Ninja NC301 CREAMi Ice Cream Maker, for Gelato, Mix-ins, Milkshakes, Sorbet, Smoothie Bowls & More, 7 One-Touch Programs, with (2) Pint Containers & Lids, Compact Size, Perfect for Kids, Silver

I've had this Ninja Creami for a few weeks now and have made about two dozen recipes with it - sorbet, lite ice cream, ice cream (I haven't tried gelato or milkshakes). So far, I have no complaints at all. I'm not understanding the negative reviews, other than to assume that people aren't following the recipes, tips and instructions from Ninja, or they are expecting a perfect commercial-like appearance. Anything I've made that came out "crumbly", as most of the recipes I've made did on the first spin, instantly became smooth just by waiting for a minute and then stirring it up a bit. Doing a re-spin will make it 'creamy' 99% of the time. Even if it's "crumbly" it instantly feels like 'silk' and melts in your mouth, and in this case the texture doesn't affect the taste at all. To be honest, this stuff is good no matter how it looks.I started with the basic recipes in the book that came with the unit, and followed them to the letter before exploring substitutions/additions or other adjustments. Chocolate ice cream was the first one I tried. I have to say, it makes the best chocolate ice cream I've ever eaten in 60+ years, hands down, no kidding. My husband, an ice cream fanatic, agreed. Although he isn't wild about chocolate anything, he said it was the best ice cream he's ever had and would eat it anytime.The sorbets are a breeze to prepare and come out great. They're even better if you take the time to chop up the ingredients/fruit first, but it's not necessary. I use a blender if I feel like going to the trouble, and blending say canned pineapple with a touch of coconut cream is worth doing. It's worth making that combo even if you don't blend it first, trust me. If you're using canned fruit you don't have to chop or blend anything (I guess there could be a rare recipe that specifically calls for it), but I find it makes it even better if you do. If your fruit has any pulp, the Ninja does a really good job of pulverizing 99.9% of it.Everything about the specific ingredients you use determines the outcome regarding texture - for example, a can of pineapple or mandarin orange slices by themselves will be more icy/sorbet-like than creamy, and canned pineapple tidbits with coconut cream or heavy cream will be extra creamy and not icy. I think it's of key importance to follow the instructions & recipes from Ninja first, not 'the internet', until you know what works, what can be substituted (successfully) for what, etc.As far as quantity and leftovers: Clearly, this processes one pint of ice cream at a time - you mix your ingredients, pour them into the Ninja pint and freeze for 24 hours. Yes, you have to freeze it for 24 hours, but you can prep and freeze multiple pints (I recommend buying extra Ninja pints) and have them ready. After 24 hours (or days/weeks later) you take it out of the freezer and process it in literally 2 minutes and it's ready to eat. If you should have any leftover, you can either let it melt in the pint container (so it will refreeze evenly), refreeze, and then reprocess it in the machine whenever you want, or, you can put it into any container you have, refreeze, and just let it sit out for a minute or two before eating it with no need to use the machine. It may not 'look' as good, but it certainly will taste as good (**note that if you do this you should do it in individual serving sizes because when it refreezes it's hard as a rock and probably won't scoop out of your container like commercial ice cream will). Just be certain that if you refreeze the recipe in the Ninja pint container that it refreezes such that the top of it is level (as all recipes should be). Otherwise you can damage the blade of the machine.As far as cleaning, I get what people say about the lid. It doesn't come apart to clean and has working parts inside that can be exposed to the ingredients. I haven't had it happen that I can tell, and I just don't see it as a big issue, unless you're letting the lid sit around for hours with stuff drying up on it. I immediately rinse mine, and after eating I soak the lid for a bit, rinse it well and let it dry. It's definitely not a deal breaker for me, and I'm pretty sure if any microscopic bits do get in there I'll survive it just fine. That said, I think Ninja could create a sealed unit that would make everyone happier. Otherwise, cleaning is a breeze. The pint container and lid/blade are the only things that need washing; I think they're dishwasher safe but I hand wash mine.If the machine holds up over time, I give it 5+ stars. Follow the instructions & recipes from Ninja kitchen before you experiment on your own and I think you'll be happy with this purchase.

TL:DR $226 dollars only gets you ice cream and sorbet depending on how much you know about cooking, but as a base line, you cannot mess up unless you're actively trying it.$226 is steep, so I got the used one... but I also got 4 additional pints with silicon lids, came out to about the same price anyways.It came in, was still dirty from the last owner but I deep clean anything I get anyways so it's not skin off my back.THE BEST NATURAL THICKENING HIGH PROTEIN SOME CALORIES BASE: Take a cup of skim milk and water and put on the stove on low heat till slightly steaming or aromaticOPTIONAL: add vanilla paste or fat soluble flavorings into the solution while it's heating up, you can also add salt or really anything soluble which won't break from the solution while it's heating upcrack open 2 eggs in a separate bowl and whisk till homogenized. add a 1/4th cup of the hot skim milk and water solution into the eggs and whisk to temper, then add the tempered eggs into the skim milk solution and keep on low heat stirring occasionally, leave the pot open so the solution can reduce. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon take off heat and allow to cool to room temperature, take this cooled base of pasteurized eggs and milk, which should be around 239kcals and 21g protein and blend with your protein powder, thickeners/emulsifiers, or whatever, on it's own it holds up pretty well to a ben and jerry's pint when sweetened with honey or monk fruit/stevia. Plus eating this in the morning is seriously awesome, it feels like being a kid on a Sunday morning except you made it with adult stuff like eggs, milk, and protein so when you get to the afternoon you feel great and the whole process makes digestion really easy, sits pretty in your stomach as you do what you do. Does this beat the evil xanthan gum or fillers? Not by a long shot buddy.ANYWAYS, here's my experience.Guys, I put protein powder, skim milk, coco powder, and a banana in this thing, I had ice cream for breakfast in the morning. Not exactly though, it was more like a frozen fluff with ice crystals throughout and a mild taste. If you're cutting weight, this does taste and feel like heaven on earth. To those who don't like compromise between taste and macros, consider adding emulsifiers to the ice cream base before freezing like xanthan, guar gaur gum, or gelatin, this will disrupt the crystallization process during freezing, it's also good to source these crystallization inhibitors from natural fiber sources like fruit, banana is king when it comes to creaminess, however it will make your ice cream taste like banana + whatever you're trying to make. If these options aren't appealing try adding a neutral saturated fat or even a flavored animal fat like rendered fat, which you can treat like a cream infusion for aromatics like vanilla bean. While you might be confused at the idea of combining something like beef tallow and protein powder, it's important to note that during phases of fat loss, the inclusion of saturated fats and cholesterol is vital in supporting healthy hormone levels, which will ensure the preservation of lean mass and metabolic rate. The lower you go, the more fats you must consume to replace the absence of tissue your body utilizes in hormonal production, ESSPECIALLY FOR WOMEN. Only a rare minority can sustain and achieve low bodyfat percentage without following this rule. For guys, do well to remember anabolic compounds are hormones, no fat or cholesterol, no testosterone, less potential for maintaining or even cultivating lean mass during cutting phases. That being said, mixing emulsifiers with a controlled amount of saturated fat, and lower freezing point items, which could be something as simple as a cup of whole milk, skim milk, or a low calorie pudding mix will yield the greatest taste, macros, and compromise between natural and artificial inclusions in the diet.Let me specify, I have ran multiple experiments with really bad tasting protein powder, bad tasting protein powder, good protein powder, and great protein powder.The very first trials I ran, was a serving great powder and a serving bad powder, pretty equal to each other, only great powder, only good powder, only bad powder, and only very bad powder. All of these resulted in a slow digesting and more fulfilling substance. The very bad powder (very cheap unflavored whey isolate) was still terrible, I ran another batch where I froze it with strong flavorings, still made me gag. the bad powder (cheap vanilla splash) was barely tolerable, jumping from nothing cardboard taste to I don't wanna eat this. the good (chocolate milk isolate) and the great powder were pretty similar, but ice cream should be enjoyed in all forms, so the great powder (chocolate peanut butter isolate) won when it had melted a little bit and I got to taste it warmed up a little and frozen. Otherwise, if you like your ice cream firm and frozen, you just need it to be good/okay tasting protein powder.Bottom line, the better tasting the powder you're using, the better this will be. You CAN, pass off a bad powder but that takes additional ingredients, you need strong tasting stuff like bananas and peanut butter. berries will not mask that whey flavor. The freeze itself does a great job at removing 75% of that horrible whey taste. Keep in mind though that's only because your tongue isn't warm enough to process the taste. Once it starts warming up to a soft serve stage, it's barely tolerable but not enjoyable like ice cream taste wise. What was disappointing is that even mixing the bad protein and the good protein together, the bad protein just made the whole thing suck. Saving grace was adding vanilla extract, a good amount of coco powder, a banana, and a tablespoon of peanut butter, and even then it was still mid for a bunch more calories.