Talk about a dream machine!!!  I’ve been having a BLAST testing my new Blendtec Total Classic Blender with the WildSide jar and the Twister Jar accessory.  I have been putting them through the paces, so I could report to you about the quality of this powerful and versatile kitchen machine.  In case you hadn’t guessed, I am head-over-heels for the Blendtec!  It’s 1560 watts of incredible power with a 4″ precision tuned blade.  I was amazed when I looked at the blades in both the Wildside Jar AND the Twister Jar.  To look at them, they are about 1/16″ thick and blunt — no sharp edges.  You KNOW the first thing I did was reach in and run my finger across it.  While it wasn’t 100% blunt, my finger definitely didn’t meet any sharp edges, unlike the multitude of other blenders I have owned, over the years.  The Wild Side Jar (it has an extra 5th side) holds almost 3 quarts and is BPA-free, so it can tackle jobs that other blenders simply don’t have the capacity to handle.  And speed!!!!  Oh my goodness!  It’s phenomenal how quickly you can whip up something healthy and delicious, with little, to no, effort.  This professional quality appliance will change the way you work in your kitchen.  You won’t believe everything I’ve done with it, so far!

This is the Blendtec Total Classic Blender, Wildside Jar, Twister Jar, cookbook and spatula I reviewed and the same set that one lucky Busy-at-Home reader will win for their own kitchen!!!!

From the moment I started reading about the Blendtec, I knew that making ice cream would be my first attempt at using it.  I was so curious as to how ice cream could be frozen without an ice cream machine or without being full of gritty, ice crystals.  Well, the Blendtec performed beyond my wildest dreams AND provided something I never thought could happen — a healthy ice cream that my kids will eat.  After reading through the options in the included Blendtec cookbook, I made a few variations of one of their ice cream recipes.  The beauty of it is that you can make different flavors for different family members, so everyone can have their favorites and a batch is literally done in LESS than 60 seconds!

I actually made three different flavors of ice cream in a span of about 20 minutes. Taking pictures of the steps, the finished products and enjoying their yumminess took way more time than actually making the ice cream. Using frozen fruit, coconut milk, lemon juice and only 2-3 Tablespoons of sugar, I could mix up a batch in less than 60 seconds! It's absolutely DELISH - creamy, smooth, & satisfying!

I haven’t tried it, yet, but I’m toying with the idea of freezing mashed pumpkin or canned pumpkin in ice cube trays, then using that in place of frozen fruit and adding in all those warm, fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves to make a pumpkin pie version of this ice cream.  I’ll let you know, if I get it done.  :)

Next I tested the ice shaving (crushing) feature.  All the promos say that the Blendtec can turn ice cubes into snow in seconds.  Not chunky ice crystals or gritty, slushy ice, but snow.  Oh my gravy!  They didn’t lie.

I started with 5 cups of ice cubes in my WildSide jar.

I put the lid on the jar and selected the Ice Crush button. It's pre-programmed and shut itself off automatically at the end of the cycle.

Extraordinary! I've never seen so much power and the job was completed in seconds! It's, literally, snow. This would make fantastic blended drinks, smoothies and snow cones. Yum!

Next, I filled my WildSide jar with a combination of veggies, that I just had in the fridge.  I broke them into chunks and added about 3/4 cup of water.  I don’t know if your family is like mine, but they love veggies and their flavor, IF they don’t know that’s what they’re eating.  I have been camouflaging vegetables in my family’s favorite dishes for years; and after seeing all that the Blendtec can accomplish, I had an idea.  With the cool fall weather, soup is a staple in our home and no matter what kind I make, I love to cook lots of vegetables in the stock for the flavor and nutrition.  Not being fans of very soft-cooked vegetables, my family rarely wants to eat them, though; and I either puree them and add them back to the stock, or simply throw them out.  I knew with more liquid and a few seasonings, I could use these vegetables to make my own version of V-8 juice, but I wanted to make a slightly thicker, albeit smooth base to add to soups.

The veggies I used to make my veggie "soup and stew base". It was just what i had in the fridge and it turned out SOOO good!

So I pureed a full blender jar of RAW veggies in only 3/4 cup of water, adding about 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons of worcestershire and 1 teaspoon of salt.  The resulting “vegetable base” was delicious and perfect to bring extraordinary flavor to soups and stew broths!  It’s simple and you can use your family’s favorite vegetables, herbs and seasonings.  I normally wouldn’t put cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber or tomatoes in my chicken soup stock, but the addition of the extra fiber, flavor (and antioxidants) was a huge hit!  The other “up-side” to prepping the vegetables in this way is that I’m not fishing hot, cooked vegetables out of my stock, then trying to blend hot vegetables and liquid in the blender and then, finally, adding them back to the stock pot.  Much simpler and safer, this way!

The resulting veggie base had great flavor to impart to soups and stews. I'm guessing it would be fairly easy to mix into spaghetti sauce and casserole sauces, as well. I poured some in this bowl to try and give you an idea of how thick and rich it is. This is about 1/3 of what the batch actually made, so it would definitely add fabulous flavor to a batch of homemade chicken stock or a beef stew gravy. Yum!

After vegetables, I decided to make a typical blender or food processor staple — bread crumbs.  The difference was I was going to use fresh bread, not dry or toasted.  Typically, that choice would result in a blender full of gummy dough balls.  There is definitely no reason to go to the expense of buying pre-made bread crumbs, any longer.  Use your own homemade bread and you’ll know exactly what’s in them.  Plus, you can season them as you wish.  Of course, if you have day old or dry bread, it will be simple to make your bread crumbs, but if you don’t — no worries.  Blendtec’s got you covered.  :)

I tore four slices of bread into large pieces and put them in the WildSide jar. I used the "Speed Up" arrow button to go to speed one.

In about 15 seconds, I had these gorgeous bread crumbs -- perfect for meatballs, topping casseroles, meat loaf or breading something to be fried. Super simple! They could easily be seasoned or toasted.

Curious, and maybe even a little skeptical, the final task I out set out to accomplish with my Blendtec was grinding meat.  I know all of you struggle, just as much as I do, navigating the grocery store in light of steadily rising food prices and incomes that don’t keep up with the increased cost of living.  Paying nearly $4.00 a lb for hamburger is very difficult for me to justify.  So when I saw bottom round roast go on sale for $1.98 in one of our local markets, I decided to put the Blendtec to the test.  I know you will be as excited as I am at what I achieved and the potential for savings and better nutrition that can come from grinding meat, fresh, in your own kitchen.

Bottom round roast for $1.98 a lb. I intend to turn it into very economical, fresh and lean ground beef!

I cut the roast into approximately 2 inch cubes. I will do a better job of trimming the fat BEFORE cubing it, next time. The thicker pieces of fat, didn't grind as easily as the meat and a few larger chunks of fat needed to be picked out of the finished meat. But, no one was more surprised than me at how quickly and effectively the Blendtec produced ground beef from my roast.

Can you believe it! I couldn't be more pleased!

The hamburgers were easily shaped and fried, just as though I had purchased the meat, already ground.

Delicious, inexpensive and easy!

I don’t have one reservation about the Blendtec Total Classic Blender with the WildSide jar.  Upon first receiving it, I was disappointed to learn I had been sent a factory reconditioned base with new jars.  My disappointment was immediately alleviated when I learned that reconditioned Blendtec blenders have the same 7-year warranty as the new models, because they have been restored to like new condition, often having been returned for cosmetic reasons.  Any necessary repairs are made and the good as new appliance is ready for a new owner.  The giveaway winner will receive the same high quality items that I’ve been testing in my own kitchen — a factory reconditioned Blendtec Total Classic Blender Base with new Wild Side Jar and new Twister Jar!

There is so much more I’m excited to try with the Blendtec, but this post is getting longer and longer and I definitely need to leave room for the giveaway!  There are dressings, and sauces, dips and nut butters, hummus and freshly milled flours, in my very near future.  The potential of this amazing appliance is limited only by imagination.  I can’t wait to test it further and I can unreservedly recommend it as a professional-quality, essential, kitchen appliance that will eliminate the need for, and most certainly outperform, many of your other appliances.  You’re going to LOVE it!

GIVEAWAY RULES

1. You must be 18 or older and reside in the United States to enter.
2. Mandatory Entry (must be completed, before optional entries will be counted.)  Leave a comment on this post telling me the first thing you would make if you win this fabulous Blendtec.  Then use the Rafflecopter form, below, to register your entry!