Salter's new gadget blends smooth frappes, creamy milkshakes, and tasty cocktails with no ice needed
When it comes to summer, there are a few non-negotiables on my list of must-haves. High up on that list are frozen cocktails. No hot day is complete without a pina colada, rum punch or strawberry daquiri.
You just can't beat it. But spending half of my time in London, and the other half in Manchester, going out for drinks isn't cheap. Both cities have seen soaring prices for cocktails, and it's hard to find a decent one for less than £10. That said, I've had my eyes on a frozen slushie and cocktail machine for a minute now.
I had originally been eyeing thebut at its full RRP of £299.99, I simply couldn't justify the price tag within my financial means. At the other end of the spectrum there was the but at risk of sounding like a princess, this wasn't up to scratch for what I wanted to do, and not quite the aesthetic I'd be keen to have in my kitchen. Salter announced it was releasing its own frozen drinks gadget, but it's also more purse-friendly.
Currently reduced from £179.99 to £164.99, it's considerably cheaper than the Ninja model. This frozen drink machine blends smooth frappes, creamy milkshakes, and tasty cocktails with no ice needed. You can choose from 5 automatic preset programs on the clear digital display and make up to 2.5L in one batch. The powerful 200W built-in cooling system freezes liquids directly, so there’s no need to add ice.
This means the frappe machine provides richer flavour, smoother texture and perfectly blended frozen drinks without dilution. The 200W cooling system keeps drinks perfectly chilled for up to 12 hours, while the self-serve tap and drip tray ensure easy, mess-free pouring every time.was delivered at my door, I did admittedly need some help moving it. This may say something about my lack of biceps, but it isn't the lightest machine in the world.
But once I was out of the packet, I couldn't wait to get crafting some cocktails. Having bought ingredients for my boyfriend's favourite drink, a strawberry daiquiri, that's what we tackled first.just in time for the gorgeous bank holiday heatwave that's just passed, so it proved a great activity for a day off work, and in the sunshine. Making the drinks was super easy.
The machine came with a handy booklet full of recipes and easy-to-follow measurement instructions, so nothing felt too confusing. One thing worth noting is that you can't put unblended fruit into the slushie machine, as I quickly learned, so you'll need a small blender to prep the puree if you want to make something like a strawberry daiquiri. , and whizzed it up.
Then I popped it into the slushie maker with the rest of the required liquid, and popped it on with the necessary setting. For a strawberry daquiri, this was the frozen cocktail setting. Once the machine started working, you could see the temperature starting to drop.
The booklet tells you the optimum temperature for the type of drink you're making, but it will beep when it's ready, so you can go and sit down and wait without having to stand around. For the drink I made, I think it took around 25 minutes, but the time will depend on what you're making and how much liquid is inside. I'll be so honest with you - the strawberry daiquiri it produced was pretty sensational.
This may be because I had the freedom to add the ingredients I liked in the proportions I like, but it was better than some of the lacklustre ones I've had in bars. It's also worth noting that you do need specific sugar levels, or the machine could freeze up too much and break. But again, the machine will tell you if your measurements are off, so there's absolutely no need to panic.for non-alcoholic drinks.
Bigga slush has become pretty popular in my household, with the grape and fruit punch variations proving popular. As this is a pre-made drink, for this one I simply poured the bottle into the machine and clicked the slushie setting. Easy peasy.is that you do need sugar in all of your frozen drinks to make them freeze. This isn't fault of the brand or product itself - it's science to blame.
But I didn't realise this before starting, and I was a bit disappointed to find I wouldn't be able to make iced coffees without sugar, or frozen Diet Cokes in the machine. I imagine there are some clever workarounds for this somewhere on the internet, so I'll definitely be looking into it more as my waistline won't thank me otherwise.
It's also worth noting that it isn't the smallest of gadgets, so if you don't have much countertop or storage space, you might struggle. But if you do have space to accomodate the machine, it has a beautifully sleek, modern design that would be a great addition to any kitchen or bar area. When it comes to cleaning the machine, I've been told it's pretty simple.
For total transparency, I've not cleaned it myself as my household has an 'I cook, you clean' policy , so I usually get away with having to do any washing up. But my boyfriend and sister have both cleaned it after use, and they say it's super easy to do. You really just need to fill it up with water and click the 'rinse' function, and it does all of the hard work for you.
Once it's rinsed, just empty out the water as you would with any other drink, and it's good to go. As the Salter Slushie Maker is relatively new, it only has a handful of reviews, and has racked up an impressive average rating of 4.7 out of five. The first reads: "I really enjoyed using this Slushie Maker. It was very easy to assemble and use for the first time.
It comes with an informative recipe booklet, which I used to make some tasty iced coffees and Slushie cocktails.
"It is easy to clean and to disassemble. The instructions are very clear on setting the temperature of your drink and knowing when the Slushie process is completed. Overall, an amazing Slushie Maker that has gone down a treat in my household!
" The second review states: "I was lucky enough to receive the Salter Slushie Maker during the 30 degree heatwave in May, and so it was the perfect excuse to treat my friends and family to an extra ice cold treat of slush, frappes and milkshakes! The machine itself was the perfect size to sit on the counter top inbetween my air fryer and toaster; as it meant I didn’t have to move anything to make space for it.
Enjoy slushies, frozen cocktails, frappes, and creamy milkshakes from the comfort of home with this Salter Slush Machine. Designed for parties, BBQs and movie nights"Once plugged in, I poured in a litre bottle of tropical fruit juice, chose the slush option on the digital control panel, and in less than 30 minutes the slushie maker turned the juice into ice.
I was very pleased, firstly with the fact that it was so quick, and secondly with the fact that it was so easy to use.
"Once it had beeped I know it was ready, and using the dispensing handle I filled up glass after glass of slush. It was very smooth in texture, not crystallised like crushed ice, so it was great on the palette as you could taste the juice flavour rather than icy crunch. Once we had used up all the slush, I decided to clean the machine so I could try a milkshake.
"The cleaning process was very easy to do; just added some warm water and pressed rinse and then dispensed the water, and it was ready for the next milkshake. As before, I poured in a litre bottle of chocolate milkshake and within about 30 minutes the smooth creamy slush was ready; and this was more like a frozen dessert and it was a winning combination for the kids and adults!
"Overall I would definitely recommend this slushie maker as I think it makes a great addition to any kitchen. The design is modern and stylish so it will complement every counter top, and the size is neat enough for it to sit comfortably next to other appliances. I was surprised at how easy it was to use, and more importantly to clean, as that can always be a deal breaker, so it definitely got my family’s seal of approval.
" The third and final review says: "Really powerful refrigerant and makes a great drink, really quiet especially the night mode. Love that it can make all different types of drinks like milkshakes as well as slushies. Found it a little complicated to operate. Could do with knowing what it’s going to do and how long it takes ie a timer with 5 minutes etc. However we did manage with a bit of trial and error.
Been a staple for us with the recent heatwave, bring on summer!!
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