magic bullet and george foreman grill

mommajolynn
mommajolynn Posts: 353 Member
edited December 19 in Food and Nutrition
I'm thinking of buying one but I wanted to know if anyone else uses it. Does it help or hinder? Does a regular blender work for the Smoothies and such?

I already have a George foreman grill and I love watching all the fat and grease drip away. Anyone else love their grill?
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Replies

  • rcc1988
    rcc1988 Posts: 125 Member
    My mother bought a magic bullet a couple years ago. I can't stand it. It can't handle anything that isn't fairly soft (in other words, frozen fruits are not an option, unless you enjoy the smell of burning motor) and it doesn't mix things around the cup very well. You have to constantly stop it, open the cup and stir things around, and blend again - rinse repeat. The blades are a b-word to clean as well, and one of my blade-tops has already rusted even though we always clean it and dry it before storing it away.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    I'd get a regular blender. I have a specialty "smoothie maker" (the only thing i could think of wanting for christmas was a blender, and this is what i got) and while it's great for smoothies, it is tiny and i'm fairly certain it isn't powerful enough to do much more than smoothies. my friend had a magic bullet and it was pretty much the same story. save up your money for a good blender and food processor

    as far as the george foreman grill goes, get it if you plan on eating a lot of chicken or meat in general. my family has probably had 8 of these (people give them to us every year for christmas, derp) and they work pretty well.

    and yes, a regular blender will work for smoothies. i've found that my blender back at my parents house works pretty well, but you have to stir the contents around occasionally or the blades will just spin.
  • I use my magic bullet almost every day. I've never had problems with frozen fruit or anything, it's always worked well for me. I don't have a regular blender, so I can't really compare *shrugs*
  • Loraah
    Loraah Posts: 111 Member
    We even have a cheap version of magic bullet and it's awesome. Use it with frozen fruit, ice etc
  • I have a magic bullet and I don't like it. If all you're blending is liquid it might be okay, otherwise forget it.
  • PK95
    PK95 Posts: 21
    I got this really inexpensive portable blender from Qvc years ago and it still works great. The blending cup turns to a cup you can take with you. I think they have a new version now but its great. I don't like using a big blender for smoothies all the time especially if it's just me.
  • Weaz66
    Weaz66 Posts: 1,846 Member
    I have the smallest George Foreman Grill. Being single its the perfect size for me and I love it! It's quick and easy to clean (providing you wipe it off while its still a little warm....otherwise I just put a damp paper towel on it for a few minutes before wiping it clean) and doesn't take up much space. I've never been disappointed yet. I've used it for burgers, chicken, pork chops, etc....and every time the food was juicey and done. I hate raw or pink meat.
    I can't speak for the magic bullet, I have a regular blender that I use.
  • owlpath
    owlpath Posts: 7 Member
    I have a magic bullet (3 years old) and use it mainly to make smoothies using frozen blueberries or mixed frozen fruit with protein powder. I use the smaller container with the handle. I fill it half up with liquid (milk or water depending on my protein powder) add the scoop of powder then about 1/4 cup of berries. Sometimes I will add some crushed ice at the top. It only takes about 30 seconds to 45 seconds to blend. I keep an eye on it and never let it go over 1 minute as they state in the manual. The type of protein powder you use effects the blend ability. I first used Dymatize Elite Gourmet powder which mixes with water very good and taste great. I then decided to use Spiriu-Tein mix and it makes a much thicker shake and with that powder I have to be careful to make sure I don't overload the bullet motor. Sometimes I put a few marble size hunks of frozen mango in my berry mix and I do notice they don't chop up very well when using the Spiru-Tein. I recently tried Syntha - 6 powder and that mixed very easy.

    Key points:
    1. Great for fast smoothies as long as you don't cram the cup full - leave some blend space. This is an important point.
    2. Fast clean up- just run under faucet and ready to go.
    3. The type of powder can make a difference - Super thick mix can hog the motor. Watch out with Spiru-Tein.
    4. If you use ice, precrushed is best if your refrigerator will provide that.
    5. I tried Greek Yogurt as a mix with berries and you might as well FORGET IT for that as it is not powerfully enough.

    Protein Powder review - All pass my taste test.

    1. Dymatize Elite Gourmet- Mixes with water, blends easy, tastes great. Great value. Has fat and soy though.
    2. Spiru-Tein - Super thick shake. Water mix is not that great nor is almond milk. I use low fat organic milk. Harder to clean the cup because it "sticks". The taste is good but it does have an different taste than most the other protein powders I have tasted. Has soy.
    3. Syntha-6 - I have only tried this once but it will be my next purchase. It tasted great with milk. They say it will work with water too. It doesn't have soy, which is one reason I will get it a try. This has fat in it where the Spiru-Tein does not.

    My coffee grinder recently died and so I tried the Bullet and it works great! I also bought my Father-in-law a Bullet as a gift so over all I'm happy with mine. Was only $25.00 bucks at Costco.
  • diddyh
    diddyh Posts: 131 Member
    We use a version of the magic bullet several times a day in our house. We love it. Someone is always making a smoothie. The trick is to not use too much ice or frozen stuff. If you do, it becomes very thick. It has absoluetly been essential in us getting more fruit and milk into our diets without over doing it. The smoothies I make are less than 300 calories. We would be lost without it. It's super easy to clean. You rinse it right after you are done. I don't use the foreman grill very often but my daughter does. She really likes it.
  • ebaymommy
    ebaymommy Posts: 1,067 Member
    I just got a Magic Bullet a month or so ago and I love it! I use mine to make homemade bars (like Larabars) and it grinds nuts and dried fruits beautifully.
  • Mommy2Avaj
    Mommy2Avaj Posts: 140 Member
    I have a regular blender by Kitchenmate. I make smoothing and frozen lemonade in it all the time. No problems. I also use a foreman grill. I love it!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,030 Member
    I'm thinking of buying one but I wanted to know if anyone else uses it. Does it help or hinder? Does a regular blender work for the Smoothies and such?

    I already have a George foreman grill and I love watching all the fat and grease drip away. Anyone else love their grill?
    I have both and give a thumbs up. I don't use my George Foreman grill as much anymore since I bought a home with a professional indoor grill. But still use the Bullet to mix fruit smoothies.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • I'm thinking of buying one but I wanted to know if anyone else uses it. Does it help or hinder? Does a regular blender work for the Smoothies and such?

    I already have a George foreman grill and I love watching all the fat and grease drip away. Anyone else love their grill?
    I have both and give a thumbs up. I don't use my George Foreman grill as much anymore since I bought a home with a professional indoor grill. But still use the Bullet to mix fruit smoothies.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    I agree when it comes to the Magic Bullet. I use it to make my protein shakes (sometimes with fruit mixed in) so I would definitely recommend it!
  • aliceguy
    aliceguy Posts: 128 Member
    hate to admit it, but I bought a magic bullet off of the TV ads..........and love it. Does all I need it to do, and the fact what you blend it in becomes the cup/container you drink out of or store in the fridge is a winner for me...
  • bjnorvell
    bjnorvell Posts: 43
    I have both! With the Magic Bullet the only thing I have problems with is onions cause it makes them mushy, but with drinks, smoothies etc it is great!

    We have the bigger George Foreman grill (big white one), I LOVE IT!!!, I can cook EVERYTHNG on it and watch all that nasty fat come out the bottom! I have had all of the ones that have came out except the one on QVC with the changable plates, but I will get that one soon :) The one we have I can get a lot of food on it at one time and it so easy and actually saves you money since you don't have to use your stove as much!
  • 7000ft
    7000ft Posts: 1
    I keep my majic bullet next to the cuisinart food processor on the counter top. I use the majic bullet every day and the cuisinart about everyother day. I have a blender in the shelves that I pull out once a month or so. I almost always have one whole egg with a bunch of egg whites for breakfast and it is perfect for blending those, I use it to grate hard cheeses (parmesan,etc) perfect for those. I use it for blending spices, herbs, lemons, limes etc that I really want to get all of the flavor out of by just adding a bit of the liquid to the the spices and herbs and blending everything up. And of course I use it to make drinks.

    P.S. To make sure it blends OK I always add the liquid first and the dry or thick stuff last. You can also shake it as it blends. Don't know if the manufacturer would like it but it works for me. Mine is about 4 or 5 years old now and is proably due for a replacement. I only have the bottom with the bigger blade left, the other bottom died a while ago.

    The easy way to clean it is to empty it and fill it 3/4 full with water and blend away. That pretty much does it.
  • kokaneesailor
    kokaneesailor Posts: 337 Member
    I have a magic bullet, would I buy another one? No. ( It's great for ice caps though) :wink:
    I don't own a Foreman grill, but I like the idea of it. Perhaps down the road I will.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    I have a Magic Bullet & as the others have said, it's good for quick stuff you have to make in small portions that is already pretty soft. It will handle some ice for a smoothie, but when I use my regular blender, the consistency is SOOO much better. Even the biggest, hardest chunks of ice are pulverized into uniform little bits, making a nice thick, icy smoothie. The MB is harder to clean than the big blender too, because you can't take the blade apart from the bottom like with a real blender.

    I've owned a Foreman grill but it was a pain in the *kitten* to clean. I just went to IKEA & threw down $15 for a grill pan...way better since it can be submerged in dishwater & therefore be thoroughly cleaned.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    I just got a Magic Bullet a month or so ago and I love it! I use mine to make homemade bars (like Larabars) and it grinds nuts and dried fruits beautifully.
    That reminds me...I need to try that recipe. I can definitely see the MB being good for pulsing stuff like that, functioning more like a food processor (which I don't have). For smoothies though, big blender wins hands down.
  • CindyinAtl
    CindyinAtl Posts: 10 Member
    I love my George Foreman grill! Easy & quick you can't beat it. Its a little hard to clean. But, I'm not complaining. As far as the Magic Bullet, I was disappointed in mine. The blade never got to all the food and I kept having to start adn stop it. Even liquid didn't seem to blend well. I much prefer a good old fashion blender. Gave my Magic Bullet to Goodwill.
  • mommajolynn
    mommajolynn Posts: 353 Member
    Thank you everyone for your imput. the only reason I was considering a MB was to make single serving smoothies. I don't want to dirty up a whole blender just for me. No one else in the house is going onto the health kick with me so no point in making big servings right?
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I would go for a Ninja over the MB. MB tends to blend the ingredients right next to the blade but not all of them. The Ninja will get it all blended up. It is still super easy to clean (I throw mine in the dishwasher). I have (had) both. I gave my MB away because it was basically useless if you put anything other than liquids in it and didn't do squat with ice blending which is what I wanted it for.

    As far as the GF, go for the ones with the removable grill plates. Much easier to clean. I'm all about putting it in the dishwasher so the non-removable are not awesome, even though that is the one I have because I didn't think before I bought.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    I don't want to dirty up a whole blender just for me. No one else in the house is going onto the health kick with me so no point in making big servings right?
    I thought that too, but it really IS a pain in the *kitten* to clean the MB. Yeah, it seems like it doesn't make as much sense to dirty up the blender for 1 serving, but it's way easier to clean & the quality of that 1 serving is so much better that it's worth it.

    I don't know how big your household is, but I always make at least a little extra because my kids love my protein shakes.
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
    I bought an immersion blender (just a "stick blender") and I LOVE it. Super powerful -- can grind ice with no problem. Super easy to clean -- the stick part is detachable, or just run it under water for a few seconds. Super efficient -- I can make smoothies, whipped cream, dressings, blend soup, sauces, etc. And super handy -- the cup that you blend in has a lid and so I can take smoothies on the train to work. I got the KitchenAid after reading tons of research. It was $47 at Target and worth every penny!
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    I've been using the Magic Bullet 2-3 times a day for the last 3 months, for mixing protein shakes and pre and post workout beverages. The fact you only have to clean the drinking cup makes this the most efficient tool for the job. Any other blender would take up much more of my valuable time. It's running just as strong as the day I started using it, and has a permanent place on my counter. Another thing I like about the MB, and what may be a drawback for some, is that the cup limits you to a 16 oz beverage. With a regular blender, I would always seem to make my shakes bigger....leaving me bloated and gassy.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    Magic bullet is a p.o.s. You're much better off with a blender, it's much more versatile and effective. The bullet you have to shake and stir and fight with it to make it blend the contents of the cup.It sucks at blending ice or frozen berries. I use my blender, I make twice what I want, share with the family or save it for later.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    To each his own. The Magic Bullet serves my needs perfectly..... 2-3 times a day.....every day. I don't have the problems chopping ice or having to shake and stir it the contents. And it sure is nice only having to clean the drinking cup after using it.
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    I'm thinking of buying one but I wanted to know if anyone else uses it. Does it help or hinder? Does a regular blender work for the Smoothies and such?

    I already have a George foreman grill and I love watching all the fat and grease drip away. Anyone else love their grill?

    I have an outside round Geroge F. grill. It works and you can totally have it as I think it sucks. Its really no different than cooking on the stove. I bought a bbq grill and man that is sooo much better. I guess I will donate my G.F. grill to GoodWill or one of those type places since its just sitting in my garage.
  • imbanter
    imbanter Posts: 72 Member
    I use my magic bullet almost every day. I've never had problems with frozen fruit or anything, it's always worked well for me. I don't have a regular blender, so I can't really compare *shrugs*

    I have had mine for ~3 years now and over the last several months I have used it pretty much every day. It blends ice and frozen fruit without any problem at all. I know it is eventually going to quit so I have wondered if anyone has any experience with that Ninja blender that I've seen? I don't really want to go back to a big heavy blender when my MB does finally quit.

    EDIT: I do mainly use mine for shakes so maybe that's why I haven't had the problems others have. I got the whole kit with 4 cups, 2 container, and various lids for $15 at Walgreens. I really like all I have to do is rinse the blade and the cup is all I have to clean when I'm done. Plus the kit came with a lid so I can blend it, put a lid on it, and throw it in my gym bag with no worries.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I REALLY want a George Foreman grill. I had one years ago, and I used it all the time. They are great if you have a small family.

    I do not like the magic bullet. I just got a real big food processor instead, and I use it way more.
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