Yonanas

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elijackson
elijackson Posts: 48
in Recipes
So, I recently purchased a Yonanas machine (yonanas.com) for $50 plus $15 shipping. I figure anything that gets me to eat more fruit is a good thing. Here are my thoughts:

1 - It comes out like ice cream. It does exactly what it says it will do here. I dumped in my frozen bananas and out came cold, frozen, creamy stuff. Very nice!

2 - It is loud. This is not something you want to be making with a sleeping child nearby. Not that I have this issue, but I was surprised by how loud the machine really is.

3 - Some say a food processor will do the exact same thing. I have no idea if this is true or not. I have not tried sticking frozen bananas in a food processor. According to the Yonanas booklet, a food processor would give you a sticky, gummy substance.

4 - The recipe book that comes with it is a bit ridiculous. All you need to know is A) use frozen fruit and B) first half a banana, then other fruit, then other half of banana. Do we really need a recipe book that lists this same set of instructions with every type of fruit on the planet? I don't. There were a few interesting ideas in there like adding shaved dark chocolate, so it isn't completely worthless.

5 - It says a serving is 2 bananas plus 1/2 - 3/4 cup of other fruit. This is a ton of food! I wouldn't normally snack on that much food. 1 banana plus 1/4 - 1/3 cup of other fruit seems to work great for me. You don't get all of your food to come out of the machine and drop into your bowl, but that's ok. As you open up the machine to clean it out, you can scrape the stuff inside into your bowl. You don't really lose much this way.

6 - They say the banana flavor is masked by the other fruit if you combine it with something. This is not entirely true. My Yonanas have a clear banana taste to them, although it goes great with other fruits. If you can't stand the taste of bananas, then this is not for you.

7 - After I purchased my machine online, it gave me the option to add popsicle molds for free (with $5 in shipping). I declined. Guess what showed up in my box? Yep, a mold for 4 popsicles. It was part of the pre-packaged material so this was not a mistake. Don't pay extra for these if you buy a machine.

I really like this little machine. I love that I can eat my bananas like ice cream. I like how I can blend different fruits for fun treats. The clean up is really easy if you rinse in hot water right after you use it. It's well-constructed and simple to work. Since it uses frozen fruit, I can keep things stocked without worrying about using them before they go bad.

Do you have a Yonanas machine? What are your thoughts about it? Any new and inventive recipes to try?

Replies

  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
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    I do make this with a food processor. It works great.

    Just a heads up - I've read, not tried it though, that you can make extra, put it in a airtight container and store it in the freezer for a later date.

    :)
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    And I do in my blender :-)
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    I do make this with a food processor. It works great.

    Just a heads up - I've read, not tried it though, that you can make extra, put it in a airtight container and store it in the freezer for a later date.

    :)

    I do this in a food processor, too. I don't recommend storing it once you've ice-cream'ified it. It tends to freeze into a solid lump. Just freeze the peeled, sliced bananas and blend what you need per batch. :)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    A Blender or Food Processor can easily handle that, and are useful for many more things also. :tongue:

    I'm never a fan of crazy contraptions like that, I make fun of my cousin for buying a quesadilla maker all the time. I have a quesadilla maker myself, it's called a frying pan. :laugh:
  • elijackson
    elijackson Posts: 48
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    I'm glad to hear that anyone can make this treat fairly easily. I am a horrible cook - I seriously messed up Place and Bake Cookies - so I thought this thing might help me out a little. Sounds like it was an unnecessary purchase. Ah well. It's kind of fun to make mush with it :happy:

    So, any good recipes out there? What have you put in your banana ice cream?
  • lisadhancock
    lisadhancock Posts: 103
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    thanks for sharing!!! My husband really wants a yonana's but he hasn't completely talked me into it yet. I'm glad you are enjoying it.!!
  • motoxmom1
    motoxmom1 Posts: 85
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    I was at Target last week and saw the Yonanas machine. I wanted to try it so I bought it. I have been putting frozen bananas in both my food processor and blender for some time and been happy with the results until now. The Yonanas is amazing! It comes out just like soft serve! The other fruits do have an icy texture but when mixed into the banana you don't notive it. I'll be keeping my Yonanas and will be using it nightly! My favorie so far is just straight bananas and then I mix in some of my PB2 powder. Yum!
  • elijackson
    elijackson Posts: 48
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    They say that you need to use banana each time in order to get the consistency right, but I actually really like just using other fruits. My favorite is peaches. They blend up really nicely and make a creamy treat. They go well with strawberries. Blueberries give a fun color, but don't add much flavor. Since they are vitamin rich, you can add them to most anything.
  • katmood
    katmood Posts: 2 Member
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    I too have used my blender, my food processor and my magic bullet to make this. None of them compare to the yonana! The consistancy is like going to Marble Slab or any top ice cream chain! The other machines produced a good treat, but the consistancy is not the same. I think it is something in the bananas, much like when you over whip potatoes with a mixer. After awhile they get a little gummy! The yonana is like real full fat ice cream! I have made it with out bananas. The smooth fruits do best alone. Such as peaches, mangos, cantaloupe,etc.
  • nancyann1120
    nancyann1120 Posts: 1
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    You don't have to use banana if you want a different flavor, any frozen fruit will work, also you can freeze juice, a little water and honey and make slushies,,,the possibilities are endless,,,love mine!!
  • sanjoparolas
    sanjoparolas Posts: 557 Member
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    I have been thinking about getting one of these and have hinted to my family that it would make a good Mother's Day gift! Thank you for your detailed review. After reading it, I still would like to have one. :)
  • Carysta
    Carysta Posts: 152 Member
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    My friend bought me one of these as a present - smart girl, after showing me hers and me raving about it :) I just made banana-raspberry ice cream, it is tasty. I was hungry, had been on the road all afternoon, so did 1 cup of raspberries to 2 bananas. My friend showed me that if you rinse the other fruit (and even the bananas) really quickly, it takes any ice crystals off and gives a smoother consistency - she has learned by trial and error :) We did an apple cinnamon one while I was visiting, which is, sprinkle the cinnamon on the fruit before running it through so it sticks and blends nicely into everything. So far my fave has been strawberry banana.

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