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While the Vitamix Explorian E310 is the cheapest model of Vitamix you can get, it doesn’t mean they’re cutting corners on its capabilities. However, the fancy preset functions that you’ll see on their higher-end models, like the Ascent X5, are not present on the Explorian model. This easily seems like a knock against the blender, but once you get the hang of how to operate it without the presets, the Explorian is actually better for folks who want more control over their blend. It’s simple too—here’s how I do it.
I was lucky enough to test the Ascent X5 before testing the Explorian (here’s my review of the Explorian and of the Ascent if you’re torn between the two), and I noticed a consistent pattern with the presets. The presets have the most effective timings and blade speeds programmed in to match the food you’re trying to make. After seeing this pattern happen during enough blends (and reading the Vitamix instruction manual for leisure because I’m that person), I’ve found I can basically mimic the Ascent model presets.
Whether you’re making a smoothie, soup, or frozen dessert, the presets all start slow for a few seconds—and you should do that manually with the Explorian too. If you don’t take it easy during the initial blend, there’s a good chance a ton of your foundational ingredients end up stuck to the lid. I’ve done it. It’s annoying. (If you did this already, just stop the machine and use a small rubber spatula to scrape everything back into the container.)
It’s during this slow chop that the blades can catch a lot of the ingredients situated low in the container. Depending on what’s down there, this will hopefully be liquid or ingredients that release some liquids and eventually help pulverize the ingredients above at higher speeds.
All you have to do is make sure the central dial of the Explorian is all the way to the left side at level 1. Flip the switch on the right side to On and blend slowly for about 10 seconds.
Ramp it up
After that initial blend on low speed, the Vitamix presets always blast off to the highest speed: level 10. This is part of why I love the presets: At that speed, they all finish in under a minute (except for the hot soup function). But, preset-shmee-set—you can do this manually with any Vitamix model.
After the 10 second slow chop, keep your hand on the speed dial and consistently rotate it all the way over to the highest speed on the right side. Do this over the course of seven to 10 seconds. The coward in me always considers stopping before level 10 (it’s very powerful!) but just go for it.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn ReinmannAt this point, the operation might be over and you can just switch it off. But observe the consistency of your blend to see if you need to repeat the speed process. That’s the beauty of manual operation. If the consistency isn’t smoothing out, or the blade is whizzing free without catching anything (as can happen with thicker pastes), maybe you have to bring the speed down again.
However unattractive, his angular mini-baseball bat is important, regardless of the Vitamix model. If your blends are taking more than a minute or two to become silky smooth (again, barring the delightful hot soups you’re churning up), you should be using your tamper. Not using the tamper will require you to blend for extra time and it’s a surefire way to heat up the mixture. It’s certainly not ideal for a chilly fruit smoothie.
Remove the central cap in the lid, and the tamper goes through there. Use it to smash ingredients down into the blades. It will make your blending experience much faster, doesn’t take much effort, and it’s easy to clean.
How to clean a Vitamix container
My steps to cleaning the Vitamix Explorian container is another mimic of the self-clean preset of the Vitamix Ascent. First, rinse the container and lid with warm water to get most of the residual mixture out. Fill the container halfway with warm water (I go a little higher than halfway in height because the container flares at the top), and add a few drops of dish soap. Snap on the lid, make sure the center cap is secure and fit it onto the base. Start the machine on low speed for a couple seconds and then steadily ramp it up to the highest speed for about 30 seconds.
Click the right hand switch to the Off position. Rinse out the container, and you’re all set. If you have some stubborn smudges—always the case with peanut butter—spot clean it with a soapy sponge or dish brush. Once you get the hang of manual operation, you won’t be missing out on anything with your Vitamix Explorian.
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