Ice Cream Air Pockets! Here’s what to do!
How to Stop getting Air Pockets
My name is Frank Musa, I’m writing this informative article. If you have any questions about air pockets in your blender or how the Blendtec vs Vitamix blender models compare, please leave your comments below.
Thank you!
What is an Air Pocket?
If you’re looking at your blender and the blades are spinning but the ingredients aren’t moving, then you have an air pocket! Air pockets are very common and if you don’t know what you’re doing, they might happen more often then you’d like.
Air Pockets usually happen when you fill the blender to it’s maximum capacity and don’t stack the ingredients correctly or if you are making a thicker recipe such as an ice cream and you put the ice in first.
If the ingredients are sitting to far up from the blade then there is no way for the blades to start pulling the ingredients down, you have to stack your ingredients from soft to hard with the ice resting on top of the ingredients. Otherwise you’ll need a stick or tamper to push everything down.
Avoid Air Pockets
Stack your ingredients correctly
First rule is: Add the Ice LAST not first.
- No matter what recipe you’re making, make sure that the Ice is sitting on top of the rest of the ingredients, (last thing you add should be ice). If you put the Ice first you will increase your chances of getting an air pocket.
Second Rule: Add ingredients in this order:
- Placing the Ingredients from Soft to Hard is the proper way to add ingredients into the jar and can help avoid getting an air pocket. Both Blendtec and Vitamix companies recommend this order to their consumers.
- This goes for all Blendtec and Vitamix blender models and for all high performance blenders.
Liquids then Soft Ingredients first, then Hard Ingredients, then Seeds and Nuts and Leafy Vegetables, and last Ice.
- Liquid – 1/2 – 1 Cup
- Powders and Proteins – 1/2 – 1 Cup
- Soft Fruits
- Hard Fruits and Vegetables
- Leafy Greens
- Nuts and Seeds
- Ice (3 to 4 cups)
If you get an air pocket how do you fix it?
5 Things About Blendtec Air Pockets
If you still get an air pocket even though you added in your ingredients in the proper order, it shouldn’t be hard to fix.- In a Blendtec blender you will have to stop the blender and shake out the air pocket, you’ll notice the ingredients fall back down on the blades.
- After the ingredients plop down onto the blades again, restart the machine using your manual speeds. Start on a low speed and keep it on a low speed adjusting it slowly to a faster speed. Make sure the blender is pulling the ingredients down into the blades before switching to a faster speed. Take it to a higher speed to finish off the job.
- Usually thicker recipes won’t need a spatula with a Blendtec blender but if you need one, get the spatula offered directly from Blendtec. It will serve you better than buying one from Target or Walmart.
- Also for thicker recipes with a Blendtec check out the Twister jar, you’ll never have to worry about an air pocket with a Blendtec Twister Jar.
Read more about the Twister Jar here.
Why the Vitamix Tamper is a Great Tool
- The Vitamix tamper is a hard plastic stick which you can stick through the hole of the Vitamix lid and push ingredients down into the blades as the blender is running.
- Sometimes it takes a little effort if you have a lot of ingredients or ice but never the less, the blades will eventually pull the ingredients in and liquefy them.
- The Vitamix Tamper solves the Air Pocket situation for Vitamix blenders. The Blendtec on the other hand, has more of an issue with air pockets.
In Conclusion,
Blenders get air pockets, it’s a natural thing that happens, but you can help avoid them by adding in your ingredients in the order mentioned above. Worst case you have to stop the blender and shake it out and restart it or push the ingredients down with a stick. Either way, you will eventually get your desired consistency, even if it takes a little effort.
