Heyo! It’s Fiona (Corinne’s Assistant) doing a first-time use review of the Magical Butter MB2. (There’s also a first look at the Ardent Nova which you can read here).
Corinne recently sent me an Ardent Nova and Magical Butter MB2, since she heard I’m still using the good ol’ pyrex-foil-oven-crockpot method to make my infusions. Here are my initial reactions to the Magical Butter MB2.
Unboxing the Magical Butter MB2
Holy crap, this thing is HUGE.
I was expecting something the size of the Ardent Nova (which stands only 7 inches tall) but when the Magical Butter MB2 is put together, it stands 13 inches tall (33.02 cm) and 8.5 inches wide (21.59cm).
The design is simplistic- stainless steel all around with black handles. There are a few buttons on the top for temperature and to select what you’re infusing the botanicals with. You can also see the Magical Butter logo on top.
Overall, it looks like a giant electric kettle and could probably pass as one, while it sits on my countertop or in one of my cabinets. I’m sure a random passerby wouldn’t look twice at the device.
There’s minimal assembly. You put the top on and plug in a power cord.
Easy day.
Weight wise, it’s sturdy but it’s not clunky or too heavy. I estimate it to be roughly 10 lbs (4.5kg).
Looking inside the Magical Butter MB2, I see a Min and Max line. The instructional manual (which comes with recipe guides! Click here to read it) says that I should put my ingredients between those lines. Any more or less could potentially cause damage to the machine.
The top comes attached with a bladed rod, which I imagine is what helps speed up the process of making infusions.
The buttons are for temperature selection and to determine what kind of infusion you’re trying to make. I appreciate that it tells you what ingredient would need which amount of time:
- 1 hour for oil
- 2 hours for butter
- 4 hours for tincture
- or you can select the 8-hour option.
There’s also a “blend/clean” option which I will get to later in this post.
Lastly, the Magical Butter MB2 comes with a “Love Glove” silicone glove to protect your hands when straining the infusion. There’s also a nice little mesh strainer that it comes with, too!
My First Infusions using the Magical Butter MB2
I made two separate infusions using the Magical Butter MB2 – one with coconut oil and one with Kerrygold unsalted butter (the instructions say you should use unsalted butter but NEVER use margarine).
The coconut oil infusion came out a little funky… but if you read my Ardent Nova first look review, you’ll see that it may be because I didn’t properly wash my Ardent Nova before its first use.
My second coconut oil infusion came out fantastic, with a pale off-white color (though a trusted friend tells me the color comes from plant maturity and didn’t determine the potency of the infusion). This time, I used the whole bud instead of trim.
The third time, I made the Kerrygold butter infusion. Okay… this came out DELICIOUS. I did have to strain my butter a few times to get the weird baby poop colored (not sure how else to describe it) sediments out of the infusion. A bit of cheesecloth that I picked up at Walmart and my pasta strainer did the trick.
P.S. Don’t throw the sediments away. Make high chai instead.
(Note: The Magical Butter MB2 comes with a glove and strainer to help you strain out the particles. Since I like to make high chai with the leftovers and I put my cheesecloth straight into my boiling tea, I haven’t used the Magical Butter strainer myself).
The process of making infusions was stupidly easy.
Normally, I use Corinne’s crock pot method.
I’d line my crock pot with a crock pot liner, put my base in there, dump in the botanicals, and press “keep warm” so it wouldn’t get overcooked. However, I constantly measured the temperature and felt paranoid over whether I was over/under doing the infusion.
Also, the cleanup for my crock pot was ridiculous… Oil/butter would get EVERYWHERE even with the liner and my dishwasher would smell like a college dorm room for several days.
With the Magical Butter MB2, I measured out the base, dumped it into the device, plopped the buds from my Ardent Nova into the machine, closed the lid, pressed a temperature, pressed a time, and walked away.
The Magical Butter MB2 starts whirring and lights up in exciting colors (I grew up in the generation where flashy changing colors on faux flowers was totally in) letting you know the machine is doing its thing.
Warning, it does get pretty hot so make sure you put it somewhere that children or animals can’t mess with it.
My First Edibles using Magical Butter MB’s Infusions
While Corinne is a fan of baked goods, grilled cheese sandwiches, and the gluten-free vegan life, I’m on the opposite end. I LOVE infusing main dishes and I follow the keto protocol (high fat, low carb) with lots of meat in my diet.
The first thing I did was infuse keto sausage gravy and eggs with the butter. I cooked up some breakfast ground sausage with cream cheese, heavy cream, and a few shreds of parmesan cheese. When it began to thicken up, I drizzled some of the hash butter into the gravy and whisked it together.
With the eggs, I fried the eggs in regular butter first (I’m not sure if frying the egg in the butter will burn off more THC but I didn’t want to risk it) and towards the end, I gave it a quick splash of infused butter.
Ah… bliss…
I also baked a nice keto frittata, with the rest of the infused butter (a great way to use your leftover meats, veggies, and cannabutter).
I did attempt to make keto lemon cupcakes with the original coconut oil infusion (the one that smelled like burnt hair) but that turned out pretty crappy. I’m sure it’s because I didn’t properly clean the Ardent Nova before its first use. For more on what happened there, read my first look for the Ardent Nova.
However, I’m SO excited to make more infused foods! Can you say – infused curry, infused chicken wings, infused fried rice (or cauliflower rice for you ketoers like me!) and more!!
Cleaning the Magical Butter MB2
I tell everyone that I’m the laziest hard working person you’ll ever meet. If something can be automated or effectively shortcutted without compromising quality, you bet your ass, I’ll figure it out.
So when the Magical Butter MB2 came with a “car wash” option to instantly clean the machine, I was in love.
You fill up the Magical Butter MB2 with some water, between the Min and Max lines. Add a drop of dish detergent (I just used Dawn, which I use on all of my dishes).
Then you place the top back on and click the Blend/Clean button. The Magical Butter MB2 will light up, start whirring and clean itself.
After a few minutes, it was all done. I poured out all of the soapy water and gave it a quick hot rinse. I wiped it down with a damp cloth and then let it air dry for a few minutes.
The cleanup took about 5 minutes total and I didn’t need to worry about stinking up my dishwasher.
Final Thoughts on the Magical Butter MB2
I LOVE THIS THING!!
Corinne laughs a little bit because years ago when she first got her machines, she wanted to infuse all the things (I mean, the woman infused WATER for heaven’s sake, who does that?!).
I am currently in this phase.
I want to infuse soooo many different things and experiment with recipes. I’m even convincing my friends to come over for dinner parties so I can feed them all sorts of infused dishes.
The big thing I love about the Magical Butter MB2 is the PEACE OF MIND that it gives me. Do you know how many hours I’ve spent hunched over my crock pot with a thermometer, anxiously wondering if my crock pot is the correct heat?
The Magical Butter MB2 completely does the work for me and I can go about my day. It also infuses my oil/butter in about 1/10th of the time it takes my crock pot! (I normally let my infusions go for at least 12 hours in my crock pot).
Pro’s:
- Minimal set-up.
- Works quickly and efficiently. What took me 12 hours to do now takes me 1-2 hours.
- Self-cleaning with the Blend/Clean mode.
- Inconspicuous. Passerbys would likely assume that the machine is an electric kettle.
- Pairs perfectly with the Ardent Nova. Decarb in one. Infuse in the other.
- No grinding needed. Just throw the buds or trim straight from the Nova/oven into your Magical Butter MB2.
- I previously smoked instead of dosing through edibles or coconut oil. I could go through “an eighth” (3.5 grams) in a week 🙁 By using the Nova and Magical Butter MB, I either take edibles or put some infused coconut oil under my tongue and “an eighth” can last me the whole month!! Talk about saving money.
Cons:
- Can get hot.
- I put this as a pro, but I’ll throw it in the con’s as well. It’s a pricey one-time purchase, which can be seen as a negative. However, it did save me money in the long run since I’m not smoking as much as I used to.
Who should buy the Magical Butter MB2?
Um, everyone.
I mean, yeah you can sous vide or use your crock pot, but why not use something where you can dump everything into a machine and just walk away for an hour or two?
This Magical Butter MB2 seriously made my life easier because I’m not babysitting something with my precious herbs inside.
You can purchase a Magical Butter MB2 straight from Wake and Bake, but I’ll dive a little deeper and say this…
I say that you should make a few first because you should know how your body feels and reacts to edibles. You should know what dosage works best for you and you should learn how to use the Wake and Bake THC/CBD calculator.
When you feel comfortable investing in your ganja kitchen skills, then invest in the Magical Butter MB2. I think it helped me to use the oven and crock pot method first so I knew exactly what to expect when using a more controlled machine.
Get the kinks worked out in your kitchen and if you find yourself loving the process of making edibles, then invest in the Magical Butter MB2.
If you’ve already embarked on your wellness journey and are considering the Magical Butter MB2, here are some reasons I’d recommend it:
- You are smoking your buds and it’s too expensive to upkeep. You need a cheaper way to stretch your herbs.
- Your current infusion method isn’t reliable, doesn’t burn evenly, and you’re tired of anxiously babysitting it.
- You want to start selling edibles.
- You want something travel-friendly.
- You want to save time when making your edibles or infusions.
- You’ve been seriously thinking about getting one for a while and your gut is saying, “It’s time.”
I hope you enjoyed this first look into the Magical Butter MB2. This is my straight-up, unbiased review and first impressions of using the Magical Butter MB2 to make infusions. If you have any questions about the Magical Butter MB2, leave a comment on this post!
P.S. Be sure to check out the Ardent Nova first look post as well 🙂
You can purchase a Magical Butter MB2 by clicking here.
Little caveat: Due to where I live, I work with federally legal CBD buds that contain trace amounts of THC. However, you can absolutely use THC heavy material in your own recipes!
Thank you for your review! I have been using the crockpot method for awhile and have been on the fence about spending the $$ on the MB2.
I think I’m having a hard time believing that what takes 8+ hours in a crockpot to get an effective infusion could really only take 1 hour in the MB2? But your infusions turned out just as potent?
I don’t have data, but they really seem to be just as potent and it’s waaaay easier.
Awesome! I got the MB2 and I’m trying it for the first time today! 🙂
I was wondering if you were going to review or have heard any news regarding the new(er) combo decarb/infuse machine by Active Gear Guy? Even though it has received mostly good reviews on Amazon.com, I’m a little skeptical because the price is only $120.00 for the dual action machine.