Why I Love My Blender
I’m back home from Burning Man and so glad to be able to have my morning green smoothie again. When I wrote that post, I promised a follow up about my blender. Well, here it is.
Back in 2011, I wrote about hanging out with my friend Mark and watching him make homemade ketchup. What I didn’t mention was how impressed I was with his blender.
It’s a Waring Pro MBB518 stainless steel blender. Mark said that even though it only has two speeds, it’s the sturdiest and best blender he’s ever had. But what caught my eye was that there is no plastic at all inside the glass pitcher to come into contact with the food.
See, my current blender, a Kenmore that I’d had for years and that also had a glass pitcher had plastic at the bottom that twisted on and off for cleaning.
I wasn’t crazy about that plastic inside the pitcher, but it wasn’t enough to make me chuck the machine for a new one. And then the bottom started to leak. And the leak got worse and worse every time I used it. Green smoothie pouring out all over the kitchen counter. I tried to think of how I could fix it, and then I made the same decision I made in the case of the aluminum rice cooker back in July. I opted to recycle it at Green Citizen and order the kind of blender Mark has to avoid the plastic in the bottom.
After my experience with the Lotus Foods rice cooker packaging plastic and styrofoam, I was interested to see how the Waring would be packaged.
So, I opened the box and found… cardboard! The glass pitcher is wrapped only in cardboard.
I knew there had to be some plastic in the box, and I was right. But compared to the way most things are packaged these days, I’d say it’s less.
So… about the construction of the blender itself… this sucker is heavy. The base is stainless steel, and when you set it down, you can be sure it’s not going anywhere. There is a plastic section at the top of the base that holds the pitcher in place…
But there is no plastic inside the pitcher itself. And no removable parts. The blade assembly is attached to the pitcher.
Well, when I say it’s not removable, I mean you don’t remove it to clean it. You can remove the blade to replace it if it wears out. Amazon sells replacement kits,which is awesome, so you don’t have to replace the whole pitcher.
Compare my old blender and new blender. The old one has a lot of plastic and a lot of buttons, most of which I never used. The New one has much less plastic (only the middle ring assembly, power cord, and pitcher top) and only two speeds controlled by a simple metal switch.
And compare the bottoms. The Waring looks like it could easily be opened up for repair.
Made in the USA
I was also happy to purchase a Waring instead of any other brand because the machines are assembled in the United States, rather than in China like most brands. They do, however, contain some foreign parts. I don’t think there’s any getting around that these days.
And as I mentioned in my green smoothie post… or should have if I didn’t… The machine works great for its intended purpose. I don’t need to liquify anything. Not trying to turn veggies into soup in 10 seconds. All blenders these days that are powerful enough to do that (Vitamix, Blendtec, etc.) come with plastic pitchers. They say it’s because glass can break at such high speeds, but that doesn’t explain why they don’t offer a stainless steel pitcher option for those who want to avoid plastic.
Anyway, my blender is solid and beautiful and makes me happy every morning when I use it.
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I had an old stainless steel vita mix from the 80’s that my mom passed on to me. Only problem was it had a smoothy/juicing spout at the bottom of the pitcher that could get gunked up and harbor food and I felt it might make us sick eventually so upgraded 10 years ago with a Costco vitamix special but that was before I cared about plastic. I had a glass blender at that time that I was also keen on replacing since we had such a tiny kitchen in a 700sq ft condo. Priorities have changed a bit with 2 kids and a bigger home now and my vitamix pitcher is getting well pitted and I’m thinking about how to replace it sustainably. Thanks for the blender review.
Yes, This is a nice blender (glass and metal). Great job Waring! So, thoughts on a food processor? For some time now, the only option coming to mind is to go ahead and purchase a Vegetable Cutter. Yeah, the ones with hand cranks! Something with a steel base would be preferable. Thoughts?
The stainless steel mixer blender is available online. You can buy Sumit or Preethi brand. All the three jars are total. i mean total stainless steel except the handle outside the jar. It comes with small chatney jar where you can also grind your spices and also coffee. The middle size is for semi solid things or spices in large qty. and the big one is for smoothies. Only thing is you can not put hot things in it like soup. When I make soup, after boiling the soup, I separate the hot water and put only veggies after they cool down and then grind them and put the mixture back in the hot water. If you want some veggies to be seen, then I grind the vegetable roughly in mid size jar and then boil them in water to make a soup. It is made in India, specially for south Indians where they grind lot of pulses and lentils to make curry powder and dosa and idli batter. You can get it in 110 volts for use in USA. I am using one for the past 12 years without any problem. I always want to buy Vitamix, but whatever they say, it is plastic and I keep my thought away from buying it.
I know this post is old but do you have an update on your blender? What do you put in it and how strong is it? Any recommendations for a blender like Vitamix that doesn’t use plastic of Teflon?
I still use it almost every morning for my smoothie. I put fruit, nuts, seeds, veg, etc. I don’t put ice in it. I don’t know if that would wear it out faster. It still works great!
I bought my first Waring (Blendor” it was originally called) back in the 80s for $5.00 at a garage sale. It had a bakelite lid. It was quite old, and unfortunately leaked from the bottom. I wish I’d kept it, though. Years later, I bought a new one. Unfortunately, I used it to crush ice on a daily basis. First one of the blades broke, then another, then a third, and the glass cracked. Woe is me! At the time I couldn’t afford to replace the glass jar, and buying another brand of blender was simply out of the question. Then one day I found a Waring glass jar at Goodwill for $5.00! I’ve been using it ever since. If ever this blender goes out, I wouldn’t dream of buying a Vita Mix (with its “BPA free” plastic jar) or anything else. Perhaps one of the Waring Commercial ones with a stainless steel jar. I bought the first one back in the 80’s for nostalgia and aesthetics (the clover-shaped ribbed glass jar is a thing of beauty, much like my Anchor Hocking ribbed glass refrigerator dishes, which I also originally bought for nostalgic and aesthetic reasons), but this one is for function…and still a thing of beauty to me.
Carol
Great info. I was looking at the Oster Osterizer 14-Speed Blender, although it has a plastic base, the jar is made out of glass, sold for less then $25 at Walmart online, but the glass jar has 5% boric acid which is dangerous to humans and animals when ingested. Does anyone know if the Waring glass jar has boric acid? Thanks.
WELL, IT’S 2015 AND I’M GLAD THIS IS STILL ON THE WEB! I AM FRANTIC FOR A GLASS CARAFE WITH MINIMUM PLASTIC! THANK YOU! WHY, OH WHY, DON’T THOSE MANUFACTURERS HEAR THE VOICES OF THE HEALTH CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS?
Because they are doing it on PURPOSE. They cannot help themselves! They need to “take out over 6.8 Billion people and leave only 500,000 which the globalists are happy with. THIS is only ONE of their AGENDAS…It’s a rabbit hole you may not wish to go down, as you may not have the time….but it ALL makes sense. I can buy dog food with No corn wheat or soy and even made in the USA, but they can’t help but put it in an ALUMINUM bag!!
There is also controversy of FISH MEAL in our animals foods. The Fukishima waste was poured into the PACIFIC Ocean per the US’s answer when Japan called us and asked us what they should DO with their NUCLEAR WASTE.
Because of AIR currents and water currents, that stuff must be in EVERY ocean & sea etc etc. I have resisted eating fish for this reason and this reason only.
Too bad the EVIL powers that be at the top our world’s “SHADOW GOVERNMENT ” that calls all the shots have to poison us…but they are. And its down right EVIL!!
I agree with most of what you stated but what I find puzzling is that there is so much poison, contaminants, etc. in people from countless sources and yet people are not dying in massive numbers as various theories relating to limiting population state in order to reach that ubiquitous 500,000 mark. I find myself believing less in a master plan orchestrated by the “globalists” and more in an exponentially growing consequence of science which gave us chemicals; the pathway to nearly all of the horrible atoms in our environment (plastics, styrofoams, pesticides, preservatives, atomic chemicals, etc.).
Sure there are people all over the world with major plans but to me it seems like this is less elegant than an evil master plan. The reality seems to be that the negative aspects of human existence (i.e. greed, exploitation, violence, depletion, etc.) in combination with science have set the us in motion to make almost everything extinct until the planet can regenerate and form new species. Humans are just too flawed to control science for the masses, there are way to many people engaging in destruction for it to all be connected.
P.S. Almost all environmental problems ultimately lead back to global overpopulation.
Inclined to agree with your theory. Science itself-wanting to learn about your environment and beyond/outer space- is not bad. It’s what people do with the knowledge that is the issue. There are responsible people and there are not so responsible ones, and it’s going to be the latter that cause continuing damage to people, animals, and the planet.
Everytime I find those Vitamix sales people, I keep asking them, why can’t they make the glass jar. I want to know why do you want to crush ice at all in the blender? After you make a smoothi, you can add few pieces of ice to that.
I had the same blender and after 6 months the jar started leaking from the bottom. Waring fixed it under warranty but less than 2 years later it is leaking again. Say what you want about plastics but our 15 year old Hamilton Beach unit is still working without ever having a problem. (Hamilton Beach blender cost us about $29 whereas the Waring blender cost us $99)
I’m sorry you had that experience. It’s been almost two years for me, and so far no leakage. And I use it almost every day. My old plastic Sunbeam blender, on the other hand, did leak from the bottom. I don’t think it’s a matter of glass vs. plastic but design and workmanship. Your 15-year-old blender is probably better built because things were made better 15 years ago. People are still paying hundreds of dollars on eBay for vintage stainless steel Vitamix machines because they work so well. If you want a plastic-free pitcher, maybe look for something secondhand?
Been following your work for a long time as co-founder of MOMS and when I worked at CEH. Our last blender choked out and I was searching for a blender with a glass pitcher and came across this post. I’ll gladly buy it from Amazon so that I can 1) send you a little kick-back, and 2)send a little $ to my kids’ school through iGive. Win-Win. Yeah. Thanks! – Mary Brune
Awesome. Did it work for you?
Hi, thank you so much for posting. I have tried to buy Waring Stainless steal to avoid plastic, but I am worried that even though it does not have plastic, it leaches PTFE/teflon into the food (used in the blade assembly), so I am thinking about this blender. But I do have a very weak digestion, and I need to be able to make nut butters and nuts milks with it…and pretty smooth smoothies (although I don’t need to make soups)…could you share how this blender handles the smoothies and nuts? Is it possible to make nut milks and butters with it? and Do smoothies come out without big chunks?
Thank you so much
Nut milks are fine because there is plenty of liquid – and especially if you soak the nuts beforehand. I wouldn’t try nut butter in this type of blender. The assembly would get stuck.
Do you have any information to share about stainless steel blenders? I am in the same predicament as you and want the stainless steel one but I am not sure if it will also poison my food. Thanks.
Stainless steel is very safe unless you have a nickel allergy. The metal to be wary of is aluminum since aluminum tends to be lined with plastic.
Try Sumit or Preethi mixer/blenders. All the three jars are made with stainless steel. Does not poison any kind of food. Just make sure that you do not pour steaming hot stuff in that. It just blows out of the jar when grinding. Try to soak you nuts previous day night in water. I am using for the last 12 plus years without any problem. It is very strong and made for grinding tough spices. One small jar is for dry spices and for grinding coffee. You can soak nuts and also grind in this. The midsize jar also is for similar kind uses plus you can do your salsa kind semi soli/semi liquids. The big one is for smoothies. Any small repair can be done in big towns. I am in Chicago suburb and Devon is the place where they can do small repairs.
Try Sumit or Preethi mixer/blenders. All the three jars are made with stainless steel. Try to soak you nuts previous day night in water. I am using for the last 12 plus years without any problem. It is very strong and made for grinding tough spices. One small jar is for dry spices and for grinding coffee. You can soak nuts and also grind in this. The midsize jar also is for similar kind uses plus you can do your salsa kind semi soli/semi liquids. The big one is for smoothies.
How has your blender held up? This blender has quite a few bad reviews, compared with some other brands. I have an Oster blender with glass pitcher but it isn’t working well after almost 12 years, even after replacing the blade. :(
It still works great after almost 2 years. My dad has an Oster blender, and it’s pretty awful. But I do use it when I visit him because I don’t have a choice.
I just found your blog and will definitely follow it from now on. I have been slowly getting rid of all the plastic I can in my life and I am sure your tips will be really helpful. This one in particular already is! I am definitely getting one of these to replace my chopper and blender (both of which have plastic!). Sigh…..
I just want to thank you so much for this blog, This is what I needed to hear. I do not want a plastic smoothie maker. Yes I keep hearing the glass will chip…. maybe if I decide to throw a few bolts in my smoothie. I am going to buy one just like yours. Thank you so much
I am in the market to get a VitaMix, but now not so sure after reading your post. My Black n Decker (made of glass) blender works fine for my smoothies/soups/sauces/ect, but I wanted a high speed one for making nut milks. Can you make smooth nut milks in the Waring?
Check out the secondhand vintage Vitamix blenders on eBay that come with stainless steel pitchers. Many people swear by them.
I have an all metal drive Oster professional series. It has on and pulse. The base is metal. The only plastic is the ring that screws on the all metal blade and mount to the glass jar and the plug. Nothing in the blender comes in contact with plastic. I like it that way. I’m not plastic free, but I am wary about how much I use it. My daughters use mason jars and I’d like to figure out how to replace the sippy part since that’s the only plastic on the cup (and I don’t have two dimes to rub together). I think it’s to everyones benefit for us to not use plastic for EVERYTHING. I’m slowly but surely replacing it with glass, metal or fabric.
Your blender sounds a lot like mine. Yes, like you, I try to avoid having my food come into contact with plastic on a regular basis.
A Thermomix has a stainless steel jug and will also cook your vegie soup while blending it. It’s an investment, but very much worth it in my experience.
Don’t forget the Osterizer is wonderful, too!
NICE! I have a blender, similar to your ‘bad’ old one, but I got it for free on freecycle, which to me is better in some ways than buying new. Thought I’ve never thought to (or tried) to dismantle it to clean it, and seeing it looks so similar, I shall most certainly try.
Although a reader for a while, I only just grabbed your book from the library (it’s been popular), and I didn’t know if you allowed plastics that existed before you zero plastic commitment, so this post helps me understand. Can’t wait to find out about other items – computers, phones, remote controls etc
Chapter 9 talks about things like appliances and computers and phones. Buying secondhand is usually my strategy except when it comes to plastic in contact with food. I mostly still use all the same things I already had.
I have an Oster blender – I think it’s a recent model (got it off Freecycle when my older from-Freecycle Oster blender stopped blending well). It has a glass pitcher, and there is also no plastic on the bottom to come in contact with food. The blade is on a round base, and gets inserted into the glass jar with a rubber gasket (I assume this is actually rubber) between the blade and the pitcher. Then there is a plastic base that screws onto the pitcher, and of course the blender base is plastic, and so is the pitcher lid. But for something that was free I can’t really complain! Just wanted to let you know that there are other less-plastic-in-your-food options! And I keep a kosher home so it’s nice that I can have multiple blades/gaskets to use whether I’m making something dairy or non-dairy.
Great post, Beth. I grew up with a Waring blender my parents had – incredibly solid and dependable – and then working as a bartender years ago there were always Warings around. We were able to find a vintage VitaMix on eBay with a stainless steel pitcher and it too is a dependable workhorse – very basic but does everything we need and has that super powerful motor.
I have the Waring blender that my mom bought in the ’60’s. It looks the same except the base doesn’t have any plastic. It still works fine. I don’t use it all that often, but it is my blender. I do use an immersion stick and a high plastic content food processor that I’ve had for about 20 years.
i’m so glad you like the blender. I still love mine
I believe you can buy commercial vitamix with stainless pitchers. I saw them on eBay the other day.
Jen, maybe they are vintage? I just checked the commercial Vitamix site, and I don’t see any stainless pitchers.
That is really cool. We use a mason jar with our blender.
I tried that with my old blender, but it wouldn’t fit. Also, I wanted to avoid the plastic base. But yes, it’s a great idea.
I have a Waring like this one that was given to me at my wedding 20 years ago! I’ve used it many times per week and it is just now starting to leak at the bottom. So, maybe just a new gasket? Motor still running strong. I am impressed and hope your lasts just as long. @Melody I just put a little soap and hot water in my blender (before food gets dried/stuck on) and rinse; haven’t had any problems. Iâ€ve also put it in the dishwasher without any problems.
I’m sure you can order whatever part is needed and fix it right up. I’ve seen parts on Amazon. I’m guessing they are available from other outlets as well.
Thanks for this review! If I ever decide to get another blender I think this will be it! For the moment though, I’m very happy that I decluttered mine and replaced it with an immersion stick blender instead. It’s SOOOOO much easier for soups and sauces, which is the main thing I use it for. I’ve made a few smoothies right in the glass with it too, but you do have to leave some space at the top (ask me how I know…)
p.s. So glad to finally learn what Burning Man is… here I thought it was some sort of sunscreen protest! :-) BTW, what do you do about sunscreen? Is there a plastic free option available?
YES! I wrote about plastic-free sunscreen after Burning Man last year: http://myplasticfreelife.com/2012/09/plastic-free-sunscreen-that-passes-the-burning-man-test/
So if the blade doesn’t come out, how do you clean it? Are your hands flexible enough to get a scrub brush in there?
See my response to Kate below. I haven’t needed to use a brush. I just rinse it out, and it comes clean easily. Or you can put some soap and water in it and run the motor. Then, rinse it out.
Oh my gosh I want this! I love that it looks vintage.
Can you put the pitcher in the dishwasher? If so I am totally getting one of these for Christmas. Thanks for the write-up!
No, it can’t go in the dishwasher because of the blade assembly. Waring has some complicated instructions for cleaning it, but honestly, if you rinse it out right away, it comes clean with just a rinse. No need to get a hand in there. After I make my smoothie, I rinse it out immediately — even before taking a sip. There is nothing left in the bottom at all. If it does need more than a rinse, you can fill halfway up with water, add a little soap, put the lid on, and blend it. Running the motor with soapy water in it will clean it easily.
Okay, here are Waring’s over-the-top instructions:
How To Clean Containers with Nonremovable Blades
1. Remove the container from the unit base. Remove the lid. Add a cup of cleaning solution, made by adding a few drops of dishwashing detergent to 1 cup of cool water, to the container. Scrub and flush out the interior of the container and the lid to dislodge and remove as much residue as possible. Empty the container.
2. Add more cleaning solution. Put lid on container, place container on unit base, and run on high speed for two minutes.
3. Empty the container and repeat as above, using clean rinse water in place of cleaning solution. Empty, rinse and dry, prior to storing unit.
4. Wash and rinse container prior to initial use, and immediately after each use.