Pacojet Competitor? The Ninja Creami

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 9/9/2021 at 9:31 PM, Kerry Beal said:

A can of Kesar mango pulp - one gelato spin -

 

 

 

 

 

Extremely intense flavor - wonderfully smooth texture. I'll perhaps add a bit of cream next time around to make it a bit less intense.

 

 

Kerry, did you ever get around to trying your mango recipe with added cream?  I was searching tonight for a USB cable and found a can of mango pulp by the computer.  Very unusual as I seldom store food in here.  And there is a pint of heavy cream in the refrigerator.

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

5 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Kerry, did you ever get around to trying your mango recipe with added cream?  I was searching tonight for a USB cable and found a can of mango pulp by the computer.  Very unusual as I seldom store food in here.  And there is a pint of heavy cream in the refrigerator.

 

I don't recall if I did - I believe the next batch I made used frozen mango that I pulped myself and it wasn't nearly as intense so just needed the usual additives. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

I don't recall if I did - I believe the next batch I made used frozen mango that I pulped myself and it wasn't nearly as intense so just needed the usual additives. 

 

Thanks.  Could you suggest a ratio of mango to cream that I could try for my experiment?

 

[Kerry Beal]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Thanks.  Could you suggest a ratio of mango to cream that I could try for my experiment?

 

Oh dear - not sure I'm much help to you at all. Probably just 125 ml or so for one of the big cans would probably mellow it out sufficiently. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 9/25/2021 at 2:46 PM, ElsieD said:

 

I'd toss it.

 

When I opened the bulging mango can tonight there was a small explosion.  Smelled good but I thought best to pitch it.

 

[ElsieD]

31 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

When I opened the bulging mango can tonight there was a small explosion.  Smelled good but I thought best to pitch it.

 

Smart move.

 

[Kerry Beal]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

When I opened the bulging mango can tonight there was a small explosion.  Smelled good but I thought best to pitch it.

 

I concur! Probably fermentation but why risk it.

[gfweb]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

When I opened the bulging mango can tonight there was a small explosion.  Smelled good but I thought best to pitch it.

 

 

 

no sense of adventure

[JoNorvelleWalker]

13 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I concur! Probably fermentation but why risk it.

 

I was tempted to use the mango because the can was only a few years past date and I may be in the hospital soon anyhow.  The reason I pitched it was for fear of botulism.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

New can of Alphonso mango pulp in hand, I made the following recipe that I found in an amazon user review for a different brand of canned mango:

 

1 pint heavy cream

1 30 oz can Alphonso mango pulp

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon (I used about a teaspoon)

Zest of one lime (I used zest from a lime and a half)

pinch of salt

 

Cream first, I added everything to my biggest Blendtec jar.  Ran on lowest speed till all ingredients were mixed.  The recipe filled three and a half jars that then went in the blast freezer overnight.  Once spun the result was heavenly.  Incredibly easy to make.

 

[ElsieD]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

New can of Alphonso mango pulp in hand, I made the following recipe that I found in an amazon user review for a different brand of canned mango:

 

1 pint heavy cream

1 30 oz can Alphonso mango pulp

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon (I used about a teaspoon)

Zest of one lime (I used zest from a lime and a half)

pinch of salt

 

Cream first, I added everything to my biggest Blendtec jar.  Ran on lowest speed till all ingredients were mixed.  The recipe filled three and a half jars that then went in the blast freezer overnight.  Once spun the result was heavenly.  Incredibly easy to make.

 

Looks good.  How is the scoopability today?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Looks good.  How is the scoopability today?

 

Excellent at the moment actually.

 

The things we must suffer for the sake of science.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

As to scoopability, I should have stated that I had the previously spun pint stored in my kitchen freezer at -10C.  As opposed to the blast freezer at -20C.  I suspect that at -20C the product would have been difficult to scoop.

 

I'm finishing the last of the pint up as we speak, sprinkled pistachios on top.

 

[ElsieD]

14 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

As to scoopability, I should have stated that I had the previously spun pint stored in my kitchen freezer at -10C.  As opposed to the blast freezer at -20C.  I suspect that at -20C the product would have been difficult to scoop.

 

I'm finishing the last of the pint up as we speak, sprinkled pistachios on top.

 

That sounds soooo good!

[bokeg]

On 8/27/2021 at 10:41 PM, andrewk512 said:

Has anyone heard of this or had experience with it? It was mentioned briefly on Cooking Issues this week and I was immediately intrigued but sadly there is a complete lack of information from any reviewer that is also a serious cook.

 

- it looks to function in a similar way to a pacojet but at the much more affordable price of $200. If it remotely approximates a pacojet in quality of product then it's going to be a game changer. Maybe not for a restaurant kitchen where the reliability of the Ninja brand may be in question but certainly for home use. The only thing stopping me from jumping the gun on it is that it ships from the US to Canada so I will probably be out a small bit of cash due to shipping/restocking if I return it.

 

Honestly, I find it plausible that it would approximate a Pacojet considering the age of the Pacojet technology, the presumed cost savings of converting towards digital components as opposed to primarily mechanical info, and marketing towards consumers meaning durability is less of a necessity

My partner and I are looking into getting a creami(any model) for more savory concoctions and niche ice creams. The pacojet can do these no problem but we are looking for a cheaper alternative. Can the creami handle things like making nut milk from whole cashews or oats(in water), or making ice cream from more obscure bases like a block of tofu(in water/nut milk ofc)? Also has anyone tried things like soup bases from whole vegetables or anything along those lines yet? We'd love any insight! Thank you

[Smithy]

23 minutes ago, bokeg said:

My partner and I are looking into getting a creami(any model) for more savory concoctions and niche ice creams. The pacojet can do these no problem but we are looking for a cheaper alternative. Can the creami handle things like making nut milk from whole cashews or oats(in water), or making ice cream from more obscure bases like a block of tofu(in water/nut milk ofc)? Also has anyone tried things like soup bases from whole vegetables or anything along those lines yet? We'd love any insight! Thank you

 

Mine is pretty specific about not using the Creami as a chopper or processor, because it could damage the motor. My model is a couple of years old. Maybe someone with a newer model can speak to the question of what it can do now.

[EnriqueB]

Just came here to say thank you to everyone here who helped me learn ice cream making. I bough a Ninja Creami like a year ago and learnt to use it and properly formulate ice creams reading this (and the icecreamery) thread. I also discovered other sources here, like Dana Cree's, Corvitto's or Goff's books, or the marvellous @paulraphael's Underbelly blog, all of which I've been studying for the past months.

 

So I'm sharing here some of my best ice creams-based desserts of these months:

 

Lime, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves gelato. With hazelnut chilled soup, white chocolate crumble, and lime zest.

 

Vanilla fiordilatte gelato, streusel and passionfruit cremeux.

 

Greek yoghourt ice cream, hibiscus chilled soup and cristalized hibiscus flower.

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by EnriqueB (log)

[EnriqueB]

Green apple, celery and mint sorbet. Green apple with “oloroso” sherry wine, mint & celery gel, greek yoghourt and meringue mint stick.

 

Green figs gelato with black figs chutney.

 

Carrot and cumin savoury gelato, tarragon gel, carrot “glass” and greek yoghourt.

[EnriqueB]

Lemon and basil sorbet, caramelized seeds and carrot glass.

Fig baked with madeira wine and figs gelato.

Raspberry sorbet, mascarpone cream, streusel with freeze-dried raspberries, and red wine-macerated cherries.

 

Tonka bean gelato, hazelnut and cacao crumble, and dehydrated dark chocolate mousse.

[ElsieD]

@EnriqueB beautiful!

[EnriqueB]

5 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@EnriqueB beautiful!

Thank you!!

[blue_dolphin]

On 11/11/2023 at 8:00 AM, bokeg said:

Also has anyone tried things like soup bases from whole vegetables or anything along those lines yet?

 

With respect to whole vegetables, they'd have to be small as the beaker only holds a pint or a pint and a half for the larger model.  Modernist Pantry made a video testing the Creami on an elote soup and a Parmesan mousse.  The soup had chunks of sautéed potato, onion and corn, frozen in chicken broth and was a fail in the Creami - the blade actually came off.  The Creami mousse was crumbly after one spin.  A second spin seemed to improve things though they said it still wasn't as smooth.  I tend to think one could play around and get a decent Parm mousse from the Creami but the soup sounds like a bust. 

 

One thing about the Creami is that it tends to leave a thin layer of unprocessed material on the bottom of the beaker and sometimes on the sides.  I've had good results using a firm spatula to scrape them down, mix and re-spin but it's an extra step. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by blue_dolphin
to add link (log)

[OlyveOyl]

If this chart of rotation speeds has been made available previously, apologies. I found it to be useful information in being able to chose what speed is most likely to produce your desired outcome.

[ElsieD]

Thank you for this.  Interesting that ice cream and Gelato have the same numbers as do light ice cream and smoothie bowl.

[OlyveOyl]

Yes, I found the rotation “ up” speeds to be of interest.