The Magic Bullet System, star of many late night infomercials, is advertised to be a “personal, versatile countertop magician that does any job in ten seconds or less.” One too many late nights and my 17 year old had to have the magic bullet, but at $99.99 it was out of his budget.
But wait…for one night only he could buy the magic bullet for three easy low payments of $33.33 plus $39.98 shipping and handling. He wanted it so bad, despite my warnings that things “as seen on T.V.” do not always perform the same in reality.
Then, they offered him another night for the same easy low payments. It was still out of his price range. Video games, movies, and gas take priority.
One too many infomercials later caution was thrown to the wind. But wait…He didn’t spend $99.99, $69.99, or even $39.99. My little bargain shopper found the Magic Bullet, “as seen on T.V.”, at Walmart for the low, low price of $29.99. He caved.
I can’t blame him. At that price I would have bought one, too. After all, it can process almost anything in ten seconds or less. No, that’s not right, it’s “TEN SECONDS or LESS!”
He got a good deal, stopped by the grocery store on the way home and immediately set about making salsa. The “10 Second Recipe” book, yep, “as seen on T.V.,” includes a salsa recipe. It was about the most complicated recipe in the book. I’m not a cook, but I could have written the recipes in this book. For example: Iced Coffee. Place ice cubes and coffee in the magic bullet and turn it on for 5 seconds. You’ve made a delicious iced coffee drink,
“as seen on T.V.”
I was skeptical. I admit it, but I also admit the Magic Bullet lives up to the late night hype. The high-torque power base is small, but very powerful. The best way to think of The Magic Bullet is a super-charged mini food processor. It is perfect for small jobs and quick mixes.
It comes with two blades. The cross blade is great for chopping, grating, and blending. The flat blade is good for whipping or grinding hard foods, like peppercorn.
The infomercial says using The Magic Bullet is easy as 1,2,3…It really is. Toss in the ingredients, select a mug or cup which comes with the Magic Bullet, put the bullet on the power base and press down. Most foods are chopped, blended, or mixed with just a tap. The infomercial expert calls the “tap” a “pulse.” There is a twist and lock mechanism for hands free blending. However, I would only recommend it for recipes which require very smooth blending.
The Magic Bullet is so powerful a pulse gets the job done in seconds. My son learned this while attempting to make his salsa. He tapped, or PULSED, the cup five times and the mixture turned to mush. He saved his recipe by added melted cheese and turned it into a queso dip. He could have grated cheese, IN LESS THAN TEN SECONDS, but he opted for Velveeta. It melts more easily.
This is a neat little kitchen tool. It’s quick, easy to use, easy to clean, and takes up virtually no storage place. That’s the biggest advantages over a larger food processor.
For a quick smoothie, crushed herbs, mixed drinks, chopped garlic and onion, and other diced foods the Magic Bullet is perfect. It eliminates drink mixers, does small jobs that would otherwise require a blender, works well in place of a mixer, and does small food processing jobs.
The biggest drawback is that The Magic Bullet will not slice veggies, or mix large quantities. It will not eliminate your food processor, but it might allow you to put it away to use only for larger jobs.
Keep in mind, you can get this at less than 1/3 the price at Walmart. Don’t pay $100 ordering from television or on the internet. You can find the name brand Magic Bullet in big box stores for around $30. Even when the infomercial offers to throw in a second Magic Bullet free, you’re still better off buying local, which also eliminates $39 shipping and handling charge.
The other late night T.V. temptation may be the number of pieces. You get the same number buying the Magic Bullet off the shelf. The base counts as one piece, two blades, two blending cups, and four mugs with four decorative rings, a shaker lid , a steamer lid, and the recipe book. That’s sixteen items, counting rims and lids. Those numbers sound good when you are sleep deprived watching an infomercial in the wee hours of the morning, but they only add up to one annoying, slightly misleading, and grossly overpriced mini-blender when you come to your senses.
I recommend the Magic Bullet, not “as seen on T.V., but as purchased in your local discount department store. It has been a handy tool around our kitchen and the boys enjoy mixing their own smoothies, iced drinks, dips, and other easy recipes.
