Sid Post

Yep, camelcamelcamel is the best way to go for Amazon price monitoring, at least for me.

Amazon pricing for me is a bit of a lottery. Literally watching prices go up after I click them. I was looking at some 3400-size fishing tackle boxes that were shown for $4.79 and they went to $5.86 as I put them in my cart. A lot of the food items are more expensive than at my local rural grocery store as well though, Amazon still has things I can't get locally. A real love vs. hate PRIME day for me at Amazon.

With this ice cream machine scoring the jar, it suggests the blades were allowed to wobble with the shaft. This could be caused by flex in the underlying motor mount or wear between the shaft and motor allowing some "flex" and wobble, hence scoring the jar. Mounts on both sides of the shaft allow a lot more support to prevent the wobble.

Without a pivot point on both ends, I don't see one in the cup to support the motor side, a half batch size will put a lot of uneven torque on the shaft spinning the blade and likely causing it to 'wobble' a bit.

For frozen drinks and slushies, I never had much success with any blender I tried. They always ended up tasting like a watered down drink because all, or most, or a lot of the ice melted. Freezing a "mix" I can taste test before I freeze it also would add consistency since the water/ice ratio to "mix" doesn't change. Smoothes and milkshakes end up in a Ninja blender built for that specific use that was a Black Friday deal. In terms of frozen drinks in general, a pair of 24oz drinks in contrasting flavors seems better for me versus a Super Big Gulf in a single flavor! What can I say, sometimes I'm fickle thinking the 'grass in greener' on the other side of the fence! 🤣 When I have company over or like when my Mom came for a visit, being able to easily do a Mango/PassionFruit/whatever for her and a nice Vanilla for me seems like a useful feature. That being said, I have been looking at the Vevor compressor Ice Cream machines which are ~$200. Amazon Whynter, Breville, and others are pretty spendy at >$350. The Coswar and other brands are a mystery to me but are likely ODM with a simple label change and a clone of other popular models.

If I do the Creami, I'll definitely do the updated pint and half model and get some extra jars. Having 2 or more flavors ready seems like a great plan for hot Summer days.

Strong arguments for the Ninja Creami!

I grew up on a farm and still live on one so, I guess I'm a big eater because a pint to me is a small serving size. Growing up with mom, dad, and the three kids put a really hurtin' on a 6qt batch ice cream many weekends of Summer. Once and while we 'might' have a quart left for the freezer.

Good comments there! Yep, without a lot of cream or similar things to prevent large ice crystals, a frozen block won't come out like normal ice cream. The newer Cremi from Ninja though looks like it be a winner since it also does lots of frozen drinks and similar things to slushies. Being able to do frozen yogurts and slushies adds a lot utility to the ice cream maker. That being said, I have been thinking about getting a classic ice cream maker that isn't the ~$200 cost of a Ninja Creami.

Those sizes/quantities of the Creami sound like they might be a good option for me to do smaller batches and test out recipes. 1~2 qt sizing was more for small settings for a guest or two or when I go to my friend's house. A second ice cream container might make it a good solution for me. I really appreciate those links too!

I have seen various small-batch ice cream machines from companies like Ninja and Cuisinart. Are these any good? What models are best of breed without needing a home equity loan to purchase? Which ones will make Italian ice cream varieties (Artisanal Gelato)? Also, are there any good forums on this site or somewhere else that have good ice cream recipes? I'm open to anything from plain old Vanilla to more advanced recipes like you see in Italian Gelatos. TIA, Sid

No WHOLE FOODS near me ... 😢 Just mass market grocery store ice cream at unaffordable prices ($8~$9 for a 1.5qt box) in limited flavors. ☹️ Been debating getting an ice cream machine to get around this issue.

I have one of those and it works well.

What is so good about Avocado, Coconut, or Grapesed oil? Does it have a high smoke point for frying or a great taste I have missed? Or is it just a health fad thing? I use Grapeseed oil some with my light frying and it really works great seasoning cast iron and steel cookware now that Peanut oil is so hard to find in addition to being super expensive. My sister fried some eggs in Avacado oil, and to be honest, I think she used a bit too much oil as it caused me GI distress. I am not generally a fan of Coconut so, Coconut oil/fat is something I have generally avoided. I typically see this oil in health-oriented ads and wonder if it is a more mainstream option I should consider. And, where should you use this oil and, where should it be avoided? Or, am I fine with good Olive oils (not the adultered ones), Grapeseed and Canola for light frying and roasted veggies? Or put another way: Where should I use Avocado oil? What is the wrong application for it? Where should I use Coconut oil? What is the wrong application for it? Where should I use Grapeseed oil? What is the wrong application for it? What mainstream oils have I overlooked that isn't the 'main' thing found on the shelf of every grocery store? TIA, Sid

OK. It seems like my Breville, 800XL I think that's the model, Convection Oven works well for pizzas and things like a big frozen lasagna. It will roast chicken or a nice beef roast really well too. The small air fryer it seems excels at smaller quantities of things like French Fries and things like Chicken Nuggets or breaded frozen things in general. In terms of big home oven clean up and energy savings, a tangible benefit for many in high energy cost areas or, with older hard to clean ovens. I will also note I use my Breville Convection Oven because it heats fast and often, I only have something small to cook like a fish fillet.