Blendtec Twister Jar - more uses?

[Junkbot]

I love my Blendtec, but one thing that it is not good at is really thick items, as all the food ends up sticking right above the spinning blades. Enter the Twister Jar which has prongs which stir the contents back into the blades. Basically, you do not have to stop blending to scrap down the sides.

 

I know I can make some nut butters and hummus with this, but the jar is $90+. Hard to justify that on those two items, but scraping down the sides is such a pain in the neck, and I do love making those items at home. Any other suggestions on how best to use a blender where thickness/consistency is no longer an issue? This is something like a food processor on roids.

[rob1234]

I've made curry pastes in mine. It also comes with a regular lid so you can use it as a smaller blender jar for small quantities of whatever that might not blend well in the big jar.

[scubadoo97]

Does BlendTec make a tamper? I thought they did. It's one thing I love about my Vitamix over my BlendTec. The perfectly made tamper that will not contact the blades and can be used WHILE the machine is running.

Cavitation is a problem with all blenders. It would have been nice if BlendTec made a twister top to fit their jars instead of a dedicated Jar with the twister top for $100+

[Junkbot]

Does BlendTec make a tamper? I thought they did. It's one thing I love about my Vitamix over my BlendTec. The perfectly made tamper that will not contact the blades and can be used WHILE the machine is running.

Cavitation is a problem with all blenders. It would have been nice if BlendTec made a twister top to fit their jars instead of a dedicated Jar with the twister top for $100+

Yeah, only drawback with Blendtec is no tamper. I have seen many custom ones made online though.

[Junkbot]

Yarg, finally caved on this. Cannot wait to try out some black soy bean/zucchini/cauliflower hummus. Gonna also try ultra thick cauliflower mash as well.

[blue_dolphin]

I've made curry pastes in mine. It also comes with a regular lid so you can use it as a smaller blender jar for small quantities of whatever that might not blend well in the big jar.

 

Ditto that.  Also, chili pastes.  The spatula that came with the Twister jar is very handy with the big jars, too. 

[Junkbot]

Ditto that.  Also, chili pastes.  The spatula that came with the Twister jar is very handy with the big jars, too. 

Do you need to do any special cleaning to the blender to get all the chili spice out? I know some people have dedicated cutting boards for chilis.

[blue_dolphin]

Do you need to do any special cleaning to the blender to get all the chili spice out? I know some people have dedicated cutting boards for chilis.

I wouldn't think so since the jar isn't porous but I haven't made any incendiary pastes so I haven't needed special cleaning - just a twirl with regular dish soap and water .  I have a some recipes that call for a few ancho or pasillas made into a paste where I find that smaller container very helpful.   I've also made the paste that Kenji described on Serious Eats which could go into the larger jar but they seem to get more evenly pureed in the smaller Twister jar.

[IEATRIO]

I have been on the fence regarding which new blender to purchase, being entirely unable to choose between the Vitamix, the Blendtec, and the Hamilton Beach units.  Since I make a lot of nut butters, hummus, and curry pastes, the twister container seems to have broken the stalemate, and I'm leaning heavily towards Blendtec now.  

 

Has anybody made any Thai style curry pastes?  Can it really do nut butters with no grit?  I was under the impression that only a grinder like the Champion could really accomplish that.

 

Any clear advantages to the Vitamix that I should be aware of before pulling the trigger?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For nut butters with no grit detectable on the tongue I think you may need to invest in a colloid mill rather than a blender.  I detest commercial peanut butter sold as "smooth" that isn't.  Even my Biospec homogenizer cannot process nut butters because the viscosity is too high.

 

Smooth hummus on the other hand is easy.  Peel the cooked chickpeas and pass them through a tamis.  No power tools needed.  (Though a food processor between those two steps makes it go a little faster.)

[Junkbot]

Broke down and got it. Have used it many times to make some interesting food items.

 

Ultra thick cauliflower mash - Used regular blender and 'riced' cauliflower to couscous consistency or smaller by filling blender with water. Strained excess water from the rice with a nut milk bag. Spread the rice on parchment paper and baked until fairly dry and a bit roasted. Threw all that into the Twister jar with some cream cheese. Super super thick cauli-mash. Could not eat more than a teaspoon a bite as it was very thick (peanut butter consistency). Might have gone overboard with the drying Will make it a bit more moist next time. 

 

Salvaged under-ripe avocados - Bought a bunch of avocados that were not ripe at all (peeling them was more like peeling an apple, had to use a knife). Threw them into the Twister jar and made smooth guac that tasted fine.

 

Smooth baba ganoush - No seed texture at all.

 

Pesto - I know that a blender is probably overkill for pesto, but the smaller form factor of the Twister jar helped.

 

Black soy bean hummus - Again, super smooth hummus, even with the beans thrown in straight from the can.

 

Have yet to make some nut butters, but will get to that soon enough.

[scubadoo97]

May give me a reason to use my BlendTec