

Ok so I filled my Vitamix nearly to the brim, with a variety of textures, shapes and sizes, as Laksa paste usually has a LOT of ingredients. What happened next? After 2 minutes of smooth blending (it’s amazing how it obliterated galangal almost instantly and I didn’t hear any strange noises), my Vitamix just STOPPED! Suffice to say, my heart stopped too.

Low key panic ensued, and I instantly referred to my trusted Agony Aunt: Youtube. Several reviews on Youtube suggested that this happens when the motor overheats due to increased resistance being faced by the blades, and that I should pop the base/motor into the refrigerator (!) for 20 minutes. A Youtuber swears he has been doing this for 12 years (!), but since my fridge has no space for such shenanigans, I decided to just let my Vitamix be for a few hours. And guess what? It worked. I guess the auto shut-off function in case of overheating might be one of the reasons that Vitamix blenders have such long lives!

Below is a video of the plethora of ingredients my Vitamix 5200 effortlessly blended into a smooth paste. The only advice I’d give it to work in small batches and not to fill the jug till the brim like I did.

For the full recipe for this Laksa paste, click here. This is one of my subscribers’ favorite recipes and has been views over 50,000 times!

Overall, I do not regret adding a Vitamix to my already cluttered kitchen. It’s something I strongly recommend to any home cook who likes to experiment and takes their cooking seriously. I see it as a long term investment, and I’m positive it will end up saving you money in the long run, as you’ll won’t be going through a frequent turnover of lower tier blenders over the years.