9 Steps to Mixing Soylent: 5 Minutes and Almost No Cleanup
So with my previous post I outlined the new mixing setup I use with an immersion (or stick) blender, and a different jug that makes it simpler/faster to make the Soylent mix in a single container.
But how one mixes the Soylent powder can change the output in some interesting ways, or make it more difficult to get any flavor enhancers one adds to be noticeable, and to generally avoid making a mess.
So here's a step-by-step guide on how I mix my Soylent.
Step 1: Prep
Initially I get everything ready to go. The Soylent powder bag, the oil, any flavorings I am going to add (typically a "natural" chocolate syrup mix with no HFCS or preservatives, usually from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, although sometimes I'll use a banana either by itself or in addition), the jug, and my immersion blender plugged in and ready to go.
I also get a 1/4 tablespoon of salt ready to add to the mix, since Soylent in and of itself does not provide your full sodium intake for the day. I also vary this amount of additional salt somewhat depending on what flavorings I am adding, such as the chocolate syrup mix has sodium in it, so I add a little less in that case. I also lessen the salt I add if I know I am going to have a "regular" meal in the day (such as dinner with the family) as that will provide sodium as well.
Generally, if you want to add extra salt in your mixes, start with a small amount and build your way up to what is a good flavor to you, as otherwise it is very simple to over salt the mix and then end up drinking a Soylent mix that tastes like you used seawater.
Also, for clarification, I do not add the oil to the mix until the very last step. This is to ensure any other flavorings and the mix itself incorporate very well initially, as the oil will act as a blocker to full incorporation of other ingredients because it will act as a barrier until it itself is fully incorporated/homogenized in the mix. Even adding the oil and flavorings at the same time produces a noticeable lack of the flavorings coming through in my usage, so I hold the oil off until the very end.
Step 2: The Bag
I first get the Soylent bag and tap it against the counter (basically dropping it down onto the countertop) a few times. This knocks the powder down into the bottom of the bag, and prevents a mini-powder dust explosion when you tear open the top of the bag.
Step 3: The Container
I add roughly 2 cups of water to the empty container, before adding the mix. This is to prevent the powder from "sticking" to the container as the ingredients when mixed with low water will become somewhat sticky.
Also, what you want to do, especially if adding extra flavorings, is create what is known as a "slurry." The slurry, which is the mix of lower water and powder (dry and wet ingredients), gets the blend incorporated enough to make it easier to blend in flavorings fully. For example, if one were to add the powder and flavorings like syrup then add the water, it will take longer to fully incorporate the dry and wet ingredients.
Step 4: Combining the Water and Powder
I carefully open the bag so as to avoid the powder flying out by just ripping it open. Once it is open, I fold the top of the bag a bit to make the opening of the bag fit within the diameter of the jug I use. This will also depend a lot on the size of the opening of your container. For example, using the original Takeya pitcher, one has to fold the bag opening much more to fit within the Takeya, but using the Frigoverre with its larger opening does not need this nearly as much.
This is because I don't just pour the bag into the container, but actually insert the top of the bag (inverted) into the top of the container, so that the powder is contained as it pours out and lessens any powder dust from escaping or spilling outside of the container.
Turn the bag over into the container (roughly 2 inches or so of the bag is down in the container as I pour). Now comes the other reason I insert the bag into the container somewhat: as all of the powder is poured out and in the container, I tap the bag a few times to get the last bits out. This is much cleaner with the bag slightly inserted into the container, as it doesn't kick any of the powder mix up into the air and keeps it contained with the container.
Once all of the mix is in the container, carefully remove the bag from the top of the container. Basically hold the opening of the bag in the same shape as you pull it out, so that it doesn't snap back to its original size, which will again kick up powder and spill mix all over the place usually. Recycle the bag.
I then add an additional 2 cups of water (just eyeballing) to moisten the top of the mix a bit and incorporate some of the mix before blending. Note that just pouring water over the mix won't noticeably make the mix wet, and I've toyed with the idea of misting the top of the mix with a spray bottle to prevent dust kicking up when I start to blend (which is a trick some bakers use for flour mixes), but with the other things I do with the mix the dust hasn't been of issue enough for me to actually do this.
Also note that if you are using the Takeya, you need to make sure that you do not fill it past the point where its a danger to your stick blender (such as the water line is above the point where the blender connects to the gear), but also considering how the water level will rise when the blender is running.
When I first did used this process with the Takeya, I actually went through 3 different points of adding water which basically amounted to blending at 3 different heights in the pitcher:
Initial 1 cup or so of water plus mix, then powder, then another 1 cup or so and blend (with the wet ingredients) with the blender at the very bottom of the pitcher
Add another 1-2 cups of water and blend when the blender at the middle of the blender and down as far as the blender can go without getting its works wet
Final blend with the oil added and the blender at the top of the blender and alternating down as far into the pitcher as it could go without getting its works wet.
Seal the container and give it some vigorous shakes by hand to mix everything up, since my immersion blender is not long enough to reach the very bottom of the Takeya when it is full without getting its gear/works wet.
However, now, by using the Frigoverre jug (which again I would drastically recommend as the better option over the Takeya), there is no such consideration or extra steps as the Frigoverre jug is shorter and wider so much easier to blend.
Step 5: Add Wet Flavorings and Other Powders or Salt
At this point it is simple to add wet ingredients, such as chocolate syrup (a lot of people swear by adding coffee, I've never tried it, but I hear coffee lovers think its amazing). I usually add 3-4 tabelspoons of syrup, depending on how strong I want the flavor, but it will depend on the type of flavoring and how strong you want it to be.
It is also a good time to add any other powders (such as the prebiotics I use), as well as any additional salt. Since these are also dry ingredients, its fine.
However, do not add any solid ingredients at this point (such as a banana or something solid that needs to be blended up) as it will just create more of a mess when you turn the immersion blender on.
Step 6: Blend
Insert your immersion blender, and let that sucker run. Typically I only need to blend for 1-2 minutes to get the mix incorporated at this point, if that, as its pretty fast. Keep an eye on the sides of your container while blending as you may see some powder stuck to the sides of the container, and if so alternate the position of your blender in the container both vertically and horizontally to help those pockets of powder get blended up.
Note that the container is only about halfway full at this point, so the mix is not complete.
After blending the initial mix, I then fill the container up almost full (about 3 inches below the top of the Frigoverre container, slightly more if you are using the Takeya) and do another quick blend (roughly 30 seconds).
If you are adding any solid ingredients, such as bananas or strawberries or whatever, this is the point to add them in after cutting them up a bit (don't just drop an entire banana in there).
Step 7: Add the Oil
The blend is virtually complete at this point, though it still needs to be topped off with the remaining water.
However, before doing that, as the last step of the blending, I now add the oil and blend it for another 30-45 seconds. This finally gets the oil incorporated after our flavorings have already been thoroughly mixed in.
If the oil is cold (for whatever reason), this may take longer, but typically I store my oil at room temperature so it has never been an issue for me.
Step 8: Add the Last Water and Store in the Fridge
Now I add the last bit of water. If you are using the Takeya, fill the container up to the bottom of the black part of the screw-top portion of the container.
If you overfill the Takeya, some will spill out as you screw the lid on as the Takeya's lid is tall and screws relatively far down into the container, so it will push some of the mix up and out if overfilled.
With the Frigoverre, I fill it up to about an inch below the lid.
Seal the container with your lid, but make sure to not over tighten as that will actually weaken the silicone gasket over time, and actually be counterproductive to a water-tight seal and cause more leaks. Also make sure that there is no powder in the threads of your lid or on the gasket, as this will damage the seal and cause more leaks as well.
This is important as each time you take out the mix, such as to pour yourself a glass, you are going to need to give it a few shakes in the container to re-incorporate the mix, as the oil will separate over time in the fridge.
Now give the container a few shakes to disperse the last bit of water, and put it in the fridge and you are good to go.
Step 9: Cleaning
And finally, by using the immersion blender, the only thing you now have to clean is the actual stick of the immersion blender (which usually detaches from the blender motor in most models), so its a nice and simple clean up and you can have a fully Soylent mix ready to go in less than 5 minutes.