One of the handiest features on the Vitamix E310 blender is its pulse option. The pulse lets you precisely chop and mix ingredients without over-blending your recipes. Or having to chop for hours on end.  If you’re new to using this popular Vitamix model, read on to learn how to utilize pulse for perfect textures every time.

What Is Pulse Blending?

Pulse, also called burst blending, refers to briefly turning the blender on and off in short bursts. This gives you more control compared to blending continuously at high speed. Pulse blending comes in handy when you want to:

• Roughly chop or mince ingredients
• Coarsely grind spices, coffee beans, grains
• Mix chunky mixtures without over-blending
• Incorporate thick ingredients into batters or dough

Vitamix blenders like the E310 have a dedicated pulse button to easily activate this function. The blender blades spin as long as you hold down pulse, stopping when you release.

How To Pulse On The Vitamix E310

Using pulse mode on your Vitamix E310 is simple:

1. Load your container with ingredients.
2. Secure the lid and vented lid plug.
3. Start on variable speed 1 or 2.
4. Press and hold the pulse button as needed to chop and mix.
5. Release the pulse button to stop the blades.
6. Repeat pulsing until desired texture is reached.

With the tamper, you can push ingredients into the blades while pulsing for even chopping and mixing.

Tips For Pulse Blending

Follow these tips for getting the most out of the pulse function:

• Use short pulses – Press the pulse button for just a second or two at a time.
• Check often – Open the lid to inspect texture frequently as you pulse.
• Pulse then blend – Pulse to break down large pieces, then blend to finish.
• Add liquids slowly – Pulse dry ingredients first, then add just enough liquid to form a coarse mix.
• Use lower speeds – Pulse at speeds 1 or 2 to better control chopping.

Chopping With Pulse

The pulse button excels at chopping all kinds of ingredients:

• Vegetables – Pulse carrots, onions, cabbage for salads, salsas, slaws.
• Herbs – Roughly chop parsley, cilantro leaves for garnish.
• Nuts – Coarsely grind almonds, walnuts, pecans for baking.
• Meat – Pulse chicken, beef, pork to a minced texture.

For an even coarse chop, pulse in short 1-2 second bursts. Check often and pulse just until ingredients reach desired size.

Mixing With Pulse

Pulse blending allows you to mix without over-blending:

• Thick batters – Pulse flour, sugar, cocoa powder before adding wet ingredients.
• Chunky salsas – Pulse tomatoes, onion, peppers for a chunky texture.
• Fruit and yogurt – Pulse berries into yogurt for a rippled effect.
• Granola – Pulse oats, seeds, nuts, coconut to cluster together.

Pulse wet and dry ingredients separately at first. Then combine and pulse just until incorporated, but not completely smooth.

Common Pulse Blending Uses

Here are some recipes that benefit from pulsing:

• Guacamole – Pulse avocado, tomato, onion, lime juice for chunky texture.
• Hummus – Pulse chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic to desired smoothness.
• Pesto – Pulse basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil for a coarse blend.
• Almond flour – Pulse almonds into fine flour for baking.
• Nut butters – Pulse nuts into butter, adding oils gradually.

Achieve The Right Texture With Pulse

While the Vitamix E310 blender has exceptional power, pulse mode gives you more control. Instead of guesswork, you can pulse ingredients to the specific texture your recipe needs. With some practice, you’ll be able to chop, grind, and mix a huge range of foods to perfection using the handy pulse function.