Zoku Luv
I always thought that if I had had a little more colourful stuff growing up in the 80s (not everything was rainbows ;-)) I wouldn’t be so attracted to colourful stuff today. Maybe if Lisa Frank had come to Canada or I had just gotten that toy Tupperware baking set I wanted, I wouldn’t have had such a jonesing for the Zoku. The first time I saw it was at Williams Sonoma, and like everything at Williams Sonoma, it was ridiculously priced. It also looked suspiciously like something that wouldn’t work or I would lose interest in. When I saw it bundled at the Stampede - unit, extra sticks, accessory kit and storage case - I couldn’t resist. Unfortunately they only had the white and orange units - one pop, two pop and three pop units in a rainbow of colours are available.
It’s true that there are other ice pop makers out there, but most of them require waiting or running the mold under warm water to release them. I had one of these, but, needless to say, it sucked and I only used it once. With the non stick Zoku, you just put in a stick, fill ‘er up and wait 11 or so minutes. Then you use a knob to pull the pop out. Ta-da!
There’s something oddly scientific about making popsicles with the Zoku. The accessory kit comes with a couple of molds, a stick (so you don’t freeze your fingers to the metal), an angled stand, dropper and three measuring cups. The measuring cups have a little spout to keep the mess down and are marked for 1, 2 and 3 pops. It’s the accessory kit that lets you create all the fun pops. For example, to make filled pops, let the liquid freeze for a few minutes to create a shell, then suck out the remaining liquid and fill with another flavor. Use the stand to create striped pops, and the stick to position fruit on the sides. Fun!!
As well as being crazy creative, you can control the flavours and amount of sugar in the pops. Each one only requires 80 ml of liquid, so a small bottle of juice or cup of Greek yogurt will go a long way. Never have a lime popsicle again! There’s no shortage of recipes or pretty pretty Pinterest pictures for inspiration. Really, it’s the simplest form of gratification out there - just pour and wait and presto! I have to admit that the popsicles really got me through a hot summer. My favourite one so far has been a Nutella recipe.
There are certain disadvantages to the Zoku, mainly that the number it can make at once is limited. If you have more kids than popsicle wells, there might be some tears. This is where the storage case comes in handy, as it holds six at a time. Sugary liquid is a must, otherwise the pops might get stuck in the mold. This has happened twice so far and all it required to get them out was to wait for them to thaw a little. Really, the hardest thing about the Zoku so far is that it requires24 hours to freeze before it can be used!
It’s true that there are other ice pop makers out there, but most of them require waiting or running the mold under warm water to release them. I had one of these, but, needless to say, it sucked and I only used it once. With the non stick Zoku, you just put in a stick, fill ‘er up and wait 11 or so minutes. Then you use a knob to pull the pop out. Ta-da!
There’s something oddly scientific about making popsicles with the Zoku. The accessory kit comes with a couple of molds, a stick (so you don’t freeze your fingers to the metal), an angled stand, dropper and three measuring cups. The measuring cups have a little spout to keep the mess down and are marked for 1, 2 and 3 pops. It’s the accessory kit that lets you create all the fun pops. For example, to make filled pops, let the liquid freeze for a few minutes to create a shell, then suck out the remaining liquid and fill with another flavor. Use the stand to create striped pops, and the stick to position fruit on the sides. Fun!!
As well as being crazy creative, you can control the flavours and amount of sugar in the pops. Each one only requires 80 ml of liquid, so a small bottle of juice or cup of Greek yogurt will go a long way. Never have a lime popsicle again! There’s no shortage of recipes or pretty pretty Pinterest pictures for inspiration. Really, it’s the simplest form of gratification out there - just pour and wait and presto! I have to admit that the popsicles really got me through a hot summer. My favourite one so far has been a Nutella recipe.
There are certain disadvantages to the Zoku, mainly that the number it can make at once is limited. If you have more kids than popsicle wells, there might be some tears. This is where the storage case comes in handy, as it holds six at a time. Sugary liquid is a must, otherwise the pops might get stuck in the mold. This has happened twice so far and all it required to get them out was to wait for them to thaw a little. Really, the hardest thing about the Zoku so far is that it requires24 hours to freeze before it can be used!