The Vita-Mix 4500 is an excellent blender and food processor, making it one of the most convenient appliances you can own for raw food preparation. It blends and mixes liquid and dry ingredients; crushes ice; makes smoothies, sorbets and raw soups; chops nuts; grinds seeds; kneads bread dough; and much more! (Not recommended for juicing because it does not separate the juice from the pulp/fiber.