Blender recommendations please

[ProfessorBinturong]

I want something:

• smallish, both in terms of counter space taken and capacity
• high powered - able to blend nuts
• plastic free as far as possible - certainly a non-plastic cup/jug, ideally the lid as well.

Budget fairly generous but I don't want to spend masses if I can avoid it: £100 would be fine, £500 not so much.

You need a grinder, not a blender.
I've had this for 10 years, still going strong.

Revel CCM104CH Wet N Dry Grinder ,Chrome/ Black : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

Hmm. I hadn't considered a grinder, but I don't think it would have the necessary 'mixing' action for my purposes - and I do want it for wet things as well as the nuts.

And I'm baffled by that one's claim that it can make yoghurt.

Vitamix. I’ve had mine for years (I use it multiple times a day) and it blends nuts so smoothly. Apparently they do a stainless steel jug if you don’t want plastic.
They are very expensive but they last forever.

Vitamix certainly fit the bill power wise, but all seem to be rather larger than I was thinking of. I know it may be a tricky combo with the high power but I'm hoping more for the 600ml cup type than the 2 litre jug size.

Although thinking about it, with the cup type can you add ingredients while it's running? Or do you have to stop and take it apart to, for example, add a little more liquid to adjust consistency?

It’s plastic but I love my ninja (the nutri bullet shaped one) it’s got a tiny footprint and very powerful. Makes the smoothest hummus ever!

Hummus is one of the things I want it for, so that's good to know.

I just love my nutribullet. The lower power ones can still do ice/ nuts etc but if your budget is a bit higher go for the more pricey one. I use it every day for smoothies etc (including ice) but also made hummus last week and it’s perfect for soups / sauces etc too . It’s a great blender and v easy to wash. Just stick in the dishwasher. You do take the lid off to add more liquid etc but it takes 2 seconds. Everything about it is easy!

We have a Vitamix and it's been completely transformative for our kitchen. Yes they're expensive, but ours is over eight years old and still performs like new — no sign of the motor slowing down. The stainless steel jug is worth it if you're trying to avoid plastic, and it's easier to clean than you'd think.

For nuts specifically the Vitamix is really in a class of its own — nut butters come out properly smooth rather than just coarsely ground. We use it for everything from soups to sauces to smoothies, and the results photograph beautifully which matters to me as I like documenting what I cook. The wet container is what you want for blending, the dry container is separate and designed for milling grains and flours.

What do you mean by "blend nuts"? Eg, do you want it for nut butter or to blend nuts into other ingrediaents?

I use my vitamix for peanut butter but my nutribullet 900 for salad dressing and I often chuck a handful of cashews in to get a creamy dressing. The nutribullet handles those no problem but I think would struggle to make butter.

It's also not as small as I thought it would be from photos online, but I do love it and use it most

Nut butter would be a bonus, but the main "with nuts' use would be making vegan cheeses, so mainly soaked whole cashews or soaked flaked almonds with very small amounts of liquids.

Would also be used for making sauces.