Ninja CREAMi: Pacojet Killer?

[@JeffreyLan]

As a former pastry chef who used to fantasize about having a Pacojet at home (and also had reservations about the Ninja brand), this is a fantastic review. Thank you

[@serlancerlot315]

@@ryanC8H10N4O2 I will! Being able to turn merely canned fruit into creamy sorbet? Its freaking impressive.

[@gigihabib]

@@serlancerlot315 and smoothies, milkshakes, add crunchy items to ice creams - the list goes on :)

[@mushy470]

i just got the creami deluxe which is the same size as the pacojet and its one of my best purchases

[@cory531]

Ninja products have awesome features and functionality, but they don't last. I'm on my second blender, second air fryer, and soon-to-be second toaster oven in a year.

[@MeatSnax]

@@cory531 I was gonna say this, it seems like every Ninja product I buy has issues within 2 weeks. I think it's more of a QA issue than a design one, as I do have a weird reverse food processor and spice grinder that have both held up for a couple years. Probably worth the gamble to have this functionality for under 1k.

[@sloopieone]

I'm so impressed with the in-depth, scientific approach to this review. No nonsense, no wasted time, just an informative comparison with pros / cons. As someone who was already 90% convinced to purchase a CREAMi, this nudged me the rest of the way. Also just a side note - for me personally, one of the biggest hindrances with the CREAMi is the small, 16 oz batch size. I wanted to point out that there's actually a "Deluxe" model of the CREAMi, which has additional program modes, and more importantly - a larger, 24 oz batch size. The model number is the Ninja NC501, and it costs about $30 more.

[@Travisrogers87]

No nonsense and no unboxing! 😂

[@elad1245]

27l⁸0jigcrr

[@leefcommunity]

Have wanted a pacojet at home since the first time I used one, so was super happy when the Creami came out and bought it instantly. Having said that, there's a market for a semi-professional version of the Creami (Metal cannisters/larger/more powerful etc...) and if that came out I would instantly upgrade. Price range $500 I think would be reasonable.

[@Izbiski_]

That would be an instant hit with smaller businesses as well, since 6.5k for a fast ice cream isn't attractive to some shops that are starting out, but a 500 dollar mid range system might hold them over until they can afford a beefier model.

[@davisbradford7438]

Ninja could push into the market just by offering metal containers. There are so many issues with plastic getting stripped from the canister walls.

[@vixxcelacea2778]

@@davisbradford7438 I've heard of this happening. Seems like everything has to be just so, such as the top being completely smooth, not over filling and making sure it's slightly thawed before processing. That said, some people have no issues and just throw it in with out a care.

[@iFlojoe]

You know that there is a Ninja CREAMi Delux? :)

[@jordy46682]

@@iFlojoe the only benefit to the Deluxe is larger containers and a few extra programs which aren't all that useful over the 7 in 1. Still all plastic and awkward attaching mechanism! Unusable in a small businesses!

[@alexreinking]

At $6500 vs $200, I don't think the motor or cup capacity differences are major issues. If you buy 3 of the Ninjas for $600, at 10% of the price, you can run all three machines at once, diving up your workload into a pipeline that can do more than the original Pacojet. This assumes you have the countertop or floor space to set up a rack to house these things, of course.

[@edwardlee8044]

@@monkeykodersorry , Ninja any day of the week

[@giglioflex]

@@monkeykoder The difference in quality between a high quality commercial electric motor and medium to low quality motor is usually 5 to 1 (You get 5 times the life). Considering the price difference, that nowhere near makes up the price difference. The Pacojet's price is just beyond awful. If you compare the price difference to that of other products like a vacuum sealer for example, you typically only have to pay 2x the price for the commercial upgrade. High quality motors cost more but not 35 times the price of the entire unit more. Most likely a semi-professional variant of this can be made and sold for $500.

[@Shionjisama]

@@monkeykoder did you run Ninja as much as a Pacojet just for experiment? Did you try it? Will the lifespan be shortened to 3% of the life span of a Pacojet? Otherwise the 30x price difference can't be justified. Yeah, I understand the Pacojet has a larger container etc etc.. So what? a five dollar increase of the material cost to manufacture? I bet you the cost of manufacture of those two machine is not diffenrent by 3000%. But the selling price is. And you need to undertand, for Ninja to success, the 200$ selling price already generate a good amount of revenue. Think about that!

[@cesarbattistini]

Not true, you can run a pacojet nonstop. And shave just a small section of the cup. Neither of those are possible with the ninja.

[@xianritchie]

One thing that comes up REPEATEDLY in almost every Ninja Creami review is that they often have to run the system twice to get the creamy consistency that you might expect from a Pacojet (and still doesn't quite get close to the texture). While it's still a viable and great alternative for the home, the Creami can take 5m to process ice cream and still not have the same level of consistency and same small crystal consistency that the Paco has. That doesn't make the Paco worth buying for 99.9% of home use, but it might make the difference for someone choosing machines for a small restaurant or business.

[@teaman7v]

What an incredibly excellent review. No chaff, cuts to the chase. Detailed and thorough, but accessible and straightforward. I must check out more of your videos

[@JoshuaRes]

I had no idea that Pacojet’s patent expired!! I wonder if Breville will get in on the action.

[@TheHappyWhisk]

I recently got a Ninja Creami and I love this machine. I never owned anything from Shark/Ninja before. I also really enjoyed this video because I hadn't heard of the Pacojet until just today. It's interesting about the patent and how Ninja came in to make one for the home. I like the metal of the Pacojet. I would have loved that option for the Creami. Anytime I have an option for less plastic, I'm happy. Anyway, very well done, this video. You explained things well. Cheers, Ivy.

[@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis]

their vacuums are awesome too

[@TheHappyWhisk]

@@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis Very cool. I've heard good things about Shark!

[@Juggernautdemon]

@@TheHappyWhisk The Shark Apex vacuum I bought performs far better than the $400 Dyson it replaced. Shark makes good products.

[@TheHappyWhisk]

@@Juggernautdemon That is good to know because I'm currently annoyed at my cordless Dyson. Thank you. Not in the budget to replace right now but I'll note this for sure. Thank you. Cheers, Ivy.

[@samj530]

@@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis so are their sewing machines! I have a vintage, all metal, beast of a machine Singer & the entry level Shark. I use the Shark more.

[@internetshaquille]

Well done. Thank you for making this.

[@trapmaster420]

Should I buy this

[@bobfuckingsmith]

didn't think I'd find you here tbh lol

[@somefishhere]

@@bobfuckingsmith he’s been making ice cream at home for the past couple of videos. Also he doesn’t seem to bust out the sous vide machine as often. Would love to seem some smoker recipes.

[@HeraBek]

I hate that KZbin just recommends everything you comment on to me, makes me feel like a stalker.

[@MrEazyE357]

The man himself.

[@ColinBrislawn]

"On the other hand, the Ninja CREAMi is $200. I can have have 32 Ninja CREAMis for the price of on Pacojet, and that's a kind of durability in of upon itself." This is so well written. I appreciate your brevity.

[@devoncantrell3311]

I hate this trend of shitty electronics that are only meant to last a year or two. I’d rather spend good money on something that lasts than create a ton of waste.

[@Hilman_Faiz]

@@devoncantrell3311 if Pacojet can last 10 years and Ninja Creami last 1 year, I will absolutely choose to buy 3 Ninja Creami for my business. It is simply more scalable, and most likely faster

[@devoncantrell3311]

@@Hilman_Faiz not true. The pacojet is significantly more powerful and reliable. I’ve heard of them lasting well beyond 10 years without having to spend a dime on repairs or anything. One person used theirs to purée lobster every day for over a decade and only had to sharpen the blade. It’s built differently. The point is that the pacojet is a prep tool. It’s designed for food service to quickly make a semi fresh version of something you can make better at home with a normal ice cream mixer. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have one. And I highly doubt you’ve worked in or owned a commercial kitchen because the dinky plastic ninja wouldn’t last more than a few months in any kitchen I’ve worked in. Mainly due to being wiped and needing to be taken apart and cleaned with harsh chemicals and very hot water constantly. Let alone the non stop use and less than gentle handling during high stress times. I think any business owner knows that you need to spend money to make money and giving your employees good tools will make them happier and also help them produce better work more efficiently without worrying about quality or constant replacement. Imagine if the ninjas sell out you’d be screwed. And either way, if the pacojet did break, you’d have ten whole years to get it covered. Sure it’s a few grand but even just a dishwasher in a kitchen is $3,000,$7,000. A stove and hood is at least $50,000. I know that for an ice cream place even just the display freezers can cost upwards of $10,000. Heck even the metal “hotel” pans it’s served in are usually $50 a pop. Most places have 200+ of them so that’s $10,000. A lot of restaurants and food service places cost $1,000,000 minimum to open so $5,000 is not all that much to invest in over a decade of not having to think about something to replace. I’ve seen a lot of restaurant owners try and cut corners and cheap out without realizing how hard it is to keep track of that many things to replace and things go to shit every time.

[@Hilman_Faiz]

@@devoncantrell3311 well if we are talking about big restaurant with $500k+ capital, go for $6k is no big deal. But as for those who has only $10k, which is already big for a small business in 3rd world country, it makes much more sense to choose $200 machine and swap it later when the business grow.

[@devoncantrell3311]

@@Hilman_Faiz that’s a good point. I agree with you on that.

[@saltlake1955]

I remember seeing Chris on one of Heston's shows back in the day, great to see him still doing science-based culinary stuff. I love this

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

🙏 That was a much younger version of me.

[@wyattweiler7208]

This is incredible quality. Unheard of production quality out of a channel this size. Well done to you and your team.

[@leefcommunity]

His channel is not "small"... Look up ChefSteps ;) This is a guy who's very wealthy and extremely knowledgeable about marketing!

[@graealex]

@@leefcommunity You'd imagine such a knowledgeable to get camera focus at least once or twice right...

[@AJ-kv1po]

@@leefcommunity he also created the behemoth Modernist Cuisine cookbooks with Nathan Myhrvold, former CTO of Microsoft and now running a Nuclear Power company.

[@Tortilla.Reform]

Restaurants can now save 6500 on a piece of equipment that could break or be stolen, and spend 1000 on 5 of them for every station or kitchen. Thanks for this video, great research and incredibly well put together

[@Klester1881]

I would TaKe paco over any lower standard machine every time, even if I could have three against one paco

[@Tortilla.Reform]

@@Klester1881 You should watch the movie “The Menu” hahah

[@Tortilla.Reform]

@@Klester1881 also I’m glad that you have 7k to spend on a pacojet, if only everyone had that privilege

[@NathanTarbet]

This is some of the highest quality cookware reviews I have ever seen. Hope to see more reviews and comparisons in the future, as this is dope.

[@Synchronised01]

I just want to parrot all of the other comments commending you on this video. Informative, no fluff, entertaining and the added comparison of traditional ice cream machines. You deserve to have way more subs than you do, but you've certainly gained one more

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

🙏

[@elizabeththomas5926]

I just discovered this presenter having purchased a Ninja Creami. How refreshing to watch a great succinct review, delivered with clear speech, clarity, the confidence of experience AND all without wild gesticulation. . Thank you. I shall be checking out other Chris Young commentaries. A very grateful UK viewer..

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

🙏

[@banksta3]

Even in a commercial setting, I'd just have 2 of the Ninja's. (Provided I had the counter space) I'll likely never be in the market for either of these products, but after watching your steak searing comparison video, I wanted to reward the algorithm. Keep up the unbiased, invaluable work.

[@graysaltine6035]

Counterspace? Our Pacojet was bolted to the wall. There's an insane amount of torque in those things. There's no way that the CREAMi comes close at 1/3rd the weight and 500rpm less, no matter how much smaller it is - I don't really buy the "unbiased" either, but eh. We would throw lobster carcasses in it to make bisque, it would atomise them. Perhaps that's the next test with the CREAMi... Dude's over here comparing a Rational oven with a microwave.

[@banksta3]

@@graysaltine6035 We get it, you overspent.

[@graysaltine6035]

@@banksta3 Actually I don't think you get anything at all, or have any idea what to expect from either of these machines. That Pacojet was used 20 times in a row, twice a day for 10 years and it had one blade snap. This plastic garbage will last one use, which is fine because that's exactly how many times the average customer is going to use it anyway. It's pretentious counter-top-filler that will go in the cupboard right next to the margaritaville, the spiralizer and the electric pot-stirrer. You can stan all you want, but fact is I am actually _very_ familiar with what he's talking about, whereas you don't have a fucking clue.

[@graysaltine6035]

@@CajunReaper95 And you missed _my_ point. If you want to make ice cream at home, get an ice-cream maker. This is an extremely loud machine that requires you to use it every time you want to eat ice-cream and to store your ice-cream in a proprietary container. Pacojet marketed to chefs, not because they "overspent" like the Ninja-shill says, but because that is the only market that makes any sense for a product like this, regardless of price. Unless you are making 10 different flavours at once, there is almost zero reason to use one of these over any other method of making ice-cream. IDK what you are getting at rambling about finally having access to sweet treats at an affordable price - you can literally make perfect ice cream at home with nothing but a whisk and a stove for utensils, you can mould it into any shape or container you want and it will stay fluffy and easily scooped/sliced for months, straight from the freezer. This machine is a gadget, a toy version of a professional machine that literally nobody needs in their house for any reason. I already know exactly who is going to end up buying these things and it's not home-cooks. This is the budget pacojet that grifting chefs have been waiting 30 years for, so in that context I am most definitely going to judge it harshly. This is going to be found in the kitchens of guys who cook stuff with an Anova circulator and put salsa verde on everything.

[@somefishhere]

@@graysaltine6035 lobster bisque sounds amazing. I wonder if the Ninja mill would be able to do say, prawn shells for XO sauce. I imagine lobster shells would be out of question.

[@MegaAmard]

As an engineer, I rarely have seen such a detailed comparison. Fantastic, Thank you!

[@zachkieri1185]

Who are you, where have you been my whole time on KZbin and why do you have less than 1 million subscribers? This is one of the best videos I’ve watched about ANYTHING in quite some time and is the reason I will be buying a CREAMI (if I get a chance, I’ll let the folks at Sharper Image know). For a person who literally wondered if this was a home version PacoJet all my questions where answered, and for someone who might not know what that is, they would after this. Bravo sir 👏👏👏

[@smoll.miniatures]

Chef steps confounder and worked at 3 Michelin star fat duck

[@gigihabib]

I use a Paco at work and I own a Ninja at home. The many features of the Ninja, plus the much nicer design (mine is red and black) and the unbeatable price (for both machine and extra beakers), purchasing it is a non-brainer: if you love ice cream, smoothies and milkshakes, get yourself one! The two things that bother me in comparison to the original design of the Pacojet: Ninjas are louder (really loud!) and there is no way of rinsing and scrubbing the shaft. I worry about splatters, sugar build up, cross-contamination and bacteria growth. I really love this feature about Pacojet.

[@be.A.b]

I’m okay with waiting a few years for vitamix to come clutch with their version. Ninja seems to be the innovator in the game latel. Till companies like vitamix and breville follow suite with sturdier versions of ninja’s top notch consumer instincts.

[@Chaos6779]

any recipes you can pass on that you do at home?

[@watermelon1221]

Getting into the engineering and taste science, while having top notch presentation and editing makes you the top youtuber for kitchen reviews hands down

[@vc6478]

I’m glad you made this video. Pacojet was in my dreams for so long, but I just couldn’t justify it’s cost even for work. If my pastry section was bigger or I was a dessert shop maybe, but it isn’t and I am not. It found it’s way into the vault deep in my brain, to never be thought of again, until today with your video. I hope pacojet will innovate like vitamix to get into the home market, but I will for sure be looking at this ninja creami. Cheers.

[@chefsaichand]

This video sets the benchmark for review videos..This is how the product comparison videos should be..Great work Chris

[@briannadickson2884]

He seriously went in depth about a couple of soft serve machines for ten minutes like he was explaining quantum physics to rattlesnakes and I sat and listened to all of it despite having zero interest in making my own ice cream. I literally live next door to a grocery store! I'm still here

[@fabe61]

The dedication on display is incredible - this quality is totally professional. Shocked to see your sub count. Great stuff!

[@mccafferyfamily]

Mine just arrived and I absolutely love it. As a home enthusiast cook who loves experimenting and dreamed for years of a pacojet this works great for me. In first few days made a classic vanilla ice cream, mango sorbet, pineapple sorbet, a raspberry ice cream, a chocolate ice cream, bacon ice cream, asparagus ice cream, avocado ice cream…all tuned out pretty good. Would be interested to hear Your tips though on recipe design for these types of devices. So far my recipes have all turned out respectably, but one challenge is estimating the final flavour and texture a particular base will create.

[@josephgrasso6802]

Okay, explain the bacon ice cream please!

[@mccafferyfamily]

@@josephgrasso6802 made a cream anglaise and added a load of chopped fried bacon as a mixin. Found it to be pretty good combo although would like to get even more bacon flavour throughout next time. Have been thinking of trying the same with honey soy bbq chicken . In any case it is really fun experimenting with flavours relatively easy with this ninja device. I also just experimented with just using full cream milk + cocoa powder + sugar and even that was pretty decent. It did seem to melt faster and loose shape more quickly then when using egg yolks & cream in the base but for a quick & easy ice cream fix was still enjoyable and creamy

[@nisbahmumtaz909]

The no-nonsense, full on blast of concise information, tacked on with bits and pieces of economic value proposition, blasted straight into my engineering ears... Ah, what a delightful video.

[@mummypeabody8257]

My friend made me avocado ice cream, a can of coconut milk, two avocados, honey, lime juice and the zest. Mixed it with a hand blender. She pulled a frozen one from the freezer, and put it her Ninja, and two minutes later VOILA! Avocado ice cream. Never ever would I have thought of that.😁

[@Streamcatcher]

nIce! How was the texture and taste, soft and creamy?

[@mummypeabody8257]

@@Streamcatcher super creamy. Except for the toasted macadamia nuts she sprinkled on top.

[@FirstLast-iv2tc]

I bought the Creami to make keto ice cream. It's amazing. I've used peanut butter for the fat. I've used coconut oil for the fat. Butter and coconut oil. I use Keto Chow as the base. I run it through the cycles several times. The creaminess is amazing!!!!! Not regrets.

[@theven5633]

Honestly I slouched the first time I saw this, then watching the commercial I was confused that there was now a lower priced pacojet in the market. Working in and out of higher/fine dining spots and messing around with one in my free time. I got super excited , this I think may be the only ninja product I buy just for the shear awesomeness of having a consumer Pacojet and for only 200 bucks if I use it a couple times a month, I will get the use I need . Thanks for the awesome side by side I was super curious

[@WyattUTFT]

Just fyi they go on sale a lot too. I got mine for about $140

[@nasimchowdhury1943]

One of the most fire comparison and reviews I've seen, I don't jack about any of this but the way you broke it all done and provided expert opinion is amazing. This is amongst the highest tier of reviews I've seen.

[@ardnisgnirf]

Maybe you can make this into a series, your way of comparing and explaining really is superb! Would love to see you compare a Vitamix to a ninja blender.

[@MrPoggers252]

E

[@jacobanuse]

Project Farm actually just did a cheap to expensive shootout that included a vitamix and Ninja mixer. It’s worth a watch!

[@123simenHP]

Vitamix e310 (one of their cheaper blenders) cost between $3-400 and it will probably still work in 20 years if you use it a normal amount. It is better than almost every (if not everyone) ninja blenders and it will work for a much longer time. So if you can afford it even a cheap(ish) Vitamix is a much better investment imo ( I would choose one of their $600-1000 blenders if you could afford it though, but the cheap e310 or e320 is still one of the best blenders you can get).

[@Megabear90]

@@123simenHP its always about the use case. I got mine a few years back on black friday for 80€. I use it almost daily to make protein smoothies with frozen fruit and ice cubes. Its still awesome and the Vitamix would need to last for a loooong time to make up for the Ninja breaking anytime soon.

[@wolf-yw9wk]

there is no comparison. ninja blenders are terrible.

[@cynthiaslater7445]

I have the Creami and it works great for me. I like that I can make ice cream the way I want it with any add-ins I want. I tweak the ingredients for the base to give it more flavor. The cons are the noise level and the 24 hour wait to freeze the base. Overall, they are not that important compared to the convenience. Thanks for your video.

[@MRblazedBEANS]

You have a 6000 thousand dollar machine at home just to make ice cream?!?! That's pretty fucking cool!

[@cynthiaslater7445]

@@MRblazedBEANS I don't. I have the Creami. The video author has it.

[@milk2315]

I like how you point out the fact that the ninja is a home divice, the fact that much more soft materials are build in is so important in a professional kitchen.

[@cho7official55]

This channel is seriously underrated, it's clearly top notch ! Thanks a lot for breaking this through, I'd love more content of that, and def look at your thermometer ! Brings us more cool device like these !

[@kjelllindberg6987]

Great explanation, but I stick with my Pacojet that I got in 2005 as a gift to myself... I have about 20 canisters so a lot of different flavors to switch between when I want to. But I am happy that others get the possibility to get the quality that this method can provide over a batch machine.

[@mccafferyfamily]

I have long dreamed of having a pacojet in my home kitchen, but for the price and such a very specific use case, impossible to justify. Looking forward to experimenting with a ninja creami ...

[@PhilipLemoine]

I have had the ninja one for over a year and havent even opened the box! You got me excited to finally use it lol

[@tommihommi1]

I just got mine this week. Did not expect the noise to be *that* bad :D Earplugs are mandatory. Also the device wobbles and shakes a good bit during operation which is a bit disconcerting. Re-spin definitely makes much more of a textural difference than just stirring with a spoon, without I get some chunks of ice that stuck to the side, the respin pulverizes those too. Cleaning the lid and drying it is the most annoying bit.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Yes, the noise is loud! One thing I’m learning from the comments of other owners is that the CREAMi seems less tolerant of a less than perfectly formulated sorbet or ice cream base. If the dissolved solids and fat content isn’t in adequate, or if the mix is frozen a bit too cold, then it can end up icier or in need of a second pass in the machine. My current theory of why this is the case is that the velocity of the blade tips is slower than a PacoJet, so there is less shear force near the edges if the container. Put simply, the RPMs need to be higher.

[@tommihommi1]

@@ChrisYoungCooks I've just had the opposite effect that my standard gelato recipe was too high sugar and fat so it became softer than soft serve after creami-fying. Similar for the sorbet, I went higher sugar than recommended for pacojet recipes because I underestimated how sweet blueberries are and didn't bother getting the refractometer out, and there it simply was icy bits stuck to the container that didn't get ripped loose by the blades, as well as some of the very first chunks it ripped out on top

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@tommihommi1 high sugar being too soft can be offset a bit if you freeze the base to a lower temperature before blitzing, but high-sugar bases from a PacoJet or Creami are always going to tend to melt fast IME. Since there is no churning action, you don't build up a whipped fat droplet structure that stabilizes the ice cream, like a churned gelato would have. Makes a big difference in how quickly things melt. The icy bits along the container wall are interesting. I had a bit of a problem with that when I just did the classic Pacojet demo recipe of a can of pineapple in syrup poured into a container and frozen. But I didn't have that problem with my go to recipes for strawberry sorbet and sweet cream base for Pacojets. BUT, I've definitely heard other people say this is a problem and needs a second mix. So it seems like there is a very narrow sweet spot for the Ninja doing a perfect job in one pass.

[@tommihommi1]

@@ChrisYoungCooks it would be neat if there was a program that just does it automatically, with how many buttons it already has

[@mr.niyaoukitchen2397]

Waow Chris, Thanks for a what I would call a real demonstration and comparison! The first day I worked with Pacojet, I felt in love with it and it was a dream to get one at home (even if it's expensive, big and heavy). I have to admit that Ninja blows me away with that machine and its performances (come on Ninja, if you read me, send me one 😅!), they even think about to put the cup properly without effort (can be tricky the first tries with Paco). You're right about the richer ice-creams with conventional machines but if you want a great ice-cream maker, you will have to spend 600$+, machines around 250-300$ have often a problem with the cristallisation process and air incorporation (because of plastic blades). Another is the time, you have to wait 30mn for a classic ice-cream and when you want to use it, you have to wait a little bit to scoop it. With a Pacojet process, in 2mn you have an ice-cream ready to use, an amazing texture and incredible flavors because of the less of oxydation : it's really incredible with sorbets. Btw, you have a great potential on KZbin and I subscribed on the channel. Keep up the good work!

[@dylan-nguyen]

Your disassembly of the Ninja sold me on it I was kinda worried about the longevity but the Ninja looks pretty solidly built Plus I just realized I’ve had my Ninja blender for like 8 years now and it still works 😆

[@connerdavidson7087]

"You would think that for $6,500 the Pacojet is the better machine. And for the professional kitchen, it is certainly more durable. On the other hand, the Ninja CREAMi is $200. I can have 32 Ninja CREAMi's for the price of a single Pacojet and... That's a kind of durability in and upon itself." - I gave that a good laugh. Liked and subscribed. You earned.

[@JM-uo5vp]

We have a Paco in our commercial kitchen. We had it for over 10 years, been repaired a few times but it’s still going strong. That ninja thing would be burned out and in the trash in 2 weeks or less. 6500 is a truly crazy price though.

[@YouFeudTV]

So true…

[@michaelp9238]

I'm blown away by the production value here. Really great video. Thank you!

[@gdelohi1]

Great video Chris. We've owned our Creami since release and love it. We've made quite a few video's about it on our channel and have definitely made 6...7...8...over 10 pints at a time while we were perfecting recipes. This thing definitely holds up to the task. Thanks for a great comparison to the commercial big brother, I had no idea of the history of the machines.

[@AdrianHuber-zs8nc]

If you don't just want to make ice cream, I would also like to see a comparison between the two machines. When making meat stock, you can leave the beef bones in the frozen state. The Paco chops everything so finely that there is no grain on the tongue or in the mouth. You can also make ice cream from spruce and cream. I see this as very experimental cooking, but the results open up a whole new spectrum. I find these playing in the kitchen fascinating. Assuming the right food combination, of course.

[@zacklewan4183]

I feel like I'm watching a documentary with how incredible the production quality is. Amazing job, and subscribed!

[@gothiclala]

I have thr ninja and I have to agree it kinda shocked me as a classically trained chef that I could have this thing in my home kitchen that honestly functions shockingly well, and any boob can use it, I got it to play around with new ideas on flavor profiles for the different frozen desserts you can make and it's been a blast. I don't use it often but I used it often enough to justify its price tag 8/10 honest worth thr buy if you have any frozen dessert more then occasionally

[@shinaikouka]

Might be worth noting that Costco has had this on sale a few times for less than $150. Also, I'm kind of curious since you seemed to be a bit skeptical of the Ninja brand. I've bought a few of their items over the years, and for the most part, they've been pretty good overall. Probably the family favorite has been the Ninja Foodi air fryer. It's biggest benefit is that it's flippable, so while that does heavily restrict the height, it's extremely useful for smaller items. I think the one that we haven't been terribly fond of as much is the Ninja Foodi Grill. It isn't bad, but also not terribly impressive.

[@Cryptodegen2A]

You have to try the ninja woodfire grill. Ive smoked whole chickens, ribs, reverse seared steaks. Pretty amazing device and so much easier than a pellet smoker. I‘ll be getting a creami after this excellent vid.

[@HardinProuductionsOriginal]

​@jeffgrabowski706 or you can get a real smoker like a normal person and not that fake garbage

[@jpdrsn33]

I have the ninja in the garage as it is super loud, but I've been really impressed with it. I have a lot of protein shakes as ice cream - I run once on "lite ice cream" and a second turn on "sorbet" or "ice cream".

[@SonOfOdin777]

Man... I have to congratulate you on making maybe one of YT's best videos (IMO)... You're such a master at explaining. Amazing channel. Congrats again.

[@bradyvickers00]

As soon as I saw the CREAMi I had the same thought. Cheap Pacojet! Been waiting for someone to make this video. Great job!

[@williamkuhns2387]

The Achilles Heel for the Creami is the blade has to cut through a solid block of ice (more or less). The motor on these cheaply mass manufactured kitchen appliances can burn out. I have found that to extend life of motor save/reuse those one pint paper ice cream containers pour your ice cream base into it and freeze. To remove frozen base from container soak in very hot water then remove onto cutting board. Rough chop base and ad to Creami pint container. Add a little liquid to lube the cutting blade and just use "Re-spin" button. This keeps base from becoming grainy. This gimmick has worked well for my machine.

[@fionadavis23]

Top tip, thanks.

[@Azmodon]

Just had Pacojet come to our showroom for a demonstration of their new "4", with independent spin / depth control, and plastic containers... still oversized motors at 3.3X the weight, but interesting to see where the new one got its idea's from lol

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Interesting. Haven't seen that yet, but will have to investigate. The thing about over-sized motors is that there's no benefit-and often it's counter productive. A motor needs to be sized and built for the performance requirements it will experience. Making it larger often ends up causing the motor to run at a lower efficiency, which generates more heat and shorten its lifespan. Marketers and sales reps love to talk about over-sized motors, but for engineers who design motors it's all bullshit. When I tested the Ninja motor versus the Packet motor, they pulled exactly the same amount of power, but the Ninja generated much less heat to do the same work. That tells me that the Ninja motor has been pretty carefully selected to be at optimal efficiency under load. The Packet motor got hotter, which tells me its basically run well below peak efficiency.

[@sundarpichai940]

Guys, if you don't have a Creami (and you're priced out of a Pacojet -- hee hee), then I say you absolutely MUST get one. Whenever I spin up a pint and serve it to people, EVERYONE raves. They were $139 at Amazon during their Cyber Monday a couple months ago and I used the opportunity to give a couple out for Christmas.

[@jessesilver]

Amazing review and as a fellow product designer and engineer I appreciate your take on the differences! A few more I noticed that may also apply: It looks like the Pacojet has metal gears (I'm guessing sintered, but could be wrong) vs the Ninja, another sign of the expected lifecycles it's expected to survive and a sensible cost-cutting measure on the ninja. Another point, while the Ninja container loading scheme is clever and appropriate for the home, it would be a nightmare in a professional kitchen: the last thing you want is a recess that's impossible to clean and where any/all liquids and such can seep in. The Pacojet's flat, wipeable base is a lot smarter for their application for that reason alone. Again, love the insights you shared and thanks for putting together an amazing video!

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Agree on the loading mechanism, it’s really nice but would get trashed and dirty in a professional kitchen. But gearing in the PacoJet isn’t any more durable in my opinion. Mixture of zinc castings and nylon. And the pressurized air hose is impossible to clean without destructive disassembly.

[@jessesilver]

@@ChrisYoungCooks Fair points! I have never seen either outside of this video, so I have limited info on this :) I do wonder what duty cycle and lifetime cycles they engineered the Ninja for but I agree it looks shockingly well made at first blush. Not quite Juicero-level over-engineering, but that's why this is affordable 🤣

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@jessesilver There are somethings that are surprisingly well engineered, and other things where you can see that they just went for cost effective (the screw count is insane). My understanding is they have already shipped a second generation with larger capacity and other refinements. Probably not something I'll do another video on, but I'm curious to crack it open to see what got refined between generations. That's always really interesting (to me anyway).

[@graefx]

I think this was my first exposure to a Creami, after several subsequent videos about making "healthier" alternatives, I grabbed one for Black Friday and it feels like Dark Sorcery. The quicker flavor release of a Pakojet or Creami is interesting, particularly in my context of using it for lower calorie ice cream where the less fat and sugar is going to make a duller flavor and I wonder if that helps fill the gap. This thing is magical though

[@NiVoldiza]

If you want to make ice cream, that is healthy, just ditch the sugar for erytrithol, and just go with full fat cream. Animal fats are not unhealthy.

[@dianecooper7502]

I just got one. Love it. Came with 5 canisters so I can have a variety of different frozen treats at the ready.

[@zachpw]

I think a consumer centrifuge is one of the last remaining inaccessible fancy kitchen things that could use a consumer version. I think Dave Arnold made one that was technically very cheap but it was still $800.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

It’s a bit of a hard problem because of the forces involved. Managing that much kinetic energy safely requires a hefty amount of expensive raw material and not-terribly-cheap manufacturing processes. And you’re not going to get economies off scale from making millions of units every year.

[@SummaGirl1347]

I'd kill for a home version of the Breville Control Freak. I'd buy one but, they are HUGE and I am afraid it would blow out all the circuits in my house.

[@Paelorian]

@@SummaGirl1347 The Breville Control Freak doesn't draw more electricity than other 120V induction burners. The popular Duxtops ($50 and up) are 1800W, just like the Control Freak. Your home electrical wiring won't tell a difference. Same maximum power draw, the general US standard. Like a toaster oven or electric kettle. Given the cost of the Control Freak, I think there probably should be 240V compatibility, to make it as powerful as a proper induction stove. But that would involve a different plug that wouldn't fit in your typical US outlet. But it could be a popular feature for commercial use and enthusiasts.

[@jek__]

vaccum chambers are also very useful in the kitchen!

[@Paelorian]

@@jek__ They're widely available for two or three hundred dollars. "Chamber vacuum sealers". They're most popular for vacuum sealing food in plastic, which is very useful for freezing, but they can also be used to alter foods by sucking out air. This can be useful in food preservation, cooking, or to make unique foods. For example, vacuumed watermelon is a popular novelty people try with their home vacuum chambers.

[@dalecipperley40]

I bought one and returned it the next day after testing it by making three different recipes from the included booklet. The texture of the frozen desserts were very grainy and I tried multiple machine settings to solve it. A dedicated ice cream machine still provides the best results.

[@TheMNWolf]

If I was really in the habit of making frozen treats, I might consider this. However, as I already have a KitchenAid stand mixer, their ice cream maker attachment is just, if not more, attractive for the relative amount of space taken up to add a new function.

[@cookiesandstreams]

Excellent video! As far as ninja's challenge of convincing people why they might want this -- at time of posting the Creami has thoroughly exploded all over social media and this thing is selling out everywhere. Mission accomplished for Ninja.

[@PBMS123]

In October they released a new PacoJet 4 with lcd display and lots of other goodies. Would be cool if you could review it. Also I only disocovered what a pacojet was after watching 'The Menu' I think the time difference is bigger than you make out, because it's 'pacotising' more mixture. So 2:30 for 400mL is 6:15 per litre, over Paco's 2:00 mins for 700mL equating to 2:51 per litre. Making it by volume, more than twice as fast

[@0000-r2b]

Oh man, I was a dessert chef for two years (and cook for 6) and I've been fiending for a paco knock off for a minute. Imma have to check this out.

[@1122334n]

KZbin recommend me this after I watched "The Menu", weird....

[@mschuhler]

same here

[@SirClerihew]

Makes sense

[@philipp594]

I think the reason people like the pacojet is that it delivers results that are close enough to perfectly churned ice cream, while allowing for bulk prep of different flavours. The Creami is great, but as long as the consistency is not there, it's not worth my money.

[@julianlaresch6266]

I looked into getting the creami but ultimately i chose to use the dash mini ice cream maker. Instead of freezing your product ahead of time, you chill it in the fridge or just mix the things and store in the fridge. Just the body of the churning pot goes in the freezer and helps to chill the mixture. It works well with sorbets and ice creams but I want to try with oat based ice creams too.

[@kimbye1]

Paco jet is the only machine I haven't had at home, always wanted one, but the price is insane, and I don't make that much ice cream. Having used a Paco jet on a daily basis in a professional kitchen was a joy, getting that perfect texture every time, so I could make those beautiful quenelles was very satisfying

[@schnitzelmeister]

I usually rate cook books on a „pacojet index“. If not at least one recipe requires a pacojet it is probably a bit boring. The problem with this was that I have not been able to make a lot of the recipes. I guess I’ll be facing a huge backlog shortly 😃 and holy cow, that thing really is under 200€

[@SignOfTheTimes008]

Ninja is really a great brand. I picked up a blender kit at Canadian Tire years ago to make smoothies and my friend got one at Costco soon after seeing how mine did. Been wanting a good ice cream maker, this is a great price.

[@luciobazzani855]

Being using Pacojet for years in restaurants, and I always wanted one at home, but it is really expensive. Now I have a solution, thanks!

[@booytoyy69]

May I please ask for some of the best recipes or things to make with this? Because I'm definitely going to pick up one of these at home

[@onri_]

Ninja/Shark are both brands that have proven themselves with numerous great products. Ninja blender thing (Nutribullet?) and Shark navigator are both well used in my house, Both really were a huge improvement on the older versions that they replaced in our house too.

[@avanraws]

Just watched "The menu" and this popped up in my recommendations 💀

[@joshohanian5837]

I got a creami on prime day for $120. I love it. I'm constantly making ice cream now and it's super easy

[@pey-yote]

How'd I fall asleep watching clips from "The Menu" and wake up to this?

[@Tahya1970]

I make the best pistachio gelato in a Creami. I prefer it to all the pistachio gelatos from the best gelaterias in the Phoenix Metro area. Good video, btw.

[@cjnogodula]

Oh shit, it's the thing from The Menu... cool

[@onocoffee]

Great video. I've been using the PacoJet for 15 years and love it. But I didn't know about the Ninja. I'll have to get one for home. Now, if only Ninja would make a Thermomix clone...

[@jacklawrence6395]

I currently use the dry ice method, and I like that I don’t need a whole extra kitchen appliance. That said, I’m tempted by the Ninja, and I’m curious about logistics/planning. Does pacotizing affect how hard the finished product sets up in the freezer vs other methods? I’ve heard I might need to re-pacotize after a day or so in the freezer.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

I wouldn't necessarily say that it changes how it sets up, like any ice cream or sorbet in a cold freezer the mix will harden again. And I find just re-pacotizing it immediately returns it to the ideal scoop able texture much faster than letting it temper.

[@blakedennis4841]

@@ChrisYoungCooks in a professional setting, many choose pull the frozen base and pacotize portions to order. You can set it to do as little as one portion - up to the full canister. The idea is that you can get the absolute perfect serving consistency every time.

[@bartguisnet2608]

Ninja didn't have to convince me to buy one of these, James Hoffmann easily did it that their stead; and (24 hours later) I have a pint of amazing creamy frozen coffee and zero regrets. Oh, this video was great too though. Subscribed!

[@dogradsky]

absolutely love the approach you've got when comparing/contrasting these two ice cream machines (plus the conventional churner). this is like the mechanical engineering counterpart to 'Good Eats'. I am now subscribed!

[@hermanmunchther3082]

Yea except his explanation of more air equals melts slower was completely wrong and backwards. Ice cream with more air melts faster.

[@smoll.miniatures]

@@hermanmunchther3082 nope

[@hermanmunchther3082]

@@smoll.miniatures yep

[@surrealchemist]

Would be interesting if you could get metal replacements for the Ninja model. It is nice to see whats in it when you store it in the freezer though, plus you get to watch it being processed as the blade goes down.

[@AI-Youtube]

Thank you for this profound review and comparison. However, what you are showing is the old Pacojet first generation and there are two advanced generation available now. I think the fist generation is out of build since 2013 or so. The second generation has a much improved setup with a brushless motor and the pressure and vacuum system is also enhanced. I haven't worked with the newest Plus version but you even get fancy new features like 3D shape milling the frozen content. For the price given you get a generation two model this time not the first generation. The market prices are a bit lower as well, so around 5000 for a brand new model. Used ones are less with a little bit of luck you can get a good machine for half of the price. In addition there is also a little brother of the big Pacojet called Pacojet junior for around 3500 in new condition I think. Of course no competition for the Ninja in price but significant less than the big boys. So your introduction that Pacojet hasn't improved over the time isn't hundred percent correct. However, your conclusion that this machines are not priced for the home market I can absolutely agree. I wanted to mention that the Pacojet isn't made for ice cream only. You can make farces, pesto or even soups and sauces. There are accessories like the coup set which will replace and enhance your food processor for cutting non frozen ingredients as well. There is a very profound knowledge base with many recipes from professional chefs and a professional oriented community. If you really want to endeavor the culinary would and want to do something beyond simple ice cream the Pacojet has its value even if you are only a serious hobby chef who see this as a hobby and is willing to spend some serious money for the the hobby. For everybody else, who simply what to learn about this new / old concept for processing food and loves sorbets the Ninja seems to be a fantastic beginner machine with a price point which doesn't scare away the ordinary home chef. It reminds me a little bit to the sous vide sticks which popped up ten years ago for the home use. You can do exiting new things with it but if food and cooking is your passion as a serious hobby the expenses for a real Pacojet might still be worth it. Even for this price.

[@I_NeedCoffee]

I worked restaurant kitchens for 20 years. Several of which were in pastry. Having used a PacoJet before this thing looks really good to me.

[@hjewkes]

Great breakdown, I appreciate the context around the patent - I was curious why the pacojet was still so highly priced

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

I think the answer is that the serve a very small professional niche that is willing to keep paying the premium because they use the heck out of the machine.

[@previll]

I think the Pacojet's motor is a lot more powerful as well.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@previll surprisingly, it’s not a lot more powerful. When I measured peak power the PacoJet motor could pull up to about 1000 Watts, while the Ninja pulled 900 Watts. The PacoJet motor can deliver this power for longer without overheating, but it’s not actually a more powerful motor.

[@previll]

@@ChrisYoungCooks ​ Yeah I read something similar in the specs. However, wattage is not a very accurate measure of motor power, as more factors come into play, such as build quality, motor efficiency, design, part quality, durability, etc. Anyhoo, a direct comparison of the results speaks for itself, although you did not show it in the video. Modernistpantry has an excellent video review on this. The Pacojet turns out far superior there with a much creamier consistency, but at 30x the price I suppose consumers don't really have a choice. Though I would just go for a Vitamix blender, it can do essentially the same thing (puree frozen stuff), except it can do a lot more besides that. I also don't expect these CREAMers to last very long, given Ninja's brand reputation.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@previll so motor power doesn’t change the final texture of the mix. Either the motor is powerful enough to drive the blade or it’s not. The particle size is a function of the RPMs and feed rate of the blade, and both machines end up creating a 0.5mm “chip” size and then smashing the chip into small bits. The PacoJet, with its faster RPMs can put a bit more kinetic energy into smashing the chip, but it’s not a lot. And when tasted side-by-side blind, the CREAMi resulted in very slightly icier mix, but it was a very slight difference. The difference between a churned ice cream and a Pacotized mix is a much bigger difference.

[@MRblazedBEANS]

I was in commercial kitchens for nearly a decade I never once saw a pacojet in the kitchen. Even when I worked at restaurants with a pastry kitchen I never saw one of these. Cool idea would love to try one.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

I’d heard of them when I first started in commercial kitchens in the States in the early 2000s, but didn’t actually use one until I worked at The Fat Duck in the UK. They’re definitely more common in European than the USA now, but still pretty rare.

[@damionfragoso2655]

A video for everyone watching The Menu

[@АлексейЦарев-н9у]

Took me a whole munute to realize this is an ice-cream machine and not a coffee machine. Gotta say: the production quality is amazing. I really don't care about either machines but i just love looking at the screen. Hope to see more videos soon.

[@Pardock97]

Very interesting machines, I wouldn't mind the Ninja Creamy having a model that is a bit more expensive but has better materials, other than that it seems great.

[@moomoopuppy508]

The movie "The Menu" mentioned the Pacojet, but seeing it in Shannon Bennett's Vue de monde kitchen on Masterchef Australia (Season 6, Episode 57) brought me here.

[@ianmarino8261]

So this is what Tyler is rambling about.

[@BlingPalace]

Thanks. This machine will help me immensely ❤️ Your review has me squashing my reservations about the need for getting one. And your right, The cost is so small in comparison, it just makes sense now. Wow. I'm glad I found your review.

[@ilikepie2737]

I learned about the Pacojet from "The Menu".

[@Ryan-he2qz]

Ninja brand is the new innovation for household use. Plus its fully automated touch screen compact in a cheaper price . I have 2 Ninja products in my kitchen and im loving it

[@Yoda63]

Ok this is the content I’ve been wanting for but assumed would never be made!!

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

More to come. I had fun doing this one. So now I need to buy, and take apart, all the things.

[@anthonyedwards6038]

Product aside. First thing I noticed was how concise and well written this script is. Never lost focus and seamlessly transitioned from point to point. Thank you

[@moso5324]

I wish the Creami came with a manual that actually explained EXACTLY what the various settings do and what % of fat or sweetener works best with which setting. Sure, I get the general difference between ICE CREAM, LITE ICE CREAM and SORBET, but I'd like to have it spelled out a little better, rather than me having to do careful experimenting.

[@TrudyConway]

So true! And they didn't include a gelato base recipe. I found 2 on my own - one with and one without eggs.

[@playnicegames]

@@TrudyConway they do have a gelato recipe page 76 in the manual.

[@TrudyConway]

@@playnicegames Thank you! I was scanning like crazy.

[@ahikernamedgq]

Chris, thank you. After watching your video, I bought the Ninja Creami and am so thankful. This thing is awesome. Thank you!

[@jarlejrgensen9559]

Great review! I see now that PacoJet have produced a junior version, but still quite pricey at about $4500

[@vx8431]

Something that I've used to deal with texture of fattier icecream in a PacoJet is a product called icecream stabalizer it's a mix of locus bean gum, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids, guar gum, sodium alginate and agar agar as it reduces ice crystals.

[@conorobrien2712]

A fantastic addition to the list of kitchen gadgets I didn't know I needed.

[@grivkin2]

So I've had the Creami for a little over a week now. While it makes the best-textured low-cal ice cream I've ever had, unfortunately I've run into the issue that many others have with plastic being scraped off the sides of the container, particularly towards the bottom, and ending up in my ice cream. I am not sure the exact cause but one could imagine that any eccentricity of the driveshaft, which is magnified the longer it extends, is a recipe for the blade hitting the sides and thus ingesting plastic. It is much harder to get service in my country than in the USA as we don't have an official Ninja channel, just resellers, so I can't be sure what the issue is, but if this is a design flaw it's a particularly egregious one in terms of food safety....

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

That is strange, and I didn’t have that occur on my machine. Based on how it’s constructed, and eccentric shaft is unlikely. More likely is that the plastic container is not mounting perfectly straight into the mount mechanism. A few things I’d check: (1) If you set the blade in the bottom of the container, is there a few mm of clearance on either side of the blades? You should rotate the blades into several positions to check. If there is a spot where it gets really close, the plastic container might be out-of-round. (2) Run the system with everything attached, but with nothing in the container, does the blade rub when the container is empty? If it doesn’t rub when the container is empty, it’s possible you’re ice cream mixture is too hard and is causing the blade to tilt slightly while running. I’ve seen this happen in a PacoJet when the mix is very hard from being too cold or not having enough sugar or fat to soften the mixture, which is a risk with a very low-fat ice cream mix.

[@grivkin2]

@@ChrisYoungCooks Thank you for your prompt and detailed reply. As expected, the local reseller's solution was to replace the scored plastic pint. However, based on your comment and the fact that people said the bump in the middle is caused by cold freezers, I turned my freezer down from -19*C to -16*C. It hasn't happened again since, so I am hoping this was it. Ninja might have to adjust their temperature range up, as -19*C is well above their stated lower limit of -7*F or -21.67*C...

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@grivkin2 I’m so glad it helped. If you increase the sugar or fat content, you should be able to be successful at a lower freezing temperature.