Customer Reviews

iSi One Pint Dessert Whip, White

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this product! I use it all the time.

Best parts:
A- I know it's fresh, and hasn't been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long already.
B- I know what's in it (i.e. no sugar).
C- I can flavor it any way I like.
D- It's way cheaper than buying it pre-whipped.
E- I don't have to get the electric mixer dirty.

The only part that I'm not crazy about is cleaning it... but a good bottle brush and some hot soapy water take care of it nicely.

This product is just the thing for special occasions. It allows you to make the whip cream way ahead of time (even days if you want) and not have to worry about at dinnertime or after. Because it is under pressure, your cream stays fresher longer. Also, it is especially great for those who would like to have whip cream today and later in the week. It does not loose its volume and turn to soup like if you were to whip it in a mixer and use it a day later. The only problem I have is not having enough for a large group. Thankfully it is so easy to make, sometimes I will make it again when the first batch is gone. This takes all of about a min. or so to do. Warning: Be on the look-out for the CO2 cartridges at your local stores because they can really range in price. Usually specialty cooking stores carry it but it is not the best buy there as a general rule. Always keep enough on hand because it's usually a holiday when I realize I am out (stores aren't open!)

Good Luck and Happy Cooking!

Laura

3rd place Washington State VICA Culinary Arts Competition

Well, I was rather apprehensive about this product. I love serving whipped cream on many of my desserts but did not always prepare it because of the fact that it did not store well and it was hard to get it to the right consistency. (Either overbeat it or underbeat it and got watery) This is so easy! And the finished product is delicious. Keeps for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator and is simple to use. Great product!

I had worked in restaurant years ago that used this type of appliance for putting whipped cream on their desserts, and was always impressed with how easy it was to get a great tasting, elegant looking mound of "real" whipped cream, as opposed to making it in a hit and miss attempts with a chilled bowl, and a hand mixer at home.

I wasn't disappointed in the iSi's ability to duplicate that memory. It worked perfectly, and was able to produce real whipped cream for considerably less than a comparable amount of "fake" whipped cream from a frozen tub.

While once you have put your cream mixture into the unit, and pressurized it with the cartridge you need to use it all before it spoils ( at least 10 days with fresh ingredients ), and before you can re-open the pressurized unit, with as good as it tasted, that shouldn't be hard.

It's now been a couple months since I purchased the iSi whipped cream maker, and while I am still happy with the unit, I can't say the same for Axiom Gadgets where I purchased it. They offered a $25 gift certificate for me to take the time to write a 5 star rating for my experience with my purchase, which I did, but have yet to see the gift certificate, and no answer to email asking about it's status. In looking at other reviews of this seller I see that I am not alone. They often offer gift certificates either for 5 star ratings, or as compensation for poor service, but no one seems to ever get the promised certificates. So I stand by my opinion of the iSi whipper, but I would look for a different seller.

Pros:

This is a quality tool for the kitchen that will last for many years. Between the all-metal construction, precision-machined valve, tough lid seal, and the internal coating, it's simply as good as any professional-quality equipment I've ever owned. It's easy to disassemble too, making cleaning a breeze.

Cons:

It's probably a good idea to rinse the spout after use, but doing this effectively means unscrewing the spout from the valve. It's not difficult, but a quick-release of some kind would have been a better idea since there's not really any pressure behind the spout itself.

No level indicator. I have to weigh it to know how much is left.

Other:

There are few comments about ultra-pasteurized cream not working well in dispensers, but I have used several brands of UP cream without issue in this model. Shake hard 15 times.

Whip-it brand N2O chargers work just fine. They're a little cheaper in bulk.

The finish seems to allow the use of a dry-erase marker for noting an expiration date. It's not quite an actual dry-erase finish, but the scribbling comes off with very little effort.

Unless you like bland whipped cream, you'll want to add sweetener and/or flavoring. I use 1 tsp vanilla and 1/8 tsp stevia. Just so you you've been warned, the genie cannot be put back in the bottle if you forget your additional ingredients after charging. You will need to start again with a new pint of cream since it will foam out of the top like, well, a can of whipped cream as soon as you open it.

This is a re-posting of my previous review from 2004 which doesn't appear on this page; the product is identical. I am re-posting (with minor changes) because this product is excellent and want others to know how to use it, how good it is; and, that I'm still happy with it in 2009. I'm glad to see that others have the same opinion:

I bought one of these iSi cream dispensers about 20 years ago. Have never had a problem with it and have not worried about cream spoilage (and waste) since. The charged canister of cream lasts and lasts in the refrigerator. Very easy to use. After a quick shake, just invert, point the affixed nozzle, and pull the lever (test in the sink first to be sure its not liquid because it will splatter). The more its shaken, the thicker the cream will be. The only caution is to not shake it too much before use or you'll make butter instead of whip cream. Cleaning is a breeze; but, does require a toothpick to clean out the small holes. And, of course, release all the pressure before opening to clean. My difficulty now is obtaining the chargers due to shipping restrictions to my location.

I admit that this is not one of the most needed of all kitchen gizmos but it is nice to have around. I use it maybe six times a year but if I didn't have it I would probably not bother to make whipped cream much at all. With a cream whipper you assemble all the ingredients before your guests arrive, mix them well and put them in the whipper. You insert the CO2 cartridge and in a few seconds you have perfect whipped cream that lasts up to 10 days refridgerated. Its fun to make flavored toppings and you can add almost any liquid or powder flavoring to the cream that wont clog the nozzle....no nuts or chocolate chips for example. Maple syrup, cocoa powder, lemon or orange flavoring, rum, bourbon, Kalua, instant coffee powder all make delicious additions to the cream. I just made a maple/bourbon flavored whipped cream for pumpkin pie and it was a big hit. One important thing.....you must follow the manufacturers instructions. The instructions are not difficult to follow, but you need to be fairly diligent. If the instructions say shake five times, shake five times. Also, you have to clean the nozzle head and the body of the dispenser well by hand. Neither can be washed in the dishwasher.

This product saves on having to pull out the mixer every time you want some homemade whipped cream. Fast and easy - just remember to rinse the nozzle after each use before returning to the refrigerator.

Excellent product. At first I was adding sweetener (like Stevia, since I am diabetic), but I then discovered that simply good ol' fashioned heavy cream, with nothing added, is excellent by itself.

I do use a pint of heavy cream at a time. I will note that the small CO2 canister does not, in my experience, last for the duration of a pint of cream.

Several times when there was no more pressure I would open the container only to find quite a bit of cream left (about half). Instead of tossing the remainder of the cream I would simply twist in another CO2 canister. So, in my experience, it will take two CO2 canisters for each pint of cream (Do NOT try to put two CO2 canisters into the cream canister at once; let the first one expire, then add the second).

Alas! Half and Half will not work! Must use heavy whipping cream!

I bought the iSi dispenser after using the one my friend owned. Having used many other brand dispensers I still know why iSi is top of the line. The whole thing is solid and easy to hold, the tips work well, and I had n issue loading charges into it. It's everything one could want in a dispenser without the risk of breaking that cheaper models always have. If you're going to let others handle it, though, I would suggest getting some spare tips, because my preferred tip was carelessly stripped (the inner metal threading) by someone who didn't know how to use the dispenser.