I first saw this little machine when I was doing a little gift shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Usually, I don't really stop to take a look at little appliances because 1) I don't have a whole lot of counter space and 2) most of the small appliances that are "invented" these days are a little gimmicky. At first, I thought this little machine fit the gimmicky description. After all, it's big selling point is that it makes ice cream out of frozen bananas. Big deal! I have a blender at home. I can already accomplish that. But I kept thinking about this little gadget, and I decided to look up some reviews on it. People seemed to really like it.
Ice cream is my one true dessert weakness. Right now, I have two cupcakes and some cookies just hanging out on my desk, and I don't feel the need to shove them in my face. But if there was a pint of Ben & Jerry's staring at me, I can't honestly say I would have the willpower to resist. So, in general, I don't keep ice cream in the house. I do sorely miss it. So, after reading the reviews and witnessing what happens to frozen fruit in my blender (it liquifies it more than crushing it into a creamy texture), I started fixating on getting a Yonanas. I didn't want to just go out and buy one. I figured I could wait to get one for Christmas. It was a long wait, but after I made my first Yonanas treat with my new Christmas present, I was very happy.
I don't think this picture really does it justice, but the texture is definitely creamy like ice cream. I haven't tried other frozen fruits in the machine, so I can't say for sure that all fruits would have this consistency. In fact, I'm fairly certain many of them would not. But the natural creaminess of a banana lends itself to being pulvarized into a soft-serve delight.
I found the picture above online. This is a great picture of the inner workings of the Yonanas. The blade is a conical shape with what looks like julienne blades. I reminds me a lot of one of the blade attachments I have on my mandolin. The banana is pushed into the black tube and pressed down with the black plunger that matches the shape of the tube. As the conical blades spin, it pulvarizes the banana into a creamy consistency that starts to ooze from the outspout (I'm just making up descriptions as I go along).
At first, I felt a little cheated by the amount of frozen soft-serve banana that came out of the machine. But once I took the machine apart, I found the banana reserve inside, which I happily scraped off to add to my bowl of frozen goodness.
My Yonanas came with a preparation book to give me ideas on other yummy frozen treats to make. But honestly, I didn't even have to consult it to know what I wanted to try first: frozen banana mixed with peanut butter and chocolate (my favorite flavor combination). I used one tablespoon of peanut butter, one frozen banana and a serving of Walden Farms chocolate syrup. That's dessert for only 200 calories. Not bad considering how crazy fattening and calorie-heavy most desserts are. Had I grated a Hershey's Kiss for the chocolate content in this dish, I would have netted 223 calories. Still not too shabby. I plan to incorporate the Hershey's Kiss in a future dessert.
Some other fruits I think I want to try that may offer me a creamy texture like the bananas do are mango, peaches and avocado. I'm a little afraid of the avocado, but I think if I use it in moderation and pair some other fun fruits with it, it could be sensational.
So, if you haven't guessed yet, I highly recommend getting a Yonanas if you are an ice cream fan like me. I don't use it every day, but whenever I feel the little tickle of an ice cream craving, it's comforting to know I have a healthy option at the ready.
