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Pacojet Competitor? The Ninja Creami

andrewk512

By andrewk512
in Kitchen Consumer

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted (edited)
25 minutes ago, jedovaty said:

I haven't used mine in a few months.  Apparently I didn't clean the lid well enough, it reeks of mold.  I can't figure out how to take it apart, shining a flashlight, I don't see anything but clearly there are some nooks and crannies. Ideas?

The surrounding nooks around the shaft seem to be prone to collecting stuff as well, I used a toothpick and guess I hadn't cleaned it well enough before putting it away last time. 

 

Yuck :(

 

If you move the paddle latch in the direction indicated on the lid, the blade comes right out for cleaning.  After cleaning the blade and lid, move the paddle latch in the same direction and the blade locks back in.

Edited by ElsieD
Fixed a typo (log)
jedovaty

jedovaty

Posted
Posted

I appreciate the response, and sorry for the confusion.  Removing the blade is not my issue.  The lid with the paddle which holds the blade is what smells really bad.  When I have cleaned it in the past, I would run a soapy sponge through the hole, then block the hole and fill with hot soapy water and open/close the latch several times, and clean the whole thing with a sponge as well.  Then shake out and let air dry.  It smells pretty bad.  Since it has moving parts and a tensioned action, there should be a way to disassemble it.  If no one knows, I guess I'll give it a go and if it breaks, oh well, I don't want to use this for now due to the smell.

 

Could those of you who use the unit on an infrequent basis take a sniff of the lid and see if it's tolerable or gross?

 

The nooks at the shaft are also bothering me.. I found a few repair videos (here's an example quick teardown) and am going to try to take it apart and see if maybe my unit had different tolerances such that stuff got up inside (I bought a refurb unit).

jedovaty

jedovaty

Posted
Posted

Found a video where the dude uses water through the side ports and has the paddle half-way open.  It's for a deluxe model, my lid is from the first gen units so I'm sure it is similar.  He uses a waterpik for extra power if necessary.  That gives me a place to start.  If I manage to take it apart, will share.

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted (edited)
49 minutes ago, jedovaty said:

Could those of you who use the unit on an infrequent basis take a sniff of the lid and see if it's tolerable or gross?

I’ve used my Creami very infrequently of late but I detect no odor. After use, I remove the blade, wash everything in hot, soapy water and air dry.  I don’t reassemble until I’m ready to use it again.

If I noticed an odor from the lid, I’d suspect something, even moisture, trapped under the big ridged O-ring in the lid and I was a bit surprised that Mr Water-Pik, in all his thoroughness didn’t address that.  
I didn’t try to see if that can be removed and replaced but if not, I’d try a scrub in hot, soapy water, a rinse in a dilute bleach solution and a nice sun bath outside for a few hours…or days 🙃
 

49 minutes ago, jedovaty said:

The nooks at the shaft are also bothering me.

If you mean the threads on the shaft that retract back up into the upper motor housing, I’ve run the machine with just water to see if there was any obvious debris there.  This was after I used it to make chicken liver pâté and was concerned about carryover.  I can’t say there was none but there was no hint of turbidity, cloudiness or foaming you’d expect to see if there was any protein in there. 

Good luck with your troubleshooting and keep us posted!

 

 

Edited by blue_dolphin (log)
  • Like 1
jedovaty

jedovaty

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

If I noticed an odor from the lid, I’d suspect something, even moisture, trapped under the big ridged O-ring in the lid and I was a bit surprised that Mr Water-Pik, in all his thoroughness didn’t address that. 

Hah, didn't realize the gasket could be removed thank you!  There was a little moisture, and a little schmutz, cleaned right up.  However, the smell remained, and I took a closer look into the holes along the top side, and sure enough, there was growth inside.  Toothpick got some of it out, and since I don't have a waterpik, I aimed the faucet on spray mode at hottest into the little holes, wiggling the paddle the whole time.  Also soaked in hot, soapy water for a few minutes, eventually the toothpick got more gunk out.  Can't tell if any remains.

 

I rarely use bleach to clean things, and may consider it after this dries.  I suspect some lingering smell may remain if it was absorbed by the plastic.  On closer inspection, it does look like the lid can be disassembled, however, it is pretty tight and it may be a one-way install that'll break.  Curiosity may get the better of me since replacement lids are available, currently debating whether it is worth it given how detailed a cleaning needs to be uggh.  What I found fascinating: there are unbranded, knockoff lids available for same cost as the official lid.  Huh.

 

Thanks again :)

  • Like 1
jedovaty

jedovaty

Posted
Posted (edited)

It still reeked this morning, I could see bits of stuff inside through the ports and toothpick extration proved frustrating.  Screwdriver leverage into a port and the thing came apart fairly easily - closer inspection, unfortunately, it is a one-way task, reassembly not logistically possible.

What I found inside.. the horror.. the horror (with apologies to Joseph Conrad).

I don't want to share a picture, it's rather gross.

Can this be prevented, I ask rhetorically, and promptly respond to myself, not sure.  The spacing inside is pretty tight and if you get thicker bases pulled up in there, simply rinsing/soaking will not be enough to evacuate.  So now I'm on the fence whether to even bother purchasing a replacement lid since this is likely to happen again.  Based on this thread only with the several users, it seems like I am the only one experiencing this issue.

Edited by jedovaty (log)
  • Sad 3
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, jedovaty said:

It still reeked this morning, I could see bits of stuff inside through the ports and toothpick extration proved frustrating.  Screwdriver leverage into a port and the thing came apart fairly easily - closer inspection, unfortunately, it is a one-way task, reassembly not logistically possible.

What I found inside.. the horror.. the horror (with apologies to Joseph Conrad).

I don't want to share a picture, it's rather gross.

Can this be prevented, I ask rhetorically, and promptly respond to myself, not sure.  The spacing inside is pretty tight and if you get thicker bases pulled up in there, simply rinsing/soaking will not be enough to evacuate.  So now I'm on the fence whether to even bother purchasing a replacement lid since this is likely to happen again.  Based on this thread only with the several users, it seems like I am the only one experiencing this issue.

 

Ultrasonic cleaner?

  • Like 2

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

OlyveOyl

OlyveOyl

Posted
Posted

Sicilian vanilla gelato made with milk, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla.  I’ve previously made this style in my Il Gelato machine, but used the Ninja with good results.  I used the gelato setting and then two respins.  This is from “ Pomp and Sustenance “ but there is a very similar recipe at 101 cookbooks.

An oven roasted rhubarb and raspberry compote was the accompaniment.

 

IMG_8382.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...
OlyveOyl

OlyveOyl

Posted
Posted

Ricotta chocolate flake gelato, pistachios and in house candied orange peel.

I’m anticipating a bit of a hybrid as I made this in my compressor machine but put it in the Ninja containers in case I’m not pleased with the  outcome when it  is frozen overnight. 
The taster portion we had was  in the  freezer for only a few hours, so it was still very scoopable after being churned for about 25 minutes.

IMG_9113.jpeg

  • Like 2
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
On 6/5/2025 at 3:20 PM, OlyveOyl said:

Ricotta chocolate flake gelato, pistachios and in house candied orange peel.

I’m anticipating a bit of a hybrid as I made this in my compressor machine but put it in the Ninja containers in case I’m not pleased with the  outcome when it  is frozen overnight. 
The taster portion we had was  in the  freezer for only a few hours, so it was still very scoopable after being churned for about 25 minutes.

IMG_9113.jpeg

That sounds amazing!

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted
20 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

No - but I have noticed it a Costco and in the ads that Ninja keeps e-mailing me. 

That must be a new item for them.  I was only aware that they sold the original.  Not a bad price given you get an $85 Costco Shop Card.  I can't justify purchasing it.  I already have a Creami and the Breville machine with the built-in compressor.  I sure am curious though, as to how it performs.  Reviews are generally favourable.

  • Like 3
OlyveOyl

OlyveOyl

Posted
Posted

@blue_dolphin The ricotta gelato is from Serious Eats and uses half ricotta and half milk.  The ricotta is therefore fairly muted, I intend making a straight ricotta version when I make more ricotta.

i ninjified the plain pint and texture wise, I’m giving it a slight edge over the chocolate flake pint which was only churned. I ran it once on the gelato setting. 

  • Like 1
  • 1 month later...
horseflesh

horseflesh

Posted
Posted

Just got the Deluxe from Costco. I have only made one thing so far, Ruben Porto's Tres Leche. Couldn't have been easier to make, and it came out great. It reminded me a lot of the "sweet cream" flavor at the chain Coldstone. 

 

I'm still trying to get a handle on using this thing... Porto says that you should not do recipes with more than 16% fat content, but it seems like people are using any old ice cream recipe and it is working out, perhaps with a respin. 

 

Porto also said that all of the official Ninja recipes are miserable so I've ignored those and the entire Ninja recipe web site... I don't know that I trust the general public to rate good ice cream recipes since it is so technical. But am I throwing the baby out with the bath water? 

 

As much as I love complex cooking, sometimes I also just want a simple and tasty victory. It's weird to say on this forum especially but a spreadsheet is not always the ideal appetizer. My hunt for EZ recipes continues. :) 

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, horseflesh said:

Just got the Deluxe from Costco. I have only made one thing so far, Ruben Porto's Tres Leche. Couldn't have been easier to make, and it came out great. It reminded me a lot of the "sweet cream" flavor at the chain Coldstone. 

 

I'm still trying to get a handle on using this thing... Porto says that you should not do recipes with more than 16% fat content, but it seems like people are using any old ice cream recipe and it is working out, perhaps with a respin. 

 

Porto also said that all of the official Ninja recipes are miserable so I've ignored those and the entire Ninja recipe web site... I don't know that I trust the general public to rate good ice cream recipes since it is so technical. But am I throwing the baby out with the bath water? 

 

As much as I love complex cooking, sometimes I also just want a simple and tasty victory. It's weird to say on this forum especially but a spreadsheet is not always the ideal appetizer. My hunt for EZ recipes continues. :) 

 

My results with full fat ice cream in the Creami have been disappointing.  Sorbet and lower fat have worked better.  Since full fat ice cream is what I love, I've relocated the Creami to the bedroom.

 

Here is one recipe that worked well for me.

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/163060-pacojet-competitor-the-ninja-creami/page/50/#findComment-2405223

  • Like 1

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

horseflesh

horseflesh

Posted
Posted

That recipe looks great, thanks for pointing it out! Is that mango pulp sweetened?

 

While I do prefer full fat ice cream too, if Porto is correct and 16% is the limit... I can still live with it. 

 

I just filled my three jars and popped them in the freezer... Everything was blended. 

 

One "Dole pineapple whip" recipe, found on a Creami fan site. (Canned pineapple, coconut cream, monkfruit sweetener)

 

One improvised peach yogurt (Full ~20 oz peach yogurt container, volume to 24 oz with jarred peach slices and syrup, extra squirt of agave)

 

One improvised mandarin-cherry-ginger-lime concoction (canned mandarin slices in syrup, a couple oz leftover Amarena cherries, some shredded ginger, big squeeze lime, no extra sweetener)

 

(I know we aren't supposed to improvise ice creams and sorbets, but I will apparently need to learn the hard way.)

  • Like 1
ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted
On 11/3/2023 at 9:55 PM, 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.

 

Did you ever scale the recipe?  I'd like to try it but don't want 3 1/2 pints.

weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, horseflesh said:

As much as I love complex cooking, sometimes I also just want a simple and tasty victory. It's weird to say on this forum especially but a spreadsheet is not always the ideal appetizer. My hunt for EZ recipes continues

 

Exactly why I use an old Cook's Illustrated article and technique for my sorbets.  They don't stick around long enough for me to worry about them so much.

 

Sorbets.pdf

 

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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horseflesh

horseflesh

Posted
Posted

That's a great reference! If someone has not done it already I will have to figure out weights needed to yield Creami canisters. 

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Did you ever scale the recipe?  I'd like to try it but don't want 3 1/2 pints.

 

No, but I ate all of it.  Scaling a can of mango sounds messy.

 

  • Thanks 1

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, horseflesh said:

That's a great reference! If someone has not done it already I will have to figure out weights needed to yield Creami canisters. 


I have an earlier Creami; the capacity of the containers is 2 cups.  I just kinda eyeball things.  Yesterday I prepped, but haven’t yet spun, lemon sorbet, peach sorbet (with canned peaches in light syrup), and nectarine sorbet with, well, real nectarines.  
 

Each batch prepared was slightly more than the max fill line, but don’t have a big problem with that.  I enjoy using different boozes, so for the lemon I used gin, the peach bourbon, and the nectarine - Apry.  I expect they’ll all be edible.

  • Like 3

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

  • 2 weeks later...
horseflesh

horseflesh

Posted
Posted

The sorbet cheat sheet that has been shared is great info, but it is too bad that it isn't all done by weight because I am starting with frozen fruits. I converted the mango recipe, and scaled it for a 24 oz Creami Deluxe beaker. 

  • Cook's Illustrated Mango Sorbet for Creami Deluxe
  • Mango chunks 608 g
  • Water 67 g
  • Sugar 93 g
  • Lemon juice 18 g
  • Vodka 8 g

If you are also using frozen mango, you will need to let the chunks soften overnight in the fridge before you can blend everything. The mix is too thick to process frozen, at least it was for my Vita-Mix. 

 

BTW, to do this conversion, I cheated... I used an AI chatbot instead of personally searching for the average yield in grams of a peeled and pitted "medium" mango, and doing the other conversions. I also asked it to create a recipe that accounted for the actual volume of the blended product, which requires some math for the sugar/water mixture. It produced a converted and scaled recipe that perfectly filled a 24 oz Creami Deluxe beaker.

 

I do have a brain, I could have done all of this myself, but I have to admit it was fun to get the answer immediately and get back to the kitchen.

 

If the output sucks once I spin it, I will amend this post and confess. 

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