Vitamix Ascent Series A3500 Gold Label Blender ($700)
The latest Vitamix blender on the market is an extension of it's professional-grade Ascent Series. The A3500 Gold Label Blenders have preset programs that let you blend to perfect smoothies, dips and spreads, frozen desserts, and even hot soups (as in, you add the raw ingredients and the Vitamix both purees and heats them into a soup). There's also a self-cleaning function. Plus, the smart machine automatically "reads" the container size you're using and adjusts its blending times to avoid over-processing your recipes. Upgrading to this model after using a so-so blender will make you remember why smoothies are so popular in the first place. And while we don't need our blenders to be pretty, this one is, with chic gold accents and a functional and smooth touchscreen. Vitamix claims its blenders last 10 times longer than the average model — so you want it to look good.
(The Vitamix Ascent Series A3500 Gold Label Blender ($650, originally $700) is also available on Amazon.)
