wulfbourne Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I'm thinking about possibly spending the birthday money my in-laws gave me. I've been holding onto it for a little while (my birthday was in October) and I'm not sure whether to spend it or not. If I do I'm looking at getting either a Soda Stream (beverage carbonator) or an ice cream maker. Either one I could have all sorts of fun experimenting with food wise. The soda maker I could use various syrups or fruit juices to make fun flavors that may or may not be healthier than the stuff found in a store. Ice cream makers would mean lots of ice cream flavor experiments. Which one would you get? Or would you just keep the money in the bank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 We received Soda Stream from my in-laws at Christmas. Honestly, I love it! We make soda, or you can use fruit juice mixed with the soda water for a healthier version. It is a lot of fun to make, and we aren't even a soda drinking family! Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I would just save the money until I found something that I KNOW I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Well, we got a Cuisinart Soft Serve Mix-in ice cream maker for Christmas. And although the ice cream we've made that turned out tastes very yummy - we've had a few mishaps. I would definitely not spend my own money on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Call me a spoiled sport, but bringing anything into the house that makes treats a three times daily event is a bad idea. :tongue_smilie: Eventually you feel bad and put it on top of the pantry for months or years. Buy a good blender to make healthy (but still tasty) smoothies, a dehydrator or a grain grinder or something like that. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfbourne Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Call me a spoiled sport, but bringing anything into the house that makes treats a three times daily event is a bad idea. :tongue_smilie: Eventually you feel bad and put it on top of the pantry for months or years. Buy a good blender to make healthy (but still tasty) smoothies, a dehydrator or a grain grinder or something like that. Rosie I've already got the grain grinder. That was last years christmas present. I've also got the bread machine to make that easier too. Both get used on quite a regular basis. :) Part of the idea of the soda stream would be to get away from traditional soda. It simply carbonates water and you can add whatever flavor you want , from syrups to juices. If I buy a concentrate I can further customize the syrup to have less sugar or experiment with alternative sweeteners. There are also some recipes out there to make your own syrup: http://www.formerchef.com/2009/09/13/homemade-ginger-syrup-and-the-sodastream-soda-maker/ She has a homemade ginger syrup and a key lime syrup that look yummy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 We have a Soda Stream and we love it! Rarely do we use the syrups - we just carbonate the water and add lemon or lime - or a shot of fruit juice. It's very economical, and you can get a lot more water in this way if you're used to drinking soda. We just got used to "aqua frizzante" when we lived in Europe and Perrier gets very expensive. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 There are also some recipes out there to make your own syrup:http://www.formerchef.com/2009/09/13/homemade-ginger-syrup-and-the-sodastream-soda-maker/ She has a homemade ginger syrup and a key lime syrup that look yummy. Oh my!! That recipe sounds divine... I'm making it tomorrow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I have a Sodastream and love it! Like many of the above folks, I don't use the official syrups much, and love coming up with new varieties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I don't know, I got a Cuisinart Griddler for Christmas (used the 20% off coupon for bb&b) and it was $80.00 http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13383103 Seriously, we have used it almost every day to make paninis, and also pancakes, burgers, and also quesidillas. It's been one of the best purchases I've made for the kitchen. Originally my BIL got me an off brand, but I took it back, used cash from my grandma, the coupon and paid $10 oop for it. But I don't drink soda, so for my family this was a better purchase, just depends what you family wants. We have a vitamix and make smoothies all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcap Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I have an ice cream maker and I love it. We use raw milk so I pour off the cream and use that for the ice cream, I also put in raw egg yolks and maple syrup, super yummy with good fats for the kiddos. For a lighter option we make all different sorbets with fresh fruits (grapefruit-raspberry YUM). I seriously love me some perrier - I have one in hand right now - so I might have to look into the soda stream. Sounds delicious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Between those two, we would get the Soda Stream. We bought one several years ago because my husband loves seltzer and it gets pricey to keep buying (plus all the plastic of the bottles). We used it a lot initially, now it's more sporadic, but still nice to have. I also like that it doesn't use any electricity. The ice cream maker does not get as much use. My husband has a very small sweet tooth, and none of us needs it. Our ice cream maker broke on July 4th and it was impossible to find a replacement locally (stores only carry it "seasonally" around here--I'd probably have had an easier time getting a Christmas tree!). Because we couldn't find one and I had the mix already prepared, I froze it in a large metal roasting pan, stirring it periodically to break up the crystals. It came out well enough that we haven't felt a need to replace the ice cream maker yet. When they start being available (it's now January, so that's about right:001_rolleyes:) we may reconsider getting one, not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I have both. While I like the ice cream maker, I found the novelty wore off pretty quickly. We also couldn't use it as much because it wasn't good for our diets. We LOVE the Sodastream!!! I use the Sodastream Naturals to flavor water. They have no artificial ingred and no sugar. They taste so refreshing! I like that I don't have to buy bottles of soda anymore or have room in the fridge taken up with bottles and cans. We like to make Butterbeer and I make it using the diet cream soda syrup. We don't make it all the time so being able to make as much cream soda as I need works well for us! The Sodastream cream soda tastes fantastic! The other flavors are quite close too. DH drinks diet Dr.Pepper and the Sodastream version is nearly identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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