The Boy and I initially got into juicing back in late 2011 as a result of watching Joe Cross’s documentary Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. This period marked the beginning of a long overdue quest for finding better health by dramatically increasing our vegetable and fruit intake. We have slowly gravitated away from eating meat as the predominant ingredient in our meals to it being a small component if at all. The Boy bought us the latest whizz-bang juicer and was so enthusiastic with his juicing that he managed to burn the first one out in just a week. He stuck to his guns however and returned to the shops to get a replacement juicer. Over the following nine months he lost over 20 kg in body weight. He was well on his way to become a picture of health and this was all just in time for our wedding.

With every batch of green smoothies we made, we would end up with massive amounts of fibrous pulp left over. A juicer only extracts juice and discards the pulp from the fruit and veggies into its waste jug. In the early days, I determinedly saved the pulp and would make it into a variety of different vegetable soups that looked more like swamp water than food. Some even tasted good. After a while I tired of this messy business and tossed the pulp onto the garden for compost instead. What a waste. I hate throwing food away!

Not all smoothies are green! Pineapple Beet smoothie

Soon I realised that there is a much better way to make smoothies without having to eat swamp slime soup; with a blender not a juicer. Blending means you are eating the whole food, not just the juice and the fibre content is retained. Furthermore, high-powered blenders break down all the cell walls of the fruits and vegetables releasing all the phytonutrients locked inside the pulp, skin and seeds. This makes it easier to digest and allows the nutrients to absorb much more efficiently. After having this epiphany we discussed about getting a blender to replace our relatively new and fancy juicer. But talking was as far as we got because come mid-2012 we found ourselves knee deep in wedding planning and before we knew it time had flown away from us and we completely forgot about it.

So you can imagine my gratitude when earlier this year two weeks before our big day I received an email from the marketing director from a company called OmniBlend Australia who are manufacturers of heavy duty commercial blenders. He was keen to send me their popular blender; the OmniBlend V to review on the blog. In return for my review, the machine would be mine for keeps. No more pulp and swamp soup….woot!

OmniBlend blender

The OmniBlend V Low Down:

● Price:

$280-390 AUD. Excellent value for money compared to similar machines on the market such as the Vitamix.

● Motor:

A powerful 3HP motor which can deliver a blade speed of 38,000 rpm. It is very energy efficient at only 950W (not bad considering it produces 3HP!). I am told that this blender is sturdy enough to withstand heavy duty commercial use in restaurants and juice bars.

● Blades:

The 6-blade cutting assembly is made from highest quality, Japanese precision stainless steel. Replacement blades are available for purchase. The blades and jug are designed for both wet and dry ingredients and can make a hot soup in minutes heating with just friction. I gave this method a try for some of my soup recipes for the Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge, more on this in the weeks to come.

● Blending:

Without much effort or preparation this blender made light work of blending my soups and smoothies into creamy, smooth consistencies. It even coped with me churning harder raw vegetables into it like pumpkin. Because the Omniblend is a more heavy-duty machine, it has enough oomph to do more than just make smoothies. It can puree, mix, chop, grind and whip all sorts of foods including mill grains into flour, grind coffee, puree baby food, churn ice cream, make nut butters and nut milks, knead bread dough and it can even crush ice.

● Cleaning :

The OmniBlend is really easy to clean which is a big win in my books. One thing that used to annoy me about juicing (in addition to the pulp waste of course) was that every time I made a smoothie I would be left with a hundred and one parts to clean. If the Boy that made himself juice it was even worse. There would be bits of pulp everywhere.

With this blender there is only a lid and a jug to wash and because there is no pulp, the jug rinses clean in minutes.

I did notice that the black rubber feet on the body of the unit left little marks on my white laminate bench top but they wiped off easily with a damp cloth.

● Noise:

It has very quiet operation when compared to many of its competitors (e.g. Vitamix).

Noise level = 83.8 dB

● Programs:

It has timed, cycled and repeatable blending programs.

● The Jug:

The 2 litre jug is made of unbreakable food-grade polycarbonate jug and is heat resistant to over 120 degrees Celsius which means you can blend hot soups straight off the stove top. It is suitable for both wet and dry ingredients unlike some blenders like the Vitamix that need separate wet and dry jugs/blade. The jug has quite a wide base compared to other blenders I have used in the past. This ensures that food particles don’t seem to get stuck under the blades when in use. They also offer a BPA-free 1.5 litre jug.

● Intelligent Overload Protection:

A built in sensor automatically turns off the motor when it detects excess usage. This prolongs the motors operating life and pre-empts breakdowns.

● Recipes:

OmniBlend are happy to send their customers a bunch of free recipes or better still stay tuned on the blog over the next six weeks for my Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge!

● Warranty:

The OmniBlend comes with a standard 5 year warranty on the motor and 3 years on parts, or alternatively you can pay extra for a 7 Year extended warranty on the full machine. They offer free shipping anywhere in Australia.

How does the OmniBlend size up to its competitors?

Froothie Optimum 9200:

Price: $430-500
● 3 HP motor delivering a blade speed of 44,000 rpm
● 6 stainless steel Japanese made blades
● Low noise level at around 80 dB
● High, Med, Low and Pulse functions
● Comes with a 2 L unbreakable polycarbonate wet/dry jug
● Intelligent overload protection
● 5 year warranty or optional 10 year warranty
Verdict: Very similar to OmniBlend in its specs yet it costs $120-150 more

Vitamix:

Price: $700-1300 depending on model and options.
● 2-3 HP motor depending on model
● 4 stainless steel blades
● Noisy at around 110 dB (Vitamix 5200)
● Variable speed functions
● Separate wet and dry blades/jugs. Comes with 2L unbreakable jugs
● Thermal protection to prevent overload and burnout
● 7 year warranty or optional 10 year warranty
Verdict: Very expensive by comparison to OmniBlend, it’s only a smidge more powerful but twice the price!

Breville BJB840 Juice & Blend

Price: $350-499
● Dual purpose machine with a juicer & a blender, 1000W motor on the juicer and a 1200W motor on the blender, not very energy efficient
● Surgical grade stainless steel blades
● Variable speed functions
● 1.5 L jug
● 5 year warranty on motor/2 year repair warranty
Verdict: Couldn’t find many online reviews for this one but I don’t believe this is a high powered, durable machine. I don’t really see the point in a dual use machine either.

Thermomix TM 31

Price: $1800
● 500W motor which revs its two blades at speeds of 10,200 rpm
Verdict: This kitchen dream machine does much more than a blender; it can also do chopping, beating, mixing, emulsifying, milling, kneading, cooking, stirring, steaming, weighing and melting. Although at nearly 10 times the price of the OmniBlend so it bloody well should!

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

Chompchomp received an Omniblend V blender complimentary in return for writing this review. For more information head to www.omniblendaustralia.com.au

My Experience Using The OmniBlend V 3 HP Blender
When it comes to green smoothies, the OmniBlend V does a fantastic job. It out performs any department store blender. It quickly and easily handles large chunks of fruit, whole leaves of kale and liquifies hard things like carrots and pineapple core perfectly. There’s no “sipping and chewing” your smoothie like you do when using cheaper blenders.

The texture of each green smoothie we blended was creamy and smooth. The consistency wasn’t quite as smooth as our Blendtec, but pretty close. We didn’t get any chunks of fruit that didn’t blend and we didn’t get large bits of leaves in our smoothies either. This blender breaks open cell walls and releases nutrients so that your body is better able to absorb them. We were very happy with the smoothie quality.

Only once did I have to use the tamper tool, and that was more my fault than the blender’s. Typically, we’d simply toss in large chunks (not whole fruits) and handfuls of leafy greens (not chopped), then hit the “High” button and the blender would pull the ingredients into the blades without having to use the tamper or hit the pulse button first. Smoothie making is easy and frustration-free with this blender!

How OmniBlend Compares To Blendtec, Vitamix and Other Blenders
The OmniBlend V 3 HP blender is very close in quality and power to the top two leaders in the blender market – Blendtec and Vitamix. Both Blendtec and Vitamix make slightly creamier smoothies, but you won’t notice the difference unless you were previously using these two blenders before the Omni. The difference is very slight and almost negligible.

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OMNIBLEND: MY ESSENTIAL KITCHEN TOOL

I love my Omniblend. I had been coveting a high speed blender for aaaages when Richard surprised me with an Omniblend for my birthday. This thing is freaking AWESOME. When you have been putting up with a crappy hundred dollar blender that can barely handle a milkshake, sure, anything is an improvement, but 6 months on this baby is still knocking it out of the park.

Hard vegetables like beetroot are pulverised in 10 seconds. Stringy, sinewy kale is broken down into teensy molecules making for a delicious smoothie with a minimum of chunky bits. Now, I don’t mind the odd chunky bit in my smoothie but Richard does – and an extra 5 seconds on high is all it takes to decimate his fruit and veg into a silky smooth glass of goodness.

I have nothing to compare it to, not having owned any other type of high speed blender, but from personal experience, here’s my Omniblend review:

THIS WHOLE SOUL: OMNIBLEND V REVIEW

What’s in the box: Omniblend base unit, tough jug, thick flexible rubberised lid with a removable rigid centre panel (for drizzling in oil and the like), a long plastic stabby thing (I believe the technical term is “tamper”), and since purchasing mine, each blender now comes with a nut milk bag. A starter kit full of recipes was also provided as an e-book: great for beginners as well as seasoned smoothie afficionados. Plenty of great ideas to make as directed, or just use as a jumping off point for you to start creating your own nutrient-dense meals and drinks!

Value: Excellent value for money compared to other popular high speed machines such as the Vitamix and Blendtec. Living up to my expectations!

Quality: Hardcore. Looks and feels like it can handle making 100 Boost Juice smoothies a day. Tough commercial quality with a thick plasticised cover over the on/off switch and sealed control panel for easy cleaning (especially good if you’re a slob like me and always manage to slop bits of fruit and veg everywhere). Heavy; stays firm and secure on the bench.

Performance: Blades are still razor sharp after 6 months of daily use (often multiple times daily). Downward cyclonic motion of the six blades means all ingredients are sucked down and blended evenly. Easily turns nuts to fine powder and creates coarse flour from buckwheat groats. Occasionally ingredients stick to the side a little when mixing sticky things such as dates; a quick stab with the stabby thing usually gets it moving; or for really stubborn bits I’ve scraped down the inside with a silicone spatula (this has only happened a few times). Sometimes really gluggy things like thick hummus for example can be hard to remove after blending as a wee bit gets stuck under the blades when you’re scooping it out into a bowl. Again, I just use a silicon spatula which flexes and curves under the blades to remove any sticky bits. I would imagine this would be the case with any blender.

Taste: Maybe this is a weird thing to put in a review of a blender but I think the taste of what you’re making is affected by the tool your using… and therefore I just wanted to point out that I often make smoothies at about 7.30am when I am making my lunch and my son’s school lunch, and I take mine to work in a big bottle to have for afternoon tea. Obviously there is a bit of settling going on but a quick, vigorous shake is all it takes for my smoothie to taste totally fresh as though I’d just made it a moment ago. The fine particles mix and re-mix really well even after hours of sitting still in the fridge. Depending on which fruit I’m using the colour does change over the course of the day but of course this has nothing to do with the blender 🙂  A pale yellow banana smoothie made early in the morning might be light brown by late afternoon, but it still tastes creamy, frothy and delicious.

Cleaning: Ridiculously easy. I’m the laziest person around and even I find it quick and easy. Warm water + bit of dishwashing liquid + few seconds of blending = shiny, clean jug. The Omniblend site recommends 30+ seconds but I’ve never needed to turn it on for anywhere near that long. The base unit is easily wiped down if necessary.

Noise: Loud – but you know it’s powerful. Not as loud as the milk frother on my espresso machine though. Yeah – you’re probably going to wake someone up if you’re making a green smoothie at 5am – but on the flipside, it’s only loud for a matter of seconds; that’s all it takes to blend most things. Or make your crack-of-dawn smoothie the night before so it’s ready in the fridge when you wake up!

Shipping: Arrived quickly via courier within a couple of days of ordering.

Support: For after sales support, Omniblend Australia has a very active and responsive Facebook page. There’s plenty of other reviews, FAQ’s and help on their website and a local contact number for support.

Service: Replacement tampers, jugs blades and parts are available to purchase online. Warranty repairs are carried out locally.

I hope this run-down helps you make a decision if you’re in the market for a super awesome high speed blender!

Now, the lovely peeps at Omniblend Australia have a discount for you if you use the below coupon code – click through to go to the Omniblend site and check out the various models to see which is right for you. When you place your order remember to use the coupon code shown below! 🙂

Disclaimer – no kickbacks for me – all the savings here are passed on to you! I’m simply an advocate of Omniblend because I love their product!

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Omniblend v. Vitamix

If you’ve never experienced the awesome power of a Vitamix blender, you’ll wonder why aficionados shell out around $500 in the US, or £450 in the UK. What could possibly be that amazing about a blender??!

Pure. Pulverizing. Power.

It will demolish anything, from grinding coffee beans to liquifying smoothies. Your kitchen will never be the same again.

So why am I going to recommend you buy an Omniblend instead? Well, it’s a new brand of high-power blender that pulverizes just as effectively… but for half the price!!!

The Omniblend is a beautifully-built machine. It has a “built to last” feel about it, with excellent attention to details like the housing for the components, ergonomics of the pitcher, and all-round professional feel.

There are three controls on the front panel: “Low,” “Medium,” and “High.” There’s also a “Pulse” function, and three timer functions so you can pound your ingredients hands-free for allotted increments of time.

The Omniblend takes whizzing to a new level, way beyond anything a regular blender does. It’s not just for smoothies (although it totally handles these with ease). My first task for my Omniblend was to transform a bag of raw mesquite powder from a roughly ground texture to a superfine powder.

The brand of mesquite powder I’d purchased wasn’t as finely powdered as my regular brand, resulting in my recipes having a less silky texture than my regular brand. Instead of discarding a whole package of raw mesquite, I tried pulverizing it in the Omniblend.

It worked perfectly! The mesquite was utterly power-pulverized, resulting in a completely different texture, and also a perceptibly sweeter flavour profile… The tiny particles are now so teeny they’re able to sink into the tongue’s taste-buds. An amazing transformation from a slightly sub-standard ingredient into a truly gourmet experience!

Job number two was to micro-chop a bag of dried dulse so that it can be sprinkled onto fresh salad greens, without the need to soak it. In the US, there are a few brands offering dulse flakes that are fine enough to use in this way, but in the UK, I’ve yet to find a ready-made packet of dulse flakes that’s ready to use as a garnish straight out of the packet.

And so, I poured a packet of raw dulse into the Omniblend, hit the “High” function, and about 3 minutes later… dulse flakes! Ready to be sprinkled, no soaking necessary. Like gomasio, but different. Delicious!

The texture of soaked dulse is nice, but it functions completely differently to little dried flakes.
This is fun. I’m loving my Omniblend experiments!

And so at this stage, I figured it’s time to do some more standard raw fare:
a hemp mylk smoothie.

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds, a ripe banana, 1 litre water, 1 teaspoon maca, 1 tablespoon cacao, 1 fresh date, pitted
Whizzed it for a couple of minutes. Silky smooth. Ready to rock in no time at all.

And so my honest opinion?
A Vitamix is perhaps 5% more powerful than the Omniblend…
But as the Omniblend costs about 50% less than a Vitamix…

Without a doubt, I recommend getting the Omniblend. It’s a serious blender, beautifully made, will last you for decades, open whole vistas of new recipes and food experiences, and is incredible value for money.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: OMNIBLEND V

I have been playing around with the Omniblend high speed blender this week. It has been fun!!! One thing (and there are many) that is fabulous about it is the ability to ’warm’ foods without actually ‘cooking’ them. This is especially useful when making yoghurt. Which is why I decided to team this review with a coconut yoghurt recipe, something I know many of you have been waiting for.

The Omniblend is very reasonably priced without compromising on functionality. Granted, I have only made a few recipes however I have so far been impressed.

I love that I can see what I am making and exactly where the recipe is at. I like that I can easily pour the ingredients out. Everything I made that I wanted to be silky smooth, was silky smooth. Isn’t that what this high speed blending game is all about?

Here is the yoghurt. Simple. Thick. Creamy. I hope you like it.

Coconut Yoghurt

2 cans full fat coconut cream (mine were 270ml each, however, 2 cups would work perfectly)

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)

6 probiotic capsules, the powder only or a tablespoon or natural yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

1 tablespoon of psylium husks

Prepare either a sterilised glass jar or a thermos that is large enough to hold 600ml. I used a thermos and simply fill it with boiling water while I prepared the yoghurt.

Add the coconut cream and psylium to your blender, blend at high speed for  3 – 4 minutes or until warm. Gently mix through the sweetener and probiotic powder.

Pour the yoghurt into your prepared vessel. Leave in the oven, with the oven light on, for 8 – 24 hours. Place the yoghurt in the fridge. Leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight to thicken. Stir through the vanilla and enjoy!

*I used the singing dog organic pure vanilla extract

The fabulous team at Omniblend Australia generously supplied the blender for the purpose of this review.