How Does the Ninja Creami Work?
What is a Ninja Creami?
A Ninja Creami is a kitchen appliance by the Ninja company that is designed to turn a frozen base into either ice cream, sorbets, milkshakes, and more. With this appliance, you are able to make these delicious treats within the comfort of your home.
Parts of a NInja Creami
To understand how the Ninja Creami works, it’s important to understand the parts.
- Motor Base with Dual-Drive Motors and CremifyTechnology – the dual drive motors apply pressure downwards and spin the Creamerizer paddle.
- Creamerizer Paddle – (the blade) churns and shaves the ice base into a creamy frozen treat within minutes.
- Creami Pint – used to store your base and can be placed in the freezer.
Now that we understand the parts, how is it able to do that; how does the Ninja Creami work?
How Does the Ninja Creami Work?
The Science Behind the Spin Function
The Ninja Creami comes programmed with different modes – ice cream mode, lite ice cream mode, and sorbet and gelato mode are just a few. They’re the most common ones we use here at Flexible Dieting LIfestyle (FDL). Depending on the mode, it can take one to two and a half minutes to create your treat. This is because each mode differs in length of time and speed of the paddle. The paddle spins at different speeds for different modes and some modes take longer than others.
What Happens During Each Mode?
How does the Ninja Creami work during each mode? Here’s an example. Ice Cream Mode is the shortest mode with the lowest paddle spin. Since ice cream typically contains more fat and sugar, the frozen texture of the base is “softer”. Because of this, you’ll get a creamy texture. Sorbet and Gelato Mode is the longest mode with the highest paddle spin. Because of this, these treats tend to have an icier texture because they typically lack fat and sugar.
Why the Pint-Freezing Method Matters
As mentioned earlier, the Ninja Creami only works with a frozen solid base. If you use your Ninja Creami without freezing the base solid, you won’t get the texture you desire. It doesn’t matter what mode you run or how many times you run it. Despite this, it works much more efficiently to make frozen treats than a typical blender.
Is the Ninja Creami Worth It, Or Will a Blender Get the Job Done?
Key Differences in Texture and Experience
There are key differences in how the Ninja Creami and a traditional kitchen blender work.
A typical blender uses an electric motor with a sharp blade that only stays at the bottom of the bowl. The electric motor is powerful enough to create a vortex that is able to force the ingredients from the top of the machine to the bottom to ultimately liquify them.
How does the Ninja Creami work differently? The Ninja Creami also has a blade (Creamerizer Paddle) that goes up and down in the bowl in a churn-like motion to liquify frozen ingredients ONLY. Placing non frozen ingredients in the Ninja Creami, it wont be able to produce an ice cream or other frozen desert like texture because the ingredients weren’t frozen to begin with. However, there are still many benefits to using the Ninja Creami instead of other kitchen appliances.
Pros of the Ninja Creami Over Other Appliances
How does the Ninja Creami work better than other appliances, if any? Since the Ninja Creami blends ingredients in a churn-like motion, this means it is less likely to have chunks of ingredients that didn’t get blended. I bet this has happened to you at least once while making a smoothie in your blender.
Another pro of the Ninja Creami is that, you guessed it – it may be your only kitchen appliance that can effectively blend frozen solid ingredients. It’s what this machine was designed for and it does it effortlessly.
Are There Any Downsides of the Ninja Creami?
One con, which is also a pro that was just mentioned, is that you can only use frozen ingredients in it. This is really all it is useful for. You can’t use it as a food processor or a blender, because it’s only designed for one specific use- frozen treats. But, if it can only be used for one purpose, you may as well learn to use it right.
Tips on Making the Most of Your Ninja Creami
Getting the Base Right: Blend, Freeze, Then Spin
As we talked about earlier in this post, you MUST blend your ingredients and completely freeze the, before using them in the Ninja Creami. This is how the machine is designed to work. However, even when you follow these steps, sometimes you may still run into trouble.
How to Fix a Crumbly or Icy Result
This may depend on the timing and the speed of the blade. I normally use the “Ice Cream”, “Lite Ice Cream” and “Sorbet” functions. Run the “Ice Cream” function if you want a dense ice cream rather than a lighter soft serve style consistency.
The ice cream setting runs for only 60 seconds and has a lower blade speed thus allowing for a denser end product because less air has been whipped in to it. Once it’s finished running, you can assess and see if it’s the consistency you desire. I recommend only running it once especially if you are adding mix-ins. You’ll want to be careful how many times you run it through because it’ll start to melt.
Experimenting With Macros, Flavors, and Mix-Ins
One of the best parts about owning a Ninja Creami is that you have the power to be as creative as your heart desires. This means you can also customize it to your dietary needs and preferences. If you’re a long-time reader of FDL, you already know we’re all about eating delicious food that fits into your macros. You;ll be able to make macro-frienly combinations with the Ninja Creami. Plus, creating your own unique flavors and adding in mix-ins keeps it fun. This will make you want to use your Ninja Creami for a long time.
Cleaning and Maintenance Tips for Longevity
If you want to use your Ninja Creami for years to come, it’s important to properly maintain and clean it. The paddle and pint are dishwasher safe. Always completely disassemble these pieces before placing them in the dishwasher. This will help to remove any residue that you may not see. For best results, place the equipment at the top rack of the dishwasher. Of course, if you don’t have access to a dishwasher, you can wash your parts by hand. Lastly, remember to always wipe down your motor base.
Final Words on How the Ninja Creami Works
We’ve gone over a lot in this “how does the Ninja Creami work” guide. We talked about the different parts, what happens during each mode, how it differs from other appliances, how to maintain it and more. We hope this guide was able to provide you with in depth information about this incredible machine. Happy Creaming!
For all macro friendly Ninja Creami Protein Ice Creams, we invite you to checkout our Creami Book.