Yonanas product reviews

I have seen the Yonanas machine available in stores for over a year and when it first came out I would often think to myself "one day i'm going to buy one of these", I just loved the whole concept of being able to make my own fresh and healthy fruity ice cream without much fuss, the only thing that was stopping me from buying this amazing looking product was the price at the time. While out at the shops one day I was at Kmart where I discovered a knock off version of the same thing for $29.99 so quickly popped this into my trolley to buy.

With my first (and second) attempts at using this machine I was sadly disappointed by it's lack of ability to break down bananas and such things into a ice cream like consistency, so had my heart set back on buying the real Yonanas machine. A few months back one of my work colleagues brought their Yonanas machine along to work to use with the kids and I have to say I was very impressed with how it worked and I just loved everything about it, Miss 3 was an even bigger fan and couldn't stop talking about how she made magic banana ice cream for over a week.

With the ANZAC weekend sales just been I was lucky enough to finally grab myself a Yonanas machine and I have to say it has been a very worth while purchase, which has already had plenty of use and found a use for my turning brown bananas. All you have to do is have a selection of frozen fruits (you can even add things such as nuts, chocolate chips and sprinkles) ready to go, push them down the chute turn on the machine and gently push the fruit down with the supplied tool and watch in amazement as yummy soft serve ice cream appears into your bowl, simple really.

The creations that you can create in the Yonanas machine really are endless and only limited by your imagination. I have tried out so many combinations already such as chocolate banana, cacao powder and chocolate chips, banana and mixed berries, peach and mango, and chocolate sauce, banana and toffee pieces to create a banoffee pie like flavour. All flavours have been very tasty and my whole family have enjoyed them, the only thing that I would recommend is to make sure you always use bananas as the base as it seems to help produce more of a soft serve ice cream texture, when I used just frozen peaches and mango on there own it was like a sorbet, but melted much to fast.

From now on I am always going to have a bunch of frozen fruits on stock in the freezer ready to go in my Yonanas machine, which I can see is going to get plenty of use over summer, such a great healthy alternative to ice cream and I don't feel guilty giving Miss 3 ice cream if shes asking for this, what a fun and easy way to get all those extra vitamins and nutrients into her! If you eat a lot of ice cream but are trying to be healthy I would say this is the machine for you.

I've had my Yonanas machine for about 3 months now - I wanted to wait and give it a good testing before reviewing it. Back before purchasing it, I read a lot of reviews myself, and I was glad to be able to purchase it with a good idea of what it does and it's good and bad points - of which it does have both.

Firstly, I realise that it is possible to make banana 'icecream' in a food processor. Although I haven't tried this myself, I personally felt that it was still worth purchasing the machine for my situation. This machine is compact, easy to clean, and is perfectly designed for the job.

Quite simply this machine makes a healthy dessert in an icecream like consistency, quickly and easily. You usually need bananas (so don't buy this if you don't like them!) as most recipes use bananas as a base. In fact you can use only bananas if you like - it doesn't need anything else. Bananas (and whatever else you put through) needs to be frozen for at least 24 hours so you need to be organised. I find that I freeze my bananas when they get to the required stage (brown and motley as they are sweetest then) and I just leave them in the freezer until I need them. Last night I used bananas that had been frozen for over 2 months and tasted fine.

So far I've put through strawberries, blueberries, and plums for basic fruit combinations. Sometimes I add some artificial sweetener (just a drop or 2) but it's not necessary. I've put dates through with the bananas but they do tend to clog the machine a bit but it's still yum. For more naughty combinations I've even tried oreo biscuits and chocolate pieces (although the chocolate gets so minced up that it might be almost better to stir through the pieces later.) I'm still experimenting and so far the machine motor has coped fine.

I do notice that you need to eat the 'icecream' straight away as melted mashed up banana is not nearly so nice as when it's frozen - it starts to look like really really sloppy baby food! It also means that you don't really want to put it on a hot dessert, although in saying that it was nice on warm pancakes - as long as I ate fast!

You also need to open up the machine as soon as you've made your 'icecream' as a decent amount of mixture gets left behind in the machine. However this isn't an issue and it's so easy to run under water to clean after scooping out the last bits. There are only 4 washable pieces - the base unit stays completely clean. A couple of times I have had trouble screwing open the parts, but it's not usually a problem.

Last night I used 2 small bananas plus a handful of blueberries and it made enough for 2 of us to have a small bowl each, so it doesn't use excessive amounts of fruit. The fruit mixes as it goes through the machine as long as you put pieces in alternately.

My husband and I both enjoy this as a sweet (but healthy) dessert treat, or just as a refreshing snack on a hot day. My 5 year old doesn't like it at all, but then she won't eat icecream either so I didn't really expect it to be her thing!

Overall I recommend the machine if you can get it at a good price but it's good to have decent freezer space to start building up a good supply of bananas and other fruit ready to go. We don't have any bananas going bad in this house anymore!

A friend told me about the Yonanas machine just before Christmas and I discounted the idea because I have previously used my food processor to do a similar job with frozen bananas. After coming home from my Christmas break, I went to see a friend who had just received a Yonanas machine as a prize. She was so happy with it and described how she was using it. I got this desire to have one, NOW! I was hoping that it wouldn't just be another expensive toy and after careful thinking decided it was worth a try.

I found it on special at Farmers for $99, so that was a good start. The evening I got it home I just had to try it out. I was so glad that I had the habit of putting any overripe fruit in the freezer for smoothies etc. We ate dinner and while the kids were finishing eating I popped inside to try my new toy out. It was very quick and easy to get going and within 10 minutes I had it out of the box and creating a lovely creamy 'ice-cream'. I mixed it up a little in the bowl and put it into ice-cream cones. My three year old son (and husband) thought he was in heaven as we don't have too much ice-cream in the house. I found that putting the "ice-cream" inside the cone meant that my 11 month old daughter could eat it all by herself too.

This is my ideal dessert as it is something that the whole family enjoys eating, is quick to prepare and it is actually very good for you. I can't eat too much dairy and the fact that Yonanas can be made purely from fruit but had a creamy texture of ice-cream, we all get a fantastic dessert.

There are quite a few different suggestion as to how to use the ice-cream on the www.yonanas.com.au website. I think that I will probably stick to a pretty basic option of bananas and berries. There is, of course, plenty of room for experimenting! We have successfully tried freezing plain natural yogurt in ice-cubes and popping it through with the fruit. It made the texture change and it was not quite so sweet as the plain fruit version but a nice change for the family.

I have put a box in my freezer ready to accept overripe bananas, berries etc. I peel and cut the bananas up into chunks so I can easily alternate bananas and berries into the shoot, this means that no cutting is required when I am actually making the ice-creams. With kids, things must be easy or they don't happen!

The texture of the ice-cream depends on how frozen the fruit is and how much pressure you put on the fruit as you push it through the machine. About 10 minutes out of the freezer seems good for use. It is recommended that you have the fruit in the freezer for 24 hours prior to use. If you want to buy one, make sure you have frozen bananas in the freezer so you can use the machine as soon as you get it.

The Yonanas machine consists of four parts, the main base unit and three pieces that fit easily together. Depending on how much I have put through the machine and how frozen it was, I can find it a little hard to unscrew two of the pieces from each other. Using a teatowel to grip on to the parts sorts that out. The pieces are quick and easy to wash. I find it best to rinse them as soon as I have finished creating the 'ice-cream', this means that washing is easy. The main unit doesn't take too much room on the bench so it stays there now as we use it pretty much evenly day.

I have had a number of family members over since I got my new Yonanas machine and it seems the trend is spreading like wild flower! My sister, who loves natural food and doesn't accept rubbishy food into her life, tasted my creation and went off very quickly to purchase one. She then went to work and just by talking about it to her workmates, many of the office staff have either purchased one or are seriously considering getting one. My niece and nephew are also starting to request that my brother and sister-in-law purchase one. My niece even said that it could be her 12th birthday present. It has to be pretty good if a 12 year old wants it for her birthday present!

I would highly recommend the Yonanas machine. It definitely does a better and easier job of making 'banana ice-cream' than my only method with the food processor. So far my word of mouth recommendation has meant quite a number of friends and family have purchased it and everyone is equally happy with it.

I love ice cream and eat far too much of it especially over the summer months. I had heard about the Yonanas machine through various competitions they had and thought that could be a way to satisfy my ice cream cravings in a healthy way. I was very fortunate to win one from KIWIreviews and my kids couldn't be happier.

I admit to having a dislike of bananas. The only way I will eat them is in a smoothie with lots of other fruit to hide the flavour. I know they are very good for me and I should include them in my diet. I also wanted my children to eat more fruit rather than other sweet food. We have loads of black bananas sitting in the freezer waiting to be made into cakes or muffins along with some other fruit. We but the machine to use the moment we got it.

Our first batch (my four year old's choice) was bananas and blueberries. She loved it and although she helped me make it and knew it was only fruit she called it ice cream and ate the whole lot very quickly. Her younger sister selected bananas and strawberries. While she was enjoying hers my husband walked in and asked if it was she was eating homemade ice cream as I had received an ice cream maker for Christmas a couple of days earlier and had grand plans. He was surprised to learn it was just pureed fruit.

I have also made Yonanas using frozen peaches, frozen pineapple, GoBake sprinkles and flavacol. These were all much healthier than ice cream. I had been looking at ice cream maker recipes and was surprised by the amount of sugar, cream and eggs most of these recipes contained. As a result the ice cream maker remains unused and the Yonanas is asked for everyday.

I also like that I can use fruit that I would normally throw out. This time of year there is lots of delicious berries and stone fruit available but they spoil so quickly. With Yonanas I can freeze this fruit and turn it into a delicious treat for us all. I have even bought fruit on clearance and thrown it in the freezer to use another day.

Since Yonanas is just fruit (and whatever else you want to add) it is great for people with food allergies. For those with dairy allergies they have to miss out on ice cream or buy some very expensive alternatives. I have suggested this to a few people with children that have been deprived of the pleasure of ice cream and they are very keen.

The first time I used the machine I found it very easy to use but the next time I was more impatient and didn't wait long enough for the fruit to soften slightly and I almost fried the machine. There is a fine balance between having the fruit too hard and too soft. I have found that if I take the fruit out of the freeze first and then potter around gathering bowls, spoons, flavourings, and anything else I might want, by the time the girls have decided what combination of flavours they will have the fruit is ready (10-15 minutes).

I have also had mixed results pulling it apart. Sometimes it is very easy but often there is condensation which makes it more difficult. The best thing in this situation was just to leave the washable part in the sink, so you don't have a huge mess on the bench, and unscrew it later.

I am so pleased to have this machine. I am now enjoying the equivalent of a big banana a day and other great fruit too. I believe it would pay for itself within a couple of years as you won't be buying ice cream or throwing away fruit. It is also a fun thing to have at a kids or even an adult's party. The best thing is it is healthy and you are only limited by your imagination. There are plenty of ideas on the Yonanas' website to get you started.

Many years ago, I used to be a regular customer of a freelance "Ice Cream Truck" chappie in Palmerston North. Before selling the business, he offered me the chance to help him quality-test a new product... I was told it was an "...ultra-low-fat blend of soft-serve and powdered frozen bananas..." - with the eventual aim to have the soft-serve component reduced down to less than 5% mass by volume. At that time, bananas were pretty plentiful in Australaia, where he was doing all his R&D work.

Now, many years later, I see that his foresight and vision has come all the way into the consumer's home... with a roar! Yes, this machine is LOUD if you have a small kitchen! BUT, it would be a GREAT little beastie to have out the back for the kids to enjoy and interact with - under close adult supervision in some cases - after the meals are over and everyone else is letting the food settle. With almost no limit to the imagination, it was something I knew I had to play with in the #FoodLab... Unfortunately, when I went to snap photos I found my camera and phone batteries were flat and the results of my experimenting wouldn't last long enough to recharge either one.

Still, the show must go on!

So, a dozen pre-frozen bananas, some assorted Flavacols, some assorted frozen canned and fresh fruits, and a bit of icing sugar to help sweeten the flavacols... and I was ready! Snapping the bananas into smaller chunks turned out to be a good inspiration, as it allowed me to alternate banana chunks and other ingredients more often, giving a better blending. Mixing the Flavacols with some GoBake EasyFrost and some icing sugar made for small "flavaballs" that I could use as fairly accurate measures too. So my first attempt was plain banana with nothing else. Not bad, but a little bland.

Second attempt was two whole bananas worth of pieces, mixed up with some frozen peach wedges and 4 mango 'flavaballs' which would be roughly equal to 1tbsp icing sugar and 1/2 tbsp flavacol. This turned out quite nice actually, and provided me with something that was quite akin to a really thick shake, so I popped it mack in the freezer for half an hour to firm up again, then quickly ran it back through the Yonanas machine to make sure it was velvet smooth. SUCCESS! This inspired me to try other combos...

3 chocolate and 2 peppermint flavaballs with 2 bananas was a real hit with me, and the family, as it was basically an 'After Dinner Mint" ice-cream. Served in a cone, this would have been a hit, but in a bowl with a handful of GoBake chocolate hail sprinkles and a half banana sliced next to it, it was just top notch! I also tried making my own 'regular' Sorbet a while back, but could never get it to be very smooth - slow freezing causes larger ice crystals which makes for grainy sorbet and/or ice-cream... so by scooping it through this machine, I could smash the crystals up quite small without busting my wrists!

Overall, thhis is one very delightful machine - perfect for summer and a hit with the kids. It's pretty much to desserts what Sodastream is to drinks - a DIY magic-maker! But I really do have to caution you about the noice, and the genuine need NOT to use hard-frozen ingredients - it's REALLY bad for the motor, and the results are pretty naff too!