I first heard about the Zoku Quick Pop Maker when we were attending the International Home + Housewares show with Hoover this past March, and I’ll admit the Zoku sounded too good to be true. The claim was that the Zoku Quick Pop Maker freezes ice pops in as little as seven minutes and doesn’t require any electricity at all. Admit it, you’re skeptical, too… How is it possible that I could make striped pops, yogurt pops, or even flavored core pops in just minutes while the kiddos watch?
Whether your kids live on popsicles and ice pops all summer, or you’re like me and never even think about buying them because you avoid the frozen treats aisle of your local market, the Zoku is absolutely what you need. With the Zoku Quick Pop Maker, you really can make healthy frozen treats in just minutes, and you can even let the kiddos get into it and make all sorts of treats that only sound good to those with unsophisticated palettes.
The Zoku Quick Pop Maker really couldn’t be any easier to use: Simply freeze the compact base in your freezer overnight, and then pull it out as soon as you’re ready for a frosty treat. Once you confirm the base is frozen, you then insert the reusable plastic pop sticks into the base and pour in your favorite mixture, fruit puree, or juice. The Quick Pops literally freeze right before your eyes in just minutes, and then you are ready to use the included Super Tool to easily remove them and enjoy.
As simple as it is to make Quick Pops, it wouldn’t really matter if cleanup took all night, so I love that cleaning the Zoku is simple thanks to the non-stick cast-aluminum molds that are easy to wipe clean – even when someone doesn’t pay attention to the max fill line and chronically over fills the Zoku molds (that would be me). And, with how quick setup and cleanup is, you can conceivably mix, make and then clean up after your dessert in just mere minutes leaving you no dirty bowls, plates, or cups to scrub afterwards. Sounds lovely, right?
You can make as many as nine Quick Pops at a time (if you buy additional Quick Pop sticks, sold separately) before you need to refreeze the Zoku base again. I would definitely advise buying these extra sticks if you plan to serve Zoku pops for a group or if you like to make a variety of pops in one sitting like we do. Now, whenever a guest comes over, we invite them to make an instant popsicle with us. This always elicits the same puzzled look as to how on Earth we are going to enjoy frozen treats in the same evening we make them. Of course, we claim we are magic. But, once they see the Quick Pop Maker, they know it is the Zoku that is indeed magic.
Quite possibly more fun than actually eating the Zoku Quick Pops is the fun had by making up recipes and experimenting to see how creative we can get making striped pops, filled pops, and even fudge and yogurt pops. Having the Zoku ready in the freezer for whenever the craving strikes has made us unbelievably spontaneous these past few weeks. I have found myself making up recipes with whatever fruits and juices we have in the fridge as well as pulling out some childhood favorites just to see what kinds of crazy concoctions we can dream up. I absolutely love that I don’t need to keep special ingredients on hand to make the pops so it’s easy to make Quick Pops on a whim without running to the store for supplies.
We now use the Zoku at least a few times a week and each recipe we think of is more creative than the next. It’s not unheard of for one of us to grab something from the pantry or fridge and say “do you think THIS will Zoku?” while the rest of the family springs into action, grabbing the mold from the freezer and getting the sticks ready for a tasty dessert. While some ingredients do take a bit longer than 7 minutes to freeze completely, every single thing we have experimented with has been a huge hit.
This is truly one of those products that is as good as it sounds – or, maybe it’s better than it sounds, since at first the idea of a 7 minute Quick Pop sounded implausible and messy. We found that making the Quick Pops is an amazing amount of fun, watching them freeze is more intriguing than you would think, and eating them makes any day a special treat.
Features of the Zoku Quick Pop Maker:
• Makes up to nine 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" pops (three 2-oz. pops at a time) before refreezing is required
• Nonstick cast-aluminum molds have a proprietary solution sealed inside their bases to enable rapid, uniform freezing
• A specially designed tool helps to quickly release the frozen treats from their molds
• Durable, reusable plastic pop sticks have unique ridged designs that allow pops to adhere securely
• Includes Quick Pop Maker, one Super Tool, six reusable pop sticks and six reusable drip guards
• BPA and phthalate free
• 8" x 4 1/4" x 4 1/2" high
• Made in China
Price: The Zoku Quick Pop Maker retails for $49.95 and is available in stores and online at Williams Sonoma as well as on Zoku's website
Stay connected to Zoku and get the newest Quick Pop recipes and tips by checking out their blog at http://blog.zokuhome.com/ and by following Zoku on Twitter.
A huge thank you to the awesome guys at Zoku for sending their amazing Quick Pop Maker for review and making a believer out of me. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received for this Rave Review.
