Magic? Nah – But don’t ask me to give it up. I think I’m addicted!
Written: Mar 13 '06 (Updated Mar 17 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well-designed. Convenient containers go from Bullet, to microwave and fridge. Easy clean-up!
Cons: We’re going to be using a lot more Spiru-tein.
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend the Magic Bullet because it is so easy to use and clean up. It makes time in the kitchen a lot more fun.
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| cgkel's Full Review: Magic Bullet High Speed Blender Mixer System |
Why I bought it ....
From breakfast time right through evening snack, the Magic Bullet makes that potentially-difficult combination of healthy AND tasty meals and snacks much easier to accomplish!
My hubby and I love fruit and protein powder smoothies. But the old blender was such a royal pain to clean up, that we didn't make them often. So, I've had an eye out for a more convenient method for quite a while. We had seen a Magic Bullet at a store; but were not sure that it would "fill the bill". So we left it there. Then the infomercial convinced me to try it.
One minor gripe ....
It irks me when infomercials leave out significant details that the consumer needs in order to make an intelligent decision--like the shipping cost. And, you know that when you dial their toll-free number, you are going to reach a sales person who is required to try to sell you a gazillion other products at the same time. That's a waste of my time, so I got mine (new) on eBay for $58 total, including the shipping.
Here's what you get ....
Along with the Magic Bullet base, you get one each small and large mixing cups, 4 mugs with comfort rings, an assortment of lids and shaker/steamer tops that fit all of the above; two different blade assemblies; extra gaskets, a regular-size blender attachment with lid; and a juice extractor kit. The pieces are all nice quality. All of the mixing cups and mugs can be also be used in your microwave. With the lids that are included--you can use them for storage as well. It's a great combination that adds up to CONVENIENCE!
A well-organized, easy-to-read, 100-page User Guide and Recipe book is also included. It has plenty of great recipes, along with helpful instructions on how to use the Bullet.
How to use the Bullet ....
The Bullet is simple to use. The book will tell you which blade assembly to use for each recipe, as well as which mixing cup. The book also explains several simple techniques to use when blending, and which one of those is appropriate for each recipe.
If you pick out a few of their recipes and follow the instructions as laid out in the book, you learn very quickly how to use your Bullet.
There are no on and off switches on the base unit. All you do is put your food and/or beverage in one of the mixing cups or mugs, screw one of the blade assemblies on top, and then put it into the base with the blade assembly end down. There are three notches on the mugs and mixing cups to assure that they are properly lined up inside the base. To activate the Bullet, all you do is press down on your container.
For a lot of recipes, you just pulse the Bullet--which means you press down briefly on the mug or cup and release, wait for the blades to stop, then pulse again, until you have the consistency you want. For other recipes, you might want a continuous blending action for a half minute or more. In that case, you can twist your container slightly to keep the blade running without having to maintain the pressure manually. Then, simply untwist the container to stop the blades.
The user manual recommends that you do not let the motor run for more than a minute at a time, to avoid overheating.
Clean-up time .... not to worry, it's quick and easy!
Everything except the base can be put into the dishwasher. And that's mostly what I do with the mixing cups and mugs, and the rings.
I have been hand washing the blade assembly, for two reasons:
First, I use it many times throughout the day, and usually don't run the dishwasher more than once or twice. So I add a drop of dishwashing liquid to some warm water and run the Bullet for a few seconds to clean that. Then I rinse it in hot water and lay it in the drainer basket in the kitchen sink to dry. It takes just a few seconds, and it's ready for our next treat.
Secondly, there is a silicone gasket in the blade assembly that the cups fit into. I have read in other reviews that, until you get used to reseating them, they can be a little tricky to get back in correctly. And, if you run the Bullet when it is not correctly seated, it will come out and the blade will chew it up.
So far, mine hasn't come out. I suspect that it will stay put a lot longer with hand washing than it would if it were put through the dishwasher. They do include several extra gaskets with the Bullet. My hubby is really good at that sort of thing, so I intend to have him check it out and show me "the trick" to getting it back in correctly.
Save money on replacement gaskets ...
I've seen extra gaskets on eBay for 4 for $10. However, my hubby tells me that they look like a standard gasket that could be purchased at a hardware store at a much lower cost.
Our Bullet experience, thus far ....
My Bullet arrived about 10 days ago. I am having a great time, trying out some of the recipes that are included in the book, plus some of my own.
My week-days begin with cooking breakfast and packing lunch for my hubby, who happens to be diabetic. So I try to find healthy foods that he enjoys. As part of his breakfast, he gets eggs/Eggbeaters, almost always with some sort of vegetables mixed in.
With the Bullet, I've done a broccoli and bacon combination that he likes, using the bagged Hormel Premium Real Crumbled Bacon. I do the broccoli and eggs first, then add in just a little bit of the bacon before the final pulse, and cook it in the microwave--approximately 2 minutes at half power. I use a small Corelle bowl to microwave the eggs since the Bullet's cups are too tall and narrow to get the eggs cooked right.
He has been teasing me about feeding him green eggs and ham though, since I tend to over-blend the broccoli. But -- hey! -- I'm new at this. And, if he's not careful, he might just get spinach in his oatmeal for St. Patrick's Day! I'm just kidding, of course.
I'm continuing to experiment. The frozen veggies (and fruits) seem to chop better if they are thawed briefly in the microwave first. So it's nice that you can microwave in the same container that will be used for blending.
Once I get hubby out of the house, it's time to experiment with the coffee recipes. I like the cappuccino and the café mocha.
For cappuccino, you put some milk in the small mixing cup, froth it with the Bullet for 5-10 seconds, then microwave it for 35-45 seconds, or just until it is ready to bubble over the top. Then you pour it on top of your coffee or espresso. I was amazed that the consistency of the steamed and frothed milk was the same as we get from our espresso machine. The process is much easier with the Bullet.
I love peppermint cappuccinos. So I sometimes put 3 Altoids and a small amount of sugar in one of the Magic Bullet mugs and blend it with coffee before adding the frothed milk. It's delicious. I've also made mochas by adding in various Hershey's Cocoa Mixes. That is good, too.
I haven't tried the full-size blender attachment, or the juicer parts, although I'm really glad they are included. I'm sure I'll get around to trying them at some point. The quality looks fine.
By far, our favorite use for the Bullet is making smoothies. I keep a variety of frozen fruits on hand--berries, peaches, cherries. When we have bananas that begin to ripen too much, I peel and cut them into smoothie-sized chunks and freeze them too. To the fruit, we add some plain yogurt, milk or soymilk, and protein powder, then pulse several times in the Bullet. It makes a delicious snack or light meal substitute.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cgkel
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Location: Pennsylvania
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Retired early and loving it! I enjoy the grandchildren, graphics, and tending the flowerbeds.
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