PRODUCT: Zoku Slush/Slushie Maker

August 6, 2014 at 8:00 am · Filed under Beverages, Kitchenware-Tabletop

Do the kids on “Glee” ever drink their slushies? We only recall slushie attacks, wasting the sweet, frozen drink by throwing it on a classmate.

Perhaps they each have a Zoku Slush and Shake Maker, where they enjoy slushies at home to their hearts’ delight.

This convenient device uses a cup that is pre-frozen in your freezer. Then, you add a liquid of choice and stir with a special spoon. The beverage freezes right before your eyes.

The frozen inner core fits into an outer sleeve that keeps your hands from getting cold (and your slushie from warming up). It’s easy to use and easy to clean.

By making your own, you can avoid the additives in, say, a 7-11 Slurpee, drink that consists of water and flavoring plus dextrin (a thickening agent), high fructose corn syrup (boo!) or erythritol (a noncaloric sugar alcohol used in Slurpee Lite), glycerin (a fat emulsifier), citric acid (a natural preservative that also adds a tart flavor), potassium benzoate (another preservative, that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast), gum acacia (a stabilizer), quillaia extract (a foaming agent in some soft drinks), glycerol ester of wood rosin (an emulsifier and stabilizer) and food color.

Jeepers, would you feed that to your kids? Not to mention, if you have a refined palate, your own slushie made with quality juice will taste so much better.

Make your own icy, slurpy, slushie. You can make a practically noncaloric version with Crystal Light or other diet beverage. Photo
courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

You can make frozen Margaritas and other frozen cocktails (a frozen Bloody Mary could be interesting on a hot day) and you can have fun experimenting with other recipes. We particularly enjoyed a slushie Thai iced tea).

You can also slush almond milk/coconut milk/rice milk/soy milk, chocolate milk, iced coffee, lemonade and your favorite juice or soda, lemonade.

When we slushed Crystal Light lemonade, it was like eating no-calorie granita. Perhaps the greatest boon to us is the ability to convert diet beverages into no-cal/low-cal frozen desserts!

While we haven’t tried it yet, the company says you can also make milkshakes. We’re quite happy with blender shakes.

Add a scoop of ice cream to an orange juice
slushie for a “Creamsicle” slushie. Photo
courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

There are a few caveats:

The cups hold only eight ounces. That‘s not good if you want a supersized Slurpee-style drink; but it is good news if you want to keep the calories down.

You need to store the inner core in the freezer. The instructions say 8 hours freezing time, but we found 24 hours is better (freezer temperatures vary).

The instructions underestimate the time required for slush. They say that it can take “as little as 7 minutes.” Freezer temperatures vary, and Zoku may have used a commercial freezer in their testing. But in our experience, it can take 15-20 minutes for the slush to fully form.

You need to be hands on. You add the cold liquid to the cup and let it sit for 3-5 minutes; as the slush forms, you push it down with the special spoon provided and wait for more slush to form. You repeat this process several times until the whole cup turns to slush.

It’s best for one person. While you can make two slushies from one frozen inner cup, it does take time. So either buy more than one unit, or plan to enjoy a solitary slushie while the second one is freezing. After that, the cup needs to go back into the freezer for many hours.

Still, for a diet treat or a child’s snack (children can learn to make their own), this device can be a real find.

ZOKU SLUSH VS. BLENDER DRINKS

Why not make a frozen drink the old fashioned way, in a blender with ice cubes?

The benefit of the Zoku Slush and Shake Maker is that there’s no ice to dilute your drink. It’s $19.95 at WilliamsSonoma.com.

Please follow and like us: