An Honest Family Review of The INOVIVA Slushie Machine

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As a parent, one thing I can always guarantee is that we always need to have a wide variety of drinks in our house. What with having two kids with completely different tastes, and of course, the added pressures of them wanting to try the latest “trendy drinks” or seeing something fun like slushies when we’re out I feel like I am always weighing up costs, plastic waste and how many times I can get away with saying no (something most of us parents hate doing). For me, the plastic issue is the biggest problem. So many of these drinks that are targeted at children come in brightly coloured plastic bottles with plastic straws, and it is really infuriating – my children understand this too, it’s a shame the companies don’t. A change needs to happen, but until then, I have been trying to find better options, and that’s where the INOVIVA Slushie Machine for the home comes in. I had no idea that these types of appliances even existed, but when INOVIVA contacted us to review one, I jumped at the chance to put it through its paces to see if this could be the solution our family needed.

About INOVIVA Slushie Machine

The INOVIVA Slushie Machine has been designed with ease of use and practicality in mind. No confusing instructions, no ice, no diluting, this machine can create slushies, frozen cocktails, milkshakes, frappes and alcoholic slushies at the touch of a button. With a 2-litre capacity and customisable options, you can make the perfect drinks for just you and a friend or for a whole dinner party. Its energy-efficient design means that even with it running for 30 minutes, it uses less electricity than a kettle – clever!

INOVIVA Slushie Machine Review

First Impressions

When the machine arrived, it looked really impressive but also very big. Larger than our coffee machine, I did struggle at first to find a good place for it to live, but with a little rearranging and by positioning it at an angle, I soon found a spot on the worktop that could work for us.

Next up was to work it all out. Now, if you know me, you’ll know that I am not the most technologically minded person and I really thought I was going to get the set-up all wrong but the machine not only comes with an informative, detailed user guide but also a quick start guide which is ideal when you want to get your head around using a new product fast.

I quickly assembled the few parts that weren’t already attached, I popped some of the components in the sink with some soapy water to clean and then had a quick play with the settings to see what was what. Once we felt ready (because the children were involved from the start too), we were up for making our first slushies…

Using The Slushie Machine

My biggest tip before you make a start is to read the sugar content information inside the user manual, because sugar is the key to your drink turning slushy. On our first try, we went wrong. My son wanted a lemonade slushie, but we completely missed the fact that it was a sugar-free product – my fault, I was too eager to give it a whirl and I only skim read the info. The machine will alert you that something is wrong when it begins to clunk!! Oops (don’t panic, this is just the stirring blade rubbing and the machine will stop cooling and restart itself).

Once I went back and got my head around the sugar quantity table, we had another go, this time using an orange, mango and passionfruit smoothie we ordered with our regular Milk&More delivery. Things started out well, but we soon came to realise that it was taking much longer than the instructions had stated and decided it must be due to low sugar content. After adding a teaspoon of sugar* and reducing the slushie thickness on the settings, things began to look up, and we soon had an absolutely amazing first slushie!

*You can also choose to use flavoured syrup, juice, maple syrup, date sugar, coconut sugar or honey.

Now that we knew how to get the right combination, we were on a roll, and the slushies over the next few days worked perfectly. From plain orange to cranberry and lemonade, lemonade with a squeeze of real lemon, plus a cheeky gin and tonic slushie* for us adults, this slushie machine was proving to be very fun.

*Check their required alcohol content table to ensure you can create your perfect drink.

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One thing we did notice was that having the slushie thickness up too high wasn’t working for us. However, having the thickness setting on the first bar gave us what I would call a normal consistency for a slushie so we opted for this with each use. Personally, we didn’t think we’d need them any thicker.

We made these fantastic gin and tonic slushies on the wine setting by adding sugar and squeezing the juice of half a lime in which gave it an amazing tangy taste. Note: There are plenty of recipes to be found at the back of the user manual.

Cleaning and Maintenance

The slushie machine needs to be cleaned between each drink variation you want to make, but it does have a very handy self-cleaning setting which helps to make life a little easier. You simply add water into the container (up to the max line), hit the clean button, and in around 4 minutes, it is all done. Drain the water using the handle and spout, then take the components apart to give them a quick wash in the sink and wipe down.

Pros and Cons

The Pros:

• Easy to use
• Customisable options
• When you get your ingredients right, you get a super tasty slushie
• You get plenty of servings from a full tank
• Easy to pour, even the kids can do this!
• Easy to clean and care for
• Energy efficient
• Helps to reduce plastic waste and save money (when you opt to use products in glass and cans)

The Cons:

• Large
• Sugar content needs to be right
• Not for the health-conscious due to sugar content
• Uses up a lot of drinks as you must fill to the minimum line
• Takes 15-30 minutes to create the perfect slushie on the low setting (added this because kids are impatient!)
• Unless you want to keep cleaning it, you need to stick to one drink type for your event

Overall Thoughts

The INOVIVA Slushie Machine is a great addition to the home if you want to provide different drink options for your family, if you love entertaining and if you want to create fancy drinks without spending a fortune. We’ve had loads of fun testing and reviewing this product, and I can see it coming in really handy during the summer months, especially for any friends and family barbecues we have, or even if we go along to any; this could easily be popped in the car. This is going to provide us with years of refreshing beverages.

If you love the look and sound of all of this, you can purchase your own slushie machine here AND I can give you £30 off by clicking the voucher box or by using the code K3MW7OHW, taking the price from £329.99 to £299.99.

*We were sent the INOVIVA Slushie Machine in exchange for a full honest review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own, for further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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