the ice cream maker that my seven-year-old self always wanted to have at home

“Haaaaaaaaaa make ice cream, in the Famoplay refrigerator, soooo delicious, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.” I have few memories of my childhood (unfortunately), but I remember that ad from the year 2001 as if it had been broadcast during the World Cup break a few days ago. I remember that seven-year-old Jose glued to the black tube Sony in his parents’ living room, thinking, greedily, about how cool it would be to have his own refrigerator at home. It never happened.

Today, 25 years later, the 32-year-old Jose, who has gray hair and is getting married in a few months, has been able to try out a refrigerator. One that, surprise, leaves the Famoplay refrigerator at the height of the bitumen. Because the Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl It has little of a toy. It is one of those appliances that no one needs, that most will only use a few months a year (an ice cream in December always fits in, I said), that is a whim like the top of a pine tree, but that is a true marvel.

Today, seven-year-old Jose smiles.

✅ Buy them if…

• You are patient enough to wait a day to eat the ice cream.
• You have little ones and you are looking for a culinary activity to do together.
• You have space at home and 350 euros that you don’t need.

❌ Don’t buy it if…

• You want to make ice cream on the spot and from scratch.
• You have a small kitchen or limited space.
• You want a silent device.

The essentials in 30 seconds

The Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl is like the Ninja CREAMi, but with a dispensing system similar to what you would find in a frozen yogurt store. In addition, it has more programs designed for soft ice cream recipes. The idea and operation, however, are identical: you make the recipe, pour it into a container, freeze it and process it in the machine. In a normal Ninja Creami you eat the ice cream from the tub and in the Scoop and Swirl you have more options.

The grace of the model in question is the lever. If you make soft ice cream or frozen yogurt, you can put the tub in an extruder that, by pulling the lever down, allows you to extract it through a nozzle and pour the product into a cone or tub.

The machine works really scary, so much so that it is complicated, if not impossible, take issue. The only “but” that can be said is that it is large (although not heavy) and greedily noisy. Otherwise, the performance is exceptional and has lived up to each and every one of the recipes I have made these weeks.

Our experience with the Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl

How it works. Unlike ice cream makers, which cool and churn at the same time, the Ninja Creami processes solid blocks already prepared in a tub. That’s why it is “small”, because it doesn’t need a compressor. It has a blade called Creamerizer that, roughly speaking, moves downwards and “scrapes” and “combs” the frozen product. The technique is similar to the one followed to make slushies, except that by varying the rotation speed, depth and frequency of descent (hence the different modes) different textures can be achieved. It is also the reason why it makes noise, a lot of noise, not suitable for having an ice cream at nap time.

In this video you can hear the noise it makes.

Shall we make ice cream? That is the question that must be asked before anything else. Understanding the machine as a magical system that makes ice cream is a mistake. It requires some planning and patience, as the tubs need to be frozen for at least a day. It’s not so much “I’m going to eat ice cream,” but rather “I’m going to make the ice cream I want to eat tomorrow.” In the photos you are seeing a tub of açaí that I prepared the day before.

You need another machine. A mixer, specifically. Although it may seem like it, the Ninja Creami is not a mixer. Doesn’t beat. Mixes hard ingredients into already processed preparations, but does not beat. Ideally, you should make the recipes in a blender and then pour them into the container. A mini negative point is that the tubs are small, 480 ml each, so if you make ice cream for four it is better to prepare two tubs and be cautious.

The recipes. The machine includes a little book with some recipes of different types (it is not in Spanish, as a note) to try all the modes, and TikTok is full of ideas. In any case, in the long run I have ended up using only two modes: ice cream for ice cream and frozen yogurt for my açaí preparations. As for the recipes, you can get as exquisite as you want. It will depend on how deep your pantry is and how much you want to buy products that you are going to use sporadically.

• If you don’t want to complicate your life, take note: 100 ml of whipping cream (minimum 35% MG), 200 ml of whole milk, 70 grams of powdered sugar, two tablespoons full of pure cocoa powder and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. There you have a super simple chocolate ice cream. If you don’t like chocolate, replace it with two tablespoons of vanilla extract and you will have vanilla ice cream.

How do the ice creams come out? In short, and assuming you don’t mess up the recipe, they come out spectacular. The texture and flavor are brutal. I’m not going to say that they replace those from a good ice cream parlor, but for me, who loves ice cream, they make me wonder if I would buy industrial tubs again. Not only because the ice cream comes out well, but because, once the tub has been processed, you can add pieces of cookie, for example, and mix it using the “Mix-in” function. Wonderful, I can’t say anything more.

• I understand that this is something that depends a lot on the recipes, the materials used, the processing, etc. There is a (nice, in my opinion) component of trial and error and finding mixtures that work. Cooking is an art and it’s best not to get frustrated when something doesn’t go right. My first ice cream, which I made with plums, was a monumental disaster.

The grace of the lever. With certain textures, such as frozen yogurtyou can use the lever to extrude the ice cream into a bowl or cone. To do this, the tub is placed in the space provided for this purpose with a special lid (which is basically a stop that the machine pushes forward). It works well, but it may not work the first time because the texture is too solid. It has happened to me once with açaí. In that case, I have usually solved it by giving it a second pass with the “Re-spin” function.

The cleaning. The machine has quite a few parts, not just the tubs, that have to be cleaned every time we make a recipe. The lids and blades are very prone to disappearing in a moment of distraction, so I recommend storing them well and being careful. Washing should be thorough, something that is not always easy in some of the nooks and crannies of the tubs and lids.

Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl, Xataka’s opinion

The Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl is a fantasy. Removing the little things typical of this type of machines, namely its size, volume and noise what it does, it is one of those small appliances that meets expectations. The ice creams and other preparations come out simply well. It will depend on the recipes and how we process the food, but my experience has been sensational. If I have to criticize, I would say two: the noise and the fact that the tubs are plastic.

It is not, however, an essential device any more than a kettle or an air fryer is. It is not for everyone nor is everyone going to benefit from it. And that’s fine. Is it a whim? Without a doubt. Is it a machine that works well and, if you have little ones, is going to be the star of the summer? Also.

Do I recommend it to you?

The thing is simple here: most likely you don’t need it. They are 350 euros as always, but in summer more, they are great. It is not a cheap device and you cannot put it anywhere. Also think about whether you are going to really use it or if, on the contrary, you are going to use it just like the yogurt maker you have in a box in the storage room. Now, if you feel like making your own ice cream, you like cooking, you have space and, like me, you like to make a mess in the kitchen whenever you can, go ahead, because it works really scary. And if you have kids, it’s a super cool activity to do as a family.

Images | Xataka

In Xataka | Italy has taken the “gourmetization” of ice cream to the extreme with a €95 cone. Now the country debates whether that is “idiots”

This device has been provided for testing by Ninja. You can consult how we do reviews on Xataka and our relations policy with companies.