Generally, television infomercials sell you things you don't need. They make you think you need them, but you really don't. They'll end up sitting in your closet or on a shelf gathering dust after the initial novelty is over.

The Thunderstick Pro breaks this mold, and how! It replaces many of your standard kitchen devices, to a degree. The commercial may claim that you can throw away your blender, food processor, snow cone maker(?) and so on. This claim holds some weight because this machine does absolutely everything. About the only problem with it is that it takes a while to make large amounts of whatever you're preparing, so this is good for helping to prepare meals for maybe 1-3 people. Other than that, this machine lives up to what it claims, and allows you to design your own uses and be creative. It's super powerful, with 200 watts of energy and a mind-blowing 30,000 rpms of mixing power! Be prepared to feel the power in your hands.

MULTI-FUNCTION THE nTH DEGREE

The Thunderstick Pro comes with so many attachments and tools that it is the epitome of versatility. Each attachment has it's own uses, but of course you'll find some more useful than others. This is why I have rated each blade/attachment separately based on how often you'd actually use it in the kitchen. I would rate durability or have a rating for the truth of the claims of the commercial, but each attachment is pretty much perfect in each category (they are durable, and they all do what the commercial says they can do).

Aerating Blade

This blade simply forces air into whatever substance you are mixing, but overall, it's one of the attachments I hardly use.

Two of the most exciting things that this machine can do (shown in the infomercial) are make a 'whipped topping' from skimmed milk, and to whip water! These are the first things I tried to do when my machine arrived. You need to have ice cold milk to make the whipped topping. In a matter of seconds, you have a light, fluffy dessert. You'll need to add sweetener or flavours, otherwise it's still just milk. The problem with this topping is that it's very airy, and caused quite a bit of gas(!), so I don't really make it very often, but the commercial didn't lie. As for whipping water, they suggest putting instant coffee crystals into water, and then whipping it. Now THIS is something I was a big fan of. Add some sugar and you have a delicious and refreshing coffee dessert.

Rating: 1/5 (reminder that this is a practical rating based only on how often you'd use the blade in the kitchen)

Blending Blade

Probably not as exciting as the aerating blade because it doesn't do anything new, but this blade is definitely one of the ones I find myself using more. In fact, this is the default blade I keep on the machine.

You can mix your protein shakes, milkshakes, blend fruit into milk, use your imagination!! It's basically a hand blender, and you can do so much with it. My favourite is the mashed potatoes. They turn out so creamy smooth with hardly any work!! Another great use for this blade is home made mayonnaise that is amazing! It's got no preservatives or anything, so you know what's going into it, and it tastes wonderful and smooth. It can do everything the commercial says that i can. I won't speak any further of this blade, except to say that it's great.

Rating: 5/5

Chopping Blade

This blade is the most versatile, and is at least as useful as the blending blade. Throw vegetables, fruit or whatever you need chopped(!) into the beaker. First, they should be sliced or chopped though, because the blade can't cut a whole apple (be realistic!). But that's not where it ends. This blade can make peanut butter, mix cake and cookie mix (as long as it's not too thick) and the best of all, it can make SNOW CONES! You need to use crushed ice though. Again, you have to be realistic. The commercial never actually claims that the machine can turn ice cubes into a snow cone, but it would have been nice if they could have mentioned that you do need to chop or crush the ice first without the machine's help. Just add syrup or fruit, and you have incredible snow cones, quick and easy. This is my favourite thing to do on a hot summer day. You can make your own margaritas, daquiris and so on.

Rating: 5/5

Meat Grinding Blade

I rarely find myself using this blade, although it does wonders at making diced or chopped meats into mince. It makes good ground meats, tuna salads, chicken salads and so on. That's about all the blade is used for, and even though I don't find myself bringing it out too often, I can see how it could be useful for people who are big on self-prepared meats, so I've kept the rating higher.

Rating: 4/5

Grinder attachment

I can't believe all of the things that this machine comes with. This is a separate attachment with a compartment to put peanuts, chocolate, cheeses, coffee beans or whatever you want to be ground. It works wonders, especially if you like fresh ground coffee. It even comes with two separate blades, one for coarse and one for fine grind. Talk about thinking of everything! Although it is great, i don't find myself using it very often, but it's great for dessert preparation (chocolate crumble!)

Rating: 3/5...(4/5 for coffee drinkers)

Food Processing Attachment

Just when you think it's over, they toss this mini food processor in. You simply put the handle onto the top of this, and you can make excellent chopped salads, chopped lettuce, and it makes the most incredible thick fresh salsa you've ever tasted! Since it's a little small, it's not great for making mounds of salads or sauces, but it's still a great thing to have around. It's also much easier to clean than your regular food processor.

Rating: 3/5

The Rest

There's more. The Thunderstick Pro also comes with the following:

-Large mixing/measuring beaker
-Wall mounting screws/anchors
-Attachment/blade removal tool
-Holding stand (should be mounted)
-Instructions (of course)

As you can see, there's pretty much everything you could need in one nice, neat affordable package.

THE VERDICT?

Ok, the Thunderstick Pro does everything except the dishes! It's a great machine for random kitchen cooking tasks, and is so easy to use, not to mention powerful, versatile and easy to clean that it's an indispensible part of the kitchen. I wouldn't, however, say that it is the only appliance you'll need, because it isn't great for large meals, and isn't quite as powerful as each separate machine would be. At this price though, it's great to have a magic cooking wand like this for pick up and go action, when you don't want to have to lug out the bigger machines and clean them. Personally, I love this device

Recommended: Yes