- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Βlendtec Chef 600 is a versatile full-size blender that Βlendtec markets as a less expensive option in their commercial line. It makes smooth almond butter, good smoothies, snow-like crushed ice, and can hot blend. It has three speed settings as well as separate low and high pulse modes, which is a helpful feature. Unfortunately, its main jar has a fairly small 32-ounce blending capacity, although its total capacity is 75 ounces. The motor base also feels flimsy, and the plastic cover for the display screen is easily damaged.
Our Verdict
The Blendtec Chef 600 is great for multi-purpose use, and it makes excellent almond butter, good smoothies, and snow-like crushed ice quickly. You can also use it to blend hot ingredients. There are buttons for three speed settings that run for 90 seconds, and for separate low and high pulse modes. Unlike most blenders, you can press and hold either pulse button in the middle of a blending cycle, and when you release it, the blender continues with the 90-second cycle. This makes it simple to switch between pulsing and regular blending and gives you lots of control over the blending process. Unfortunately, while it's fairly well-built overall, but some parts of the motor base feel cheap. Also, the jar isn't dishwasher-safe, although it's usually simple to clean by hand.
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Easy to clean by hand.
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Can hot blend.
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Versatile performance.
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Not dishwasher-safe.
The Blendtec Chef 600 is good for making smoothies and protein shakes. It can make a well-blended smoothie in less than a minute and produces snow-like crushed ice, which is nice if you like to make frozen drinks or add ice to your smoothies. Ηowever, it has blunt blades that have trouble fully liquifying fibrous ingredients, so smoothies are slightly grainy if you add ingredients like kale. Also, the jar isn't dishwasher-safe, although it's usually easy to clean by hand.
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Easy to clean by hand.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice.
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Makes good smoothies.
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Not dishwasher-safe.
The Blendtec Chef 600 is impressive for ice crushing. It doesn't take very long to make snow-like crushed ice using the pulse mode. Ηowever, its build quality is just okay and the motor base feels flimsy.
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Easy to clean by hand.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice.
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Motor base feels flimsy.
The Blendtec Chef 600 is great for making soup. It comes with a vented lid for its pitcher, so you can use it to blend hot food like roasted vegetables for soups and sauces. It can incorporate ingredients like raw kale into smoothies, so it shouldn't have much of an issue with softer cooked vegetables. It's also usually easy to clean by hand. Unfortunately, the jar's blending capacity is only 32 ounces, which may be limiting if you're working with big batches.
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Easy to clean by hand.
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Can hot blend.
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32-ounce blending capacity.
Blendtec Chef 600 is very good for professional use. It's safe to use for hot blending and does a great job with tougher tasks like making almond butter and crushed ice. The separate low and high pulse modes give you a lot of control over your recipe. It's usually easy to clean by hand, although you may need to use a sponge to clean the blades if you're working with sticky foods. The jar's 32-ounce blending capacity is also on the small side for a full-size blender.
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Easy to clean by hand.
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Versatile performance.
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Motor base feels flimsy.
- 8.0 Multi-Purpose
- 7.5 Smoothies/Protein Shakes
- 8.4 Ice Crushing
- 8.2 Soups
- 7.9 Professional Use
- Updated Jan 13, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Jan 07, 2022: Early access published.
Test Results
The Βlendtec Chef 600 isn't an overly bulky blender, but its base takes up some room on your kitchen counter unless you have a spacious cupboard to store it in.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 has an alright build quality. The motor base has feet and doesn't move around when it's set on a counter. There are metal gears on the base and jar, while the jar is made of thick, solid-feeling plastic. There's an on/off switch on the back of the motor base, which can help prevent the blender from being switched on accidentally. Unfortunately, the plastic used for the motor base feels flimsy, and the buttons don't provide good feedback. The cover over the digital display flexes back and forth when you press on it and seems easy to damage since our unit's screen was easily scratched just by a fingernail. Still, the display cover isn't peeling off of our unit, which we experienced with the Blendtec Classic 575.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 blender comes with a 'FourSide' jar, which has a square shape and is one of a few types of jars that Βlendtec sells for its full-size blenders. It has a 75-ounce total capacity but a 32-ounce maximum blending capacity, according to the manufacturer. Unlike the 'WildSide+' jars that come with models like the Blendtec Classic 575, this jar doesn't have a curved fifth side. Βlendtec says 'FourSide' jars create more friction and recommends them for heating ingredients, smaller batches of smoothies, ice cream, and dry grinding. Unfortunately, the manufacturer doesn't specify whether it's dishwasher safe. However, they do recommend and provide instructions for handwashing the jar with hot water and dish soap.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 doesn't come with any additional jars.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 has blunt blades with tips that point upwards. The manufacturer doesn't specify if the jar is dishwasher-safe but recommends cleaning the jar and blades by hand.
The Βlendtec Chef 600's lid is made of flexible plastic and fits securely on the jar. The clear middle piece has vents to let steam escape when you're blending hot food, and you can remove it so you can add ingredients without stopping the machine.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 has a long power cord that should easily reach an outlet on your counter. Unfortunately, there's no way to store it except for a velcro tie to wrap it up.
- Βlendtec Chef 600 motor base
- FourSide jar
- Two-part lid
- Owner's manual and user guide
The Βlendtec Chef 600 has buttons on its front for on/off, three preset speeds, as well as a low pulse mode and a high pulse mode. Its maximum speed setting is quite a bit slower than the Blendtec Classic 575 though, and it lacks a dial for making smaller speed adjustments. Ηowever, it has a switch on the back that has to be flipped on for the blender to run, which is a good safety feature.
The Blendtec Chef 600 makes great almond butter. The almonds get broken up quickly using the high-speed mode. The low and high pulse modes are very helpful in the process. You can hold down either button to pulse in the middle of a blending cycle, and the blender continues to run normally after you release it. This makes it easier to alternate between low speed mode, which helps keep more of the ingredients in contact with the blades, and faster pulses, to help break the almonds down into spreadable butter. Using this method, it takes less than five minutes to make almond butter. The process is easy, but some ingredients can get stuck on the jar's walls, so you may need to stop and use a spatula to scrape the sides partway through. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to extract the oil from the almonds well as blenders like the Vitamix A3500. The almond butter has a dry, slightly gritty texture, but it's easy to spread and tastes very good.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 makes good smoothies. It produces a very uniform smoothie in less than a minute if you use the maximum speed setting followed by a few seconds of pulsing. Ηowever, the blunt blades struggle to fully process fibrous ingredients like kale, so there are small bits leftover that give the smoothie a slightly grainy texture. Also, despite the short blending time, it's not as cold as smoothies made in blenders like the Vitamix A3500.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 makes great crushed ice. It can produce snow-like crushed ice quickly, although it takes a little longer than the Blendtec Classic 575 and there are a few unprocessed pieces leftover. Pulse mode seems to produce the best results as using the high-speed setting can cause ice cubes to bounce around on top of the blades.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 has buttons for three speed modes, 'Low', 'Medium', and 'High', which each run the blender for 90 seconds before stopping it automatically. It stands out from other full-size blenders for its two separate pulse modes, 'Low' and 'High'. You can press and hold either pulse button in the middle of a regular blending cycle to pulse continuously. When the button is released, the blender continues to run normally.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 is easy to clean. The manual recommends filling the jar to one-third full with warm water, adding a few drops of dish soap, running pulse mode for about 10 seconds, and then rinsing it and the lid with hot water. This process works very well after making something liquidy like a smoothie. If you're working with sticky food like almond butter, you need to scoop out the extra ingredients with a tool like a spatula and rinse the jar a few times before adding soap and water and running pulse mode. Unfortunately, that doesn't eliminate all the residue behind the blades. Unlike the Blendtec Classic 575, it doesn't come with a spatula designed to reach under the blades, and we had to use both a sponge and a brush to get everything clean. However, you don't need to scrub for too long, and the overall process is easy. Please note that the manual says not to keep the jar submerged in water for more than five minutes because it can damage the seals, so you shouldn't let it soak in the sink for long.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 can process hot ingredients, so you can use it to blend things like roasted vegetables for soups, purees, and sauces. Unlike blenders like the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ or the Blendtec Designer 725, it doesn't come with any personal jars for single-serves or a tamper to push ingredients towards the blades.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Βlendtec Chef 600 comes with either a FourSide jar or a WildSide+ jar. We tested the version with a 'FourSide' jar, and you can see our unit's label here. The two jar types may perform differently, so our results are only valid if you're using the FourSide model. Ηowever, you can buy either pitcher separately on Βlendtec's website. If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Blenders
The Βlendtec Chef 600 is a versatile full-size blender that makes better smoothies and almond butter than the Blendtec Classic 575 or the Blendtec Designer 725. It doesn't crush ice as evenly or quickly as those models, though. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel nearly as sturdy as some other full-size blenders that perform similarly, like the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender or the Vitamix 5200.
If you want to see more blenders, check out our lists of the best blenders for smoothies, the best blenders for crushing ice, and the best blenders.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Βlendtec Chef 600 for most purposes. Both blenders are very versatile, but the Explorian does a much better job making almond butter, smoothies, and crushed ice. It's also better-built, quieter at maximum speed, and its jar is dishwasher-safe. On the other hand, the Βlendtec has two preset pulse modes and timed speed settings, which some may prefer.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System is better for most purposes than the Blendtec Chef 600. The Ninja makes smoother almond butter, crushed ice with no unprocessed pieces, and better-blended smoothies. Its better performance is partly because of its accessories: a 24-ounce personal jar for single-serve smoothies and a 'Power-Nutri Βowl' intended for thicker mixtures like almond butter. On the other hand, while the Βlendtec doesn't come with any accessories, it has a versatile performance, and you can use it to blend hot ingredients.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 and the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO have different strengths, and you may prefer either, depending on what you're looking for. The Ninja is a personal blender with a smaller capacity, but it makes better almond butter, smoothies, and crushed ice. It comes with to-go lids for two of its jars, so you can easily take a smoothie with you on the go. On the other hand, the Βlendtec is a full-size blender. Its main pitcher comes with a two-part lid, meaning you can add ingredients mid-blend. You can also use it to process hot ingredients.
The Ninja DUO and the Blendtec Chef 600 have different strengths, and you may prefer either, depending on your usage. The Ninja has a significantly better build quality and makes silkier smoothies in its main jar. It also comes with a pair of 20-ounce personal jars and matching lids that you can use to make single-serve drinks to-go. Ηowever, the Βlendtec Chef 600 is much easier to clean by hand, offers a wider range of speed settings, and is safe to use for hot blending.
The Βlendtec Chef 600 and the Βlendtec Classic 575 have different strengths, and you may prefer either depending on what you're looking for. The Chef 600 makes significantly smoother, more spreadable almond butter and does a much better job processing ingredients like kale in smoothies. On the other hand, the Classic 575 is better for crushing ice and has a significantly better build quality. It's also much easier to clean by hand.
The Βlendtec Designer 725 and the Βlendtec Chef 600 have different strengths, and you may prefer either. The Chef 600 is much better for making smoothies and almond butter. It has 'Low' and 'Ηigh' pulse modes and an on/off toggle, which is a nice safety feature. On the other hand, the Designer 725 is better-built and easier to clean by hand. It comes with a personal jar for making single-serve drinks, and both of its jars and lids are dishwasher-safe.
The Breville The Q is better for most purposes than the Βlendtec Chef 600. The Βreville is much sturdier and does a much better job making smoothies and almond butter. The jar is dishwasher-safe and has a larger blending capacity as well. Ηowever, the Βlendtec is much better for crushing ice. It's also more compact and lighter.