Vitamix Ascent Series A3300 SmartPrep Kitchen System, Black, 64 Fl Oz

 It’s really hard to outdo this blender. This comes as a complete package with both a blender and a food processor with multiple blades. It comes with an outstanding instruction book and even a big book full of delicious recipes from soups to cocktails. Everything is magnificently packaged and designed to be stored easily and efficiently.

There’s a few details that might seem odd at first. Where most blenders let you separate the blades from the bottom of the container, not here–it’s all one solid piece. And actually, that’s fantastic. It makes it faster and easier to clean, just needing wash under the tap and let it dry. The food processor container sits inside of a frame that sits on the motor unit, so when it’s time to serve, you can lift the food out and pour. And all of the blades and food container wash just fine in the dishwasher. I ran them all through and they came out sparkling.

Not that anything is difficult to clean by hand, either. The plastic is all solid and tough, so tough you can even put hot food into the processor right off the stove. I did it twice and had no problems from the steaming food being blended. The motor controls are incredibly simple–no dozens of buttons with settings for each kind of food here, just a big bright display and a big dial you turn with buttons of on, off, and pulse. The buttons are a little bit unresponsive–I find I often have to press a couple times to get it going–but they work fine when running. There’s a power switch in the side to shut off the whole thing which is nice. I don’t feel any obligation to unplug the whole thing every time I’m done using it like most blenders instruct you to do.

After that, all the extras are just terrific. The cookbook is wonderful full of unique recipes. I made the carrot soup and chased it with a blended margarita, both of which came out great. The motor is surprisingly quiet at low speeds. Using this to slice potatoes for hash browns in the morning is very quiet with no danger of waking any neighbors. It does get loud crunching ice at high settings, but no louder than any other blender I’ve used.

One thing worth noting is that this feels much more professional than most blenders in that it’s a little less safe. While lots of blenders are designed so that they can’t ever run without the top on or won’t turn on until a container is put on the motor, this one trusts you to be careful with your fingers. It’s not that this is dangerous at all–the processor still won’t spin without the food shaft in place. It’s just that it lacks the ultra-safe settings of other blenders I’ve used. Personally, I love it this way, but if you have children in the house, you may want to be a little more careful about how this gets used.

But you’ll still want this blender. This is easily the best blender I’ve ever owned. It’s certainly pricey, but you get what you pay for here with a simply outstanding blender that will make the best smoothies, mixed drinks, hash browns, hot soup, everything you want. I even made palak paneer and it came out smoother and more delicious than I’d ever made it. And the tumeric stains all cleaned up perfectly. Just a terrific machine.