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iSi whipper: which one?


chefmcone76

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Is there any difference between the two other than the thermal whip being insulated? Can I use the regular dessert whip to make a hot foam if I put the liquid to be foamed in just prior to using it? Does anyone have use doing this technique, and if so, how long do things stay warm in the dessert whip?

"I'm drawn to places that fear their customers" -Kenji

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I bought the ISI dessert whip (the one with the white metal canister and the plastic head) and it instructs you not to use it with hot or warm ingredients. I'm not sure why... It could be that the head is not designed to withstand much heat. When I saw this I quickly returned it.

I replaced it with a Liss stainless steel model that I ordered from target.com at a good price and I'm very happy with it.

ISI also makes a higher-end syphon that is all metal. It's pretty much just like the thermal whip, but not insulated. A friend of mine has it and it's pretty good. I think the Liss looks better with it's totally shiny SS canister, but he prefers the ISI.

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Thanks, I'll have to check that kind out. Would it be dangerous though to put hot liquid in the dessert whip or is it just "not recommended" because ISI wants me to buy another product? Anyone with experience?

"I'm drawn to places that fear their customers" -Kenji

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I use the most basic iSi whips, just plain white metal and plastic.  It works warm and cold, holds forever in a water bath, no worries.

This is what we use at the restaurant where I work. We have 2 different foams. We have 3 whippers, 2 are Whip-It I think, and there is my personal iSi bottle. The foams are hot, and we keep them in a hot well on the line. No problem so far, other than when one of the line cooks lost the washer.

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On a related note, does anyone know where I can buy just the plastic nozzle for an iSi whipper? I've had mine so long, the threads got stripped out of the plastic and now I can't use it :(

This whole love/hate thing would be a lot easier if it was just hate.

Bring me your finest food, stuffed with your second finest!

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Thanks, I'll have to check that kind out.  Would it be dangerous though to put hot liquid in the dessert whip or is it just "not recommended" because ISI wants me to buy another product?  Anyone with experience?

The reason is Boyle's law: the gas pressure will increase with the higher temp., perhaps to the point of danger. They had to design it to some internal pressure keeping in mind cost, and higher pressures are harder to contain.

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I bought the all-metal Liss online for just a little bit more than the price I had paid for the plastic-headed Isi at Sur La Table. I'm sure the plastic will probably be fine, but for only a few more bucks the Liss is a lot better. Plastic does tend to fatigue, so it could possibly fail on you suddenly at just the most inappropriate of times. The Liss website also says the head is machined from a solid piece of aluminum, which I find to be really impressive because I am easily impressed.

http://liss-america.airplanet.hu/liss-america/index.jsp

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There'r lot of interest in this gadget Thermal whip for mulit-purpose use whipped cream, mousse, foam sauce and the list goes on..... . I for once have not use it before and heard it many times and I only wish to learn how to dispense the foam sauce.

The thing is that when gas is involve people naturally think of the safety aspect first and how to fix and assemble. Any nice guy who can share some photos or a video to show how it's done will bulit confidence in using it eversince it was revolutonized and popularized by Chef extraordinaire Ferran Aeral.

my 2 cents and good day!

Edited by Cookwithlove (log)

主泡一杯邀西方. 馥郁幽香而湧.三焦回转沁心房

"Inhale the aroma before tasting and drinking, savour the goodness from the heart "

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  • 2 years later...

I'm populating my Christmas wish list with fun kitchen things. One item I've wanted for a while is a cream whipper, ISI seems to be the way to go, but there are a lot of options.

I guess a pint one is the most versatile, but even those come in a wide range of price. I don't really care if it's stainless stell, brushed, painted or tiled, dipped in lava or what ever, as long as it works and doesn't look like I pulled it from the trash.

But there's also the Thermo Whip, which is an insulated container. Seems neat, as it keeps things cool or hot for hours, but I can imagine that this also will hinder in the production of things that need to be cooled in the fridge before making a foam etc. The insulation works both ways, so cooling something warm in there in the fridge might take a very very long time.

I guess I could keep something warm or cold in an according waterbath instead, what would you pick?

Oh, and I'll most likely never make whipped cream in there, as I can't stand that stuff, but fluffed soups, deserts of some kind, things like that are of interest.

I'm tending towards a regular steel one, but am curious to hear of others that might have one of these, especially if you have the thermo.

Thanks!

Oliver

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"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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I have a Thermo Whip, and it is advantageous for many things that it will keep them hot or cold, but if you might want to make something hot and then reheat it later or serve it at another meal on another day (because things are very well preserved in the NO2 environment), the Gourmet Whip is better, because you can warm it up in a bain marie.

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...but I can imagine that this also will hinder in the production of things that need to be cooled in the fridge before making a foam etc. The insulation works both ways, so cooling something warm in there in the fridge might take a very very long time.

You're bang-on with that. The Gourmet Whip is probably the better bet, unless you're a caterer and need to be able to hold the contents hot or cold in a room-temperature setting.

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Matthew Kayahara

Kayahara.ca

@mtkayahara

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I've got the .5L Gourmet Whip, but I do make whipped cream with it occasionally (it's actually in the fridge with cream in it now.) I don't know if you'll care, but I've used it to make soda water with the CO2 cartridges, and at some point I should try "fizzy fruit".

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Thanks! I've been giving this some more thought, while the thermo is neat in some way, it probably won't matter much to me as I'm at home cooking and can keep things on temp. I read a review on Amazon where somebody was doing something with gellatine I guess and had to cool the thermo for 15 hours to get the internal temp down. Not sure if that person knows what they're doing, but I can see the problem.

I figure if I want to make a foam of some sort for savory eating I'll have the ingredient hot/warm already or can keep it warm in a water bath, and for desserts I have a fridge.

Thanks, and I'll report after Christmas what - if anything - santa brought :-)

Of course, if others stumble across this thread and have input, please post, I will revisit :-)

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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I read a review on Amazon where somebody was doing something with gellatine I guess and had to cool the thermo for 15 hours to get the internal temp down. Not sure if that person knows what they're doing, but I can see the problem.

That sounds about right; I think it's more or less what the manufacturer recommends. Whenever I do any foams with gelatin in the Thermo Whip, I make them up the night before and chill overnight.

Let us know what you get, and what you use it for!

Matthew Kayahara

Kayahara.ca

@mtkayahara

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  • 9 months later...

Input needed please: Is there any reason why we should not buy a different brand of NO2 (or CO2) cartdidges for the iSi Canister? I am specifically talking about these: http://www.acemart.com/prod7661.html

They are about half the price of the iSi ones and claim to be compatible with standard dispensers. Has anyone used these? Of course iSi tells you to only uses iSi brand, but they are not exactly unbiased.

E. Nassar
Houston, TX

My Blog
contact: enassar(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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Input needed please: Is there any reason why we should not buy a different brand of NO2 (or CO2) cartdidges for the iSi Canister? I am specifically talking about these: http://www.acemart.com/prod7661.html

They are about half the price of the iSi ones and claim to be compatible with standard dispensers. Has anyone used these? Of course iSi tells you to only uses iSi brand, but they are not exactly unbiased.

I use a variety of brands - they are standard sizing.

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You should be fine with any brand cartridge. I use whatever is cheaper.

Those are the ones I used to use at work, always got a giggle that they were called whip-it! (but i've never seen anyone do one off of one, and I'm not endorsing it)

I got my whip for free for coming in third at a beverage competition at the FCI. The person who won had all her friends come vote for her a lot. At 2$ a vote it cost her about $50 to win a nice blendtec. She basically made a variation of an orange julius, which wasn't even blended properly. Either way she considered the angles better than I did...well played...

Edited by ChickenStu (log)
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I thought about an ISI, but too much plastic for my taste. I bought a Liss, totally stainless. I have 2 tips (regular and tulip),2 heads and 3 bottles (½ pt, pint, quart). It gives me plenty of room to experiment or just make appropriate size batches for the portion size I need. Liss was also ATK's best choice.

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  • 1 year later...

I'm finally ready to buy my ISI Gourmet Whip. I'm now deciding on size... I would like to have the option to do a full frame of bubbled chocolate - my frames hold 1400g - but I want to use it for smaller applications as well. I was going to get the 1 litre (1 quart) model but have since read that it needs to be completely full when used. Hmmmmmm....

I was hoping someone could let me know how much the chocolate expands onced 'foamed'?? Would a pint dispenser be adequate for my frame? That means the chocolate would have to expand almost 3x's. I'm thinking I might have to go with the 1 litre (1 quart)...

So if I have to go with the 1 litre, will that size work with smaller amounts of ingredients?? If anyone has experience using a smaller quantity than recommended in the ISI, I would love to hear about it. If it does work, would you need to use more chargers for 500ml (a pint) of ingredients in a 1 litre dispenser as compared to a pint dispenser?

Maybe I need 2 of these puppies. :rolleyes:

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  • 2 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

the only other consideration is that some of the different models have different nozzles. The profi whip is the older model with just 2 nozzles and the o-ring comes out ( which can be a pain when the KP loses it. and the dispense nozzle is also removeable, again loseable). The gourmet whip comes with 3 nozzles, the o-ring and dispense nozzle are fixed and easier to clean. I have appox 20 in the kitchen at any one time, i prefer the added expense of the gourmet whip for ease of use. dont even touch the easy whip! i also have half a dozen soda siphons, loads of fun!

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  • 8 months later...

Can anyone pinpoint the diferences between the iSi Gourmet and Gourmet PLUS models?

The iSi site only lists the Gourmet PLUS model (in both the US and German versions of the site, I'm guessing the latter model has supplanted the former).

I can get either model on amazon, but not from the same seller, and the sellers' descriptions don't make it possible to compare the same points:

bullet points listed for the PLUS:

High-quality stainless steel bottle and head

Etched markings to indicate maximum fill level

Fixed stainless steel dispensing valve for precise application and control

3 Decorator tips with durable stainless steel threads

Silicone banded head for heat protection during hot applications

The description also notes that 'The Gourmet Whip's features for the professional chef also include: -Heat-resistant silicone gasket with removal tab for quick, hygienic cleaning -Ergonomic charger holder with non-slip silicone grip -Dishwasher safe -Closed and sealed system - supports HACCP requirements -2-year warranty'.

The seller of the Gourmet (not PLUS) model just uses a lot of nonspecific language to say 'it's cool and pretty, you gotta have it', which deosn't tell me a thing about which of the PLUS features it has/lacks.

Michaela, aka "Mjx"
Manager, eG Forums
mscioscia@egstaff.org

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