I’m back home from Burning Man and so glad to be able to have my morning green smoothie again. When I wrote that post, I promised a follow up about my blender. Well, here it is.Back in 2011, I wrote about hanging out with my friend Mark and watching him make homemade ketchup. What I didn’t mention was how impressed I was with his blender.It’s a Waring Pro MBB518 stainless steel blender. Mark said that even though it only has two speeds, it’s the sturdiest and best blender he’s ever had. But what caught my eye was that there is no plastic at all inside the glass pitcher to come into contact with the food.See, my current blender, a Kenmore that I’d had for years and that also had a glass pitcher had plastic at the bottom that twisted on and off for cleaning.I wasn’t crazy about that plastic inside the pitcher, but it wasn’t enough to make me chuck the machine for a new one. And then the bottom started to leak. And the leak got worse and worse every time I used it. Green smoothie pouring out all over the kitchen counter.

I tried to think of how I could fix it, and then I made the same decision I made in the case of the aluminum rice cooker back in July. I opted to recycle it at Green Citizen and order the kind of blender Mark has to avoid the plastic in the bottom.After my experience with the Lotus Foods rice cooker packaging plastic and styrofoam, I was interested to see how the Waring would be packaged.So, I opened the box and found… cardboard! The glass pitcher is wrapped only in cardboard.I knew there had to be some plastic in the box, and I was right. But compared to the way most things are packaged these days, I’d say it’s less.So… about the construction of the blender itself… this sucker is heavy. The base is stainless steel, and when you set it down, you can be sure it’s not going anywhere. There is a plastic section at the top of the base that holds the pitcher in place…But there is no plastic inside the pitcher itself. And no removable parts. The blade assembly is attached to the pitcher.

Well, when I say it’s not removable, I mean you don’t remove it to clean it. You can remove the blade to replace it if it wears out. pare my old blender and new blender. The old one has a lot of plastic and a lot of buttons, most of which I never used. The New one has much less plastic (only the middle ring assembly, power cord, and pitcher top) and only two speeds controlled by a simple metal switch.And compare the bottoms. kitchenaid mixer bijenkorfThe Waring looks like it could easily be opened up for repair.kitchenaid artisan blender debenhamsI was also happy to purchase a Waring instead of any other brand because the machines are assembled in the United States, rather than in China like most brands. kitchenaid blender model ksb565smo

They do, however, contain some foreign parts. I don’t think there’s any getting around that these days.And as I mentioned in my green smoothie post… or should have if I didn’t… The machine works great for its intended purpose. I don’t need to liquify anything. Not trying to turn veggies into soup in 10 seconds. All blenders these days that are powerful enough to do that (Vitamix, Blendtec, etc.) come with plastic pitchers. oster bcbg08 blender amazonThey say it’s because glass can break at such high speeds, but that doesn’t explain why they don’t offer a stainless steel pitcher option for those who want to avoid plastic.kitchenaid mixer cerveraAnyway, my blender is solid and beautiful and makes me happy every morning when I use it.vitamix tnc 5200 - der profi-standmixer test

ADVERTISEMENT I only post ads for products I use myself. Your support helps to fund my plastic-free mission.Sign In to ManualsOnline Sign Up for ManualsOnlineI just heard that Vitamix just came out with a new blender in my email. //Vitamix-Pr...So far it seems that the 750 has the advantage of being 40% quieter which is a huge selling point because the Vitamix is freakin loud. Then it adds 2 more preset functions, puree and wash. oster blender kopenI dont get why they didn't have the wash preset function in the first place though but thats a plus. It has 2 peak horsepower just like its predecessor but its motor is now 1200W rather than 1380W. Is this huge tradeoff or would I barely notice it? Its shorter and wider this time and I can see that as a reason for the blender to not need as powerful a motor but im just a little wary because only Williams-Sonoma is selling it, and they're not even selling it on the Vitamix website.

Want to stay up to date with this post? Sign Up Now ›Now that I'm cooking up a storm, I'm missing one very important item in my kitchen: a Vitamix. But unfortunately, it's way out of my budget. Then it occurred to me, I technically already have one.When I was at a young age I discovered something very exciting in my kitchen cabinet - a blender with a spout! I instantly wanted to make something liquid-y so I could open up the tap and pour it out like I was running a my own restaurant; I was so proud of the smoothies and ice cream shakes that I made - dumping the ingredients into the stainless steel container, clipping on the plastic top, flipping the switch, hearing the engine rev, and watching bits of liquid jump out of the open top (who knows where the cap was). I would present my creations to my family and friends and watch them enjoy the treats - satisfaction! I never saw anyone else use this machine, so I felt it was mine. My dad used to get upset with me when I would leave it dirty in the sink for someone else to clean up.

Many years later while visiting my parents I opened up the kitchen cabinet and saw old faithful. My eyes landed on the side of the machine and lit up when they read the word "Vitamix". I couldn't believe it - I had been using a famous brand of machinery all those years and had no idea of the significance! Did my dad secretly plant this blender in my life to inspire me to become the health nut that I am today? Doubtful, seeing as when I begged him to let me bring it back to my apartment he refused, as if he used it everyday. But I don't blame him - the Vitamix is an expensive machine, and probably cost more than today when he bought it in the late 80s. Plus, these days the Vitamix is mostly plastic, whereas his is almost entirely stainless steel.You better believe that I'm going to try to run off with it again when I go home in 2 weeks, though my dad might get suspicious if there's an extra 20 pounds on my suddenly bulging suitcase...I'll let you know what happens. For now, I'll stare longingly at some videos of the Vitamix 3600 on Youtube and plan to make my own when I'm reunited with my old stainless steal pal.