Recipes

[Mindy D]

Hi there. Today was my first time using my Vitamix. I tried making a V8 juice but I think I’m not doing it right or up I’m missing something flavorwise. First of all, it came out too frothy. Secondly, it’s not as ‘tomatoey’ enough. It’s also more like a smoothie than a juice.

First, I added some cold water to cover the blade. Second, I added one tsp. salt to the water. Then I added four, precut medium vine ripened tomatoes. Then I added two stalks of celery cut into forths. Next, I added 1 quarter sweet bell pepper cut into thirds. Then I added six of the little carrots that  come ready to eat.  I then added about a fifth of a large onion. On top of this I placed three ice cubes to keep the drink cold. 

I started off off on setting 1 and pulsed. Then I tampered and repulsed and I added a bit more water. I realized I forgot the lemon so I added about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. After pulsing, I then started to pulse on the SMOOTHIE setting (I have a model with three presettings) preset for a few seconds until everything was blended. I never wound up adding the spinach or the Worcestershire sauce I intended to use either.

ANY TIPS YOU HAVE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. 

[kittyloo]

@Mindy D  i don't have a vitamix, but my opinion is the flavor is off because you added water and ice. it would dilute the tomato flavor. it might benefit from the spinich and worstershire as well. dash of tabasco??

[Carmie]

Flour is a thickening agent.  Any time you add flour to food, it will thicken.

Also, a Vitamix is not a juicer.  It does not make juice.  It pulverizes vegetables and fruits into a liquid, but the fiber is still there.  It will always be like a smoothie because of the fiber.

I use mine for raw tomatoes.  The finished product is thin, but still not a true juice.

If you want a true juice drink, you will need to use a juicer.

[Kachina624]

That's what a Vitamix does....make smoothies.  It is not a juicer that extracts the liquid from fruits and veggies, leaving the pulp as waste.  It sounds as though you added a lot of salt and water, which diluted your drink.  I think you're trying to get it to do something it's not designed to do.  Think of it as more of a smoothie maker than a juice maker.

[IamMrsG]

@Mindy D     Admittedly it's not the same thing, but I have a good recipe for Spicy Tomato Juice.  According to it, you didn't use nearly enough tomatoes.  I won't force an unsolicited recipe, but "just whistle" if you'd like to see it.  I'm happy to share.

[Mindy D]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

That's what a Vitamix does....make smoothies.  It is not a juicer that extracts the liquid from fruits and veggies, leaving the pulp as waste.  It sounds as though you added a lot of salt and water, which diluted your drink.  I think you're trying to get it to do something it's not designed to do.  Think of it as more of a smoothie maker than a juice maker.

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So I guess I should expect something like a V8 smoothie from now on. Thanks. I get it now. I know it doesn’t extract juice and leave pulp like a juicer. I just thought the results would be juicier. 

[Mindy D]

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@Carmie wrote:

Flour is a thickening agent.  Any time you add flour to food, it will thicken.

Also, a Vitamix is not a juicer.  It does not make juice.  It pulverizes vegetables and fruits into a liquid, but the fiber is still there.  It will always be like a smoothie because of the fiber.

I use mine for raw tomatoes.  The finished product is thin, but still not a true juice.

If you want a true juice drink, you will need to use a juicer.

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I just thought the results would be thinner. I get it now. Thank you for helping me out. 

[Mindy D]

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@kittyloo wrote:

@Mindy D  i don't have a vitamix, but my opinion is the flavor is off because you added water and ice. it would dilute the tomato flavor. it might benefit from the spinich and worstershire as well. dash of tabasco??

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Thanks. I’ll be adding my Worcestershire, spinach, no ice and less water to tomorrow’s version.  I also think the tomatoes as full flavored as they usually are. I buy tomatoes on the vine from a Publix. I just spoke to the produce manager and he said they are imported and he notice they aren’t as intense in flavor right now. I’ll have to add another tomato or add a couple Roma tomatoes. My stomach has been telling me to lay off the spicy foods for awhile so I’ll wait for my tobasco. With a Vitamix, when processing foods you need some liquid before adding the solid pieces.

[Carmie]

@Mindy D  You might try to add some bottled tomato juice instead of using water.  Tomatoes are expensive this time of the year and not really at their peak of flavor.

It takes a lot of tomatoes to get a little bit of juice.  I put a half a bushel of tomatoes in my Vitamix and got less than two gallons of mixture.  I freeze it for use in cooking all year long.

I have never added or needed water in the Vitamix when I throw tomatoes in first.  They turn into liquid instantly.  I'd put the tomatoes in first, turn on, then add the other veggies.

[Renata22]

I think your product would greatly benefit from the worcestershire. I pretty sure it's one of the things that gives it that good flavor. Also, you can run the vitamix on low for awhile at the end of processing. That's supposed to cut down on the froth. We made some a long time ago and it came out really good. I think we followed the recipe on the vitamix site. I just don't put onion, just personal preference. Hope this helps.