Even in the age of technology, there is something exciting about getting things in the mail. Yes, the “snail” mail. I get excited whenever there is a letter or card in the mail with my name on it. It’s fairly normal for my hubby to receive packages in the mail, but I rarely get anything (unless I ordered it myself online). So, imagine my delight when the Fed Ex truck pulled up to my house last week and delivered three large packages for me!
In one of the packages was the Ninja Master Prep that I was sent to test and review after my trip to NYC a few weeks ago! Unfortunately, when it was delivered, I was pretty busy, and it actually sat in the box on my dining room table for a few days. I couldn’t just let it sit there for too long, though. Instead of making you wait for me to test it out thoroughly, I thought I’d give it a quick try and fill you in on some of my first impressions. Don’t worry, once I have had a chance to really put the Ninja to work, I will be writing a more formal review with many more details.
I knew that I wanted to give my Ninja a try, so I was keeping my eyes open at the store for some ideas. The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was that avocados were on sale. I couldn’t pass up beautiful ripe avocados for only $1/each, so I picked up some avocados, limes, and cilantro. I figured guacamole would be a quick and easy first test for my Ninja Master Prep!
To make the guacamole, I used the large bowl of the Ninja Master Prep. Unlike most food processors, the Ninja has two blades that stack on top of each other. It is extremely efficient, but takes some getting used to! The key is to pulse the blades. For my guacamole, I did not bother to chop anything. I simply cut the ingredients into large chunks (to fit into the bowl) and let the Ninja do the work. In seconds, I had smooth and creamy guacamole. I still need to get a good feel for how much to pulse/process. I am a chunky person, so my guacamole was a bit over-processed for my taste, but my hubby really liked it. Once I was done, the bowl and blades were fairly easy to clean, too. I washed them by hand this time (because the dishwasher was already full). I will try them out in the dishwasher for my “official” review!
When I make guacamole, I like to use shallots instead of onions and garlic. I am not a big fan of raw garlic, but the shallots give a subtle garlic and onion flavor without too much bite. I also add quite a bit of cilantro, but if you’re not a cilantro fan, you can skip it or use flat leaf parsley instead (for a milder flavor).
Ninja Style Guacamole
(Note – I prepared this guacamole with the Ninja Master Prep, but it could be prepared by hand or with any food processor)
- 1 tomato, cored and cut into wedges
- 2 shallots, peeled and cut in half (stem and root removed)
- 2 avocados, peeled and cut into quarters
- Handful cilantro leaves
- 1 lime
- Kosher salt
First, combine the tomato and shallots in the large bowl of the Ninja Master Prep. Pulse to chop to the desired consistency. Add the avocados, cilantro, and juice from the lime. Season with Kosher salt. Continue to pulse until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the guacamole is processed to your liking. Transfer to a bowl and serve with tortilla chips.
My Kitchen Addiction Product Review Policy and Disclosure- I received this product at no cost from the manufacturer (or a representative PR firm) for the purpose of testing and reviewing the product. Unless specified otherwise, I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. I only review products that I have personally tested and used in my kitchen/home, and all opinions expressed are my own.
That guacamole looks delicious! I’ve never tried making it before and now I think I should since you made it look so easy! :-)
Gorgeous guacamole! Ninja Master Prep sounds like neat.
Gorgeous guacamole! Ninja Master Prep sounds like neat gadget!
Your guac looks fantastic Jen.
Actually, it isn’t gorgeous. Sorry.
I’ve seen other things you’ve done that have looked amazing, but if I saw that that, I wouldn’t eat it. One of the things I like about guacamole is its chunkiness, but also that the chunks are uneven in size. And there should also be some parts that look smooth.
That stuff looks nasty to me. Sorry.
Normally Loving Your Stuff… I agree that it doesn’t look gorgeous. As I mentioned in the piece, I also prefer my guacamole a bit chunky, and I believe I over-processed the dip as a result of my inexperience with the Ninja Master Prep. I appreciate your comment – and will continue to work on the technique with the Ninja.
Oh, yumm!! Your guacamole looks delish!
Yummy yum! Can’t help but love that Ninja!!
wow! so good looking!
Man I want one of those Ninjas! Nice looking guacamole Jen.
I want a Ninja now! How fun! And guacamole is always a good snack!
Mmmm, that looks fantastic!
The Ninja master sound great with two blades!! Your guacamole sounds delicious – good idea to use shallots.
I keep seeing the Ninja Master and I wondered how well it worked. We got a Magic Bullet in July and it is great for small prep, like dressings or mincing onion fine. It also makes great smoothies. I like the idea of the dual blades, however. I can’t wait to see more of your tests!! The guac looks lovely!!
Ninja Master Prep sounds like one cool gadget! I love how great your guacamole came out. That first photo is simply yummy
I want a Ninja in my kitchen too! Looks great!
You all would buy this because it can make guacamole??? I have swamp eeerrrr land for cheap. That toughing at your jaw is a hook!!!
I do not like Guacamole, but love to make it. I think your recipe looks amazing! I have the Ninja as well and really like it, especially for blended drinks like frozen orange juice and 7up. Yummy!
I’m loving my Master Prep. Like a lot of people have said, there are a few drawbacks, but overall I’m more than pleased. I’m enjoying it way more than my Slap Chop.
By the way, we mentioned your review on our site!
Just received my Ninja Master Prep today. Am eager to use it and am looking for all available recipies. Know there is a cookbook but would prefer to secure favorite recipies from net-friends. Please forward.
Many thanks.
I’ve been seeing that infomercial about the Ninja Master Prep for awhile now, and have been reading on-line about it for about a week now. I haven’t come across one negative thing about it yet. I do, however, get the impression from reading comments from some people that this “gadget” is something that will solve every problem in the world. When I hear so much “hype” about anything, no matter what, or who it is, I immediately go into my “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is” stance. Hope I’m wrong about this one, because I found it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for around $49.00, and if I wait until just before Christmas, I’m sure it’ll be even lower. Happy cooking everybody!
Thought I would add my two cents to the review.
I’ve been testing the Ninja Master Prep for the past couple of days and it has some pros and some very serious cons.
As often pointed out on most reviews, it does crush ice reasonably well (when using ONLY ice); however if you have ice above the highest blade you will have big chunks, it doesn’t circulate down very well. You will also have chunky ice in your drinks if you make a somewhat watery drink. The thicker you make the drink the better the ice will be crushed. In this instance, a more watery drink, a blender does better than the Ninja Master Prep.
In general it does mince food items rather well, but again you must not be higher than the highest blade which means that you have only a 3 cup (using the larger container) food processor/chopper–why they didn’t add at least one more blade to the large container is beyond me!!!
Cons: the size for food processing is small–2 cups max for the small container (really should be less than 2 cups to work properly) and about 3 cups for the large container (gained one whole cup). So it isn’t really for large dishes–you really will want to do the items separately and combine later.
The best way to use it as a food processor is really to do each item separately and then combine in a bowl. Example: tuna fish salad–process each item individually in the NMP and put into bowl, add seasonings and dressing in the bowl and mix and you will get a great tuna salad. . . unless you want it pureed, then you can just put it all in the Ninja. . . It will puree everything very easily. . . unless it is above the second blade level in the large container, then it will just sit there while everything below is pureed. lol That’s why in the infomercials you see them take everything well beyond “chunky.” They don’t want you to see how uneven things can come out when combining things of different densities.
Another con: it is meant only for short uses thus if you want to make. . . oh, nut butters then you have to have a little patience. It will do it but you may also overheat the unit. I made the base of a almond soup that uses rice as a thickener and it over headed the Ninja Master Prep–it was just to thick and needed a rather long running time to really puree the items into a very fine mess. Luckily there is a thermal cutoff to save the motor.
The biggest con: it’s all plastic. The containers and blade assembly should really be a little heavier than they are and glass containers would be 10x better. The blade assembly fits into the motor via plastic bits also and this is where people are seeing the NMP strip the “gears.” You have to be very carefully and really put a lot of pressure on the Ninja motor to make sure it doesn’t kick back when grinding hard items, like ice or frozen fruit. It can Kick back enough to cause the motor to lift up and strip the plastic parts. . . be careful, apply ample pressure with both hands.
The pros:
The pros are being touted everywhere on the net for this appliance. It seems that Euro-Pro has done a great job in marketing, even though they have had a very similar device (with glass containers) for several years. The stopped making it because the motors burned out. . . hint. . . hint. Don’t run for long periods.
It’s inexpensive, does a good job with small amounts of food and can work well as a blender as well as a food chopper/processor.
Like most “tools,” you will need to practice with it a bit to learn how to get the most out of it.
I purchased it at BB&B for $40 (with a CC that doubles the warranty;) and for that price I think it’s a decent addition, but I really don’t expect it to last that long. It can make a very thick smoothie using only frozen fruit and milk (leave out the ice because it isn’t “snow” in this instance) and it can do a similar type of “ice cream” using just cream and frozen fruit :) That and making nut butters makes it handy in the kitchen for me, not to mention easy salsa type items.
Just be careful when using it. It isn’t bullet proof and you want to make sure you keep the motor from kicking up and stripping the plastic gears!!! And don’t work it too hard. . . the motor is really under powered and under ventilated for long run periods or really dense items.
Hope that helps
Thanks for your thorough comments and review of the Ninja. I have had similar experiences with the Ninja, although, I still do not feel that I have tested it thoroughly. I appreciate your honesty and thoughts on the product, though!
Thanks Charles!
my gears stripped and the Ninja stopped working after three weeks of a few smoothies. Back it goes. Cheap!
Andrea – Thanks for leaving your comment. I have not used mine heavily yet… I will have to push it a bit harder as I review it. I believe yours should still be under warranty, though.
Anyone have a recipe for tuna salad using the Ninja?
This looks delicious, definitely going to try it.
Thanks