When it comes to preparing delicious meals, we highly recommend the Vitamix commercial kitchen blenders for your foodservice operation. From smooth purees to rough chops and fine powders, our customers can't get enough of the versatility and power of the Vita-Prep, Vita-Prep 3, and Vita-Prep XL blenders. All three blenders are made for commercial use with durable, high-impact containers, but which one is the right fit for your restaurant business? Let us break it down for you:
Vita-Prep:
Your entry-level model is the classic Vita-Prep, which is the most budget-friendly. Variable Speed Control delivers precise textures and reduces prep time, while the tamper lets you blend thick mixtures without stopping the machine. The machine is excellent for puréed sauces, vinaigrette’s and soups.
Key Features:
- 2-HP Motor: The Vita-Prep is equipped with a powerful 2.3 peak output horsepower motor. This robust motor is designed for improved processing, making it capable of handling various blending tasks with ease.
- Variable Speed Control: The blender features a manually-operated Variable Speed Control. This control allows you to adjust the blending speed precisely, which is essential for achieving different textures in your recipes. Whether you need a smooth puree or a chunkier consistency, you have control over it.
- Tamper: The Vita-Prep comes with a tamper, which is a handy tool for blending thick and frozen mixtures. The tamper allows you to push ingredients down into the blades while the blender is running, ensuring thorough blending without the need to stop and scrape down the sides of the container.
Vita-Prep 3: Exceptional Power
For a slightly higher price point and more horsepower, you have the Vita-Prep 3. Like the Vita-Prep, the Vita-Prep 3 offers Variable Speed Control, a tamper for precise texture control, and a 64-ounce container capacity; however, this blender is equipped with a ≈3 peak output HP motor with improved thermal protection. In addition, the blender has an advanced cooling fan for optimum reliability at peak hours of operation. The machine is excellent for producing sauces and stable emulsions like aioli and hollandaise.
Key Features:
- Powerful Motor: The Vita-Prep 3 is equipped with an impressive ≈3 peak output horsepower (HP) motor. This motor is designed with improved thermal protection, ensuring it can handle even the most demanding tasks in commercial kitchens. It provides the power and reliability required for consistent performance.
- Variable Speed Control: The blender features Variable Speed Control, allowing you to precisely adjust the blending speed. This control provides a full range of texture options, making it suitable for tasks ranging from chopping delicate ingredients to blending tough purées. The Start/Stop switch automatically returns to a neutral position, which helps prevent unintentional start-ups, enhancing safety.
- Advanced Cooling Fan: The blender is equipped with an advanced cooling fan. This feature is crucial for ensuring optimum reliability, especially during peak hours of operation in busy commercial kitchens. It helps prevent overheating, extending the lifespan of the blender.
Vitamix XL: Expand Your Capacity
If you're looking for the ultimate combination of power, capacity, and performance, then the Vitamix XL is the blender for you. Its impressive 4.2 horsepower motor is specifically designed to effortlessly blend tough, winter-hardy root vegetables in batches of up to 1 1/2 gallons. With the Vitamix XL, a prep cook can have a whopping 24 servings of creamy curried carrot soup ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
Key Features:
- Large Capacity: The standout feature of the Vitamix XL is its impressive capacity. It can blend up to 24 servings of 8 ounces each at once. This makes it ideal for high-volume food preparation, allowing you to serve more customers with a single blend. The Vitamix XL comes with two containers, both of which have removable lid plugs so you can add ingredients while the blender is in operation. The low-profile 1.5-gallon container is ideal for blending substantial quantities of ingredients, and the 67oz. container is ideal for smaller batches or specific recipes.
- Powerful Motor: The Vitamix XL is equipped with a robust ≈4.2 peak output horsepower (HP) motor. This powerful motor can handle a wide range of ingredients, from delicate tomatoes to dense meats, with ease. It significantly reduces the time required to prepare large quantities of kitchen staples.
- Responsive Controls: The blender features Variable Speed Control and a Pulse feature, working together to provide precise texture control and complete flexibility in the kitchen. These controls allow you to adjust the blending speed and pulsing as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Takeaway
The Vita-Prep, Vita-Prep 3, and Vitamix XL blenders are all exceptional choices for commercial kitchens. Each blender has containers with removable lid plugs to add ingredients while in use, however the blender you choose depends on how much you are looking to serve at once. For lower volume operations we would recommend Vita-Prep, for slightly higher volume operations we would recommend the Vita-Prep 3, and for high-volume operations we would recommend the Vita-Prep XL.
