I'd seen enough of the Ninja Master Prep on TV to be, well, skeptical. Rule the kitchen⢠Thanks, but I like to think I already do. But the Ninja was a pleasant surprise. Pineapple and papaya for a smoothie⢠Pureed in a few pulses. Grinding rolled oats for scones took less than a minute, but it was easy to pulse just one too many times and cross the line from still too coarse to ultra fine. As for my favorite pureed vegetable soup, I could do it in one batch in the Ninja's large pitcher.
The one problem I had was with heavier ingredients. In grinding an orange with some raisins for a cake recipe, the small jar's "two cup" capacity was way too small for one cup of raisins and one smallish orange. And in the pitcher, after the first few pulses, the upper blade didn't touch the mixture, which made it pretty much the same as using my food processor. Where the Ninja did rule was cleanup. Putting everything in the dishwasher (carefully, those blades are sharp!) felt odd, but worked well.
If I didn't already have a full battery of kitchen appliances, I would consider a Ninja, and I wouldn't be afraid to buy one if it showed up on a friend's wish list. I'd just make sure to include the one accessory it needs but doesn't come with: a really narrow spatula for cleaning out the lid.
-- Vaunda Bonnett
I was the Ninja's biggest promoter after I got my hands on it. Heck, I bragged it about so much I got my very own as a Christmas present. This amazing item is very versatile. The Ninja comes with a motor that fits on a pitcher for drinks and a smaller container for other high-tech chopping.
Pina coladas were in order for our girls-only weekend in New York, so what better audience to test this new Ninja⢠The Ninja did a number on the ice cubes and fresh pineapple chunks we dumped into the heavy-duty plastic pitcher. Grinding ice into a frozen beverage can be a noisy and long process, but the Ninja did its work with relative ease. Soon we were topping off our drinks with a little more rum, and we heartily toasted our new Ninja friend. Everything cleans up well because the motor is in the lid and is protected from the mess.
I made perfect snow cones using the recipe book included in the package, blasting ice into real snow. Heck, this snow would patch up Frosty if needed.
I also made quick work of 2 pounds of walnuts destined for holiday baking. I zapped the two bags in about 30 seconds.
Be very careful with the razor-sharp blades, though. I reached into the box without realizing a second set of blades was exposed and promptly made a bloody mess of my thumb. Use extra caution when packing up the Ninja.
-- Rebecca Killian
Additional Information:
Ninja Master Prep
Claim: This food processor-blender combo with quad-blade technology explodes ice into snow in seconds, chops with a chef's precision, blends, minces, dices or purees instantly and is a fraction of the cost and size of high-powered machines while providing better and faster results. The four blade levels provide a new standard of food prep without producing soggy results or a lumpy mess.
Cost: $49.99
