I've now had my Vitamix for about a year, and although I like it better than the Blendtec I had, this is a piece of equipment that I just don't enjoy working with at all, and I'm liking it less and less as time goes on. I'm sure it makes great smoothies, but I've never made one and never will. For cooking applications, I find the machine severely lacking in that it cannot reduce things to a smooth paste, and its a pain in the neck to get product out of the bottom of the container. I returned my first container due to the black teflon dust, and I'm wondering if the redesigned container is not able to spin the blade as smoothly over time. I find myself using my food processor more and more, and looking for a replacement blender. Can anybody make a suggestion? It seems as if this market is very geared towards blending liquids (smoothies, juices, etc.) and I'm wondering if the Waring units are any better for cooking and processing solids, or if there is anything else out there.
Relatedly, I'm also thinking about moving some of these projects that won't work well on a Vitamix (i.e., nut butters, spice pastes, hummus) to a wet-grinder. Might this be a good tool, and if so can anybody recommend one? There is an interesting pistachio butter on ChefSteps, and would love to make it (it was an expensive disaster on the Vitamix).
