The $650 Vitamix Blender From Saturday Night Live Is a Real Thing [Updated]
Over the weekend, comedian Sarah Silverman dropped by “Saturday Night Live” to skewer (among other things!) the Vitamix blender, which, in case you don’t keep tabs on the luxury blender market, retails for a cool $650.
Silverman’s “friend” in this segment goes on and on about the many virtues of the super-blender, including its nut-butter-making capabilities, but the friends’ conversation about the pricey appliance turns into something far more serious (class and money). The episode left us wondering: Is a $650 blender really worth it?
"For work, Vitamix is really the only way to go with blenders," Matthew Adler, executive chef of Osteria Morini in Washington, D.C., told us. “It is expensive, but they last for years, and the quality is really unsurpassed. It’s really one of the most used thing in my restaurant’s kitchen.”
Adler even has one at home, but that’s where the worth-it equation shifts. “I never use it,” Adler admitted. Maybe “three or four times in the past three years.” He went on to say, “It’s probably more powerful than anyone needs at home. To be honest with you, it’s almost dangerous because it’s a really powerful blender”—think: scalding hot soups spurting from under an improperly secured top—”and if you don’t know what to do, you could really hurt yourself.”
Calls to Vitamix for comment were not returned by press time. Would you buy a $650 blender?
UPDATE:
Vitamix is clearly taking the sketch in stride. Here’s the official comment from the company’s director of communications, Scott Tennant:
"Some of the most well-known, highly-recognized brands in the world have been spoofed on ‘Saturday Night Live’ over the years, and to be included among them is an honor for Vitamix. That it came during the show’s 40th anniversary season is even better."
