Ninja's most innovative air fryer is now double the fun with the unveiling of the Ninja CRISPi DualZone 8-in-1 Function Glass Air Fryer (available for £299.99 via Ninja).

The CRISPi has quickly become one of the best Ninja air fryers out there, with its design that shuns non-stick plastics and is simply perfect for stuffing away into a drawer. But one of its major downsides, as I mentioned in my review, is that its capacity makes it suitable for one or two people only.

That's all changed with this double drawer version, which can cook two foods in two different ways and has an impressive 7.6 litre capacity in total – the same as the brand's bestselling OG Ninja Dual Zone. Here's a closer look at this glass version, which I'm sure is about to become a very popular choice for kitchens looking to get rid of plastic.

The functions on offer with this air fryer combine all of Ninja's best, I think. As well as Air Fry and Max Crisp (which is essentially just a very hot air fry mode), there's also Dehydrate, which will come in very handy around Christmastime. It's incredibly handy for dehydrating fruit (including oranges) for decoration as well as cocktail and meal garnishes.

As we get into autumn, another mode that I'd be very excited to try out is Prove. This setting modifies the temperature of the air fryer to foster the perfect conditions for rising your bread – perfect for cosy season and weekends spent baking!

The ability to use the Keep Warm setting will also be good given that this is a dual function air fryer. It means that once one side of your cooking is done, you can use the Keep Warm option on the other side and plate up everything at the same time hot.

The dual functionality is a real game changer for family cooking. The Match Cook button means that you only have to program everything in once and the Smart Finish tech makes everything ready at the same time.

The glass walls on this air fryer make it a very fun addition to a kitchen if you're cooking anything that rises or melts as you have a front row seat to the whole process. The two containers also have the benefit of being ready to be stored straight away – they come with lids so that you can pop them straight into the fridge once your leftovers have cooled down.

The bottom of each container also has a protective heat-proof layer, which means you can serve from both containers straight onto granite, laminate, solid wood or marble surfaces without risk of damage.

Another benefit of glass air fryer containers is the total ease of cleaning. In my time testing air fryers I found that the CRISPI base fared best when popped into the dishwasher.

The colour range has caught my eye too as I'm always a big fan of appliances that aren't just a default black colour. Rose Quartz, a pastel pink, and Bone (a steely sort of grey) are also on offer if either of those will suit your existing kitchen colour scheme better. Can you see the appeal in a glass air fryer?

Ninja has a shiny new release for those looking to save on worktop space: the 3-in-1 CRISPI Microwave, Air Fryer & Oven (now available for £359.99).

It's the latest in a line of multi-hyphenate appliances which combine the two most convenient products in a kitchen: the speed of the best air fryers meeting the ease for reheating leftovers of the best microwaves.

Despite sounding great on paper, as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I've so far been disappointed in the microwave/air fryer hybrids we've tried so far. Here's why I'm hoping this new iteration of the best Ninja air fryers is going to be the exception to the rule.

If you own a Ninja air fryer already, you'll know that this is the brand to go for if you want to maximise cooking power. With temperatures up to 240°C, that certainly looks like an advantage that will carry over with this clever combination buy.

Though this is advertised as a 3-in-1 (air fryer, microwave, oven) there are actually a whopping 13 functions available on the interface of the appliance. Eight of those are for microwaving to your hearts content, and 5 of them will be very familiar to those who love their existing Ninja air fryer.

Those five settings are: Air Fry, Max Crisp, Air Roast, Air Bake and Air Broil (which is the American term for grill). I own the Ninja Double Stack and the high heat and power of the Max Crisp setting means it's never out of use in my household.

Using the microwave and air fryer elements separately is one thing, but the setting that has me most intrigued is Fusion Crisp. This button allows you to whip up 'fast meals with a crisp finish'.

Once pressed, your device will begin by microwaving your food and then move onto auto finishing with air frying. That should, in theory, allow you to 'go from frozen to crispy in minutes'. If it works well, this should make this microwave air fryer the most time-efficient buy in your kitchen.

Another winning feature of the original Ninja Crispi is present within this new version too: the introduction of glassware to help with efficient meal prep. With a 5.2 litre capacity and a matching lid, it's perfect for saving on washing up. Capacity-wise, it can fit a 3kg chicken, according to Ninja, making enough food for up to eight people at a time.

Simply cook in it within the Crispi and then pop any leftovers straight into the fridge when you're finished. And though it doesn't come as standard, it looks as if you'll also be able to separately invest in a steamer lid too – perfect for veggies, rice, dumplings and more.

Though it was released today (the 2nd of September), Ninja will always send their products ahead of time to reviewers. At the time of writing, this 3-in-1 has already gleaned a 4.7 star rating from 160 user reviews, which is a promising sign.

Our review of this innovative new Ninja is currently in the works so that we can let you know whether it's Ideal Home approved for your home. Could you see this type of appliance working in your kitchen?

The Ninja Crushboss System is an upgrade on the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto IQ which is already well liked for its multi-functional capabilities, not to mention it’s long-standing residency on our list of the best food processors.

At £239.99 the CrushBoss is only £40 more expensive than the previous model. It comes with similar accessories, but the menu of functions includes more smart capabilities, more blending speeds, and a more sophisticated user interface.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on it just before it launched, so I used it in my home kitchen to see whether this combination appliance really can save you space and money by combining three food and drink prep machines in one.

In a nutshell

The Ninja CrushBoss System is a multi-functional, space saving appliance that works as a blender, food processor, and cup blender. At £239.99 it’s a great value option compared to buying all three appliances individually, what’s more, it’ll free up valuable storage space too.

Clever detection technology means it always knows which accessory you’re using, and offers the appropriate presets on the menu. Furthermore, the SmoothSense mode takes the thinking out of blending smoothies, soups, and other lump-free blends.

I found it really easy and intuitive to navigate through the menus using the big wheel on the front. And I love the safety feature that means it won’t operate unless the accessories are locked in position, and the lids are also locked in place.

In use it was fast and efficient, it excelled at virtually every task I threw at it and it’s quickly becoming a real workhorse in my kitchen. The accessories are all top-rack dishwasher safe, but the larger jugs and cup didn't fit on the top rack of my dishwasher, so be prepared to hand wash these larger parts.

Who tested the Ninja CrushBoss?

Unboxing and first impressions

True to form for most Ninja appliances, the CrushBoss System came well protected in completely recyclable cardboard and paper packaging, so there are no unwanted trips to the dump with a load of polystyrene.

The motor base is the size of a typical blender base and it has four suction cup feet that instantly grab and secure it to my worktop. The main blender jug is a great size and the lid has a pouring spout so that you can pour out liquids without having to remove it altogether.

The stacked blade for the blender has no less than six blades at different heights, so it really looks like it’s been built for the job of serious blending. By holding the top, the blade can be removed from the jug for easier cleaning of both the jug and the blade.

I really like the look of the tumbler cup and can imagine taking it out and about when I want a smoothie on the go, or a protein shake in my gym bag. It’s got a large handle and a secure flip top lid.

The tumbler cup has its own blade assembly, which is designed to work efficiently with the shape of the cup. And the smartly designed large straw has a clever rubbery bit at the bottom, allowing you to push it down when you want to close the lid.

The last main accessory is the food processor bowl and lid. The lid has a large 13cm feedchute, but the double pushers mean there’s also a smaller feed chute if you leave one in place.

Unlike some complicated food processors I’ve come across, this lid clicks seamlessly into place and the bowl clicks intuitively onto the motor base. You can choose between the four blade stacked chopping blade or the plastic equivalent that’s for dough.

The multiblade disc houses the interchangeable grating and slicing discs. You get one grating, one slicing, and one crinkle cut disc. But others are also listed in the instruction manual so may be available to purchase separately.

The base detects which accessory you’re using and then offers the relevant presets on the menu. There’s an on/off button as well as a pulse button. All other presets and processing speeds are accessed via the big wheel on the front.

The centre of the wheel is the screen and you press this to select a programme and start blending. It then displays a countdown timer or the speed. There are between 3-5 presets depending on which accessory you’re using, as well as smart sensor programmes, and manual speed selection. So I’m pretty sure there are enough options to cover most uses.

What is it like to use?

Tumbler cup

For single serve smoothie style drinks, you can blend everything in this cup. I made a banana chocolate smoothie by adding soya milk, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, peanut butter, cacao powder, frozen banana slices, and ice cubes.

A card that came in the tumbler gives advice on the order you should add different ingredients in. Once in position on the base, I selected the SmoothSense automatic programme.

It spent a few seconds sensing the ingredients before going into the Power Blend mode. All-in-all the process was completed in 52 seconds. The drink was beautifully smooth, all the powders had blended in well, and the frozen banana and ice had been completely pulverised. It was pleasant to drink using the straw.

My sound meter recorded 90dB during the blending process, which is loud, but most blenders are. And it’s only for a short burst.

The process was similar when I made a fruit smoothie with fruit juice, frozen berries and yogurt. The ingredients were turned into a delicious smoothie in around 50 seconds, impressive given the size of some of the frozen strawberries.

There were some tiny seeds in the smoothie, giving it a somewhat gritty texture, but rarely have I made a berry smoothie in a blender that’s capable of completely obliterating these tiny seeds.

The final smoothie I tried was a green kiwi and spinach smoothie containing two kiwis, a lump of frozen spinach, some frozen banana slices, a spoon of chia seeds, soya milk, and yogurt.

Once again, it was pulverised to a lump free smoothie in just over 50 seconds when using the SmoothSense auto programme. I really enjoy drinking out of this tumbler cup, both using the straw and drinking straight from the lid. The large handle is also super comfortable to hold.

Food processor bowl

It just so happened that I was planning a pizza night the day after this appliance showed up on my doorstep, so as soon as it was unboxed, I put it to work making the dough.

I added all of my pizza dough ingredients to the bowl, with the dough blade in position. Then I selected the dough programme on the menu. It blended the ingredients for 30 seconds and successfully combined them into a smooth dough.

I had hoped it might knead the mixture for a while, so after the initial dough programme, I went into the manual speeds and switched on the low speed setting. I let it run for one minute, but turned it off and completed the kneading by hand. It was starting to shake a bit as it kneaded the dough. Luckily the suction cups on the base keep it firmly rooted to the worktop, nevertheless, I didn’t want to damage it.

Homemade slaw is one of my summer staples and grating everything is much easier with a food processor. For my beetroot slaw, I grated a whole carrot by chopping it in half and placing the pieces side-by-side in the feed hole.

I used the shredding blade with the disc preset on the menu, and the carrot was grated in around 4 seconds. Similarly a whole peeled beetroot took around 3 seconds. Both times there was a small piece of ungrated vegetable left, but honestly it’s so fast I don’t care. And to avoid waste you can finely chop these ungrated pieces and add them in anyway.

The crinkle cut attachment is an unusual addition if you ask me, I’d rather have two different thickness slicing or grating blades, but I gave it a go nevertheless. This time I pushed half a cucumber through the feed hole. The crinkle cut slices were about 5mm in thickness and took just a few seconds.

The slicing disc is ideal for quickly prepping vegetables. It sliced up my carrot so fast I barely had a chance to press start and stop on my timer. The slices weren’t perfect, but rarely is there a circumstance when I want or need them to be 100% uniform. It was fast and easy, and that’s good enough for most slicing jobs. Though some perfectionists out there might disagree.

In contrast, the slices were very uniform when I sliced a whole kiwi. In seconds I had seven uniform 5mm thick slices of kiwi and just a few pieces of waste.

Homemade houmous is one of the things I regularly use my current food processor for, and I wanted to see how this one managed. After adding all of the ingredients, I decided to trust the SmoothSense smart programme to take care of the blitzing.

Including the sensing part of the blend, my houmous was blended to a smooth paste in 70 seconds, I was very pleased with the result. After tasting it, I added in some extra salt and spices, then used the handy pulse button to mix the seasoning in without over blending the mixture.

When tomatoes and a pepper needed roughly chopping for a recipe I used the main blade with the Chop preset. It's a speedy 12 second pulsing programme that resulted in slightly uneven pieces, but it’s okay for a rough chop for things like soup and sauces, and definitely saved me time. If you’re hoping for evenly diced vegetables though, you’ll be disappointed.

Blending jug

There’s only a couple of recipes included in the booklets that come in the box. One of them is for a chunky salsa that you make in the blender, so I gave it a try. It’s as simple as adding all the ingredients to the jug and selecting the PrepIQ Mince preset.

It’s a very speedy 11 second programme that pulses the ingredients. At the end though, I could spot a large chunk of green chilli pepper that still needed to be processed. So without even scraping down the sides, I set it going on the mince programme for a second time.

The second go did the trick and created an excellent salsa. It probably wasn’t as chunky as the recipe intended but it wasn’t pureed and all the little chunks were exactly the same size, making it look very professionally made. It tasted great too.

There isn’t a dedicated ice crush preset, so I chose the variable speeds for this job. I emptied a whole ice cube tray into the jug and started it on speed 2, which is one of the slower of the ten speeds on offer.

Unsurprisingly, ice is no match for this six bladed blender and in just five seconds, the whole lot was pulverised into a snowy dust. I poured this into a glass and added milk and espresso for a homemade frappe style drink, and it worked as a great alternative to a slushie machine.

At the time of testing, we were experiencing a heatwave and standing in the kitchen making a hot soup couldn’t be lower on my list right now. A recipe I’d saved for gazpacho, on the other hand, had been calling to me.

Once the vegetables and all ingredients were in the blender, I turned on the SmoothSense auto blend programme. It blitzed the soup for 90 seconds, turning it into a completely smooth liquid that poured nicely from the spout in the lid.

On the menu there’s a preset called Large Chop that’s only an option when using the blender. I needed to chop an onion, so I peeled and quartered it before starting up the quick eight second pulsing programme.

The size of the chopped onion was smaller than I expected and there were a few rogue bigger chunks, but if you hate chopping onions, this eight second preset will absolutely save you a job. I might just stick to manually pulsing it next time, so I can control the size of the pieces.

What's it like to clean?

While I appreciate the fact that absolutely everything except the motor base is dishwasher safe. The guidance is that it should all be cleaned on the top rack, and I don’t know about your dishwasher, but I can’t fit a full size blender jug on the top rack of my dishwasher.

It’s not just the blender jug though, neither the food processor bowl, nor the tumbler cup fit on the upper rack of my dishwasher. Furthermore, I don’t love filling the dishwasher with loads of sharp blades. So while I did occasionally put some of the parts in the dishwasher, I mostly opted to wash everything by hand.

Blender and food processor parts are always fiddly to wash, and these are no more or less fiddly and dangerous than other sharp bladed appliances. But as long as you’re careful, it’s not too much of a drama. I recommend a long handled brush as the best way to clean anything sharp, whilst keeping your fingers out of harm's way.

How does it compare to competitors?

An obvious comparison is the predecessor model, the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto IQ. Choosing this lower tech option will save you £40, but it’s only worth it if you don’t mind having fewer blending speeds and a more limited menu of automatic programmes.

The other alternative is that if you don’t want the food processor capabilities, you can buy the exact same appliance as a standalone blender for £154.99.

Should you buy the Ninja CrushBoss System?

In my opinion this is a great value system that performs well and offers plenty of functionality. It is a lot to store, but in comparison to having three separate appliances, it’s a really great space saving solution. So, the key thing to think about is whether you really do want or need all three appliances in one bundle.

In testing, I was impressed with the performance across the board. If I’m nitpicking, the only thing I could really fault it on, was that it didn’t always chop things into even sized pieces. And it’s a stretch to say that everything is dishwasher safe, when it’s unlikely to fit on the top rack of most people's dishwashers. But, if you can get over these small hurdles, it’s a great all-rounder.

Retro is back in a big way in 2026, and our kitchens are proving to be the best place to try out the trend. Whether it's through 70s-inspired colour palettes or 90s-style floral tiles, there are so many ways to add retro appeal. But small appliances are the simplest way to add a quick vintage-inspired look.

This Dunelm kettle is the perfect example of how to get a retro kitchen scheme without overhauling the design, and without spending a fortune. For just £25, you can update the small appliance that sits on your worktop and gets used every single day - it's a small price to pay.

It also looks just like the Smeg kettle which is a favourite on the Ideal Home team. While the Smeg kettle is ranked as one of our best kettles, it comes with a higher price tag.

The Smeg kettle is famous for the retro appearance which turns a sleek small appliance into something a little bit more traditional. If you have a classic kitchen scheme, then choosing ultra contemporary appliances can often look out of place.

While this Dunelm kettle has a chic stainless steel trim, the cream colour means that it looks undoubtably traditional, so it will blend into the background when left on show.

If you prefer a softer, more classic kitchen look, then making sure the smaller details, like a kettle, align will make a huge difference to the overall space.

'I wrote last week about how retro small kitchen appliances will never go out of style. If that timeless look is something you want to achieve on a budget, then I can't think of a better pick than this Dunelm one. It's also got handy features including quick boiling and an external capacity gauge – two things that never go amiss when making a cuppa!', says Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, Molly Cleary.

Many kettles in this price range are lacking when it comes to style. For £25, this retro kettle is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to kit out their kitchen with timeless pieces.

Alternatives

As we head into autumn, now is the perfect time to upgrade your kettle ready for plenty of cups of tea. While you're planning for the new season, these kitchen trends with staying power for 2027 might provide further inspiration.

Timelessness versus trends is the eternal debate of those who love poring over interiors. But one area in which retro designs always win out is with small kitchen appliances. With an aesthetic borrowed from the 50s and 60s, essentially all of the best toasters and kettles on the market have rounded, pastel silhouettes that are picture perfect for kitchen counters.

Smeg is synonymous with the retro kitchen look. As well as their standard small appliances, they have an incredibly capable range of bean-to-cup coffee machines available in a gorgeous range of colours that no other brand comes close to. Here at Ideal Home we've reviewed a huge number of Smeg coffee machines. The EGF03 Espresso Machine is our top-rated choice after our review and by far the prettiest option, too.

If you're undertaking a September reset in your kitchen then these retro-style appliances might be just the ticket to give your worktops a new lease of life. I've collected a range of options in every pastel shade available.

Though the best-known brand names are pricey, getting the retro look doesn't need to break your bank. With ranges emerging from names like Dunelm and Next, you can pick up a full set for your kitchen for far less than you might imagine.

If you want to nail timelessness with your kitchen appliances, there's no better bet than the vintage look.

If there’s one underrated kitchen appliance that definitely deserves a spot in your kitchen, it is undoubtedly a humble rice cooker. And if you’re yet to get your hands on one of these much-loved appliances, the Aldi rice cooker Specialbuy is coming back to stores this week, and it’s only £9.99.

Landing in stores on Thursday (20 August), Aldi’s rice cooker has arrived back in stock right on time for freshers heading off to university. But I think this star buy deserves a place in every kitchen - especially if you struggle to nail perfect, fluffy rice every time.

At just £9.99, this incredibly affordable kitchen gadget is not to be missed. Here’s why we at Ideal Home rate it so highly as a kitchen essential.

The best rice cookers deserve a place in every kitchen simply because they produce perfect rice every time, take up minimal counter space and make batch cooking and meal prep easier.

It’s a kitchen gadget that our Kitchen Appliances Editor, Molly Cleary, recommends, as well as being the Christmas gift Nigella Lawson swears by - and if anyone I know is reading this, I’d like a rice cooker for Christmas, please.

'I never saw the use in a standalone rice cooker before I tried one, but now I wouldn't be without mine. I used to have Lakeland's £50 version, which also has a porridge setting, but I just swapped it out for Joseph Joseph's microwave version as it saves so much space and doesn't require another plug socket to be taken out. It takes 10 minutes to whizz up perfect rice every time, and it's only £25! I use mine every single week for meal prep,’ said Molly.

At just £9.99, Aldi’s is one of the most affordable plug-in rice cookers that I’ve seen. It’s small, as to be expected with the price, making two cups of rice at a time. Because of this, it’s an ideal choice for couples and those of us living alone.

The cooker itself is available in three colourways - black, warm grey or sage green - and includes a measuring cup and spatula. It has a three-year warranty, too, so you can expect to get a good amount of use out of it. I’ve seen this rice cooker doing the rounds on social media every time it comes back into stock ( so you can expect it to be popular), with many users stating it takes about 20 minutes to cook rice.

While I haven’t tried the Aldi rice cooker, I use Salter’s 3-tier 7.5L food steamer, which also cooks rice in 20 minutes, as well as steaming veg and fish at the same time. If Aldi hasn't caught your fancy, I highly recommend this steamer.

Alternatively, here are a few more rice cookers we recommend that you can shop online.

If you're after perfect rice every time, a rice cooker is the way forward.

At the time of writing we seem to be living through endless rolling heatwaves, and cold drinks have become the norm, so-much-so that I can’t remember what it’s like to have a cup of tea after 10am!

So it's no surprise that at-home slushie machines and ice cream makers seem to be more popular than ever. And I’m very excited to try out this newly launched ProBreeze EasyFreezy, a clever multifunctional appliance that can make slushies as well as soft serve ice cream.

Its design looks a little different to other slushie machines I’ve tried, but I got my hands on one right before the launch date, so was able to try it early to see what this lesser known kitchen appliance brand had to offer.

In a nutshell

The ProBreeze EasyFreezy Ice Cream, Slushies & Frozen Drinks Maker will set you back £179.99 via ProBreeze's website (where the code IDEAL10 can also get you 10% off). It's a hybrid appliance that can make both soft serve ice cream, and frozen slushie drinks. And while £169.99 is hardly a small sum of money, as slushie machines go, its price tag is incredibly reasonable. The Dualit Ice Cream Maker (which similarly operates without pre-freeze) will set you back £349.99 by comparison.

It offers six different frozen drink programmes as well as a soft serve programme and a clean mode. Each programme has five adjustable thickness levels so you can personalise your drinks and ice cream to your preferred thickness.

I used almost every option on this machine during a week of testing it for this review, and can confirm that every drink was delicious. It can be a bit slow to create some of the slushies, but the soft serve was ready in around 30 minutes and was exactly as soft and tasty as I hoped it would be.

The downsides are that the capacity is really only large enough for 2-3 servings of slushies. And the dispenser is simply a sliding door that opens a hole in the base of the main tub. So dispensing can be a bit messy, not to mention a bit awkward when trying to fill an ice cream cone.

Who tested the ProBreeze EasyFreezy?

Unboxing

I was frustrated to come across polystyrene in the box when I unpacked it. I do wish the brand was able to use cardboard inserts instead, as these would be easily recyclable.

I was relieved though, that it doesn’t come with too many removable parts to get your head around. Although, I did find the manual to be vague in places, so it took me a while to get to grips with how to fully disassemble the tub for the first clean. Nevertheless, once you’ve done it once, it soon makes sense.

At 5ft 3, I quickly noticed that for me to properly see the control panel on the top of the machine, I found myself standing on tip-toes. Definitely something to think about if you’re shorter than me.

There are seven pre-programmed settings on the menu, plus a clean function. Essentially six of the settings are for various different slushie drinks, and the remaining one is for soft serve ice cream.

Plus and minus buttons allow you to adjust the slushie thickness to your liking, so over time, you would probably come to learn your preferred setting for each of your favourite recipes. There are five levels to choose from and the different modes each have a predetermined thickness level as a starting point.

As far as recipes to get you started, there’s a card included in the box with recipes for vanilla ice cream, as well as a cola slushie and a fruit juice slushie. A QR code takes you to further recipes, though at the time of writing the appliance hadn’t launched and the recipes weren’t live on the website, so I used a lot of my own recipes during testing.

For ice cream, both the minimum and maximum fill amount listed is 600ml, whereas for slushies you can fill it with a minimum of 600ml or a maximum of 800ml. You also need to make sure that all recipes have at least 6% sugar.

For alcohol based slushies, the alcohol amount must be between 6-16% for it to freeze correctly. The machine will detect and display error codes if there’s either too much alcohol, or too little sugar in the liquid.

The machine beeps and displays COL when the drink or ice cream is ready. Don’t ask me what COL stands for, cold maybe? I couldn’t find any info on how long you can leave it running with slushies inside. But the manual states that for best results you should serve once the desired texture is reached. And I’m guessing that the small capacity means most people would dispense their drinks pretty much straight away.

There’s a sliding handle that opens a hole in the bottom of the tub to allow drinks and ice creams to dispense out of the base. There’s a clearance of about 15cm between the outlet and the drip tray. I’m intrigued to see if this is enough space to easily fill a cone with soft serve ice cream.

What's it like to use?

Slushie

First up I tried the Slushie function, the recipe card suggested adding cola, but I went with a ginger ale instead. Two cans of most fizzy drinks is enough to hit the minimum marker, though you do have to check that the sugar content reaches the 6% requirement, or you’ll need to add sugar.

I selected the slushie mode and pressed start. The paddle moved around slowly to begin with and then it took me by surprise when it sped up significantly. At 63dB it isn’t a loud appliance, but at times, the sound of the paddle turning is quite high pitched and I did find it grating. To be fair though, as the drink started to freeze, it dulled to a less high pitched, background hum.

The display on the top shows the current temperature, but you can only see the consistency of the mixture through a small window to the right of the handle.

The machine beeps when the drink is ready. It took 33 minutes to turn my ginger ale into a tasty slushie, which did feel like quite a long time just to create two servings. The texture was good though, cold enough to stay frozen in the glass for quite a while, but still easy to suck through a straw. Plus, it dispensed smoothly out of the opening in the base of the tub.

Milkshake

I made up my own chocolate milkshake recipe using cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and cream. Luckily a table in the instruction manual told me that for a 700ml mixture I would need 42g of sugar, so I didn’t have to do any maths to work out the correct sugar percentage.

The tips on the recipe card suggest that the frappe and milkshake functions require sugar and/ or cream to be used in the recipe. I opted to include both in this mixture for a truly indulgent milkshake.

Five minutes into the milkshake programme, I decided I probably should have added a small splash of vanilla. Luckily, the fill inlet just above the handle is designed for adding ingredients during use.

It was a bit tough to get open the first time I tried, but does become easier over time. And I love that there’s an easy option for adding in an extra ingredient without stopping the programme.

The milkshake took 40 minutes, which again, for just two portions, felt like a long wait. At the end, when I tried to dispense the drink, it was too thick and nothing came out. So I had to remove the tub and spoon it into the glasses.

The texture was a bit too thick and next time I would adjust the level to make it slightly thinner, which presumably would also speed up the freezing time. It was a delicious chocolate thickshake nevertheless, despite the annoyance of having to spoon it into the glasses.

Fruit Slushie

For this setting I simply added pink grapefruit juice up to the max line and pressed start. It took 33 minutes, and the slushies were the perfect texture. They dispensed easily into the glasses. But even though I’d filled it up to the max line, there was still only enough for two.

I’m starting to notice that in some scenarios the dispenser can be a bit messy. As you slide it open and closed, you can end up with some slushie spilled down the side of your glass.

Frappe

For a couple of coffee frappes I added two large double shots of espresso to milk, sugar, and a splash of double cream. It took 44 minutes, which was longer than I expected, though that’s partly my fault for not cooling the espresso for very long, meaning the whole mix would have been slightly warmed by the coffee.

Despite the wait though, the 600ml mixture made two perfect frappes that were just what was needed on a scorching Sunday morning. If I’d increased the mixture to the maximum 800ml, there might have been enough for three servings, but in reality, this isn’t a slushie machine for when you have guests. There simply isn’t the capacity.

Soft serve

The recipe card that comes in the box includes a recipe for vanilla soft serve, which feels like the best place to start. It’s just milk, single cream, vanilla, and sugar syrup (I used maple syrup for added flavour).

The 600ml mixture is the maximum you can make in this machine and it took 33 minutes to churn. I dispensed the soft serve into cones. There’s only just enough space to fill a cone under the dispensing hole, it’s a tad awkward but you can make it work.

The mixture was enough to fill four cones as well as a couple of ramekins, so unlike the slushie capacity, it produces enough for at least six people. Both the texture and flavour of the soft serve was on point and very enjoyable.

Margarita

I’m not sure if it was the alcohol or sugar content that was maybe slightly off, but when I used the margarita programme, it took ages. In fact, I got bored of waiting and dispensed the margaritas after 55 minutes.

The frozen margaritas had the perfect texture, so I don’t know why it didn’t sense this and signal that the drinks were ready. That said, for frozen margaritas at home, this machine can definitely deliver - as long as you’re not planning a large gathering.

What's it like to clean?

The parts aren’t dishwasher safe, but washing everything by hand after most slushies didn’t bother me too much. Filling it with water and using the clean programme was helpful in removing some residues. It was much less effective on the milk and cream based mixes though.

On the whole it disassembles easily and is fairly quick to clean. But for dairy based drinks and ice cream, it does need a thorough wash in hot soapy water and a bit more attention to detail to avoid any nasty smells developing.

It’s worth pointing out that after those more troublesome milky mixtures, I had to pay close attention to the bits of the machine that can’t be removed and washed in the sink, especially the lowest section of the cooling cylinder. There’s a small rotating cog that can remain caked in milky residue if you’re not careful. This section is really fiddly to clean and I did start to find it a bit tiresome.

How does it compare to similar products?

The Cuisinart Frost Fusion is probably one of the most direct comparisons in terms of its ability to create both soft serve and slushies. It's much faster to freeze mixtures, and the tilting handle is far more intuitive to use when dispensing soft serve and slushies. However, at almost £300 it's a significant step up in price.

If soft serve is the thing you want most, then the Ninja Creami Scoop & Swirl is more of a dedicated ice cream maker that can make standard as well as soft serve ice cream, plus milkshakes. But this fancy ice cream maker is over double the price of the ProBreeze, and it can’t make slushies.

Should you buy the ProBreeze Soft Serve, Slushies & Frozen Drinks Maker?

It comes down to the size of your household and what you want from it. The 2-3 slushie serving size won’t work in larger households. However, slushies, milkshakes, and frappes are all very high in sugar, so there are plenty of scenarios where you might welcome the small capacity. In my two person household it definitely stopped us from over-indulging.

The soft serve was perfect, and with enough for six people, it’ll definitely deliver when you have a house full of kids, or even to impress the adults. I found some elements annoying, like getting it thoroughly clean after milky mixtures, and the clunky dispensing hole, plus it can be a bit slow. But in the grand scheme of things, these are all forgivable when you take into account the cost savings compared to other slushie and soft serve machines.

When I packed up and headed to university back in September 2019, the one thing my mum gave me was a Crockpot Slowcooker (£31, Argos). And now, four years later, it’s the one kitchen appliance I can’t live without.

If you have a loved one heading to university this autumn, I’d argue that one of the best slow cookers is possibly the best thing to send them off with - it definitely was for me. Slow cookers are cheap to run, make meal prep a breeze, and don’t take up as much worktop space as one of the best air fryers.

I’m always waxing lyrical about my slow cooker and how much I love using it. I genuinely whip it out every week, and now it’s the kitchen appliance I’d recommend to anyone moving out for the first time.

Until I was given a slow cooker, I didn’t really see their merit, to be honest. If I’m being really honest, coming home from school to see the slow cooker was on the side was fairly disappointing. It wasn’t until I started using my own that I realised you could make a lot more than stew.

My mum firmly told me she swore by hers, and after school stew aside, I took her advice. I’ve never looked back either. As an 18-year-old essentially let loose in London for the next three years, I had better things to do than spend my evenings slaving away behind an oven, and I really didn’t have the budget to rely on takeaways.

Here, my slow cooker maths came into play. Before heading into lectures in the morning, I could simply dump my ingredients into the cooker, set it to low, and when I arrived home I’d have a hot meal waiting for me (and leftovers to feed me over the rest of the week).

At home I’d cooked for my family, but now cooking for just myself, I found it frustrating and expensive buying ingredients only to not be able to use them all up before they went out of date. But being able to quickly batch cook in my slow cooker meant I could use all my ingredients up and leftovers could be deposited in the freezer or fridge. Now, I practically worship slow cooker dump bags, which make prep even easier, and swear by the OXO GoodGrips Silicone Bags (£20, Amazon) to do so.

Slow cookers are also really cheap to run. In fact, it’s probably your cheapest kitchen appliance, making it very student-friendly. Plus, my experience of slow cookers is that they can deepen the flavour of the dish you’re cooking. I’ve learned this the hard way by adding slightly too much spice to curries and consequently blowing my own head off.

Throughout university, I used my slow cooker to make a range of dishes from bolognese, curries and casseroles to mulled wine at Christmas and joints of pulled pork for dinner parties and BBQs during the summer.

Now aged 25, I still use the same Crockpot on a weekly basis. It is genuinely my favourite kitchen appliance. And while I keep thinking I need to upgrade my slow cooker (I’ve been looking at the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 8L Possible Cooker, was £150, now £120 at Argos), I can’t quite bring myself to part with my trusty Crockpot.

My mum was absolutely right in gifting me a slow cooker over any other kitchen appliance or utensil when I headed off to uni seven years ago. I now recommend the same appliance to all my friends and extend the same recommendation to any freshers this year.

I've been reviewing air fryers here at Ideal Home since 2022 – a dream job for someone who loves cooking all sorts of things but is very much partial to an oven chip.

It's hard to think of a cooking appliance that's had an impact as big in our kitchens in the last decade as the air fryer. Time-saving, more convenient to use than an oven, and guaranteed to give you a crispier end result, they've become a staple of homes up and down the UK.

And seeing as I get pretty much all of my home advice and vision from my esteemed colleagues at Ideal Home, I thought it was high time I took a peek at how they're using and storing their air fryers, too, for a healthy dose of inspiration. Here's how they've integrated these 'ugly' but super useful appliances into their homes.

Heather Young - Editor-in-Chief

I draw endless inspiration from our Editor-in-Chief Heather's home, especially her gorgeous kitchen which is packed full of hidden features to make everyday life easier. One of those clever hacks is how she uses her air fryer to maximise use and minimise worktop scratches.

Heather swears by the Instant Pot Duo Crisp (£229.99 via Amazon), which is a multi-cooker, arguably a better space saver than a standard air fryer. With 12 different functions in total it means she can save space over investing in many different appliances. It's a slow cooker, steamer, air fryer, pressure cooker and more in one but its footprint is relatively small.

But that's not all. To make using her multi-cooker even more convenient, Heather also added castor wheels to the bottom of the pot which allow her to move it across her worktop.

That means cleaning around it or taking it out of a storage spot instantly becomes easier, especially if you're tucking it into a pantry like Heather . If you have a hidden mini kitchen appliance garage, this under £10 hack could be a game changer for you.

Rebecca Knight - Editor, Digital

After buying her Victorian flat conversion last year, our Editor has been sharing her home improvement progress including her living room makeover and outdoor hosting upgrades. But one thing that has stayed the same is her air fryer.

'I have the Ninja Dual Zone,' says Becky. 'I know everyone says it's meant to be ugly, but I find its boxy shape and black matte finish just disappear into the background on my kitchen worktop.'

I think this Ninja air fryer remains the most popular pick in the UK despite being released years ago. And when I recently retested it to see if it still holds up against newer releases, I found that it was still as supremely powerful as I remembered.

Becky has adopted Heather's castor wheels hack too, so that she can 'push it right to the back of the counter out of the way when not in use' in her kitchen.

Holly Cockburn - Content Editor, Kitchens and Bathrooms

As my fellow Kitchens Editor who knows exactly which trends to follow, Holly is much less of an appliance or gadget fan than I am – favouring a clear worktop over anything else. Our usual dynamic is that I'll recommend something to Holly for a few years (in this case, an air fryer) and she'll take up the advice when there's one that actually looks good.

Enter: the Wonder Oven (£195 at Our Place). This was the one that finally persuaded her over to the air frying side, and it's little surprise with its pastel colour way and tiny footprint.

When I reviewed this air fryer I called it the prettiest option on the market and I think it still is even two years later. It's also a fabulous choice for anyone who prefers a screen-free appliance – this air fryer is wholly controlled by the three dials on the front.

Molly Cleary – Kitchen Appliances Editor

I've tested many air fryers over the years but the one that suits my small kitchen best is the Ninja DoubleStack in white (£269.99 from Currys). It has similar levels of power to Ninja's dual-drawer models but is much kinder on worktop space which is always at a premium with all of the cooking gadgets I'm usually testing.

The colour range of Ninja's air fryers makes them very appealing to me, alongside the sheer power. The control panel is also the easiest I've found out there.

If you like the idea of a stacked air fryer for space but you're on a tight budget then Salter's £99 alternative went down a treat with our reviewer Annie when she tried it.

The range of air fryers within the Ideal Home team just shows how picking the right appliance for your kitchen is a very personal thing. What are your must-have features or hacks when picking out an air fryer?

The Ninja SLUSHi Twist is the newest all-singing-all-dancing best slushie machine machine from the brand. There are now four Slushi machines to choose from, including the original, so there really is something for everyone.

This latest model is unique in its ability to create two different drinks at once. And even more impressive is the simultaneous dispensing that allows you to create dual colour drinks that have the wow factor.

So whether you’re throwing a celebration BBQ with boozy frozen cocktails, or you want fun colourful drinks for a kids party, this is the kitchen appliance to elevate your gatherings. But is it really worth investing over £400 on a frozen drinks maker? Well, I tried it in my own home to find out.

In a nutshell

The Ninja SLUSHi Twist is the latest innovation from the juggernaut home appliance brand that is Ninja. At £420 it’s a huge investment for something that’s only going to be used on occasion. But, if yours is the house that everyone gathers at over the summer, the investment could well stack up. It’ll provide hours of fun, tasty drinks for all the family, and get everyone talking about your hosting skills.

Each vessel can hold up to 1.42 litres of liquid. You can slush anything from milkshakes, to cola, fruit juice to cocktails. And you can create two completely independent slushies, or two complementary slushies that are designed to be combined.

I really enjoyed combining drinks, using the rotating drip tray to create a twisted drink effect is actually quite addictive. And I was impressed that the machine uses sensor technology to slush drinks to the correct texture.

The downsides are that cleaning, particularly after milky drinks, is very laborious. And the required sugar levels in the slushie mixes, makes it easy to consume a lot of sugar when using this machine. Though, the manual does offer directions for using a sweetener instead, if you prefer.

Who tested this Slushi machine?

Unboxing and first impressions

It has to be said that when the box arrived on my doorstep, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so hefty. I opted to unpack it close to the front door for ease. And thankfully the packaging is all recyclable paper and cardboard.

The SLUSHi Twist comes out of the box fully assembled, but since most parts need washing before use, you have to disassemble it anyway. Washing and drying all of the parts is a faff, but it does help you to get to know the machine and understand how it goes together.

There are two drip trays, the one that spins so you can create twisted drinks, and this is used in conjunction with the slanted spouts. Or, for those times when you wouldn’t combine the two drinks, the straight spouts and the standard drip tray come into play.

The drip tray you’re not using can be stored on the side of the machine, but there's not an integrated storage solution for the spare spouts.

I was a bit overwhelmed by all the parts at first. But once I’d washed and dried them all and had a good read of the manuals, I felt better placed to use and understand this machine. There’s a basic user manual, a quick start guide, and a QR code that takes you to various videos and recipe information. This was all super helpful since I’m new to at-home slushie machines.

My main takeaway upon unboxing and setting up the SLUSHi Twist is that it’s big, bulky, and heavy. So I’d advise taking note of the weight and measurement stats when considering whether to buy. Because even if you don’t intend to have it permanently on the worktop, you’ll need to consider storage space as well as the ease of moving this big beast around.

The other thing worth noting is that the working capacity of each vessel is just 1.42 litres, which isn’t huge. In fact, when compared to the other Ninja SLUSHi models with single vessels, they all have a larger capacity, ranging from 1.9 - 3.31 litres. Although crucially, you can only make one flavour drink at a time in the other models.

Unlike Ninja’s other SLUSHi machines, the SLUSHi Twist doesn’t offer different programs for different types of drink. Instead, it relies on smart sensor programs to figure out the right setting for you, so you really don’t have to do any thinking. Helpfully though, you can use the snowflake buttons to adjust the texture if desired.

As someone who is new to making slushies at home, I wasn’t previously aware that sugar content is an important factor in creating a slushie. As indeed is alcohol if you’re creating alcoholic drinks. Drinks need to contain at least 5g sugar per 100ml and not more than 20% alcohol.

Thankfully, if you’ve got your drink proportions wrong, the clever inbuilt sensors will alert you to add water or add sugar to correct the balance. But a big takeaway for me was that drinks are often quite sugary, which is something to watch if you use it a lot.

To counter the potential sugar problem, the manual offers advice on using a natural low calorie sweetener called erythritol instead, but after googling it and reading about some potential negative side effects, I wasn’t keen.

What is it like to use?

Fruit juice slushies

For my first try, I didn’t want to overcomplicate the drinks, so I chose fruit juices. On one side I added a litre of smooth orange juice, and on the other side I opted for a litre of cranberry and raspberry. This meant I would be able to have a go at making a twisted drink with contrasting colours, but there wouldn’t be as much to lose as there would be if I'd started with a more expensive boozy drink and got it wrong.

I pressed the Dual Slush Assist button to start it up. It then spent about five minutes sensing the drinks to figure out the optimal texture and temperature, which incidentally was different for each side.

It's not as noisy as I thought it might be, registering just 58dB on my noise meter. Make no mistake though, if you plan to leave it on all day, it’ll be a relief for your ears when you switch off the constant drone at the end of the day.

The cranberry side beeped first to signal that it was ready, after just 18 minutes. The orange side wasn’t far behind, taking around 20 minutes. Impressively speedy if you ask me.

The excitement of experimenting with the two colours and creating different styles got the better of me, and I dispensed the whole lot in under 10 minutes of sheer joy!

Making the perfectly twisted drink, like you see in all the promotional images, will take some practice and I didn’t immediately nail it. The act of pulling the dispensing levers down with one hand, whilst also spinning the disc beneath the glass, is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at first.

I had better success creating a layered drink and also a straight side-by-side drink. It was great fun making all these different creations. Though I should say that while they looked beautiful at first, it only took a few minutes for the two colours to start bleeding into each other and the effect is quickly lost.

I’d highly recommend having a practice go like this when you first get hold of it. I poured all the fruit juice slushies into a jug afterwards and put it in the fridge. This way, I got to experiment without any wastage.

Milk based slushies

I’m a big frappe fan, so when considering milk based slushies, a coffee option was a no brainer. I used Ninja’s coffee frappe recipe. In the second side I made up Ninja’s vanilla milkshake recipe. For both recipes I went with the 4-6 serving option, though I did have to slightly tweak the frappe one to make it the right volume for this particular machine's capacity.

I used the Dual Slush Assist button again and the vanilla milkshake was ready in 20 minutes. The coffee frappe was almost at the max capacity, plus it wasn’t quite as cold as the milkshake mix, nevertheless it was still slushed in 30 minutes.

The coffee frappe was addictive and could easily become a weekend favourite. The vanilla milkshake was almost like one you’d enjoy from a big fast food chain - also very addictive.

What’s more, we had great fun combining the two. But my gosh, these are high sugar recipes and before I knew it, I’d easily consumed more than double the recommended sugar intake for an adult, just in a couple of drinks.

There’s no denying that the drinks were incredibly delicious and I enjoyed them immensely, but I would definitely need to purchase some smaller glasses to force myself into more sensible portion sizes in future.

Alcohol slushies

I couldn’t review this slushie machine without making a frozen margarita. I went in search of a classic recipe though, as I didn’t fancy the mango or strawberry versions in the Ninja recipe book. The one I landed on included tequila, cointreau, simple syrup, lime juice, and sparkling water.

In the second side, for the non drinkers, I put a bottle of sparkling non alcoholic rosé, to make a frozen rosé style drink. That’s one thing about this machine that’s really great, it gives you the option to create drinks that include everyone, so nobody is left out of the fun.

I hit the dual slush assist button again and let the machine figure things out. The frozen rosé was ready first, after just 17 minutes. The margarita took a bit longer, which wasn’t surprising since the bottle of rosé was just 750ml, while the margarita mix was around 1200ml. That said, it still only took 24 minutes.

I left it running for around seven hours on a hot Saturday afternoon and I definitely noticed plenty of condensation on the outside of the vessels, but like I said, it’s thoughtfully designed, so the condensation catcher trays did a great job of collecting all the moisture and my worktop stayed dry.

Of course, both drinks were tasty and enjoyable, real frozen margaritas at home felt so luxurious and I can’t wait to serve them at more gatherings. I did have to adjust the texture a couple of times using the snowflake buttons. It takes a few minutes to get the drink to your desired texture, but it’s worth a short wait for the perfect cocktail.

What's it like to clean?

There’s no getting away from it, cleaning is one of the biggest drawbacks of this appliance. Thank goodness for the rinse cycle. You can add warm water and use the rinse cycle to get rid of most of the drink residues. Then all of the dishwasher-safe parts will need to be popped through a cycle.

The two big vessels are bulky to wash by hand, the two augers are fiddly, and then there’s the drip tray, condensation catcher trays, and spouts, so it feels like a lot of washing up. None of the parts can go in the dishwasher.

After using milk based recipes, you have to be extra thorough to make sure it doesn’t end up with milky residues anywhere. And I found myself double washing some parts to get rid of the greasiness from cream that was in the recipes. The biggest saving grace is that in general this isn’t an appliance you’ll use daily, which takes the sting out of the clean-up effort.

How does it compare to other models?

The original Ninja SLUSHi (£299.99 via SharkNinja) was a hit with our Kitchen Appliances Editor and will definitely fit the bill if you’re likely to make one flavour slushie at a time. What's more, despite being the smallest on offer from the brand, its 1.9 litre max fill capacity is still bigger than the 1.42 litres you can put in each side of the SLUSHi Twist. And at £299.99 it's over £100 cheaper than the SLUSHi Twist.

Alternatively, if you just like the idea of a single serve frappe from time to time, you could opt for something like the Dualit Ice Cream Maker. Not only does it allow you to create delicious ice cream, but the slushie setting does the job for occasional frozen drink too.

Should you buy the Ninja SLUSHi Twist?

Much is made of its ability to creatively dispense two different drinks into the same glass, but I think the biggest and most useful feature is simply that you can slush two separate drink recipes simultaneously. For example, being able to make an alcoholic slushie alongside a non-alcoholic one is a great way to include everyone in the fun at a party.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of fun to be had mixing slushies together and creating cool looking dual colour drinks. The downside is that it’s an expensive, bulky appliance so it’s worth considering whether one of the other Ninja SLUSHi models would meet your needs.

That being said, if you want more fun, more drinks options, and to add extra pazazz to your next gathering, the SLUSHi Twist is a premium slushie machine with all the functionality and wow factor you could hope for!

Sorry traditional air fryers, glass air fryers are taking the culinary world by storm due to their space-saving and meal prepping capabilities - and Lidl is about to launch the most affordable I’ve seen yet.

In 2026, the best air fryers have a spot in every kitchen, yet most are quite bulky. But the increase in popularity of glass air fryers over the past year shows that these game-changing appliances can work in the tiniest of kitchens.

Landing in stores on Sunday 2 August, Lidl’s Glass Air Fryer is a deadringer for the Ninja Crispi (was £149.99, now £115 at Shark Ninja), and at only £49.99, It’s one of the most affordable Ninja Crispi alternatives I’ve spotted.

Having reviewed the Ninja Crispi, Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor Molly Cleary declared she’d only use the glass air fryer from then on. Its easy-to-clean glass containers were found to be excellent for making lunches and meal prep, while its compact size meant it was easy to stash away after use, too - no bulky appliance taking up precious worktop space here. Not to mention it produces unbelievably delicious and crispy results.

The convenience of glass air fryers has seen them soar in popularity, and now it’s Lidl’s turn to deliver an affordable version. If you have Lidl Plus, the Glass Fryer is £49.99, and it is £59.99 without the app discount.

It boasts a transparent glass cooking basket, allowing you to keep an eye on how your food is cooking without opening the drawer (one of the main benefits of glass air fryers over standard ones), and it promises to deliver healthy, crispy results with ease. Lidl also states the machine is easy to clean, which is a bonus. For squeaky clean air fryers, I do recommend the Astonish Air Fryer Cleaner(£2.50, Dunelm) as it is great for cutting through grease.

Lidl’s Silvercrest Glass Air Fryer has four preset programs: air fry, roast, re-fry, and keep warm. Its small glass container is ideal for one portion, while the supermarket says its large container is big enough to roast a whole chicken.

‘I was unsure of the concept of glass air fryers at first, but after testing the Ninja Crispi I was totally won over. I can't imagine a better air fryer design for a student house or a small kitchen in order to feed one or two people,' comments Molly. 'If you're on a tight budget, then this version from Lidl might be worth a try. The glass surface is much easier to clean than a usual air fryer tray and will be so easy to pop into a deep drawer too.'

Glass air fryers are a great choice for people who have small kitchens, students and anyone else who doesn’t want to give up worktop space for bulky appliances. They offer a great vantage point, where you can see how your food is cooking. The detachable glass dishes make meal prep incredibly easy, and the glass is far easier to clean than other air fryers.

Lidl’s glass air fryer will only be available in-store. So, in the case of stock issues or it selling out fast, I’ve rounded up a few more affordable alternatives to shop online.

You can always count on Lidl to deliver an affordable alternative to our favourite appliances. Will you try it?

Ninja has a new multi-cooker to feast your eyes on and I think it's the most capable offering I've seen from the bestselling brand yet.

The Ninja HyperHeat, which is currently down to £149.99 from £169.99, has an impressive 9 functions to get stuck into combined into one sleek appliance.

The setting I'm most excited about is rice cooking – which is something I absolutely loved when I tested what I think is the best multi-cooker on the market, the Ninja Foodi Possible. As well as that, the HyperHeat also has a pressure cooker setting, meaning that it can save you a huge amount of time on meal prep. Here's what else it can do!

The HyperHeat is so called because it has the ability to lock in high temperatures and pressure in order to speed up your cooking process. Its pressure cooking mode is one of its big selling points, alongside the other functions, which are steam, slow cook, sear/sauté, rice, pasta, simmer, keep warm & yoghurt.

If you've never used a pressure cooker before then the big thing to know is that it can seriously save you time in the kitchen. Ninja claims that with the HyperHeat you can cook up to 70% faster than with hob cooking – though you do have to reserve time for the pot to pre-heat. It locks in steam and heat to supercharge the cooking process so that stews or rice will be cooked in record time in your home.

The capacity of this cooker is tailor-made for families, too. It has six litres of space, meaning you can batch cook with it or use it for family dinners. The sear and sauté functions allow you to use the inner pot as a stand-in hob, too – perfect if you need an all-in-one appliance if your kitchen is currently out of action. That's exactly what our Senior Digital Editor, Jenny McFarlane did recently in her temporary kitchen whilst hers was being renovated.

I'm evangelical about the need for a rice cooker in every household – no matter the size – thanks to its ability to help you whip up quick meals with essentially no effort. The reviews from users so far on the HyperHeat, where it currently has a 4.6 star rating out of 5 from 29 people, are overwhelmingly impressed with the rice cooking functionality in particular.

Another benefit of this new Ninja cooker is the included stainless steel reversible rack. Reviewers have been putting this to good use in order to cook across two levels in one pot. You can steam grains in the bottom while your protein is cooked to perfection on top.

Though it might seem counterintuitive in this heat given they have a reputation for being used to make soups and stews, a multi-cooker is actually a great appliance for the hot months. With it, there's no sweating over your hob or lengthy prep times. Instead, you can throw everything into a cooker like this and quickly return to your finished meal, especially if you're using the pressure cooking setting on this appliance.

Whether you're already a multi-cooker convert or not, the HyperHeat certainly looks like an impressive new entry into the category for Ninja. Could you see yourself using this in your kitchen?

There are plenty of affordable ice cream makers hitting the shelves right now, including Aldi's Ambiano Ice Cream Machine for £69.99 and Lidl's Silvercrest version, the Premium Freezy, for the same price.

Though these ice cream machines are unbelievably cheap, as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I'd recommend spending a fraction more on an easier-to-store alternative that I've tested: Cuisinart's genius FreezeWand (£79.99 via Amazon).

As well as still being wallet-friendly, this is one of the best ice cream makers I've tested for a small kitchen and works like a charm for making sorbets, ice cream and a range of other frozen treats. Here's why I think it's the sweet-treat-buy to beat for most kitchens, including Aldi's budget Ninja Creami alternative.

The ice cream makers recently released by supermarkets with middle aisles we love to peruse are both modelled on Ninja's viral sensation and bestseller the Ninja Creami, which we reviewed way back in 2023. While the Ninja Creami's design has been a huge hit, it's an appliance that takes up a lot of space on a worktop. Even the most dedicated at-home ice cream enthusiast might struggle to give up the space it needs in a kitchen.

That's why I was so impressed by Cuisinart's FreezeWand design, which is perfect for compact spaces. It consists of a stick fitted with a blade that neatly fits into three 240ml pots to churn up your ice cream creation. These pots, which you use to pre-freeze your ingredients, also neatly stack together either in your freezer or in storage – another big benefit of this buy over bulkier alternatives.

When packed down, the FreezeWand measures up at just 30.5cm in height, which makes it supremely convenient for storing. Compare that to the Ninja Creami and lookalikes, which each need around 40cm of worktop clearance at all times (even to store) and there's a clear winner for cosier kitchens.

The functionality on Cuisinart's alternative is impressive too. It can churn up ice cream (and work in mix-in extras like chocolate chips) and sorbet as well as offering settings to make milkshakes and slushies.

The limiting factor to the original Cuisinart wand is the smaller size of the pots to freeze ingredients in. For a family of four, say, a 240ml pot of ice cream definitely isn't going to cut it for an after dinner treat.

If you're interested in mixing up bigger portions of ice cream regularly, that's where the brand's bigger FreezeWand XL comes in (available from Amazon for £99.99). It has the same clever foldaway design but with a larger capacity. Each of its pots can hold 470ml which is extremely similar to the capacity of the Creami pots.

In all of my tests of the Cuisinart FreezeWand I was really impressed with the resulting ice cream and sorbet it created and found the mix-in element worked well too.

If you do have the space, perhaps thanks to a dreamy appliance garage, to host an upright ice-cream maker, then these are the ones I'd recommend. Top marks go to the Ninja Swirl, in particular, which is probably the most fun I've ever had reviewing an appliance.

Which of these would fit best into your kitchen?

Ninja's newest Slushi machine has finally landed on UK shores, just in time for the rising temperatures that have us all longing for a cooling refreshment.

The Ninja Slushi Twist, which is available from today for £419.99 (via Ninja) takes the success of one of its bestselling launches of the past few years and doubles it, with twice the amount of drinks and flavours available to your guests this summer if you choose to buy it. And the best part of all? You can mix them with the help of the machine to make the half and half drink of your dreams!

Yep, this 'dual-vessel frozen drinks maker' gives you the chance to slush two different drinks, all in the same impressively narrow timeframe that I've been wowed by with the original Ninja Slushi during my trials of it. Here's all of the added functionality you get with this buy that offers twice the fun for your kitchen.

The biggest sell with the Ninja Slushi Twist is that you can cater to everyone that comes over to your house for a summer soiree. With the two separate mixing cylinders, you can provide alcoholic and non-alcoholic slushies side by side, as well as different types of drinks altogether. So if someone wants a frozen milkshake while you're sipping on a frosé, it's all possible.

I reckon the fact you can twist together two different flavours of Slush will be hugely popular too – something that was previously only possible if you were picking up a frozen drink at the cinema or the beach.

The combining process works thanks to one very clever feature: a spinning drip tray at the bottom of the machine. This creates that swirled-together effect that makes your two-flavour drink look so tasty. If you only want to dispense one drink at a time, then that's possible too, thanks to the split-handlebar at the very top of both vessels.

As with of all its appliances, Ninja has engineered a catchily-named program to help users get the best from this buy, which is called the Dual SlushAssist. This program will sense the ingredients in each vessel and then apply the settings that relate to whichever function you pick.

As someone who has hosted with the OG Slushi before, another marked improvement with the Twist is that it has an upped capacity. It can serve up 10x 260ml in one go, which is plenty enough for a crowd before you'll need to head inside to refill the machine.

So, if you're looking for a buy that will make hosting an absolute dream and help you cater to all tastes when it comes to drinks, the Slushi Twist might just be the thing you're looking for to cool off with this summer!

Alternative Ninja Slushis

IKEA's newest must-have kitchen buy, the TILLREDA multicooker (available now for £85) is just the thing you need to crack cooking perfectly fluffy rice at home.

With 14 presets, including slow cooker and baking modes, there is a huge amount of functionality packed into this compact little multicooker for its under £100 price tag. If you want to make your small kitchen more capable, you'll want to take a look at all of its functions. Here's what it can do.

The full list of functions is as follows: Manual mode, Keep warm, Slow cook, Rice, Fry/Sauté, Steam, Bake, Boil, Yoghurt, Soup, Stew, Porridge, Oatmeal, Bread rise.

So as well as the ability to use it as a 'chuck all of the ingredients in and set it off' cooker, you can also use the inner pot as a stand-in hob spot and sear ingredients from the high heat. This is something I found immensely useful when I tested Ninja's PossibleCooker with a rice mode – which is by far the most impressive multi-mode cooker I've tried.

If you love simple all-in-one meals, then the ability to saute protein before you add the rest of your ingredients can elevate a recipe by many multitudes. It's also great if you have limited hob access or if your hob (like mine) emits less heat than you might like it to.

I've found lots of people turn to a multicooker like this one when they're without a kitchen for some period of time - say, undergoing a renovation – because it's the closest appliance to having a little mini kitchen wrapped up in one.

As far as the size of this appliance is concerned, it's small stature will be hugely popular with those with more cramped kitchens. At just 21.5cm tall, including for the profile of its slimline lid, this can be placed under a countertop and in even the tightest of corners to add a whole new dimension to your kitchen. For context, the Ninja PossibleCooker that I am a huge fan of is quite a bit taller at 28cm in height and has a bigger capacity more fit for a family.

With the mini size of this IKEA version combined with its varied function set, I reckon it's perfect for 1 to 2 people most of time.

Another benefit of this mini cooker is that it comes with a steamer attachment that slots right into the main bowl so that you can get the most out of that steaming function.

The interface of the TILLREDA looks simple too. It features a small LED screen upon which you can dial through all of the different modes, set your timer and temperature of your cooking program.

This multicooker is brand new on IKEA's website, so there aren't any user reviews from the UK available yet to judge it on. I'm hoping we can get our hands on it to put it through our stringent testing process to see how it performs. But from a first look, it seems like an excellent buy if you're short on space but want to max out on cooking functionality.

If there’s one thing that all this hot weather calls for, it’s a delicious tub of homemade ice cream. And no, you don’t need the Ninja Creami (£169.99, Argos) to do this, as Aldi has just dropped a similar alternative for just £69.99.

Over the past few years, the best ice-creams have become the ‘it’ appliance of any kitchen, even overtaking air fryers in terms of viral popularity. But they can be expensive appliances – until now, at least.

Landing in stores on 16 July, the Aldi Premium Ice Cream Maker is dropping as part of the supermarket’s latest Modern Kitchen range. Here’s everything we know about this star buy so far.

Having been writing about Aldi for a few years now, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for Aldi to drop an ice-cream maker. Yes, there may have been an Aldi ice cream maker to hit the shelves before, but I’ve been on the lookout a slightly fancier gadget.

And my prayers have been answered, as their new premium ice cream maker is a dead ringer for the Ninja Creami.

More than £100 cheaper than the Ninja Creami Deluxe (£249.99, Ninja), the Aldi Premium Ice Cream Maker allows you to create delicious homemade ice cream, sorbet, milkshake and even frozen cocktails. It’s easy to operate with a self-cleaning function, has an adjustable blade and dishwasher-safe accessories, making clean-up an equally easy job.

There’s not much detail on how the machine operates, however it does look as though it will be easy to use via a simple dial, and we predict that, like the Creami, you’ll need to freeze your ice-cream mixture first. With a Ninja Creami, this is around 24 hours, so bear in mind that you might need to account for some freezing time when preparing your frozen treats.

'Of all of the Ninja Creami rivals that have been released recently, including the cleverly designed NutriBullet Chill and Russell Hobbs' version, this ice cream maker from Aldi is by far the cheapest,’ says Molly Cleary, Kitchen Appliances Editor at Ideal Home.

‘At £69.99, if it works well, it's a total bargain. It has the same 'slot in and mix' design of the Creami and looks like it's aiming for similar functionality with the ability to whip up ice cream, milkshakes, sorbets and other sweet treats. After testing the Ninja Creami Deluxe, I can safely say that this type of appliance is one you'll have a lot of fun with, and though I haven't got my hands on Aldi's version yet, I'm sure it's about to be a hit with those looking to spend a little less!'

Due to the fact that it is under £70, I’m inclined to believe that it won’t be quite as good as the original. However, if you want to try an ice cream maker or have a tighter budget, it’s a good starting point and worth a try.

However, we do think this ice cream maker will sell out like soft serve on a hot day. So, if you can’t track one down, here are a few more affordable options you can shop online.

With 2026 on track for a scorcher of a summer, what better way to cool down than with a delicious, homemade ice cream?

This week it feels like everyone is trying to get ahead and rectify any mistakes they made during the last heatwave. And for me, that means ensuring I have a much better supply of ice than I did during the hottest days of the year last week – especially given that at every supermarket I went to I was greeted by totally bare freezer shelves.

To solve the problem, I must admit I've been eyeing an ice maker (like this one from Amazon for £62.99) that can sit on my kitchen countertop during the hottest days. As I'm not blessed with a freezer with ice-making facilities (or a very big freezer at all!), I think I'm going to have to outsource this need to a standalone appliance like I have with one of the best ice cream makers. Here's why.

Of course, I was desperate for more ice during the heatwave in order to keep my water and other drinks cool in order to rehydrate. But there are lots of other reasons, many of them owing to the hacks I've learnt from my Ideal Home colleagues, for me needing large quantities of ice in the hot weather.

The most pressing of which was so I could enact the cooling hack our News Writer Kezia put me onto last year: placing a bowl of ice in front of my fan in order to mimic the effects of an air conditioner. It's a way to use a fan that actually lowers the temperature of a room and it was a true godsend for my sleep last week when paired with my Dyson fan.

When I do invest in an ice maker I'll also be picking up this £6 fan attachment that we wrote about last week to DIY the air conditioning effect even further. If you own a fan and not an AC, it's an essential! It'll certainly be an upgrade for me from placing my ice in a bowl on a stool.

While an ice maker, much like the Ninja Slushi (which has also been running non-stop in my flat this summer), is hardly a kitchen essential, it can make those unbearably hot days a little more livable – at least, that's according to the reviews these Amazon buys have racked up. I reckon every little helps for when we're faced with the next hot spell!

Small appliances, like kettles and toasters, always seem like quick need-not-want purchases, but why is this the case when they live on our worktops year round?

It pays off to spend some time researching the best kettles and the best toasters that will make those small daily habits run seamlessly, and choosing the right colour for a kettle and toaster comes into that decision.

But what colour should you go for? From classic stainless steel options to retro-inspired pastel hues, these are the shades people always run to for their small appliances, with the latest kitchen trends in mind.

Over the last few years, we've seen more and more colours appear within kitchen appliances. It signifies a larger shift in our homes as we embrace playful colour expression even more, and enjoy the wellbeing benefits that a colourful home provides.

While our cabinets and walls got the memo a while ago, it naturally took a little longer for appliances to catch up. Large appliances, like our ovens, fridges and microwaves are typically in stainless steel, so small appliances followed suit.

'Stainless steel is a consistent, timeless seller in kettles and toasters as it is most compatible with a lot of kitchens,' explains Saul Davies, Buying Director at Salter. However, as appliances themselves got more ambitious (from slushie machines to air fryers), so did the colours of them.

When it comes to kettle and toaster colours, pastel shades have reigned supreme as the alternative option to stainless steel.

'Creams or warm neutrals still perform well as they tend to soften kitchens and are not harsh against fixtures such as brass, silver or gold. We are seeing a demand in pastel or brighter, bolder colours which are mainly shopped by style-led consumers. Our Retro is range we have seen huge success with pink being one of our best-selling colours,' Saul adds.

Cream, pale blue, pink and green shades have been the classic choice for a kettle and toaster, and particularly suit heritage Shaker kitchens where you want to avoid too much stainless steel.

However, in 2026, neutral hues that offer something different to white and cream are rising in popularity.

Softer neutrals, such as beige and earthy green hues, offer a new perspective on kettle and toaster shades. If cream feels too stark for your kitchen, a more subdued shade might be best.

'Sage and olive green is our fastest growing colour and is highly popular over the last 12 months. It is seen to the consumer as a new neutral addition that adds colour without being too risky,' explains Saul.

This is also reflected in Smeg's new matte Moonlight collection - a matte, beige version of their famous retro kettle style that has a much more contemporary look.

'Inspired by the growing popularity of softer, nature-led palettes, the shade brings warmth and tranquillity to the kitchen while complementing the brand's iconic design,' says Niamh Griffiths, senior marketing executive (SDA) at Smeg.

'The muted neutral tone reflects a broader interiors shift towards calm, wellness-inspired spaces and understated luxury, making it an ideal choice for consumers looking to create a kitchen that feels both timeless and contemporary,' she adds.

In 2026, sleek stainless steel kettles are remaining a popular and timeless choice, but as we look towards colour to shape our interiors, reflecting these careful choices in our small appliances is just as important.

Shop kettles and toasters

In 2026, sleek stainless steel kettles are remaining a popular and timeless choice, but as we look towards colour to shape our interiors, reflecting these careful choices in our small appliances is just as important.

Ninja's most stylish colourway, Stone Gold, is having a serious moment right now with the extension of the sellout colour across a huge range of bestselling products. From the Swirl to compact, small-kitchen friendly best Ninja air fryers, the kitchen giant has really outdone itself with this effortlessly luxurious shade.

First released this time last year, this gorgeous neutral shade went seriously viral on TikTok. I was watching out for more stock of the Ninja Dual Zone in this exact colour for months and months until it finally reappeared in October.

If you were one of the lucky few who picked up that stylish colour way back then, or if you just love the look of the range now, then you can finally shop Ninja's other bestsellers in it too, including brand new products thanks to these exclusives that debuted just for Amazon Prime Day. Here's a look at what's available.

Since working on Ideal Home, I've seen Ninja release many special-edition colours to coincide with Prime Day and Black Friday. The most memorable include the range with copper accents which is now a permanent fixture on Amazon due to its popularity.

There's even more colour choice on offer for Ninja's most fun kitchen buys – notably the Slushi and the Creami, which got a pastel make over last year as well as two-tone options inspired by frozen drinks and desserts.

It's not clear yet whether this beige colour will become a permanent addition to Ninja's colourway line up or whether it's only available during Amazon's sales events so if this is the shade for you, I'd recommend snapping it up fast!

The ability to make frozen sweet treats at home, either for pudding or to wow your guests, is something that really comes into its own in the summer months.

A question that I've been discussing a lot with friends and family who are looking to purchase something similar is whether they should opt for one of Ninja's bestselling viral best ice cream makers or an appliance that can whip up slushies and soft serve instead.

The two leading examples of this are the Ninja Swirl and the Cuisinart Frost Fusion – both of which I've used extensively at home. Here's what each of these machines can achieve and which one you should opt for to get the most for your money.

1. Functionality and preparation

It's really important to look at the different settings on offer with whichever sweet treat maker has caught your eye. The original Ninja Creami has less going for it than the Deluxe version which in turn is not quite as capable as the newer Swirl. But the kicker with all of them? Your ice cream or soft serve mix will always require pre-freezing.

Ninja doesn't have an ice-cream maker (yet) that doesn't require you to prepare materials in advance. It does have the Slushi, but that's drinks-limited.

The Cuisinart Frost Fusion is a hugely popular alternative that can whip up frozen desserts on the same day – in our tests we found it could take as little as 30 minutes. Below I've outlined the exact functionality differences between these bestsellers as well as the crucial pre-freezing times required.

There's plenty to weigh up with these speficiations laid out. The Cuisinart is the best option if you want to skip the faff of pre-freezing but the results won't be as firm as you can expect with Ninja's ice-cream alternatives – obviously the day spent in the freezer will do a lot to help your ingredients.

2. Fun factor

If you're considering buying one of these ice-cream makers, chances are you'll want to use it to impress your guests this summer. And while all of them have fun factor, some have more interactive features than others.

As someone who has tested all of the appliances listed above, the Swirl and the Cuisinart Frost Fusion are the most entertaining thanks to their soft serve dispensers if you want ice cream. Or if you're more interested in frozen drinks, the Slushi is far and away the machine you want.

If you've ever paid a visit to Pizza Hut's Ice Cream Factory, you'll know the thrill of trying to master the flow of ice cream and with these two, you can try that at home. Just bear in mind it does take a bit of practice!

The Cuisinart has the fun of dispensing soft serve with the benefit of doubling up as a slushie machine too, so it's arguably the better all-rounder. But for me, you can't beat Ninja when it comes to quality.

3. Price

These appliances are of course not an essential addition to a kitchen, but they're worth their weight in gold on a hot weekend if you're entertaining. My Slushi machine was hardly out of use last summer.

All of them are pretty pricey, but the best value option is Cuisinart's Frost Fusion considering how many functions it has. Ninja's offerings are pricier, yes, but the have the better quality overall and I can see all of the ones I've tested going the distance in my kitchen.

Sales periods help to bring the price of these machines down significantly. Right now, Amazon Prime Day sales offer a good summer window to snag a discount and Black Friday will be an even better time, as these appliances will be less in demand.

This year's summer Amazon Prime Day event (running from the 23rd to 26th of June) is in full swing, and if you want to shop in the savviest way possible, there's a new price-checking tool you need to know about.

For years, one of my top tips as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, who has been working Prime Days as a deal hunter for over five years now, was to use a price checking tool such as CamelCamelCamel to check that you're not being hoodwinked over a 'deal'. Often brands will artificially inflate the price of a product prior to a sales event to then bring it down to its normal RRP to create the illusion of a great deal.

Here's how using this new in-built price checking tool can prevent you from getting a bad deal on one of the best air fryers or coffee machines and help you find a worthwhile one instead.

You can find this new price-checking tool, which was officially rolled out in the UK in May 2026, next to where you see the price of the item you're looking for on Amazon. When you click onto it to see the price history, a pop-up window opens with Rufus, the platform's in-built AI tool.

Within the Rufus pop-up you can see a range of information on the product's price, as well as how it relates to the given RRP. Though this is useful information, I would also suggest going one step further and check Amazon's given RRP against what's listed on the brand page.

When shopping one of the best Ninja air fryers, for example, I would always suggest cross referencing with the brand's own site for a better understanding of prices.

While the tool defaults to a one-month view, it has 6-month and 12-month scope available too which will ultimately be even more useful for assessing how good the discount really is. If the price of the item currently is nowhere near what the lowest price over the last year has been, it's likely that there's been price-inflating taking place.

I check prices on products that I've reviewed every day to see if there's a deal worth writing about, so I have quite a good sense of the general price of different bestsellers, like Ninja's Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer.

As I write this, the day before Prime Day begins, it's currently sitting at £129.99 via Amazon, which gives you £20 off the usual RRP. But if you click into the year view of the price history, you'll see that in November (during Black Friday), there was a much bigger price drop with the air fryer for sale for under £100. That means that it may well be worth waiting on this one rather than pouncing right now.

In all likelihood, the best deals of this summer will drop during Prime Day itself and during counter-sales run by the likes of AO, Currys and John Lewis. Below you can find the kitchen appliances I think you should bookmark if you're in the market to upgrade your hosting and entertaining game.

Whatever you end up perusing this Prime Day, remember that doing your due diligence will help no end to help you bag an actually good deal. Happy bargain hunting!

Smeg's retro kettle and toaster have become something of a homeware icon. You'll find Smeg's instantly recognisable small appliances on the worktops of the most stylish of kitchens, and we've even given the kettle one of the best kettle top spots - it's a beautiful design that is just as easy to use.

And while the current colours of Smeg's small appliances are timeless, a new trend-focused tone has entered the scene and with it comes a fresh perspective. The retro style has always leaned more traditional, but Smeg's new Moonlight collection has a contemporary look to blend into sleek, minimalist kitchens.

Moonlight, the new matte colourway from Smeg, is 'designed to bring softness, warmth and balance into the home,' says the brand. It reflects a growing trend towards neutral shades, away from classic white or cream, and calmer palettes in our homes.

Typically, small appliances put practicality first. Often in stainless steel or black plastic, aesthetics weren't high on the agenda. Smeg started to change this with their retro kettle and toaster which came in a variety of vintage-themed colours, from cream to pink and blue.

While this has allowed us to be playful with appliances and use them to add to an overall kitchen colour scheme, the statement shades didn't offer much scope for people who favour a more understated design.

The texture also differs from the classic shiny small appliances from Smeg - it has a smooth matte finish which is perfect for hiding fingerprints and allowing your small appliances to sit subtly in the background of your kitchen.

'Smeg's kettle and toaster range is already the height of refined luxury, but this new sophisticated neutral shade is tailor-made for anyone who wants to add a warm colour to their kitchen without committing to a bold colour,' explains Molly Cleary, Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor.

'The matte finish is not only bang-on-trend but has the benefit of being easier to keep looking clean too. As someone with a white Smeg toaster, I can tell you it needs a lot of maintenance to keep looking fresh. I'm very tempted to invest in a kettle in Moonlight and make them mix and match instead for those reasons!' she adds.

If you love the shape and overall design of the Smeg appliances but haven't found a colour to suit your kitchen then the Moonlight collection is one to try - particularly if you want a fuss-free option that escapes fingerprints.

Shop the Moonlight collection

If you're a Smeg fan like we are on the Ideal Home team, these discontinued Smeg appliances straight from their HQ will inspire your dream retro kitchen.

Haven’t you heard? Lidl is launching a £14.99 ice cream maker, and it’s arriving right on time for the latest bout of hot weather set to hit the UK.

The best ice cream makers enable you to whip up delicious, cooling and even healthy ice-creams and sorbets from the comfort of your own kitchen. Back in December, a new generation of ice cream makers sparked by the now cult Ninja Creami and Slushi's popularity led kitchen experts to agree that ice cream makers were the ‘it’ appliance set to take over from air fryers.

While some ice-cream makers such as the Cuisinart Frost Fusion offer no pre-freezing, they are fairly pricey appliances. Even the Ninja Creami which requires you to freeze the ingredients 24 hours before will set you back £170 at Ninja. What Lidl is offering is an affordable introduction to the world of ice cream makers. Here’s everything you need to know.

At first glance, the Lidl Silvercrest Ice Cream Maker looks very similar to Lakeland’s digital ice cream maker, which is also one of the most affordable models on the market at £44.99. Landing in stores on Sunday (21 June) is arriving bang on time for the latest heatwave.

The Silvercrest Ice Cream Maker is a small, compact appliance, meaning it will not dominate space on your kitchen worktop. This is ideal for small kitchens, where space is limited, and chunkier appliances such as the cult Ninja Creami take up too much space.

The ice cream maker can make up to one litre of ice cream or sorbet, and comes with a small booklet of recipe suggestions to get you started. To use, simply pre-freeze the bowl, then add your desired ingredients through the opening in the lid. This can even be done when the machine is in use.

The beater and lid can be washed in the dishwasher, making clean up easy, and the ice cream container has practical handles for ease of use. Lidl has not listed the machine’s dimensions. Lakeland’s digital ice cream maker also has a one-litre capacity, and our review found the container took up a larger chunk of their freezer drawer, so you should bear this in mind.

To use the ice cream maker, you will need to pre-freeze the included bowl. Again, Lidl hasn’t stated online how long this process will take, but for similar models, this is around 12-hours.

While I haven’t tested Lidl’s ice-cream maker, based on the price, we can expect it to be a fairly basic model. However, I don't think this is a bad thing for those who want to try out an ice cream maker without spending a fortune.

If you are looking for a superior ice cream maker that has multiple functions here are three more models we’ve tried and tested.

An ice cream maker is a perfect summer appliance, helping to keep you cool and offer a sweet treat, too. Would you try Lidl’s or have you got your sights set on a higher-end appliance?

Nutribullet just unveiled its first ever ice cream maker and it looks to be the ideal solution for those battling for space in small kitchens. Yep the shiny, new Nutribullet Chill, which is available to preorder now via the brand's website for £199.99, is the perfect compromise if you're looking for a sweet treat maker that won't overrun your worktops.

Its design upends what we've seen from the most popular ice cream makers of the last few years, including the Ninja Creami (which we've reviewed), by adopting build that's more like a Nutribullet blender than anything else.

This not only makes the Chill look streamlined and ready to pop into a cupboard when not in use, but also solves what I'd argue is the most pressing problem that Ninja Creami fans have: it's not an easy machine to clean. Here's how the Nutribullet Chill aims to solve that.

This ice cream maker, like most out there, requires pre-freezing. That means you'll need to prep your ingredients in the included tubs the night before you want to make ice cream and then freeze them. Most ice cream makers of this type require 24 hours of waiting time unless you want to opt for something like the Cuisinart Frost Fusion, which we recently reviewed, and allows you to make soft serve in under 30 minutes.

Like the ever-popular Ninja Creami, the Chill also uses a rotating blade to cut through your mix and creamify it in order to create a dessert-like consistency. The big difference with the Chill, however, is that the blade is stored within a countertop-friendly base.

This is very good news for those looking to save space in their kitchen. The Ninja Creami is, whilst incredibly impressive in its performance, a very difficult appliance to store on a kitchen countertop as it's very tall. At almost 43 centimetres in height, it didn't fit under my kitchen cupboards. Compare that to the base of the Chill, which is 27cm tall (without the tub attached) and you can see which would be best if you're short on worktop space.

Another issue that long-time fans of the Creami often have is that the blade can be hard to clean, as it's contained within the upper unit of the appliance. Nutribullet aim to solve this with the Chill by making the blade element totally removable and dishwasher-safe. The parts pop out the top of the base in order to be cleaned, as you can see below.

With purchase of the Chill, you'll receive the appliance itself alongside two 450g tubs and matching lids for whipping up whatever kind of sweet treat you like. As with the Creami, a big part of the allure with this machine is that you have complete control over your ice cream ingredients – a must if you have dietary requirements or you want to make healthier family-friendly puddings.

If I'm being fussy, I would say that I'd love this new Nutribullet to also feature a Slush mode – but appliances that can make ice cream and slush are rarer to find. If that's exactly what you're looking for you might want to hold out until the release of the much anticipated Dualit Ice Cream Maker instead.

With more hot weather on the way, I can guarantee you that a frozen-treat maker like this will fast become your favourite kitchen appliance if you choose to take the plunge. You'll get more use out of yours than you'd think!

Alternatives

Glass air fryers are the newest kitchen appliance on the block and if you're short on space, you'll want to know all about them. Not only do these smaller versions of the best air fryers have the benefit of being non-toxic, but some also give flexibility to those who want to cook and store foods in the same container to save space and time.

If you're a meal prep obsessive, then you've probably heard about the Ninja Crispi already – which I awarded five stars to in my review – but if you've found it a little out of your price range, with an RRP of £149.99, then I have good news for you.

There is a range of glass air fryers hitting the market right now, all with modular designs. Here's how they work and three reasons why you might want to take part in this new batch cooking trend.

1. The benefits of glass for cooking

The Ninja Crispi was a viral hit when it launched thanks to the fact that its glass material makes for perfect social media clips (like this one via Ninja's Instagram).

Whether you want to watch a block of cheese melt in quick time or see what it looks like when a frozen croissant springs into life, the 360 vantage of the Crispi certainly makes for an interactive cooking experience. But when I tried it, I found there's plenty of practical reasons for opting for glass over the usual air fryer basket when it comes to cooking too.

If you, like me, hate getting to the end of a work day and being stuck for what to make for dinner, then meal prep is the answer. The fact that you can cook meals in the Crispi and then pop them straight in the fridge is a winner for this, especially in the larger 5.7 litre size as it allows for more than one portion.

The 'take the shelf out' hack that I learned from Jamie Oliver is perfect for this too. You can cook an entire lasagne, pasta bake or a batch of brownies directly into the glass and then store your leftovers without any dish transferring.

If you like the sound of that effort-free cooking but you're on a budget then Salter's new Crisp & Go, which is strikingly similar to the Crispi, is a lot more affordable and so far has only gleaned 5 star reviews, both via Amazon and Salter's website.

I got a first look at it recently at Salter's unveiling of it and I was impressed by its size and versatility, though the control panel is not quite as sleek as Ninja's. For the price however, I think it's going to be a hit.

2. Ease of cleaning

If you're the designated washing-upper or dishwasher-loader in your house, then glass has many benefits over your usual air fryer basket, too. In my testing, I've found it's a much easier surface to keep from getting grimy long-term, and day-to-day is much easier to wash by hand too. I've also become obsessed with using Fairy's Skip the Soak Spray (£3.86 at Amazon), too, which easily lifts anything that might be troublesome off the glass surface.

All of the portable, glass air fryers featured above have dishwasher-safe glass containers, which is a real treat. Compared to how gross air fryer baskets can get after a long time (even with frequent cleaning), switching to glass has been a revelation in terms of cleanliness for me.

3. Ease of storage

There's always a debate as to whether an air fryer deserves a place on a kitchen worktop. While I think an air fryer is arguably the most useful kitchen appliance out there, I understand people's desire to find ways to hide their air fryer.

With these modular glass air fryers the ability to stack and store the parts is built in. When not in use the smaller container can slot into the larger one and the air fryer lid can be stored alongside it. It's small enough that it'll fit into a compartment of standard kitchen cupboards with ease.

While this air fryer is marketed as portable, I personally don't think it's the kind of thing you'll want to carry around in your bag with you. But I do think it's the air fryer to opt for if hiding it for most of the time is high on your priority list.

So if you want something that's tailor-made for making lunches and dinners for the week ahead easier as well as an appliance that's easy to stash away, I think one of these glass buys will do a wonderful job.

Summer is on the way and I’m already scrolling through ice cream recipes for fresh inspiration. I reviewed the Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Professional two years ago and despite not really having room for it (read more on that below), there’s no way I’m letting it go. Because I still think it’s one of the best ice cream makers you can buy.

While I use it year round, it definitely comes into its own in summer. From tasty healthier frozen yogurts, to indulgent ice creams that impress my guests, it’s the appliance I didn’t realise I needed. But as a fan of ice cream, there are so many fun flavours to try, I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it.

In the last two years, I haven’t discovered anything new about the machine itself. It has continued to perform as it did from the get-go. But here are the four main reasons why it’s still in my life and won’t be going anywhere.

1. I can make ice cream on a whim

So many other ice cream appliances require forethought and planning. Often you need to freeze a bowl 24 hours before you plan to make the ice cream. So there’s little room for ice cream spontaneity - unless you leave the bowl in your freezer permanently, and who has freezer space for that?

This Cuisinart version freezes as it churns, there’s no pre-freezing required. So if I wake up in the morning and it feels like an ice cream day, I can create homemade ice cream that’s ready to eat by lunchtime. For this reason I get far more use out of it than I would if I had to freeze a bowl in advance.

2. It helps me avoid nasty ultra-processed ice creams

In an ideal world, I try to avoid ultra-processed foods that contain lots of chemical additives. And when you read the list of unpronounceable additives on the label of many (not all) shop bought ice creams, they fall firmly into the category of foods I’d prefer to avoid.

Having my own ice cream maker means I am in control of the quality of the ingredients I use. I can make stunning flavours with wholesome ingredients that have some nourishing qualities and nutritional value.

Furthermore, the flavour of ice cream made with real ingredients like real strawberries simply can’t be beaten by a synthetic flavour or additive. And I get to have fun trying new or unique flavours that you can’t buy in the shops. I stir pureed raspberries through peach frozen yogurt and not only does it look incredible, but it’s an amazing healthy treat.

3. I can make multiple batches back to back

This was something I noted in the original review, and it’s still true now. If I’ve got the ice cream maker out and it’s on my worktop, I usually enjoy making up a couple of different flavours, or sometimes an ice cream and a sorbet. Being able to make more than one batch in a day is absolutely one of the reasons I continue to love this machine.

After the first batch, I just have to wash the bowl and paddle, then I can immediately set it going again to create another flavour. Whereas the ice cream makers that utilise a pre-frozen bowl can usually only be used for one batch, then the bowl has to spend a few hours back in the freezer before you can make more.

4. It’s great for impressing friends and family

When I proudly offer up homemade ice cream to friends, I’m secretly hoping they don’t realise just how little effort I’ve had to put in. This ice cream maker is incredibly easy to use, so it almost feels like cheating when I take the credit for being a domestic goddess. Having said that, there’s something about home made ice cream that never fails to impress.

My guests always assume I’ve gone to lots of effort to produce this wonderful treat, when in reality, I’ve usually only spent a few minutes preparing the mixture before letting the ice cream maker do all the work.

I recently tried a new recipe for salted caramel ice cream, it was a bit more effort than usual so my friends were even more impressed when I told them I made the salted caramel myself, and needless to say, it went down a treat! But my absolute best ever result is a coffee ice cream I made recently, I can’t get enough of it.

The downsides?

The biggest downside for me is that I don’t have space for it. Honestly. I’m not joking, I store it in our garden office. My kitchen only has space for the everyday essentials, and this isn’t one of them. It’s bulky and only used occasionally, so I have to store it elsewhere and bring it into the house as and when I need it.

However, my lack of space hasn’t put me off keeping it. I could have kept hold of a smaller one, with a freezable bowl, but I really wanted this one, because I knew I would use it more than one that required pre-freezing a bowl - and I was right.

Oh, and before you assume I have loads of random, lesser used appliances stored in the garden office, I don’t. This is the only one. I even cleared a special space for it so that it would be easily accessible!

The Smeg name has been synonymous with stylish kitchen appliances for many years now in the UK, but in Italy, the brand's heritage and influence stretch back much further.

That's something I learned first-hand last week on a trip to Smeg's incredibly impressive HQ, based in northern Italy, where I got access to a treasure trove of trademark pastel kitchen appliances.

As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor (and owner of a beloved Smeg toaster and kettle set), the part of the tour I most enjoyed was glimpsing all of the now-discontinued or limited edition pieces from Smeg's collection – many of which are now extremely rare.

As well as Smeg bean-to-cup machines and even air fryers in a palette of gorgeous colours, these were the Smeg appliances from the HQ that I was totally enchanted by on my trip – and I think you will be too!

1. A Barbie pink hidden dishwasher

I'm usually so busy reviewing small appliances that I don't have time to appreciate all of the wonderful large versions out there, but there was one thing on my tour of Smeg HQ that caught my eye immediately.

This Barbie pink waist-height appliance is masquerading as a fridge with its retro door, lettering and handle but behind the facade you'll find a compact washing machine and sink set up that would complete any quirky pink kitchen scheme.

If the Barbie dream house was fitted with a washing machine, this would most certainly be it.

First released in 2006, this washing machine has become a cult collector's item – and for good reason. If your home isn't big enough for a utility room, you have to get inventive with hiding your washing machine instead and this compact buy solves that problem in real style.

The inside of the outer door also has two hidden storage compartments, so there's even more of an incentive with this machine if you love things being neatly tucked away.

As Smeg moved away from large freestanding appliances to focus on built-in units and those kettles, toasters and coffee machines that we all know and love, they stopped making this popular pink machine. But luckily they kept the much-loved colourway, so if you do want to add a pop of pink these are the Smeg buys we've tried you can buy it in.

2. Smeg x Fiat 500 drinks fridge

Next up is a true centrepiece, one that you can find in Smeg's HQ in Italy and London, that I'm sure will make you do a double take. The Smeg x Fiat 500 Drinks Fridge features the front half of a 50s version of this classic Italian car.

But underneath the bonnet, rather than finding an engine, you'll find a swish mini fridge that is more than capable of holding enough drinks to throw a fabulous party.

This very pricey design collaboration between these two Italian powerhouses was never a mainstream commercial product sold to consumers, but it still holds a huge charm when you see it in person.

It's not just Smeg HQ where you can find one of these fridges, although they are exceptionally rare. So if you do spot one out in the wild, you can impressive everyone with your knowledge of this cult classic design piece.

3. Snoopy & Disney special editions

One corner of Smeg's Italian showroom is dedicated to the brand's best known creation: the iconic single door retro 50s style fridge. And while I was perusing all of the styles and colours, I noticed two very different versions.

The first was a fridge with Disney's very recognisable Mickey Mouse plastered across it, closely placed near another that featured character Snoopy, from the American cartoon strip Peanuts.

So what's the story behind these cartoon-inspired fridges? The Disney collection came first, released in 2018, and saw the creation of 90 Mickey Mouse inspired fridges – one to celebrate every year since Mickey's inception. It was a huge hit with customers, and the extremely low number of fridges made mean this is a big time collector's item.

Following in the footsteps of Mickey's success, Snoopy's mini fridge was released in 2020 (and then re-released in 2022) and uses the backdrop of the Smeg fridge door as a cartoonist's easel. If you were to find either of these fridges in the wild these days, they would definitely fetch a pretty penny.

It wasn't just the archive that I got a glimpse of at Smeg's HQ – I was also wowed by the brand's new and wonderfully sleek Isola range, which features induction hobs and cooker hoods.

Combining old cult classics and new cutting edge appliances, it seems there's so much more from Smeg still to come and I for one can't wait to see what's next!

This week, the coveted Ninja Creami is landing in Lidl’s middle aisle, but before you rush off to your local store, I’ve found the summer must-have appliance cheaper at both Amazon and John Lewis.

Landing in stores on Sunday (24 May), Lidl will be stocking the much-loved Ninja Creami (which we've reviewed) for a limited time. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, as the UK expects a heat wave to hit over the weekend.

If you haven’t already discovered the joy of making your own ice cream at home, I’d say it’s time to get to know it. But as always, if you plan to head to Lidl, you'd better be quick, as when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Lidl is undoubtedly known for its middle-aisle bargains, which range from the weird to the wonderful and everything in between. Most recently, their chic Lidl sun lounger, which looks like it came straight from the grounds of a posh hotel, made a bid to be the best sun lounger you could buy this summer.

Now, the budget supermarket is welcoming The Ninja Creami, and it’s perfect if you’re looking to whip up healthier ice-creams this summer. The Ninja Creami was first reviewed by our Digital Editor,Rebecca Knight, back in 2023. Impressed, she even commented in the review that friends and family had to stage a ‘mini-intervention’ to stop her from raving about the appliance.

Producing creamy homemade ice-creams, sorbets, smoothie bowls and milkshakes, this sleek appliance went viral after its launch. It looks more like a blender compared to a traditional ice-cream maker and works completely differently, requiring you to freeze your mixture before churning. Plus, with an abundance of ‘healthy’ protein-packed recipes on social media, it became a quick favourite with the health-obsessed, too.

The Creami usually retails for around £199.99, and Lidl is selling it for £159. However, it's also on sale for even less than that right now at Amazon and John Lewis.

So, on this occasion, Lidl is to be beaten on price. Because of this, if you’re looking to snap up the Ninja Creami, I’d suggest buying now while it is on sale, as these are the best prices I can find.

Or, if you’d like something a little brighter, you should consider opting for the pastel Ninja Creami’s, which provide a sure way to add a splash of colour to your kitchen ideas. These Creamis are not on sale, costing £199.99 at Ninja. Right now, the stunning Spiced Lemon Meringue and Sugared Blueberry Apricot are available.

Alternatively, here are a few more affordable ice-cream makers.

In this instance, we say don’t head to Lidl - snap up the Ninja Creami while it is on sale at Amazon and John Lewis.

Deep and rich colours such as burgundy reds, soft beiges and even moody purples have become a big breakout kitchen colour trend this year, and KitchenAid has jumped on the bandwagon with the colours of its new upgraded Artisan Plus Tilt-Head 4.7L Stand Mixer.

The new addition to KitchenAid's line-up of the best stand mixers has an RRP of £699, and is available in five new gorgeous colours: Sun Dried Tomato, Oat, Mint Julep, Wild Blueberry and Iron Ore. It also comes in the classic shades: Porcelain White, Juniper, Medallion Silver, Feather Pink, Cast Iron Black and Pebbled Palm.

But the colours aren't the only update. The new design also boasts extra handy features to make it easier to bake your favourite treats, including an interior bowl light, which means you'll always easily be able to see the ingredients in your bowl, down to the very bottom, no matter whether you're mixing at 9 AM or 9 PM.

I swear by my stand mixer (a Kenwood). It's one of those appliances that's a bit like Marmite — you either use it loads, and couldn't live without yours, or it sits in a cupboard getting dusty until it's someone's birthday. Mine is used once a week, so I'm firmly in the camp that a good stand mixer, like the KitchenAid Artisan, is worth the investment.

An integrated bowl light might not sound like a major development, but my Kenwood stand mixer has an integrated light, and I can vouch for its convenience when checking that your ingredients are properly mixed. Gone are the days of having to use my phone flashlight to peer into the bowl.

The new Kitchenaid Artisan Plus also offers 2 speed control modes and 11 preset speeds, all of which are easy to navigate. It offers a 1⁄2 fold speed to gently incorporate your ingredients once first added to the bowl, which makes for less mess on your worktops.

Paired with a 4.7L bowl with a precision-welded handle, each of these stand mixers comes with stainless steel accessories — a dough hook, a wire whisk, plus a double flex-edge beater with silicone edges and a flat beater. Yes, these are all dishwasher-safe (including the bowl) and better yet: they're all rust-resistant, too.

We're big KitchenAid fans here at Ideal Home, having rated the classic KitchenAid Artisan Mixer a 4.5/5 star rating in our review.

It's safe to say that a KitchenAid is a great way to add a pop of colour to your kitchen worktops — albeit an expensive one. If you can afford to treat yourself to one of these new designs, then why not? Right now, I need to stick with my trusty Kenwood Stand Mixer, which is admittedly an incredible piece of kit, but it's not the most aesthetically pleasing appliance around.

Did any of these fancy colourways convince you to upgrade?

Dualit just became the latest homeware brand to release an ice cream maker with a difference – with it there are no requirements for pre-freezing and you can use it to whip up slushies as adeptly as a gelato.

This shiny new machine, which comes from the heritage British brand known for its appliances 'created for a lifetime of use', will be available to buy from the 1st of June for £349.99 (via Dualit).

Having tried many of the best ice cream makers in the last few years, as well as a whole host of slushie machines, including the Ninja Slushi, I've noticed one thing about the slew of new ice cream makers on the scene: they're perfect for impatient people.

Where previously you'd need to pre-freeze your ice cream ingredients for a period of time (sometimes up to 24 hours), Dualit's new machine allows you to complete the entire process in under 30 minutes.

Dualit is arguably best known for its toaster and kettle sets – after trying dozens, I awarded the brand the accolade of the best matching set in our buying guide – but this expansion into ice cream makers is indicative of the growing popularity of at-home entertaining appliances.

And this ice cream makers USP, the fact that it involves no preparation time, is a huge bonus to anyone looking to spruce up their next dinner party or BBQ. As the cost of dining and drinking out steadily rises, there seems to be a growing appetite for appliances that can allow you to make treats at home.

The Dualit Ice Cream Maker features the following modes: Ice Cream, Gelato and Sorbet, Frozen Yoghurt, Slushies, Cooling mode and Manual stirring.

The option to manually stir the ice cream is said by Dualit to be to 'allow users to refine texture and consistency depending on the recipe'. There's also an interlock lid, which allows you to add in all sorts of additional ingredients including chocolate chips, fruit or nuts – all while the machine is still churning.

You can keep your ice cream creation perfectly frozen for 30-60 minutes with this machine too, which would be absolutely perfect for when hosting a dinner party.

Dualit isn't the first to try its hand at perfecting the at-home frozen treats maker. Recently we've reviewed a version from Cuisinart, the FrostFusion, which can create soft serve dispensed in a style that will make you nostalgic for the Pizza Hut Ice Cream Factory of your youth (or certainly of mine).

Add to that the fact that GreenPan has also recently released their take on proceedings with the Frost Ice Maker (which features a holder for ice cream cones!) as well as Russell Hobbs entering with the Chilluxe and you can see that there's plenty of competition in the market at the moment. Here's a closer look at the other no-pre-freeze machines released in 2026.

If you just can't wait for June to try Dualit's version, then there are plenty of worthwhile sweet treat makers around to keep yourself refreshed in the meantime but I'm definitely excited to see how this excellent British brand puts their stamp on ice cream!

Salter, one of the oldest homeware brands in the UK, has released its alternative to Ninja's sellout Slushi machine, just in time for the summer weather. It's brand new Slushie Maker, retailing for £179.99 via Salter's website, is capable of turning drinks of your choice into slush in as little as 30 minutes and boasts an impressive 2.5 litre capacity.

I tried a fair few slushie makers last summer, my favourite of them all being the Ninja Slushi, but affordability is a huge factor for people thinking of investing in this type of appliance designed for entertaining.

That's why Salter's version, with its £179.99 price tag, as opposed to the Ninja Slushi's £299.99 RRP, might be very appealing to some. Here's a closer look at this cut-price alternative.

These two machines have the exact same capacity of 2.5 litres, but I'm guessing that before you get to how much you can slush, you're more interested in the programs of these machines as you weigh them up.

It's here again that both of these machines match up. Both have 5 programs, Slush, Frappé, Cocktail, Milkshake, Juice.

So far, so similar. It'll be in the time taken to achieve your desired level of slush that I'm predicting these machines may slightly differ. When I've tried the Ninja Slushi in the past, the process takes place very quickly to get your drink frozen – for me, it's never taken more than 30 minutes.

Salter advertise that their machine can also take as little as 30 minutes, so I'll be intrigued to put that to the test to see exactly how look it takes compared to Ninja's version.

In terms of size, these two again measure up very similarly, with considerable storage space needed if you want to stash one of these machines away when not in use. The design stakes of each machine are pretty different, with Ninja's version having more to offer in terms of colourways and sizes.

This is Salter's first foray into slushies, with just one model available so far whilst Ninja have just launched an XL and MAX versions of their bestselling Slushi machine, which are perfect for those who love catering to a crowd, as well as a slew of different colourways.

Right now you can snap up the Ninja Slushi MAX in a neutral cool-toned Mocha colour, whilst superfans are desperate for the brand to restock the OG size in the viral Stone shade. Last year Ninja also released very popular pastel versions, which had two-tone accents across the machine.

With either of these machines hosting and cooling down on a hot summer's day will be a lot more enjoyable this summer (as I found out last year!), so now all you need to do is decide whether you're going to save or splurge on your slushie machine.

You've probably already heard of an ice cream maker. They're similar to the ones you catch a glimpse of through your local ice cream van's window, just a little more worktop — and budget — friendly.

In the main, there are two types of ice cream makers to choose from. Pre-freeze ice cream makers only churn the ice cream once it has been frozen in your freezer. Self-freeze machines do all of the work for you — simply add your ingredients and it'll freeze and churn them into ice cream, fast.

I've tested both, and when it comes to convenience, a self-freeze machine is second-to-none. Specifically, the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker is great as it's multi-functional and can also make frozen drinks.

I've been using this Cuisinart ice cream maker in my kitchen for the best part of a month now. I've used all of the 6 preset programs, from sorbet to frozen wine — yes, it's seriously versatile! And here are my honest thoughts. Firstly, be sure to consider where it will live before you invest, as although it's slim, it's tall, so it needs some worktop space.

In a nutshell

If you want an ice cream maker that's multi-purpose, this is your girl. It can make slushies, sorbet and ice cream. And it's easy to clean afterwards, thanks to its self-clean cycle. While testing, we made one of each drink/dessert type, so 6 things in total, and I came to the conclusion that it manages to freeze drinks better than desserts (soft serve and sorbet), while the lower the alcohol content in those drinks, the more they froze.

The fastest the machine worked while testing was 14 minutes, and that was to make frappuccinos. We also noted that the serving sizes noted on the recipes in the manual were a little off — you can pretty much half the servings.

All in all, it's intuitive, looks great on your kitchen worktop, and it's a steal considering it can make much more than ice cream. It also keeps drinks frozen for up to 16 hours, and for ice cream, it can keep for 30 minutes.

Specifications

• Model number: ICE201U
• Pre-freeze or self-freeze: Self-freeze
• Accessories: Drip tray, star tip (for soft-serve)
• Functions: 6 - Soft Serve Ice Cream, Slushy, Sorbet, Frappe and Frosé
• Settings: 5 frozen levels (not applicable for ice cream or sorbet)
• Dimensions (cm): H45 x W18 x D47cm
• Bowl capacity: 1.6L

Unboxing the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker

While the box that this ice cream maker arrived in was sizable, it was easy enough for me to carry. It wasn't too heavy, so I managed to pick it up and lift it onto my worktop without needing any help.

Upon opening the box, I was impressed with the lack of packaging. There were two cardboard inserts to keep the machine from rattling around; otherwise, the only other packaging was a plastic bag. This bag was recyclable (02 HDPE) and wrapped around the main unit.

The star tip comes separately and isn't initially attached to the machine. You'll find info in the manual for fitting it to the machine, but this part is only for use when in soft serve mode.

First of all, you need to wash all of its removable parts in soapy water and dry them before first use. Otherwise, all that's needed to assemble the machine is to attach the removable drip tray, which is simple. Then you need to slide the auger inside the machine and fit the dispenser assembly and paddle onto the front of it. It's clear how to do this as there are arrows and lock symbols to show where it needs to sit.

Other than that, you need to place the ingredient funnel tray and cover at the top of the machine. After this, you're set to start mixing your ingredients.

Note: the machine must be placed in the spot you'll be using it and left upright for 4 hours before use.

Using the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker

The only thing you need to do ahead of using this ice cream maker is to prepare your ingredients. Some recipes require your hob, others need a blender, so be sure to check ahead of time. Once your mixture is ready for use, you pour it into the machine via the ingredient funnel. Turn the machine on, and using the touch screen, you can select one of the preset modes. Press the bar button at the bottom of the screen to cycle through these 6 modes.

Then comes the choice of firmness — there are 5 options. Press the snowflake button to increase the firmness. Once chosen, press the play button. You cannot choose the firmness of soft-serve ice cream or sorbet. The machine will then get to work, and once ready, it will beep. After that, it will automatically go into its Keep Cool mode.

While there isn't a timer countdown on the LCD control panel, you can check the status of your treat by looking at the firmness progress bar. The status it's currently at will correlate to the bar that's flashing. If it isn't flashing, then it's ready, and you may have missed the beeping noise.

Overall, it's pretty intuitive to use, and I had zero issues with any of the programs.

Making soft serve ice cream

There are two recipes for soft serve in the manual — vanilla or chocolate —, and I decided to give vanilla a try. It requires only 5 ingredients and claims to serve 8. You need to attach the star tip to the machine before serving this ice cream so that it swirls.

I ended up having to make this 3 times, as the first time it took so long and never froze properly. After 1 hour, I was still waiting for it to beep. I concluded that the recipe must have exceeded the maximum capacity level for ice cream, as this is 900ml, whereas for frozen drinks it's 1300ml.

The second time, I halved the recipe, and it was below the minimum fill line. I turned the machine on, and it did work as it bleeped to signal it was ready for serving, but it wasn't super frozen. And it just about served 2 people.

The third time I made ice cream, I made the full recipe and poured it into the max ice cream line (900ml). It sat slightly below the line for maximum ice cream capacity.

The ice cream took around 30 minutes to be ready to serve. When served, with the star tip fitted to the machine, it was frozen but soft. It swirled great and tasted amazing. It served 5-6 people, which I was impressed with.

After 30 minutes, the machine bleeped to signal that the keep cool setting was ending. The ice cream had melted slightly by this point, but it was still swirling.

Making a wine slushy

A frosé on a summer's day, is there truly anything better? The recipe in the booklet serves 12 and took 40 minutes to make. It was nice, but admittedly not my favourite drink ever. It'd be great for serving at a party, but again: it wouldn't serve 12 — maybe 6 at a push.

This slushie definitely frose better than the margaritas, perhaps because the alcohol content was a lot lower, as it requires just 750ml of rose.

I did like it, but it's not something I would drink every day. I love that the recipe contains fresh strawberries making it almost healthy for you. Also, the thickness was really great! Easy to slurp through a straw yet it didn't melt very fast.

Making a frappucino

You can find two frozen coffee recipes in the manual. I decided to make the Frozen Sweet Latte. You need to balance the sugar with the other ingredients correctly, or the recipe won't freeze. This one apparently made 8 servings, so I decided to half the measurements to prevent throwing any away.

The recipe asked for 4 teaspoons of sugar, 275ml of whole milk and a double espresso shot. Immediately, I didn't think this was enough coffee to feed 4 — that's half a shot of espresso in each drink.

I set it to the most frozen setting, and it took just 14 minutes to be ready, so I was impressed by its swiftness! However, this definitely was not 4 servings; it fed 2 of us. Arguably, this was the most frozen drink I made in this machine.

Making a slushy (no alcohol)

Choose from a pink lemonade slushy or a cherry cola slushy if you're going from the manual. I used this machine for a pink lemonade, which was a hit with my nephews, and this drink definitely froze better than the 2 alcohol-based beverages, probably due to the lack of alcohol in its ingredients.

Using the entire recipe, I added the mixture to the machine, and it sat just above the ice cream's maximum capacity line, which is 900ml. I switched it on, and after exactly 30 minutes, it was ready for serving.

The taste was really nice and subtle, not like a slushie you'd get for the kids in a soft play (thankfully!). It was frozen, but not in large chunks; it did melt very fast.

Making a frozen cocktail

I made Margaritas in this machine 3 times. Yes, we loved them that much. They're also so easy to make, with a recipe included in the manual. It depends on how many servings you make, but having followed Cuisinart's recipe for 10, it took just 25 minutes to freeze the ingredients to the highest setting.

This frozen cocktail tasted great; there's no doubting that. But it wasn't as frozen as the other drinks we'd made, plus it melts fast, and it definitely didn't serve 10 — we got maybe 5 servings. At the end, I noticed there was still some liquid left in the machine, which just wouldn't come out through the dispenser, making a messier cleaning job.

Making a sorbet

There are 2 sorbets to choose from in the manual: tangerine or mango. I chose mango, which, surprisingly enough, didn't require many ingredients, but it did need some preparation — a blender to turn the mango chunks into a liquid. It claims to serve 8 and took just 16 minutes to beep and signal it was ready. This recipe did actually serve quite a few people, perhaps not 8 but definitely 5-6.

Consistency-wise, this sorbet was soft. It was essentially soft serve sorbet. I also found that it was very thick — when I poured it into the ingredient funnel, it struggled to strain into the machine. You cannot choose a thickness level for sorbets, BTW.

Undeniably, the taste of the sorbet was great. It wasn't quite as frozen as I'd hoped it would be, though. So, if you want this machine mostly for making sorbets, then be prepared that you might need to play around with ingredients or branch away from the manual.

What's it like to clean?

Handily enough, there's a rinse setting on this machine for after use. It requires you to empty the machine of the liquid first, and then you need to add warm water via the ingredient funnel until the machine is at its max capacity.

Press the rinse setting button and press play. This setting takes roughly 5 mins. After, you need to dispense the water out of the machine like you would a slushy, into a jug of some sort.

Once emptied, the machine can be dismantled. Remove the drip tray and soak it in warm, soapy water. Then take the ingredient tray and the cover out of the machine and soak this, too. Also soak the paddle and the auger. Once soaked and rinsed, they can be put back into the machine when fully dried.

I did notice that this machine was harder to clean after making ice cream than slushies. This is because the ice cream is thicker, and in the case of the vanilla flavour, it requires vanilla essence, which is oil-based, so harder to rinse clean.

You can put the auger in your dishwasher — but this is the only dishwasher-safe part, and it's suitable for the top rack only.

How does it compare to other ice cream makers?

You can really only compare this ice cream maker to other self-freeze ones. Similar machines that we have reviewed are the Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker and the Sage Smart Scoop.

In comparison to the other Cuisinart model, this one offers a lot more functions. The Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and Gelato Maker is £199.99, therefore £100 cheaper than the one I've tested. It offers just 3 modes, which are Gelato, Sorbet, Frozen Yoghurt. Its capacity is smaller, too, at 1.4L vs 1.6L. Something to consider, especially if you often host large families and groups. Both are pretty sizeable machines and come in a stylish white colourway.

When comparing this to the Sage Smart Scoop, price is a big deal breaker, as this machine is a whopping £369 (via Sage). It has 5 preset programs, including Sorbet, Frozen Yoghurt, Gelato, Ice Cream, and Keep Cool. It can keep your dessert churned for 3 hours once it's ready, which is a winner.

Should you buy the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker?

If you're looking for an ice cream maker that's nothing but convenient and also super versatile, then this is a great buy. You might have to play around with some of the ingredients, depending on what you're hoping to make, but overall, the machine is a game-changer because it can keep drinks frozen for 16 hours — and ice cream for 30 minutes.

We did find that the recipes included in the manual were slightly inaccurate when it comes to portion estimates. Some say they serve 8, but actually only serve 4. We had great results on all of the slushie drinks, alcohol and zero-alcohol, but noticed that the zero alcohol drinks froze a little better. The sorbet was a little disappointing as it wasn't very frozen, but it tasted great. The soft serve took 3 tries, but in the end, it came out perfectly swirled and soft.

It's definitely worth the £300 price tag because of its intuitivity alone, and the fact that it has a self-clean function is also a big winning point. Its small footprint means it won't take up much worktop space, and its white colour means that it'll look great while sitting there, too.

When you use an appliance every day, it's vital that you make the right decision. From style to functionality, and of course not forgetting price, it's important to find the right kettle and toaster that will suit your space but also stand up to the test of many cups of tea and plates of toast.

As a picky kitchen editor with unusually strong opinions on appliances, I'm pleased to say I've found the perfect pair in the ProCook kettle and toaster. Chic, subtle and genuinely good at what they're designed to do, I have very little bad to say about my chosen small appliances.

Now that I've lived with them for two years, using them both almost every day, I thought it was high time to dive into my thoughts as to why they make it onto the lists for the best kettles and the best toasters. Here's why they get my seal of approval.

Choosing a kettle and toaster shouldn't be such a tough decision, so I was surprised when I was struggling to find an option that I wanted to invest in. I was finding that the styles I liked, such as the KitchenAid kettle and the Smeg kettle, were a little over my budget and more affordable alternatives didn't have the same sleek design that I wanted.

For most of us, kettles and toasters sit out on the worktop permanently so a stylish design was something that I considered a top priority. I wanted it to go with my existing appliances which were a stainless steel coffee machine and stand mixer, while also being neutral enough that I wouldn't go off the colour in years time.

So when the opportunity to try ProCook's kettle and toaster, which were brand new in their product line two years ago, came up, I was eager to give them a try.

Two years on and I can safely say that I couldn't be more thrilled with my choice. Sure, there are a few drawbacks, but the kettle and toaster still look great and work superbly well every day.

The selling point of the ProCook kettle and toaster for me was the style. I chose the stainless steel toaster and grey kettle, which don't match completely but still give a cohesive look and blend in with other appliances.

The stainless steel toaster is prone to fingerprints, but with a wipe down, it looks good as new and has no scratches.

The kettle brews quickly but does have the tendency to be a little bit noisy, so this is something to bear in mind if you find yourself boiling the kettle late at night or early in the morning.

One other issue I have found is with limescale in the kettle. It's important to note that I live in London which is notorious for hard water, so this might not be a problem if you live in a softer water area. However, it has marked the metal in and around the spout which makes it look more worn.

For the price, these are truly minimal faults that are expected over the course of two years of daily use. With a regular wipe down, the toaster looks pristine still and has had no functional issues.

Overall, the ProCook kettle and toaster are stellar buys that fit the perfect gap between stylish and well-priced.

Shop more ProCook kettles and toasters

No one needs the daily stress of small appliances that don't work well or need replacing within a year - buying well and buying once is the secret to a stress-free kitchen.

Aldi's kitchen range is always coming up trumps with small, affordable problem-solving buys. The next example that deserves its moment in the sun (or the air fryer) is the supermarket's new dedicated range of accessories for everyone's most time-saving appliance – all priced at just £2.99 each.

Available in store right now, this line of accessories for the best air fryers is going way further than previous iterations thanks to its versatile set of designs, including liners without sides.

These flat-laying inserts are the perfect buy to pick up if you've previously despaired over how to master cookies or pizza in liners with raised sides or if your existing inserts have lost their non-stick coatings after years of use. Here's a closer look, as well as alternatives you don't have to rush to the Specialbuys aisle in order to nab.

The flat liners are the star of the show here for me, especially after my many failed attempts to bake cookies in my air fryer and immediately having them break as I try to lift them out of the basket.

Aldi's version has a raised helper grip on one side to make them easier to lift off an air fryer plate, which can also help when reheating pizza or pita breads. But it's not just the ability to properly cook flat foods that people are loving this type of liner for.

In the reviews of versions from John Lewis and Dunelm, it's clear that many customers are using these liners as a stand-in for their old air fryer trays (which is the insert that sits in the bottom of the basket).

After you've had an air fryer for a few years, these elements can lose their non-stick coating, especially after countless washes or turns through the dishwasher, and these affordable liners are offering people an easy alternative to getting a whole new appliance.

'Because the plates on my ninja are no longer non stick they make a very good alternative,' reads one review of the Dunelm liners, while another says that 'These are amazing products. Saves my plates getting broken'.

John Lewis' air fryer liners are slightly different, with two mesh liners and two silicone within the multipack. These can be cut to the exact size of your dual-zone air fryer, which is great if you don't have a massively popular model, so that you can customise them to your needs.

Unsurprisingly, Aldi's versions are the cheapest on offer, and it's not just the flat liners that they've designed either. If you've got a sweet tooth, you might be tempted by the waffle and doughnut maker moulds instead, which are also priced at just £2.99.

The waffle version is available in two different sizes, in case you only have a very compact air fryer. Or if you'd rather stick with the traditional air fryer liner design (as they're great for self-contained foodstuffs, like a lasagne or a cheesy pasta bake) then there's some size choice available to you there too.

If you're yet to try out an air fryer liner and your appliance is in need of a bit of a refresh, then I'd definitely recommend trying out a reusable one rather than the disposable versions. They're better for the planet and for everyday use!

Stacked air fryers are a huge help for cutting countertop clutter and there was one standout product that started the whole vertical cooking trend: Ninja's DoubleStack air fryer.

Released in 2024, it was a triumph for tidy kitchen lovers who also couldn't bear to lose out on the merits of one of the best Ninja air fryers. I definitely count myself as one of its fans – it's yet to be superseded on my kitchen worktop.

But, while it's undoubtedly one of the best air fryers out there, at £269 I totally see why it's too expensive for many. That's where Salter's £99 alternative – the VertiCook – comes into the frame. I've tried both to show you the difference in the two given their relative RRPs.

1. Quality of controls

A huge pro to dual-zone air fryers is the ability to program each drawer at different temperatures or for different cooking times (or to do both at the same time). But of course, to get there, you need to punch in the controls first.

To put it plainly, this is harder to do with Salter's more affordable version than it is with the NinjaDoubleStack. Both use vaguely confusing language on their control panels (unless you have a natural knack for knowing what VertiCook Ultra or DoubleStack Pro mean off the bat), but that learning curve is definitely a little steeper with Salter's product.

The control panel with the VertiCook favours symbols for the presets over words which I'm not such a fan of, especially when I'm in a rush.

Trying to match the small images with the presets is a bit laborious compared to Ninja's alternative, where the 6 settings (Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Reheat) are plainly laid out in words instead and you use the air fryer's control knob to select the right one.

As I mentioned before, this is a learning curve so if you do end up opting for Salter's version, it's definitely something you can get to grips with quickly. Our tester Annie didn't have an issue with it in her in-depth review of the VertiCook View model from Salter in her review, which is extremely similar.

One of the big pros of spending more money on Ninja kitchen appliances is that they're so easy to use, which means on the controls front, there's a clear winner for me.

Winner: Ninja's DoubleStack

2. Evenness of cooking

The fan, which is the element in an air fryer that allows it to cook food so fast, is recalibrated in a stacked design – sitting along the back rather than at the top of the unit.

In my experience, this can prove to be a little problematic when it comes to the evenness of cooking, as it means you must shake the contents of each drawer more frequently to stop food at the front cooking more quickly (which is where the heat, pushed from the fan, ends up gathering).

With my Ninja DoubleStack, this means I have to stay vigilant with shaking and turning food to prevent burning (as it's super powerful) and I found the same with the Salter VertiCook when I took it for a spin at our test centre. Our reviewer Annie also found that shaking was imperative with the VertiCook for everyday family cooking in her review.

In the VertiCook's favour however, I didn't find that kind of heat unevenness when I tried it with a shorter cooking task (baking breakfast muffins).

In short then, it's unfortunate that both of these air fryers have a bit of an issue with cooking evenness that means you must be vigilant with keeping an eye on cooking progress. Neither have shake reminders either, which is a missed oppurtunity. For the higher price, I'd like to see more from Ninja.

Winner: Salter's VertiCook

3. Overall finish

It's my job to try and tell people why it's worth buying one, but even I can admit that an air fryer isn't the most sightly of kitchen appliances. That's why the design of a stacked version appeals to many – they're easier to make space on a countertop for or even to hide away, if you so wish.

If you have no choice but to keep yours out on display, the finish and look of an air fryer is going to matter a lot. And I think both Salter and Ninja's offerings bring a lot to the table on the looks front (within reason).

My DoubleStack is white, which makes such a difference to the brightness of the kitchen in my rented flat, especially given that my toaster and kettle are the same sahde. You can also pick it up in Grey, Black or Black with gold accents.

Salter's range is similarly impressive within the Vertical range, especially with the offering of faux wood accents on the handles to match the brand's Toronto kettle and toaster range.

The overall winner is hard to award here, as the value of Salter's range is just so good (there are so many excellent picks under £100), but I think Ninja has the edge on the quality of finish overall with the handles and drawers.

Winner: Ninja DoubleStack

The winner

For me the Ninja DoubleStack, which is the original stacked air fryer, has to win the battle here. It's more expensive by miles, but it's more enjoyable on the whole to use (especially if you'd reach for it multiple times a day).

That's not to say Salter's version isn't worth your time, especially if you're on a budget. I've been super impressed every time I've tried it given the price and I love the option to pick a colour to suit your kitchen. For under £100, it's a great option for those looking to save on space.

Ninja just launched the best slushie machine in two new configurations that size up the number of drinks you can serve at once – the Slushi XL and the Slushi Max, both available now. Just in time for the spring sunshine (fingers crossed!).

I'm all in for the OG Ninja Slushi after trying it last year – I even installed one at the Ideal Home Christmas party so I could convince the rest of the team – and the brand has answered my prayers with these supersized versions.

My main gripe with the original 1.9 litre capacity Slushi after testing it was nothing to do with its performance but instead the fact that it would be empty after one round of drinks if I was hosting for more than six people.

That's all change with these souped up 3.7 (XL) and 4.4 litre (MAX) upgrades. Here's a closer look.

Let's get down to what you and I really want to know: how many drinks can each one make during your next summer soiree?

Well, let's assume that you, like me, are serving frozen margaritas (what else?) in a 200ml coupe glass. With those workings, with the XL you can get through 12 servings and with the MAX, 16. That means that your guests can go back for a second round before your Slushi needs a refill.

All of the much-loved settings from the original Slushi remain: the 'RapidChill' tech (which means you can go from a room temp mix to slush in under 30 minutes), the WhisperChill tech (which means you can hear your guests when hosting) and the all-important functions: Slush, Frozen Cocktail, Frappé, Milkshake and Frozen Juice.

Each drink is also adjustable in terms of consistency with the controls on the front of the machine, depending on how frozen you want your slushie.

Even as a lifelong slushie lover (the best part of a day spent at the beach, in my opinion) I was fairly skeptical before I tried the Slushi out on actually installing one in my kitchen. But it turned into a real focal point for summer hosting, especially when your guests can dispense themselves a frosé without you needing to step in and serve them.

I'm going to be trying out the XL side by side with the original Slushi to see how the extra capacity actually makes a difference but as far as the concept goes, I'm always going to be sold on more drinks that people can serve themselves at a dinner party!

There's a new bargain slushie machine on the market – LOGIK's Frozen Drinks Maker, which is now just £109 down from £299 at Currys – and it's available at the best price I've seen yet for this kind of summer-ready kitchen appliance.

Last year I had the lucky job of testing and writing about all of the frozen treat makers that arrived in the UK which don't require you to pre-freeze a thing. Now in 2026 they seem to be an even bigger trend, with people looking for more ways to host at home.

Here's a closer look at this slushie maker with five modes in total (slush, cocktail, milkshake, juice slush and cold drinks) and how it stacks up to Ninja's original viral machine.

Before last year, grabbing a slushie was only really possible at the seaside or the cinema – unless you wanted to install a pricey professional-grade machine in your house.

The arrival of the Ninja Slushi changed that, with its built-in compressor meaning that you could go from a fizzy drink or premixed cocktail to a fully fledged slush at home in less than 30 minutes. As I learned when I tested many of these drinks makers last summer, as long as there's some sugar content in your chosen drink, it'll slush up nicely.

LOGIK's Frozen Drinks machine offering might not have the Ninja branding, but it does look like a solid performer for its bargain price. From five user reviews to date via Currys, it's earned a 4.8 star rating, with all of the comments positive. One reviewer said that their 'great grandchildren love it' and that it's 'been in constant use'.

At this price and with those glowing user reviews, if you're in the market for a Slushie machine that you can use all summer long then this seems like a bargain one to pick up.

If you love slushies and soft serve, then a more multi-functional buy might be even better for you. As well as the excellent Ninja Swirl (which does require prefreezing) I tried Cuisinart's Frost Fusion last year which allowed me to make a Mr Whippy style cone in under 30 minutes at home. Here's a full look at those two side by side as well as a new pick from GreenPan, which has just been released.

With so much choice out there already (and it's only spring!), one thing is for sure: its looking like a soft serve and slushie summer. Now all we need is the weather to come good...

Last summer I was tasked with the extremely fortunate task (especially given the many heatwaves we had) of testing frozen treat makers for Ideal Home. And I learnt a lot about exactly what you want from this kind of machine.

From the Ninja Swirl to the copycat Slushi-style machines, there was plenty of choice out there for refreshing at-home beverages and desserts. But the one machine that really captivated readers was the Cuisinart Frost Fusion (£249.99 at Amazon) which is kitted out with an impressive six different functions.

So, if the sound of making Soft Serve Ice Cream, Slushy, Sorbet, Frappe or Frosé at home in under 30 minutes appeals, you might just like this machine too. Here's how it's been upgraded from the original cuisinart frost fushion softer serve maker I tried last year.

When I tried this machine last year, I had to test its big claim out first: the ability to make soft serve in under 30 minutes.

The entire process, from unboxing to enjoying a Mr Whippy style ice cream at home, took under an hour which I was seriously impressed by and the half an hour claim for soft serve was definitely true. Though my cone was perfectly serviceable, I did note in my first try of this machine that dispensing the ice cream was a little challenging with quite a quick flow of soft serve to deal with.

That's all changed with the improvements on this year's version – Cuisinart tells me that the 'smart dispense control function has been refined to deliver smooth and consistent servings with ease'.

And that's not the only tweak. Cuisinart claims this version is quieter (thanks to an improvement to the motor), easier to clean (with a self-rinsing function) and that switching between the many modes is easier thanks to the addition of self-cleaning.

If slushie machines and ice cream makers are anywhere near as popular this year as they were last summer, it would be a good idea to snap yours up now before they start to sell out again. Below you can find a shortlist of the other frozen treat essentials I trialled last summer.

And the functionality with this one from Cuisinart (with those six different settings) gives it serious edge when it comes to value for money. Mine's a Frosé, if you're making...