The Blendtec Total Blender has automatic blending cycles for ice cream, frozen yogurt, ice crushing, milkshakes, soups, syrups, fondues, sauces, dips, dressings, batters, whole juice, and smoothies. These cycles have variable speed settings that will change during the course of the cycle. This allows the blender to draw the contents into the blending vortex, which creates the desired texture. The blender will run its pre-programmed cycle and automatically shut off. If at any point you want to stop the blender before it has completed its cycle press any lower row button. The Total Blender recipe book is designed for an overall average in terms of ice temperature and the amount of liquid typically contained in various fruits and vegetables. Your experience may be different depending on local conditions and you may need to adjust certain recipes to have more or less ice, and higher or lower portions of fruits and vegetables or other ingredients. For example, if a drink is too thick to blend adequately, try reducing the ice a little and replacing the ice with a little water or other liquid. You will be amazed at the difference in blendability.