We really like it!
We did two rounds (3 pops each round). The first round frozen in 9 minutes, the second took longer, more like 13 minutes.
I used juice for the trial run - Bolthouse Farms Mango, Simply Orange and Simply Limeade. All tasted great. The mango was really intense, so much so I didn't finish mine. DS had 4 orange juice pops. The limeade was really refreshing.
Some thoughts -
The instructions clearly state suger-free liquids will not release from the molds, something to do with the liquids needing an amount of sugar content as the molds are so cold.
The Bolthouse label did not list any added sugars so either the sugars are hidden or the natural juices had enough sugar in them.
The pops are not super large. Just enough to be satisfied.
The molds are rather narrow so I would think any fruit slices added would need to be very thin.
If kids are doing it, it might be a good idea to pre-measure the liquid. Even being careful, I over-filled two of the molds and we had a hard time getting the pop out. (The directions warn of this) DH was able to do it but I could see how someone, if they really over-filled the mold, might break the sticks.
I put the mold right back in the freezer, I didn't wash it. To wash it, it must be completely thawed. The pops completely released and I didn't see any residue in the molds so back to the freezer it went.
The mold is about the size of three beer/soda cans. The directions say to freeze it for 24 hours, which I did. The male members of my family were besides themselves with impatience waiting for the pops to freeze.
The pops had the texture of really good, rich ice cream. You know how cheap ice cream sort of tastes crystal-y while super premium ice cream tastes rich and creamy? The pops had a great texture, very dense and rich. Like I said above, the mango was almost too much for my taste buds.
The instructions say that some ice cream and yogurt mixtures may not freeze solid enough to release from the mold. I wonder if that couldn't be avoided by mixing a small amount of juice in with the dairy?
I will try fresh squeezed oj next and see how that turns out.
Overall, a big thumbs up! Worth the $49 bucks. I can see us getting a lot of use out of this.
Can't wait to hear you you like it!!!
