Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker

I was recommended this machine and I have not been disappointed. I did a fair bit of research on it before I bought it. Look at some you tube video's some are better than others but gives you a good idea about it. I was concerned about some of the bad reviews that have said it broke very quickly. I have had mine for a month or so and use it a lot and for any visitors that I want to show off to! Some points I would like to make for possible problems people might have had with breakages:1. I take my fruit out of the freezer and put in a plate, I set a timer for exactly 20 mins and make the Yonanas immediately the alarm goes off. The problem with the machine burning out, I think, comes from trying to push fruit through the machine when it's just too hard. Even on you tube, I have seen people demonstrating the machine and having to push the plunger with two hands very hard - you should not be doing that. When I put my fruit in I can gently push with one hand and I have arthritis in my hands so do mean quite gently, with minimum force. However, you shouldn't leave your fruit to defrost as pulp won't work, it does need to be still frozen, just a bit softer.2. When I first set it up, the final 'click' into place was quite difficult and the instructions don't say to check it is connected fully. So some people have talked about a terrible noise before breaking, my guess is that they have t fully clicked it into place. However after a couple of uses, that final click was barely noticeable. But still double check its completely engaged.So what of the resulting dessert - it's amazing! If you or your children don't eat enough fruit, this has to be for you. What you are eating is pure fruit but tastes like ice cream everyone I have given it to has been so impressed with it. You know how when you buy a bunch of bananas there are always some that go black before you get to eat them, well no more waste with the Yonanas that is exactly the stage you freeze them! Cut them into about 4 pieces put in a bag or box and stick in the freezer for later. When other fruit is going cheap, buy it and open freeze them. When frozen bag up so that you can take a handful as you need them. Every dessert needs bananas but you can add all sort to flavour it. I have bags of mango, diced, Pineapple chucks, skinned peaches, halved strawberries, whole raspberries, kiwi etc. I am yet to try some other ideas, like mint chocolate and banana and my Began friend told me about an adult version of bananas, raisins and rum!! Sounds delicious. I wanted to find ways to make it more 'dinner party' worthy.

I saw lots of US youtube demos of this and once it came to the UK I bought the product hoping it would be half as good as the promo suggested - I wasn't disappointed.I'd been making banana ice cream in my friend's Vitamix but can't afford a £500 blender, so that is how I came to find the Yonanas machine. It really does make creamy, fluffy and delicious ice cream in minutes. All you need is some frozen ripe bananas. If you really want to go to town you can add other frozen fruit or flavours like bits of chocolate and biscuits. Comes with a little recipe book but much better recipes to be found on the Yonanas site.I am using this because I'm trying to follow a high raw vegan diet for my health and it really helps to be able to find delicious stuff to eat that isn't full of sugar, dairy etc. But this would be great for anyone who just wants a low fat or low cal alternative to regular ice cream, or if you're on Weight Watchers then you could make 0 points ice creams and sorbets all without additives and artificial sweetner.To use you freeze some whole bananas and then push the frozen bananas through the chute, with the aid of the tamper-type thing. Out of the bottom comes something the texture of soft-scoop ice cream or sorbet. When you get more used to the machine you can add some other diced soft fruit like strawberries or pineapple. Or bits of chocolate etc. The banana really takes on other flavours, so this is quite successful. As it all comes through a chute, the different fruits don't mix as well as they would in a blender, so you might need to give the bowl of ice-cream a quick stir round before serving.Pros - it's not cheap but is really a LOT cheaper than a Vitamix and you can't get the same results with most other blenders because you need a super-strong motor combined with something to push the bananas down into the blades.- Healthy version of ice cream. You can add all sorts to this but it's really great for vegans, raw foodists, dieters, anyone trying to avoid the junk they put in supermarket food, refined sugar or dairy. You'll still get a creamy, delicious pud. Ice cream is one of my favourite things so it's nice to have a healthy alternative that still feels indulgent.- Easy to use after a little practice. it did take me about 4 goes to get this spot on. Follow the instructions carefully the first couple of times. You need to freeze the fruit and then defrost if for about 10 minutes for the best texture, and also the fruit should be very ripe. Not all of my combos have been spot on but once you get the hang of it you can really experiment and make some lovely puds.- Pretty easy to clean. Like many kitchen gadgets a little ice cream gets stuck around the blade bit, so before you serve, unscrew the spout and scrape that out or you'll lose half a bananas worth. Looks solidly made as well.Cons - Best for people who can stomach bananas although you can make non-banana stuff in here. There are recipes for this on the yonana site but would be sorbets such as mango or pineapple. Delicious too. Other combos need a little banana to start them off or combine and others need full banana. Surprisingly once there are other ingredients, like strawberries, you hardly taste the banana but real banana phobes might find this a bit boring.- Doesn't combine added ingredients as well as the Vitamix because it's fed into a chute, so things like Lucuma powder or peanut butter may need to be stirred into the bowl after, although this is really no hassle.I got this for £50 on Amazon but the price seems to have gone up a bit now - although hopefully if they sell a few more then it will come back down again as it's a little cheaper in the US I think. I'm not usually a fan of single use kitchen equipment but I've used this nearly every day since buying it and the family all love the result. So I think it's worth the space, even in a small kitchen. It's only the size of a mini blender really.

Do not order this is if you live in the UK! This came with a 2-pin American plug and a great big label, stating that it is only to be used with American voltage - if you plug it into a UK socket (if you have an adapter that is) it will blow up. This was a Christmas present, and needless to say has caused a great deal of disappointment to the giftee and embarrassment to the giver.

I am a great ice cream lover, but aware of the calories! I bought this mainly for my husband who is a great banana fan. I have used it several times. Personally, I prefer to add extra fruit to take away some of the banana flavour. My husband loves it just with banana or with other fruits. It is very creamy and has a nice texture and the machine is very simple to use. Is it as good as real ice cream, of course not! Does it satisfy the craving for a tasty dessert, yes it does. I find it easy to,use, easy to clean and overall I can recommend this item, but only if you like banana of course!