I know a frozen treat machine isn't the most obvious thing to buy in the middle of winter, but Amazon's Prime Day sale has dropped both the Ninja Creami Deluxe and the Ninja Slushi to all-time low prices.
That makes both of these deals much more tempting than they should be in July, especially if you want to get a head start on summer or just like ice cream, frozen drinks, and year-round weekend entertainment.
Slushi is the one I can talk to personally. I bought mine on June 3 last year for AU$424.15, which was the lowest price I'd seen at the time, and have since made hundreds of frozen drinks with it over the summer and winter.
The Creami Deluxe is the one I would consider first if you are more interested in ice cream than drinks. With the Deluxe version now at an all-time low, splurging seems a lot easier to justify, and I'm tempted to buy one myself.
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Ninja products tend to get a lot of attention and the Slushi is one of the few that I think deserves it. While you might assume that one of the best blenders could do a similar job, that's actually not the case.
A blender crushes ice into a drink, which usually dilutes it. The Slushi cools and churns the liquid, so the texture is much closer to that of a proper frozen drink.
What's useful is Ninja's RapidChill technology, which keeps the liquid moving while it freezes. Chilling the drink first can speed things up, but I usually find that the Slushi is ready in under 30 minutes and will then keep it ice cold for as long as you need.
That's important at parties, because people can keep coming back to refill it without the mixture turning into a block of ice or melting into a watery mess.
The main caveat is that drinks need sugar to freeze properly. The machine will warn you if the sugar level is too low, so completely sugar-free drinks are not the point here.
You also have to be careful with alcohol, because too much will prevent the mixture from freezing. In practice, I've found that it works best when you treat recipes as a starting point and adjust after one or two batches.
Frozen cocktails are the obvious use, but spicy winter drinks that are typically served warm are also surprisingly fun as slushies.
At this all-time lowest Prime Day price, it's much easier to recommend and gives you enough time to master a few recipes before the weather warms up again.
