Vitamix FoodCycler turns eggshells, banana peels and food scraps into compost fast

Summer season may well be winding down, but my drop backyard is just acquiring started off, so I was eager to attempt out the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-fifty. The FoodCycler is a kitchen area appliance that turns food scraps into compost. Compost offers nutrition to soil and can help feed your backyard bouquets, fruits and veggies, as well as other plants in your yard. 

At $400, it is undoubtedly pricey, but it is also economical, uncomplicated to use and avoids the pest issues affiliated with common out of doors compost bins. It truly is also a superb option for folks living in residences. Its small fifty percent-gallon ability is not best for anyone with a good deal of food waste on a everyday basis — and It does make noise as it works, but it is not much louder than a common dishwasher.

The Vitamix FoodCycler FC-fifty is a reliable possibility for anyone with small-scale backyard and landscaping needs who wants to repurpose food otherwise bound for the landfill. 

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Earning compost with the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-fifty

The FoodCycler has a black and gray end and a uncomplicated interface — a single electric power button to commence a cycle and four position lights to notify you when it is drying, grinding or cooling your compost and when you need to alter the two carbon filters. A person substitution pack of two filters expenses $twenty five. 

The major lid locks into place to commence a cycle, but the locking system and its built-in manage also make it easier to transfer the FoodCycler as necessary. Inside you’ll find a detachable bin with a metal manage and a fill line to permit you know when it is full. Vitamix states you should not overfill the bin or press the current food scraps down to make room for a lot more. 

I retained the bin on my countertop while I prepped food, so I could effortlessly discard coffee grounds, sweet potato peels, eggshells and heaps of other scraps during the working day. The FoodCycler is ready to system fruit and vegetable scraps, but steer clear of difficult pits from peaches, avocados and other fruits. It also cannot manage pineapple leaves. Citrus rinds and fruits with a good deal of sugar like bananas and grapes should really only be extra from time to time. 

The FoodCycle can also manage hen and fish bones, meat scraps, cereal, cheese, eggs and eggshells, coffee grounds, coffee filters, tea baggage, legumes, beans, seeds and pet food. Increase starchy food items like bread and rice sparingly, as well as sauces, dressings and soups, nut butter and jelly or jam. Never place sweet, gum, cooking oil, beef and pork bones in the FoodCycler. 

It frequently took my partner and I about two days to fill the FoodCycler one particular if we were being accomplishing a good deal of cooking. The good news is, Vitamix offers a 2nd lid specially to reduce any odors coming from the bin right before you commence a cycle. 

The moment your scraps arrive at the fill line, it is time to return it to the FoodCycler. Use the arrows on the bin and on the within of the FoodCycler to place the bin the right way right before starting a cycle — attach the locking lid, plug it in and press the electric power button. 

Vitamix states most cycles should really consider amongst four and eight hrs, but all 3 of the cycles I tried took four to 5 hrs overall, different based on what was in the bin and how much I loaded it. I don’t take in much meat, so I did not have any bones or meat scraps to increase, but all 3 assessments had distinctive mixtures of fruits and vegetable scraps, peels, eggshells and coffee grounds. 

The FoodCycler was loud sufficient to be distracting at selected details, largely all through the “grinding” stage of the system, so I would recommend functioning it overnight or going it somewhere out of the way to run a cycle. Following it moves by means of the drying, grinding and cooling phases, the lights flip off and your compost is ready. 

A full fifty percent-gallon bin of scraps yields about a cup of compost — a minimal fewer than I anticipated, but lots for a small backyard if you run the FoodCycler on a regular basis. And if you close up with extra compost, you can constantly store it to use in potential seasons or give it to a pal who will not have their personal compost bin. 

Preserve in brain that distinctive plants need distinctive nutrition. Vitamix states introducing a wide range of distinctive food items is the best point for the FoodCycler, but that is also genuine for your soil. That claimed, my blueberry plants need a lot more acidic soil than my eggplants, so I am going to issue that in when I begin making use of this compost in our backyard. 

The verdict

At virtually 400 bucks, the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-fifty is pricey and it makes noise as it works. It also has a very small ability that will never make sense for folks with large gardens — or for anyone who produces a good deal of food waste everyday. 

That claimed, the FoodCycler is a fantastic way to reuse food scraps that would otherwise go straight in your rubbish bin. It truly is uncomplicated to use, works speedy and avoids pests that may well be curious about an out of doors compost bin. It truly is also a reliable option for condominium-dwellers who cannot have a common compost bin.