Pacojet Competitor? The Ninja Creami

[blue_dolphin]

10 minutes ago, andrewk512 said:

The one thing the Ninja does need a different approach for is mixtures that separate over time - my watermelon sorbet separates into two colors with slightly different textures due to the slow freezing process. There are different approaches online to combat this. One is to watch it like a hawk and shake it up right as it's about to freeze solid. I imagine there are some molecular solutions out there

I don't have any molecular solutions but I have seen this in my popsicle-making escapades where I get that pulpy foam from a number of different melons. I usually either let it stand in the fridge for a few hours and skim off the foam or strain it through a fine mesh sieve, or both. As you indicate, giving it a shake periodically early in the freezing also works.  Shaking doesn't work for popsicles but if the mix is cold, they freeze pretty fast so it's not horrible to give them stir every 15 min 'til it's thick enough to hold up the sticks, usually 45 min to an hour.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

56 minutes ago, andrewk512 said:

 

I can't be bothered to open it 😛

 

 

I imagine they said something along the lines of the machine not making ice cream like conventional ice cream machines (i.e it doesn't churn liquid mixtures) and then this was misinterpreted that you need a whole different recipe structure.

 

The one thing the Ninja does need a different approach for is mixtures that separate over time - my watermelon sorbet separates into two colors with slightly different textures due to the slow freezing process. There are different approaches online to combat this. One is to watch it like a hawk and shake it up right as it's about to freeze solid. I imagine there are some molecular solutions out there

 

Centrifuge the mixture and use the more desirable phase.

 

[blue_dolphin]

12 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Centrifuge the mixture and use the more desirable phase.

 

I have long wished for a nice Sorvall RC-2B and rotors in my garage/kitchen annex. What centrifuge do you have at home?

[andrewk512]

47 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Centrifuge the mixture and use the more desirable phase.

 

 

Waiting for the release of the Ninja Spinni™ 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

46 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I have long wished for a nice Sorvall RC-2B and rotors in my garage/kitchen annex. What centrifuge do you have at home?

 

Alas, never had a centrifuge to play with since college.  Then again, never expected I would have my own homogenizer.

 

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, andrewk512 said:

 

Waiting for the release of the Ninja Spinni™ 

Didn’t Dave Arnold do a home centrifuge  at one point?

Yup

Edited June 19, 2022 by Anna N
Add link. (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

Didn’t Dave Arnold do a home centrifuge  at one point?

 

Yes, and I'd probably have one if I could fit it on the landing of the stairway.

 

Though seriously, I can't envision much I'd use it for.  Come to think of it a centrifuge might help with making orgeat after the almond milk has gone through the Kuvings juicer.

 

[andrewk512]

15 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Didn’t Dave Arnold do a home centrifuge  at one point?

Yup

It's been out of stock for so long that this month on ebay people have been selling it for near double MSRP, they're hopefully getting it manufactured again next year

 

I kind of like the idea of a cheap Ninja plastic shell over a spinning disk of destruction though... It feels very 2022

Edited June 19, 2022 by andrewk512 (log)

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, andrewk512 said:

It's been out of stock for so long that this month on ebay people have been selling it for near double MSRP,

Don’t say this! I was gifted one of these and did not even unpack it because I am such a chicken. The gift giver are was able to find it a happy home I believe. 

[Kerry Beal]

6 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Don’t say this! I was gifted one of these and did not even unpack it because I am such a chicken. The gift giver are was able to find it a happy home I believe. 

You had a Spinzall? I've still got one - I occasionally do the debate about if I will drag it out and so something with it - or should I sell it. It was fun for making butter I recall. 

[Anna N]

26 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

You had a Spinzall? I've still got one - I occasionally do the debate about if I will drag it out and so something with it - or should I sell it. It was fun for making butter I recall. 

Was it not being promoted as something to do with making cocktails?

[weinoo]

26 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Was it not being promoted as something to do with making cocktails?

Of course.

[jimb0]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Was it not being promoted as something to do with making cocktails?

 

for sure, mostly because thats one of arnold's major interests, but you can use it for any number of other preps where you might want to isolate things

[Kerry Beal]

Olive Oil Sorbet under construction 

 

 

Look at that lovely snot-like texture!

 

 

I bastardized the recipe from Migoya's Frozen Desserts - using an inexpensive EVOO for trial purposes. It's now basking in the fridge for several hours to make sure all the gums are hydrated before it's 24 hours in the freezer. 

[andrewk512]

3 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

You had a Spinzall? I've still got one - I occasionally do the debate about if I will drag it out and so something with it - or should I sell it. It was fun for making butter I recall. 

If you're selling, I'm interested in buying

 

Olive oil sorbet looks interesting, I've been eyeing that recipe for a while 

 

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, andrewk512 said:

If you're selling, I'm interested in buying

 

Olive oil sorbet looks interesting, I've been eyeing that recipe for a while 

 

I shall keep that in mind if I reach that point!

 

So for the olive oil sorbet - I made Migoya's stabilizer (gelatin, carboxy methyl cellulose, locust bean gum and guar gum) with the required percentage of xantham gum - but I also added some liquid lecithin (0.35g for 300 mls of water). The recipe is not at all clear on when you are supposed to add in the oil so I added it between adding the stabilizer at around 40º C and taking it up to 85º C. 

[ElsieD]

3 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Look at that lovely snot-like texture!

 

You certainly have a way with words!

[andrewk512]

On Friday a wind storm ripped out my Thai basil plant just before I had to leave for work for the weekend. I decided to quickly try two recipes from EMP, mint "sorbet" and mint ice cream, subbing Thai basil of course. Processed them when I got home today

 

Thai basil ice cream (on right), was a pretty classic recipe. I steeped 75% of the leaves and blended in the other 25% for color (blanched beforehand). Turned out very well in the Ninja on Lite. It was a bit soft and I'd probably process on Gelato or a shorter cycle next time if I needed to serve immediately. 

 

Left, the basil "sorbet" - a mass of blended water, basil, glucose, sucrose, and milk powder. I think that makes it not a sorbet but I thought the milk powder might be my golden ticket to sorbets out of thin substances. Alas it tasted terrible, like you'd expect reconstituted milk powder to taste, even when hidden under a healthy amount of basil. Melted very fast too after processing on Lite

Edited June 20, 2022 by andrewk512 (log)

[jedovaty]

@Kerry Beal Thank you again for suggestion on different sugars.  I tried the MP pistachio gelato recipe with peanut butter again, this time changing about 30% of the sugar with dextrose.  It was a lot better!  Family who has dairy and egg issues said the taste and texture was awesome, but it smelled like dog food haha.  It was tough to scoop on day 2, though, and I have more sugars to play with.

 

I also made a variation of underbelly's strawberry sorbet, since I didn't have all the ingredients.  It was delicious, but definitely still had crystals.  Despite missing half the unique sugars and things, I was surprised the texture remained scoopable on day 2!!!

 

I've got my hands on some delicious nectarines, almost criminal to process them for sorbet but the urge to do so is strong, especially if the strawberry sorbet can be repeated.  I read @blue_dolphin made a roasted plum one recently, something like that sounds fun.

[andrewk512]

7 hours ago, jedovaty said:

I've got my hands on some delicious nectarines, almost criminal to process them for sorbet but the urge to do so is strong, especially if the strawberry sorbet can be repeated.  I read @blue_dolphin made a roasted plum one recently, something like that sounds fun.

The bonus of cooking/roasting them is you avoid the oxidation flavors that rapidly take over the raw preparations once you blend everything up. I am particularly sensitive to them and have ruined many batches of wonderful stone fruits by doing raw sorbets

[Kerry Beal]

 

Here's the olive oil sorbet - likely should have used a better oil - not convinced I like it much. 

 

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

38 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

Here's the olive oil sorbet - likely should have used a better oil - not convinced I like it much. 

 

 

 

 

Pretty though.

 

[blue_dolphin]

On 6/20/2022 at 7:20 AM, jedovaty said:

I've got my hands on some delicious nectarines, almost criminal to process them for sorbet but the urge to do so is strong, especially if the strawberry sorbet can be repeated.  I read @blue_dolphin made a roasted plum one recently, something like that sounds fun.

If you haven't already done so, I'd encourage you to try roasting the nectarines, especially if they are early season varieties that aren't free-stone 'cause it's so easy to remove the pits after roasting. I leave the skins on, they add color and pretty much disintegrate in the blender after roasting. I got the roasting thing from the People's Pops cookbook where they recommend it for most stone fruits.  That book is about popsicles but a lot of its wisdom can be applied to sorbets was well. Roasting both concentrates the flavor and improves the texture from a bit icy to luxuriously creamy.  Or roast half and use unroasted fruit for another batch to compare. It's fine to go down to ~ 1/4 capacity of the Creami containers which makes side by side comparisons easy.

Other popsicle learnings I've applied to sorbets are:

Thoroughly chill your mix before doing a final taste test and adjusting sweet/tart balance if necessary.  Tasting at room temp or warm can get you in the ballpark but it's going to be eaten cold and should be tasted that way.  If you don't have time to chill the whole batch, put a spoonful on a plate in the freezer.  At this point, it's easiest to use simple syrup and fresh lemon juice for those adjustments. 

Using simple syrups infused with herbs or spices is an excellent way to add those flavors to sorbets and peaches and nectarines are wonderful partners.   Ginger, mint, tarragon, basil, vanilla, bourbon....the list goes on!

[Anna N]

I tried @Kerry Beal’s burnt cream ice cream. It was very pleasant although it seemed to melt very quickly. I do have AC but I still wonder how much of it is the ice cream and how much is the temperature. I don’t know what I would’ve made of the flavour had I not known what it was. I thought it was quite  subtle but still very pleasant. 
P.S. I also got to try the lime sorbet which was heavenly. 

Edited June 22, 2022 by Anna N
To add a further comment. (log)

[Kerry Beal]

26 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I tried @Kerry Beal’s burnt cream ice cream. It was very pleasant although it seemed to melt very quickly. I do have AC but I still wonder how much of it is the ice cream and how much is the temperature. I don’t know what I would’ve made of the flavour had I not known what it was. I thought it was quite  subtle but still very pleasant. 
P.S. I also got to try the lime sorbet which was heavenly. 

So I took a big container of the burnt cream ice cream to work today - it did seem to melt quite quickly.