Vitamix hot soups - FamilyGuideCentral.com
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Can You Put Boiling Water in a Vitamix? (Cooking Hot Soups)

I’m sure you’ve heard of Vitamix before. It’s on every corner of the big chain grocery stores presenting itself as a premium device backed by a premium price. There’s no denying that Vitamix and blenders alike are insanely popular these days.

But here’s a silly question to ask, can you put hot or boiling water into your Vitamix blender?

This is what will answer and more in this article.

Can you put boiling water in a Vitamix blender?

According to Vitamix themselves, your Vitamix blender can handle hot soups and liquids up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature higher than this may potentially damage or crack the plastic container. When you boil water, the temperature of the water has to be at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. Because of this, it’s not recommended to put boiling water into a Vitamix.

However, you should be aware that many people have reported that after several occasions of using hot liquids in their Vitamix blender, they’ve witnessed and experienced crazing on the container in some potential hairline cracks.

The Vitamix supports friction heat from its blades

A very interesting phenomenon occurs when you turn on the Vitamix blender and keep it on for a long period of time. The rapid movement of the blades against each other begin to create a friction. This friction starts to generate heat otherwise cooking the food and the liquids inside of it.

It only takes about 4 to 5 minutes until the food begins to get hot enough to burn your tongue.

If you’re not familiar with how the Vitamix works, it uses two different types of blades to blend food: The first one is called the “Primary Blade” which has a large flat surface that helps cut the ingredients evenly.

Then there’s another type of blade called the “Secondary Blade”. This blade is much smaller compared to the primary blade but also has a very sharp edge. The secondary blade is used to crush ice and other hard materials like nuts, seeds, grains, etc.

Any combination of these blades can work together to build up heat and cook the food or liquids for you.

How to safely make hot tomato basil soup using a Vitamix

While it may seem a bit dangerous to be cooking hot soup in a blender, there are plenty of safe ways that you can do so. Keep in mind that we recommend you familiarize yourself with your Vitamix and make sure you put on the proper protection needed in case anything can happen.

Safety goggles, a long sleeve shirt, heat resistant oven mitts and more are very much recommended. The Vitamix actually cooks with friction heat moving the blades at incredible speeds generating heat.

Here are a few steps we recommend you follow.

  1. Start with adding two cups of regular room temperature water to the Vitamix container
  2. Throw-in 2 to 3 whole tomatoes. You don’t need to chop them up
  3. Add 1 carrot
  4. Add a stick of celery with the leaves
  5. Add one stem of green onion
  6. Add a small clove of garlic. Don’t add too much or you overpower the soup
  7. Add about a quarter of a bell pepper
  8. Add about a handful of cut up cabbage
  9. Add about one-third of a cup of cashews
  10. Finally, grab a handful of basil and place it in as well
  11. Add a stock cube, some salt, and some pepper
  12. Start on high speed and let it pulse
  13. Repeat the process gradually and monitor as the ingredients inside start to depress and turn into liquid
  14. Once most of the ingredients have become liquid, let the blender run for about 5 seconds chop it all up completely
  15. Now it’s time to heat it up by friction. Keep the power at High but this time run the blender for 4 to 5 minutes
  16. Let the container in the hot soup rest for about 5 minutes before you open the lid
  17. At this point, you can add more tomatoes and basil and blend it at slow speeds to make a more chunkier soup
  18. Serve and enjoy

The dangers of putting hot water into a Vitamix blender

There are 4 main reasons why you should be careful when using a hot liquid in your Vitamix blender:

  • The first reason is safety. If you’re not careful enough when handling hot liquids, then you could really burn yourself. Hot liquids are known for rising and expanding. If you decide to blend hot liquid, there’s the potential that the hot air will expand even further. If you open the lid while the Vitamix has built up a lot of heated pressure, it could explode and it could cause burns or scalds.
  • It could damage the motor. Depending on how the blender is built. The heat from the liquid will quickly conduct itself through the blades and reach the motor area. This means that if you don’t pay close attention when blending hot liquids, you might end up with an overheated motor.
  • Another factor to be concerned about is the durability of the container. Putting hot liquids into a Vitamix can easily damage or even crack the plastic container. In addition, the high temperatures can also affect the blade assembly and other parts inside the machine. This can lead to expensive repairs and replacements.
  • Depending on the material used in the container, using hot liquids can cause chemicals to Leach from the container into the food. At the very least, any leaching, if not hazardous can affect the taste of your food as well.

So, how do you know whether or not your Vitamix can take a hot liquid?

If you want to find out for yourself, you’ll need to check the manual that comes with your Vitamix. You can usually find the manual online or at your local store.

However, Vitamix has stated that generally, most of their blenders can withstand up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit liquids. Vitamix has many different models of blenders.

If you see any information about the maximum temperature of the liquids that you can blend, then you can safely assume that your Vitamix can handle hot liquids.

How to avoid using dangerously hot liquids in your Vitamix

However, there are still some things that you should keep in mind. For example, if you’re planning on making a soup or a smoothie, it would be best to make sure that you add cold ingredients first. Then, once everything is blended well together, you can slowly start adding warm ingredients.

You should also avoid adding too much hot liquid at one time. It’s better to add small amounts of liquid every few seconds during the blending process. Blending small amount of hot liquids in separate batches can help ease the pressure that could potentially build up. Otherwise, you also risk overloading the machine and causing it to shut down.

What else should I consider before blending hot liquids?

I recommend checking the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that you follow all of the necessary precautions. Also, remember to always wear protective eyewear, gloves, and long sleeves when working with hot liquids.

I know it sounds silly to be using protective eyewear to cook but this is a blender that’s spinning your hot liquids at blazing speeds. So, wearing glasses is very important.

Find yourself some heat proof oven mitts when handling hot liquids. These are great because they protect your hands from getting burned. They also allow you to use both hands without having to worry about getting any type of degree burn.

Lastly, I’d like to mention that you should never ever leave your blender unattended when blending hot liquids.

Tips to blend hot foods safely

  • Don’t overfill your blender jar with too much hot liquid. The generated pressure from the heat can eventually pop off the lid and burn someone
  • Make sure the lid is securely placed on the jar
  • You can remove the feeder cap located on the lid in place a clean kitchen towel over it so that any built up pressure will seep out. This will also help avoid splash accidents
  • Always start blending either at a low speed or in quick pulses
  • You can also gradually increase the blade speed throughout the process a blending

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