We have absolutely no need for an ice cream machine. Passover or not Passover, holidays and occasions, summer and a blazing season waiting to pour temperatures over us for half a year ahead, starting now, it still doesn’t matter. We have no need.
And like everyone, we are crazy about ice cream. We consume it on the go and on special trips (Shamna, we’re talking about you), from grocery store freezers and even as a home experiment, since the coronavirus days we remember (now, in retrospect) fondly.
It’s just that we don’t need a machine for this. Too much hassle and too much space. Something we didn’t think we’d bother doing at home and certainly not an art we thought we’d want to develop and cultivate. It’s an existing passion, we admit, but mainly for the existing, ready-made product, the one that professionals have already bothered to make for us.
Because of all this, there’s no chance we’d want an ice cream machine at home. Because of all this exactly, we must have Ninja’s ice cream machine.
The latest drop from Sarig Electric is the new top-end version of the popular ice cream machine, or by its professional name Ninja Creami Spoon & Spin. Want a more specific term? Try model NC701. Either way, whatever its name may be, it doesn’t really matter because in the end this is a product of fewer words and more actions. We’ll manage with the exact technical term. Usually it’s simply something like “That. That’s what I want.”
As is the brand’s habit, what’s done here is a breakdown of failures and difficulties, challenges and feedback, sharpening capabilities from previous models, successful in their own right, and taking off. Some of the features here require trust. Others ask for your faith. Together, a relationship of belief is formed that doesn’t disappoint you for a moment. Not even when you slowly bend a handle to pour American ice cream and get – heaven help us – real American ice cream. At home. A true story.
In a way we’ve already learned to recognize, Ninja’s Creami mediates a set of entirely professional–technological and technical features into a completely human and intuitive operating interface. On one hand, a magnificent specification and parts that make you wonder about your assembly abilities. On the other, an instruction booklet that simplifies everything to the dimensions of a completely reasonable, rational person, and clickability abilities for instinctive connection.
Without looking, almost without feeling, and without digging, you find yourself with a complete machine in front of your eyes. Everything in its place, everything smooth, everything precise. This may not excite people with motor skills, but it has value for the other, many mortals walking among us.
From there – again, as usual – a touch panel slides you between operating programs without spinning you with nonsense and frustration. It’s easy, it’s even fun to play with, and it’s generous in the options it gives you to experiment. There are no mistakes here, and no regret. After all, we’re talking about ice cream, and the greatest fun possible, right?
There are here – take a breath – 13 smart programs, including milkshake, light ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurt and protein desserts, two serving modes (Soft Serve and Scoop), a Mix-In option that does what it promises and mixes in add-ons similar to the sweet mythology of a very specific fast food chain, a Re-Spin button that aims to stabilize texture at an ideal pouring point and advanced forward thinking for those who follow certain diets, including keto and veganism, of course.
The operation is simple, and based on varied recipes (a booklet is attached, and the web is full) that are mixed in the designated container (the set includes a pair, with a volume of 480 ml each) and frozen for 24 hours. From there, the device starts working according to the program you chose, and within a few minutes provides you with a result. Unlike similar home processes, or other ambitious devices, this is real, and it’s surprising.
The soft ice cream variation lifts this whole story higher with a function that mixes the contents of the container and waits for your pull of the handle. Beyond the technology, and beyond the innovation, it’s simply pure fun, imitating familiar ice cream shops, including a removable drip tray. It’s almost unnecessary to note that it works in terms of taste and texture as well – soft exactly as required, and waiting for a frenzy of homemade toppings.
At its price (NIS 1,690) and in its profession, this is a treat-product that does not pretend to position itself as a home must-have, but also does not soar to the realms of niche and luxury. The dimensions are reasonable (25.5 cm length, 44.5 cm height, 38.5 cm width) to take up a normal place in the cabinet, the weight (9.45 kg) does not require a gym and all the parts happily go into the dishwasher, so that nuisance is also saved. Together, this is a p-e-r-f-e-c-t holiday gift, but only for those you truly love. You, for example.
Ninja Creami Spoon & Spin, NIS 1,690 through Sarig Electric