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142 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
In depth review: Works, well constructed, easy cleanup., May 18, 2005
Length:: 1:37 Mins
Pros:
5*, not 3*
Way cute
Constant use duty cycle
Short warm up time
No cool down time required
Beautiful cotton candy
Good size cones of candy - compared to other toy machines
Largely metal construction
Quiet
Cons:
Spinning, heated disk is a serious hazard to anyone that might touch it.
Disk will get damaged if dropped.
Slow - to be expected from a toy.
Small output of candy - to be expected from a toy.
Note that the "Nostalgia Electrics CCM505 Cotton Candy Maker" is the same mechanism as Looney Toons cotton candy maker. My review applies to both.
I give this a 5 star rating (excellent). I think I initially rated it only 3 stars because of the safety concern. Amazon won't let me change my rating. Other than the safety concern this is an excellent toy machine.
This way cute toy cotton candy maker is good. I used it a lot and it held up fine. It easily makes nice cotton candy. Largely metal construction is durable and well made. Clean up is not too bad. You pay for the cuteness in storage space, this box is big, something like a deep fryer. I was able to make respectable cones of cotton candy, similar to those shown on the box. As you run the machine longer it starts to work better, I guess it's heating up more. This machine can run for extended periods of time without overheating, a big plus over the misnamed "The Real Cotton Candy Machine," (TRCCM) a competing toy machine. I have run it for an hour at a time with no problem.
At a recent event I served a cone and absolutely stopped the show with everyone marveling at how beautiful was the cone of cotton candy.
With this machine there is only a two minute heat up period and no cool down period required, both big pluses. From ice cold you pour the scoop of sugar into the hopper, turn it on, and about two minutes later it begins to make the candy. At 1'45" you will smell the most wonderful aroma of caramelizing sugar!
As far as making candy goes, there is no question. This machine is far superior to TRCCM. However there is one serious reservation: this machine uses an exposed spinning metal disk. The heated disk spins at high speeds and would prove plenty dangerous if anyone was to touch it or get hair, jewelry, or clothing tangled. By contrast, TRCCM has no exposed moving parts and a plastic guard to keep fingers out.
Disassembly allows good access for cleaning. Cotton candy is intrinsically messy so you've got a problem no matter what. The disk keeps most of the sugar and candy away from the heating elements so you don't get a mess inside the unit. The bowl seals well against the body of the unit so not much candy there. The bowl detaches so you can wash it in the sink. Without the bowl you get good access to wipe down the rest of the unit.
The metal disk is sturdy, but gets damaged if dropped, which I did with mine. The Looney Tunes company offered a replacement disk for $10. Not free, but not a rip off either.
The instructions specify white table sugar only. This works fine, makes a lovely cone, and the lack of vanilla flavoring makes for delicious, unusual candy. However, people constantly annoy me by griping that it's not purple and asking if we can put food coloring in the sugar. I don't think that would work, I think the sugar would clump. So, to appease them, you might consider the "Nostalgia Cotton Candy Fun Kit - CFK-515," but shop around because the one on Amazon here is posted with a price that is way too high. Commercial floss (colored and flavored sugar) is also locally available, I don't know if either of these options would work in this machine.
This machine suffers some typical toy food maker shortcomings.
1: It's slow. It takes about two minutes to start making candy and then maybe five more to complete the cone. When trying to serve even five kids, hahaha-think again. It's not happening. With five machines maybe.
2: Quantity of candy output is small. The instructions warn you not to put too much sugar in at once; it's probably best to heed that warning. It comes with a little measuring scoop so that you can get it right. Once you put in that scoop, you need to wait until it's exhausted before adding more. That will cost you a two minute delay each time while the fresh sugar melts. However, that scoop does make a nice fluffy cone of candy that is great for this toy machine. Unfortunately it's not what you get at the carnival, but for this toy it's great. With practice you learn how to roll the candy loosely so as to make the most attractive cone possible. I found that candy output doubled or more on the third and later batches.
3: Lack of suction cup feet on this model will help this guy vibrate off the table.
4: Toy size bowl with no cover allows sugar granules and candy fibers to escape machine, making a mess. I didn't find it troublesome.
5: Consistency of candy is on the light side compared to what I get at the grocery store. That makes this candy light, fluffy and delicious, but it also allows you to eat the entire cone in a few bites. My guidelines: no sharing, and savor every bite for all it's worth, because that cone doesn't last long.
Notes on the video:
Here we are having great fun making cotton candy with the Nostalgia Electrics machine. You will obviously see that this machine works great. In this video Suelo made a gigantic cone that actually rivals what you'd get at the circus. It's similar to the cones shown on the box of this unit, that's an honest company, but then they don't have anything to be ashamed of with this unit, do they?
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41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lot of fun, December 26, 2005
My daughter got this for christmas and we have had so much fun making cotton candy. It's easy to work and clean up and it makes a nice size ball of cotton floss. I found that the first cone of cotton candy I make each time turns out smaller then the subsequent ones. The hotter the machine gets the better the cotton candy. Also, once you accumulate some floss on the cone by holding it vertically, turn the cone horizontally to collect the rest. The higher you hold the cone and twist, the fluffier the ball of cotton candy will be. It just takes a little practice. The machine came with a small bag of strawberry vanilla floss sugar and I also purchased a couple boxes of flavored floss sugar at another web store. The floss sugar works great. The instructions say you can use regular table sugar if desired and it can be flavored with sweetened kool-aid powder. We haven't tried this yet.
This really is a lot of fun!
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Touch of Candy in Your Kitchen, October 30, 2006
My son loves cotton candy. Whenever we go to the fair, it's one of his must-have treats. Therefore, when he wanted a cotton candy maker at home, I bought this one.
For best results, you need to follow the instructions scrupulously: run the unit for five minutes without sugar to heat the spinning disk, turn it off to put one scoop (1.5 tsp) of sugar in the center, and turn it back on. It takes a good 3-4 minutes for anything to happen, then a ring of sugar particles will show up on the wall of the basin. Shortly after that, threads of candy will show up in the bowl. At this point, start winding the cone vertically around the center. After you have collected some, you can lift the cone, and continue twirling it to keep collecting the spun sugar. Now hold the cone horizontal and twirl just fast enough to keep the sugar going on. With a bit of practice, you will have a moderate ball of fluffy sugar. Subsequent loads will melt faster and spin into larger wads of candy. Quite a lot of fun for something that is about 23 calories!
Cleaning the spinner is critical (soak in hot water until all sugar is dissolved).
Because of the heat and the spinner, this is an appliance for teens or adults. Because of the speed, it is best for small groups or patient users. Small children might find it hard to wait. Still, for 1/20th of the cost of a commercial unit, it does quite a nice job.
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