Pacojet Competitor? The Ninja Creami

[Anna N]

47 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@mgaretz  thank you for posting that link.  Very informative.

Ditto. Now to clean up that drill press downstairs!

[weinoo]

15 hours ago, palo said:

He does comment briefly on the results from the different machines, but his main thrust is comparing the pros and cons of each machine. I think it was a well done and informative video.

If we want taste comparisons, which will always be subjective, just ask Kerry! 

 

p

 

I actually think the main thrust was trying to sell you his product; with the come-on of winning a Creami.

[rotuts]

It was informative to me .

 

very .

 

Im not in the market for a PJ

 

I do have a Ceami , rising comfortably 

 

out of its box.  MC does enjoy its box from time to time

 

so there is that.

 

I think he described the ' churn type ' well

 

and suggested enough taste differences between the 

 

styles , 

 

to help some , decide they might like both styles

 

but for different reasons .

 

I found his suggestions 

 

for his product reasonable.

 

As I have not found a YouTube Add blocker for

 

my version of Safari ( 12.1 ) on OS 1o.14.4

 

its max  ( I have a few 32 bit programs that can not be replaced )

 

I could use Chrome ....  but

 

think about that drivel , for comparison 

[andrewk512]

Thanks for posting! The long awaited Chris Young review (sadly sans Dave Arnold) was worth the wait - very thoughtful, pragmatic, and some nice ice cream science added in that I didn't know about regarding the speed of flavor release.

 

My favorite argument is still the one at the end of the video, and a point I have found very understated - "I could own 32 ninja creamis for the same price" - and really, for everyone except the high michelin star or highly funded kitchens, why not just own a few Ninja Creamis and dozens of canisters. There is huge production value to having countless canisters on hand (after all if you dig far enough back on these forums you can see Nathan M recommend everyone own at least 30+ pacojet containers), and you are at a big risk if you only own one pacojet (if it goes down then you are in a bind for service).

 

Then again I'm just a home cook, and I have no idea why I defend this device so much

 

(and I would still love a pacojet one day...)

Edited June 9, 2022 by andrewk512 (log)

[andrewk512]

On 6/8/2022 at 2:41 PM, sverreef said:

I still don't know when I'll get my Creami. The four extra pints I ordered from abroad arrived today however, and an assortment of stabilizers from Modernist Pantry is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. That means I can prepare and prefreeze a few tests in advance 🙂

 

I guess I'll probably end up with a pint or two of rhubarb sorbet, since we have a lot of that available in our garden at the moment. And this sorrel sherbet recipe looks very tempting as well:

 

 

 

23 hours ago, gilbertlevine said:

The sour rhubarb sorbet from modernist cuisine is worth a look it’s a lot of work but I think worth it 

 

Anyone able to post the recipes for either of these?

 

I did a rhubarb sorbet recently composing of 373g lightly cooked rhubarb (weighed after cooking), 186g strawberries, and 140g sucrose. Interested to see what else is out there in rhubarb land though

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

I think he described the ' churn type ' well

 

and suggested enough taste differences between the 

 

styles

 

This. I finally got around to watching the video. I found Young's explanation of how the devices worked (one motor vs. two) and the relative strengths and weaknesses was interesting and useful. I was even more intrigued by his discussion about the structure of the ice cream coming out of either of these devices, compared to the churned style. I think I learned quite a bit about ice cream structure in that short video -- well, enough to sound knowledgeable to folks outside this forum, anyway.  I don't think I'll be getting rid of my Cuisinart ICE-50 any time soon, although right now the CREAMi is hogging all the culinary fun.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 hours ago, Anna N said:

Ditto. Now to clean up that drill press downstairs!

 

My drill press lives in the living room.

 

[Kerry Beal]

I pressure cooked some 35% cream and then some milk with some added milk solids - 2 hours each high pressure. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasty!

 

I'll be interested to try it with just the cream 'burnt' - will be more subtle for sure but I'll bet it will be nice.

 

Burned cream Ice Cream

 

Ice Creams and Sorbets, Pacojet

Source: adapted from Kriss Harveys Vanlla 

 

INGREDIENTS

245 grams of cream 35% -caramelized in pressure cooker 2 hours

700 grams of milk - caramelized in pressure cooker 2 hours

200 grams sugar

50 grams atomized glucose

70 grams milk powder

1.5 grams stabilizer 

4 yolks

DIRECTIONS

Cook to 85º C. Cool over ice - divide between two pacojet containers - freeze 24 hours. 

 

 

[weinoo]

5 hours ago, andrewk512 said:

why not just own a few Ninja Creamis and dozens of canisters.

 

Because we're not all insane?

[andrewk512]

5 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Because we're not all insane?

I meant for a restaurant 😛

[weinoo]

10 hours ago, andrewk512 said:

I meant for a restaurant 😛

 

Well, that makes some sense.

[blue_dolphin]

Roasted plum sorbet.  Nice plums from the farmers market with excellent flavor so I didn't want to add anything and defaulted to one of my standard popsicle recipes.  Cut plums in half, roast in CSO, 25 min, 350°F.  Remove pits, blitz fruit and any liquid from the baking sheet in the Blendtec. Put through fine mesh sieve to remove tiny flecks of skin.  Adjust with simple syrup and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Added 1 T Cassis for flavor and softness.  Freeze O/N.  Run one Ninja Creami sorbet cycle.

Beautiful deep pink color, silky smooth texture.  

 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by blue_dolphin
forgot to include Cassis (log)

[jedovaty]

I made two pints from the ninja website to test before my MP exotic gums and things arrive tomorrow:

https://ninjatestkitchen.com/recipe/vanilla-bean-gelato/

and

https://ninjatestkitchen.com/recipe/toasted-coconut-chocolate-avocado-ice-cream/

(without the coconut flakes)

Vanilla gelato: Not sure why they call this a gelato with so much heavy cream.  Anyway, the vanilla bean caviar fell to the bottom, no way to suspend, after reading here, I probably should've kept it at the 165F temp for a bit longer to thicken.  The flavor of this was okay, I guess?  Nothing amazing.  But, good to know the machine works with basic custard recipe.

The chocolate: directions say to whisk until combined.. yeah, didn't work... the base was initially seriously gross (tasted like chocolate avocado with oats).  I ran my stick blender through it before freezing, and it transformed into a chocolate pudding that was delicious!  The frozen result was pretty good, more like a milk chocolate flavor than chocolate.

 

Both flavors spun with only one spin.  Super smooth when squished inside mouth.  When I "chew", there was light crunching.. I'm assuming those are ice crystals?  I don't recall feeling/hearing that crunch noise with commercial ice creams.  Will pay more attention.

 

Both had texture that was more fro-yo or soft serve than actual ice cream or gelato.  Not complaining, just noting.

 

So far, happy with the refurb unit

 

@blue_dolphin Wow.. roasted plums?!  That sounds fantastic.  When you write, "adjust with simple syrup" is that a taste thing or are you using science to match up sugar somehow?

 

My library had the Dana Cree book so I borrowed it.  No dairy/egg free recipies.  I liked some of the science in the book.

[Kerry Beal]

Hazelnut paste - used the 4 blade cutter to chop roasted blanched hazelnuts, added a couple of tbsp of roasted hazelnut oil, froze and then pacotized 6 or 7 times. 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I used the pistachio gelato recipe from Modernist cuisine to start a batch - I didn't add the oil because the paste was much more liquid than expected - so just the total of paste and oil with the liquidy paste. 

 

 

Found some pistachio flour in the freezer - didn't have any pistachio oil to add to it - so just processed a bunch of times without freezing. 

 

Very viscous - so I have added some oil now that I have obtained it - and I'll spin it a few more times as soon as I can make some noise in the house without disturbing anyone and make a batch of gelato with it. 

 

Also this evening I took some strawberries that I got at the farmers market yesterday and started a batch of strawberry sorbet based on the Underbelly formula  by eG's own @UnConundrum - here

 

 

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

22 minutes ago, jedovaty said:

I made two pints from the ninja website to test before my MP exotic gums and things arrive tomorrow:

https://ninjatestkitchen.com/recipe/vanilla-bean-gelato/

and

https://ninjatestkitchen.com/recipe/toasted-coconut-chocolate-avocado-ice-cream/

(without the coconut flakes)

Vanilla gelato: Not sure why they call this a gelato with so much heavy cream.  Anyway, the vanilla bean caviar fell to the bottom, no way to suspend, after reading here, I probably should've kept it at the 165F temp for a bit longer to thicken.  The flavor of this was okay, I guess?  Nothing amazing.  But, good to know the machine works with basic custard recipe.

The chocolate: directions say to whisk until combined.. yeah, didn't work... the base was initially seriously gross (tasted like chocolate avocado with oats).  I ran my stick blender through it before freezing, and it transformed into a chocolate pudding that was delicious!  The frozen result was pretty good, more like a milk chocolate flavor than chocolate.

 

Both flavors spun with only one spin.  Super smooth when squished inside mouth.  When I "chew", there was light crunching.. I'm assuming those are ice crystals?  I don't recall feeling/hearing that crunch noise with commercial ice creams.  Will pay more attention.

 

Both had texture that was more fro-yo or soft serve than actual ice cream or gelato.  Not complaining, just noting.

 

So far, happy with the refurb unit

 

@blue_dolphin Wow.. roasted plums?!  That sounds fantastic.  When you write, "adjust with simple syrup" is that a taste thing or are you using science to match up sugar somehow?

 

My library had the Dana Cree book so I borrowed it.  No dairy/egg free recipies.  I liked some of the science in the book.

 

What temperature is your freezer?

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 minute ago, Kerry Beal said:

Hazelnut paste - used the 4 blade cutter to chop roasted blanched hazelnuts, added a couple of tbsp of roasted hazelnut oil, froze and then pacotized 6 or 7 times. 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I used the pistachio gelato recipe from Modernist cuisine to start a batch - I didn't add the oil because the paste was much more liquid than expected - so just the total of paste and oil with the liquidy paste. 

 

 

Found some pistachio flour in the freezer - didn't have any pistachio oil to add to it - so just processed a bunch of times without freezing. 

 

Very viscous - so I have added some oil now that I have obtained it - and I'll spin it a few more times as soon as I can make some noise in the house without disturbing anyone and make a batch of gelato with it. 

 

Also this evening I took some strawberries that I got at the farmers market yesterday and started a batch of strawberry sorbet based on the Underbelly formula  by eG's own @UnConundrum - here

 

 

 

 

 

Why did you have to Pacotize so many times?  I appreciate the toes.

 

[Kerry Beal]

Just now, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Why did you have to Pacotize so many times?  I appreciate the toes.

 

Yeah - realized there are a lot of toes in the pics! 

 

Breaking down particle size - not like using a melanger. 

[Kerry Beal]

 

Was waiting for Amazon to deliver this pistachio oil yesterday - heard a big bang at the front door - looked out to see the truck driving away - they must have thrown it from the curb around 50 feet away from the door. Door is missing a bit of varnish and there is a dent in the wood. Can didn't do so well either. Needless to say - money was returned to me. 

 

So I added about 3 tbsp of oil to the top of the pistachio in the freezer and this morning I ran it once through the pacojet and here is the beautiful paste I was left with. Smooth as a babies butt!

 

 

Gave the hazelnut gelato a spin - it's very rich - very tasty. Scoops like a dream.

 

 

 

 

This is the strawberry sorbet - excellent texture, scoops beautifully but tastes like ass so has been washed down the drain. I'm not sure what the faulty ingredient is. There was a sulfury smell and taste. I'm suspicious that my dextrose might be the responsible party but it doesn't taste off in the container. I've got a memory of a recipe I binned a while back that used dextrose though. 

 

[curls]

Sorry about the crazy delivery but at least you got pistachio oil for free (sad about the door damage). Those gelatos and sorbet look delicious. I hope you attemp the strawberry sorbet again either without dextrose or with some new dextrose. I’m still resisting a pacojet or creami purchase but you are making it tough. 😉

[cdh]

Just so you know, Amazon does have procedures in place for when their deliveries do damage... I just wanted to vent that a driver spun his truck tires in my stone driveway and dug some holes as he raced to get out of here, and Amazon transferred me to a property damage insurance carrier.  Complain in the right way and you could get your door repainted. 

[jedovaty]

12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

What temperature is your freezer?

 

I have it set to "Freeze" 🥶

[andrewk512]

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

This is the strawberry sorbet - excellent texture, scoops beautifully but tastes like ass so has been washed down the drain. I'm not sure what the faulty ingredient is. There was a sulfury smell and taste. I'm suspicious that my dextrose might be the responsible party but it doesn't taste off in the container. I've got a memory of a recipe I binned a while back that used dextrose though. 

 

I've never had off flavor from dextrose but certainly seems possible, my maltodextrin has a bit of an industrial flat/stale taste, nothing sulfury though

 

I am liking the pastes... wondering if anyone wants to try that in the Ninja?

Edited June 13, 2022 by andrewk512 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

13 minutes ago, cdh said:

Just so you know, Amazon does have procedures in place for when their deliveries do damage... I just wanted to vent that a driver spun his truck tires in my stone driveway and dug some holes as he raced to get out of here, and Amazon transferred me to a property damage insurance carrier.  Complain in the right way and you could get your door repainted. 

I did discuss that with the girl who I was working with on this - it's a solid wood door - hubby took it off last year and stripped it down and put on the requisite number of layers of finish - not anxious to have the door off again for any length of time!  

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

4 minutes ago, andrewk512 said:

 

I've never had off flavor from dextrose but certainly seems possible, my maltodextrin has a bit of an industrial flat/stale taste, nothing sulfury though

 

I am liking the pastes... wondering if anyone wants to try that in the Ninja?

I just took some tomato juice out of the fridge and added each ingredient one at a time to it, tasting as I went - realize that I've been using hydroxy methyl cellulose instead of carboxy methyl cellulose and it added a bit of weird flavor but not the offending flavor - so I'm not sure what this is all about. I will get some fresh dextrose to try. 

[Kerry Beal]

Digging through my pile of gums and stuff - I came across Sucro - sucrose esters - anybody use those and where do they fit in?  

 

I suggest you don't taste them to figure out if they are dextrose - they aren't. They form a scum on the back of your teeth and aren't at all sweet!