I hate blenders.

The Magic Bullet is not a blender, not in the traditional sense, it is a vast improvement and now a central part of my kitchen. Blenders seem to keep getting bigger, they take up more and more space in the kitchen and get harder to clean. The bullet is tiny like a coffee grinder, yet manages to get the job done in less time than its larger competitors. Blenders advertise how many speeds they have, each button listed with a different and more spectacular sounding name than the last, each only serving to make the blender louder and increase the smell of burning motor. The Bullet has one speed, and that is all it needs.

One of the most notable features is that it seems upside down as compared with a normal blender. This serves several important purposes. When you screw the blades on the top of the container full of blendables and turn it over, it is airtight. This means that while you are blending, air and particulates aren’t shooting up out of the top, so you don’t end up with that resonance that causes all of the food to just get stuck at the top. It also reduce the number of parts to deal with by one, as the blades are also the lid. It comes with separate lids so after you use the Magic Bullet mixer to mix a smoothie, you can just screw the lid on and take it to work. For especially helathy dirnks, I use the Omega Juicer Model 8005 to juice up some greens to add to the mix.

In my cooking I’ve found it helpful in quite a few areas. In making things like salsa and chili, I cut chilie peppers into coarse sections and give them a few quick pulses in the Bullet food processor. Puring this into near any soup or mexican dish as you start cooking adds a flavorful base. I’ve found I can even throw spices in it with a cup of some portion of the meal and use it to grind the spices right into the meal.

I use the Magic Bullet Mixer for making mixed drinks. Just throw in a bunch of ice and some lime and tequila and make a near instant blended margarita. The thing is shockingly durable and has multiple blade types for different uses. It often comes with several tops, so you can just keep using them and putting the dirty ones in the dishwasher. I can only think of two blenders that I would even consider having in my kitchen. This is the one that costs under $400. Last I checked, Amazon sells them for $49.99.