I have been fairly indecisive about what type of grain grinder I wanted to get. Do I get a manual hand-crank one? How about a Nutrimill? Then there is Vitamix. Well, I don’t like to jump in to a big purchase like that, so I have been thinking about it for over two years now.
At first I wanted the manual hand-crank variety. It made sense to me. I wouldn’t need electricity (even though I have it.) Then there was the Nutrimill. I have taken a few bread classes from a wonderful woman who used a Nutrimill to grind and a Bosch to do all the kneading and mixing and I was instantly attracted to both! She has a large family and bakes many loaves of bread at a time, where at my home there is usually just 2 of us. Then came the Vitamix. My neighbors have one and we make smoothies throughout the summer with it. I am always amazed at how well it does on those big ice cubes. My blender just laughs at me if I try something like that.
Not only does the Vitamix do a fantastic job of the ice, but if I purchase a dry goods container I can grind grains. Hmmm. A two-for-one. That makes sense to me. However, the price tag on any of these options stops me dead in my tracks and makes me really think (and look and think and look.)
I have several friends that have a Vitamix and they use them a lot, but none of them have the dry good container to give me any feedback on grinding grain. The one piece of advise they did give me was to watch Costco and QVC for their sales. I do get to Costco every now and then, and I never watch QVC.
One day I was sitting down to eat lunch and turned the TV on. I was flipping through the channels (all 9 of them) and I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of a Vitamix on the screen. Wouldn’t you know, it was QVC. Q V C ? I didn’t even know we got that channel. Yikes. I was glued to the TV, watching every move, reading all the words on the screen and all of a sudden I saw a blip in the upper right hand corner that mentioned a dry good container. Before I could read it and have it go to my brain to process, it was G O N E ! What?! I flew out of my chair and into the office telling my husband I needed the computer to look something up and I also still needed the TV at the same time, so don’t change the channel. “Yes honey, I know it is on QVC, just give me a second and I will explain.”
I pulled up the Vitamix website and found the unit and containers, then pulled up the QVC’s website to compare it all. Then back to the TV, then back to the computer. Now dialing the phone number. Reading off the credit card number. Done! What just happened? I’ll tell you what happened. I just got my Christmas present, birthday present and any other present all in one. What a neat deal. A few years ago I asked for a pressure washer for my birthday – and got one. I don’t ask for the “normal” type present and normally we don’t do the present-thing. If we make a big purchase throughout the year, we just say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Birthday” to each other.
The Vitamix arrived and it sat on the counter a few days before I needed it. First up was grinding some oats into oatmeal flour and wheat berries into flour for pancakes. I was SO excited I forgot to take photos. All you get to see is the finished product – the pancakes. Next up was a Orange and Carrot soup for a culinary group I get together with. I’m pretty sure most people would be making smoothies and other beverages, and here I am grind oats and wheat berries, and pureeing soup.
Still no smoothie, but it was now time to make a barbeque sauce to go in the crock pot to make baked beans.
Is there a smoothie in my future? I’m sure there will be, eventually. Right now, I am having way to much fun grinding grains and blending other things. I do need to use the dry goods container a bit more to get a feel for it, but for now, I am having fun with it.
Do you use a Vitamix for grinding grains or other things? Do you have any advise for me? Or do you use another type of grinder?
Sincerely, Emily
You can see what else I am up to over at Sincerely, Emily. The topics are varied, as I jump around from gardening to sewing to making bread or lotion and many things in between.
Not Dabbling In Normal 
I bought the dry grain goblet for my vitamix and don’t really use it much. I use it occasionally to make some unusual grain flour or to grind seeds to flour but otherwise it stays in the cupboard. I use the vitamix wet goblet every day. Welcome to the world of vitamix! It’s amazing what you can make with them 🙂
HI Narf77 – I am glad you get such great use out of your wet container. What types of things are you using it for? I have 2 50lb bags of grain (wheat and spelt) so I know I will be using the wet container on those. I’m so happy to finally have a way to grind it.
I don’t want to wear out my motor if the truth be known! I love my vitamix and want it to last me forever. I seriously considered buying a grain mill last year but then I decided to simply give up bread. MUCH easier lol.
I have a Vitamix with both blender jars. I think it does a fine job on grains, but it does heat them up while grinding. I’d suggest that you freeze your grains before grinding, so as to keep them cooler, and retain more of the protein. Enjoy – that thing requires hearing protection, but it’s a fabulous tool!
Hi Michelle – that is one comment I did hear when looking into the Vitamix – heating up the grain. Thanks for the advise on freezing the grains ahead of time. I will give that a try! I am laughing because I have always plugged my ears when I use my food processor, it is so loud. I have done the same next door when we whip up a fruit smoothie in their Vitamix. I might as well just use the hearing protectors I use when I mow the lawn, then I will have both hands free. My husband will get a kick out of that one.
You had me literally on the edge of my seat. What a great story.
Thanks Xan. Glad you liked it. I’m glad I finally have a way to grind grinds.