Written by: Kailan Kalina
When I saw the Magic Bullet Blender System on TV, I was about to flip the channel like I had for every other infomercial before it. But anyone who has seen Mick and Mimi whipping up meal after meal with this little kitchen gadget knows how much fun they look like they are having – and how tasty the food looks! As a student going off to college at the time, my dad bought it for me thinking it would be the perfect small appliance to have in my new home.
The Magic Bullet is simple to use and it can complete any kitchen task in 10 seconds or less. This convenience allows you to use it every day for a variety of dips, sauces, and desserts. Individual drinks can also be blended and served in one of the party mugs. You can then screw on one of the colored comfort lip rings to help distinguish different drinks when making them for multiple people. The makers of the Magic Bullet also offer the Bullet Blender for family- or party-sized batches.
The Magic Bullet does its best speedy work on foods that need to be pureed. You will appreciate this product if you like making guacamole, batter, eggs, frozen drinks, etc. When I used the Bullet it was mostly for smoothies, and I liked how I could make single servings. The downside was having to stop every few seconds to stir or tap the ingredients myself in order to mix it together completely. Needless to say, not all of the recipes I made took ten seconds or less. I was annoyed when the rubber lining on the inside of the blade cap would never stay in place too. At first I didn’t mind the flaws, but I was using it less and less often and finally switched back to my old blender.
Many users experienced the Bullet dying out without warning, overheating, or the plastic gear on the Power Base breaking. And not only mechanical issues – the majority was not pleased with the outcome of their chopped foods, even after doing the “pulsing” technique that the manual instructs you to do. Also, since the cups are so small, vegetables and fruits often have to be cut up beforehand so that they fit. This obviously takes more work. You may not want to count on this machine as a food processor.
It all comes down to whether or not you want to take the chance on technical problems and what you will be using it for; as it seems to work better on some foods than others. The Magic Bullet does nothing a regular blender wouldn’t do. Consumers may be happier investing their money elsewhere in a more reliable and quality machine. Unfortunately, this Bullet doesn’t seem so magical.