For the past few months, I’ve defiantly walked past the Ninja Creami at Costco as I think about our air fryer, toaster oven, breadmaker, rice cooker, and stand mixer already vying for limited counter space. Nutribullet’s new Chill ice cream maker could finally break my resolve with its smaller footprint. While the Creami’s base measures 17.44 by 8.58 inches, the Chill’s is just 9.6 by 5.74 inches, making it easier to squeeze onto a kitchen counter and later store once my family tires of DIY frozen treats.
The Chill is now available from Nutribullet’s online store and Amazon for $199.99 and comes with a pair of 16-ounce pint cups. You’ll also need to provide all of the ingredients for a process that involves mixing up the ice cream base, pouring it into the pint cups that get frozen for 24 hours, and then churning the results to your desired consistency.
Many of these countertop ice cream makers are simply super-powered blenders that won’t overheat or burn out under the load of frozen ingredients. More expensive alternatives like the Ninja Swirl go one step further by dispensing soft serve, but the Nutribullet Chill has five presets that use its double-sided and dual-direction mixing blades to make ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, smoothies, or sorbets. I’m sure I won’t feel guilty about the impulse purchase as I dig into a bowl of homemade rocky road, at least until I open the cupboard and remember the cluttered mess that is our appliance shelf.