Waring Pro Snow Cone Maker
Wednesday marked the official first day of summer. If you haven't already started to make use of your grill, now would be the time to bust it out. But what's for dessert? A freaking snow cone of course.
The Waring Pro Snow Cone Maker promises to churn out 4-5 icy treats in less than a minute, which is more than enough to serve a small party of friends. We gave it a test to see if we could convert our patio into a mini (boozy) carnival.
Positive (+)
Operating this machine requires zero assembly or brainpower. Plug it in, flip the switch and stuff ice cubes down the feed chute. Shaved ice dispenses into a clear storage container and is ready to scoop into plastic cones (included with the set), dessert bowls or — if you want to spike your ice — cocktail glasses.
An instruction manual provides syrup recipes for sweetening your snow cones, but we preferred a mix of fresh fruit juice and booze: watermelon and tequila, orange juice and vodka, and peach nectar with rum.
Serving trays fold down from either side of the machine to keep your cones upright between bites. Made too much? Just pull out the bin and store it in the freezer to keep leftover snow from melting.
Negative (-)
Our first issue with the machine is size. A 10" x 10" x 12" ice crusher is not an ideal addition to a small kitchen. Second, making large quantities resulted in a bit of a mess. Once the machine was three quarters full, shaved ice became stuck in the chute and had to be scraped out by hand. A noisy motor can also be a minor quibble, but was expected from an appliance that annihilates solid ice cubes.
Verdict
Is it worth adding a glorified ice crusher to your existing arsenal of one-trick appliances? Maybe. But on two conditions: you entertain often and have enough storage space to spare. Everyone else wanting a frozen dessert fix will have to settle for a pint of ice cream (never a bad thing) or steal a Snoopy Sno Cone Machine from a younger relative. Waring Pro Snow Cone Maker, $69.95, waringpro.com
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