Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Zoku Quick Pop Maker
by Zoku

List Price: ~~$49.99~~
Our Price: $49.95
You Save: $0.04 (0%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $37.93 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
See more product details

Product Summary

Manufacturer: Zoku
Brand: Zoku
Model: ZK101
Color: Orange
Product features:

Create your own customized frozen pops, including cream-filled varieties, in as little as 7 minutes
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
Special drip guards promote tidy eating
Includes base, remover tool, six reusable pop sticks and six reusable drip guards

Accessories:

Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Customer Review: Ridiculous price, inferior, and misleading marketing
Summary: 2 Stars

I'll start with 3 words: Tovolo Pop Molds... star shaped, rocket shaped, regular... they are far more affordable and are likewise BPA free and get the job done with more options and likewise more popsicles--not just 3...

If you're still looking at this, wanting the Williams Sonoma/Brookstone Cadillac of popsicle molds, read on.

First, the 7 minute claim... that's if you store the mold part in the freezer all the time AND start with very cold ingredients... yeah, misleading. The same thing could be said for a thick (ie OXO) plastic measuring cup... we're still talking about plastic that you pour liquid into, and take cold water/juice from the fridge, put it in a receptacle that's been in the freezer already, and yeah, duh, it gets cold quickly. Same goes for the Tovolo and Orca molds, except you just put them BACK in the freezer instead of freezer-countertop-freezer.

Reality=20-30 minutes (if your juices etc are cold) if you start with the mold in the cupboard where most people tend to leave these whimsical items. Well, I can't speak for most, but most parents *I* know tend to bring these little gadgets out only when they need them and save the rest of the freezer space for food. If you have one child who never has more than 2 friends over, maybe this works out alright, but if you want to make a dozen pops, you suddenly are looking at a couple hundred dollars. That is pretty ridiculous. (As for non-parents, I guess I can't quite get why, apart from mesmerizing kids, this would be worth so much more when functionally the same thing results, just with more energy consumed and a cap of 3 produced at a time.)

Now I won't entirely bash the physical quality, and obviously, it is a "pretty" accessory (but again, from my point of view, who cares? You're probably not putting the thing on your counter for display day in and out, but maybe some are--my urban kitchen isn't big enough to constantly have a pop maker taking up counter and freezer space). It CAN make some pretty pops, but see the first line's 3 magic words and you get to pick your shape and do pretty much the same thing. The same danger of all these gadgets--the plastic stick not staying in--is present here. There's only so much you/innovators can do. It's ESPECIALLY true if you are trying their suggested application like a strawberry smoothie with banana slices in it--if it gets too close to the stick, it's gonna be a mess in a hurry, not to mention that bananas don't look ANYTHING like how THEY make them look when you ACTUALLY freeze them--they are gross! They were really disappointing (despite knowing they look bad when frozen, we thought maybe short freeze times could make them like the picture--nope, not our organic ones at least!). Maybe it teaches kids not to believe false advertising? Quite the costly lesson, though!

So perks... well, it's like the logic of "if you had the exact same perfume in two bottles, chemically identical, but one cost you three times as much as the other, which would you take? The less expensive one, right? Well, what if one of them had Gwen Stefani's name on it? Oh, you'd want the one with her name on the label...." yeah. That logic. To ME, this is an insult--a huge waste of $$ when Tovolo has BPA-free plastic that is a fifth as expensive, that you won't absolutely CRY upon breaking (or even the pretty logo getting damaged).

To buy this might possibly be a self-nomination for a Darwin award. It was won through a Williams Sonoma store drawing, and it may be up for auction sometime if you want a twice-used Mercedes pop maker. The amusement lasted us about two hours; we made pops with this AND the Tovolos (too much effort to warrant only making enough of each mix for a pop or two). Going by both their recipes and our own, their peppermint one's pretty good, their pumpkin spice latte ones GROSS (was hard to even convince ourselves to get instant powder... still, since it was free, it was way too weird to not try). Seven minutes to fruity/creamy/yogurty/cinnamony goodness? No. Especially not since we washed it with warm water between the uses (something about mixing tart and sweet and milky and spicy=eww)... oh, and warning: don't try alcohol in them, at least not their recipe suggestions. They didn't freeze especially well, despite only having 2TBS rum by the marketing pamphlet thing we were given. No daiquiri pops for us.

ETA: We made more than just their suggested ones; we tossed Greek Gods yogurt with berries and such, NORMAL kinds for us, but since we didn't pay for it, we had the chance to make some ridiculous things we'd never otherwise make--ordinarily, the Tovolo gets filled with smoothie stuff, some with yogurt, some dairy-free, or ginger lemonade or whatever might go bad soon, etc! We made what we had recipes for mostly on a whim, getting a teeny bottle of rum and a small can of pumpkin puree, but we DID try regular ones, too... just figured if it's supposed to do magic, seven minute magic like those little kids' easy bake ovens and their "cookies," be fair in our skepticism and let it prove our inner skeptics wrong since hey, we always hope what we get is awesome, but especially when it ended up just being the same end result (for what we realistically would use it for), the whole plug and play nature of it felt very "sharper image Christmas gifts you never knew you didn't really want."

I guess if I wanted to impress 6 people with the rainbow they advertise, there IS the accessory case. However, then you're mixing tiny batches of many kinds--a big mess!--AND if you want the layered look, you're looking at freezing a little, pouring layer 2, freezing more, pouring more... don't expect it to look like the end results THEY get apart from the ones with citrus slices being pretty reliable. They do, after all (in the videos), jump cut to the ones someone crafted beforehand, which are always perfect! (and those bananas in the gorgeous ones probably came from a can full of preservatives like the little ones in Asian markets that are hard and bland) :) My advice=don't necessarily believe the hype ... if you try it, be sure you can return it easily in case of buyer's remorse! For the price, I'd rather get 30 molds--6 each of 5 shapes even--than 3 molds (there ARE 6 sticks, but it's still more work than just doing it all at once and shoving it in the freezer). Maybe that's just me.

Write your own review

More Zoku Quick Pop Maker reviews:
1 2

Description of Zoku Quick Pop Maker

The patented Zoku Quick Pop? Maker freezes ice pops in as little as seven minutes right on your countertop without electricity. Quickly make striped pops, yogurt pops or (for the first time ever at home) flavored core pops. To enjoy Quick Pops at a moment?s notice, simply store the compact base in your freezer. The kit includes six durable, reusable plastic pop sticks that have unique ridged designs that allow pops to adhere securely, with special drip guards for tidy eating. A specially designed Super Tool helps to quickly release the frozen treats from their molds. The unit can make up to 9 pops before refreezing the unit again. Includes 1 Quick Pop Maker, 6 sticks, 6 drip guards, and 1 Super Tool.

Specialty Tools & Gadgets

Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets > Specialty Tools & Gadgets

Kitchen and Housewares

Most talked about in Zoku

Zoku Tool set
Imperial Trading Limited; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $18.00
Price in other shops: ~~$19.99~~

Zoku Quick Pop Maker
Zoku; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $49.95
Price in other shops: ~~$49.99~~

Zoku Set of 6 Sticks and Drip Guards
Zoku; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $11.95
Price in other shops: ~~$11.99~~

Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker
Imperial Trading Limited; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $36.95
Price in other shops: ~~$36.99~~

Zoku Character Kit
Zoku; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $14.85
Price in other shops: ~~$14.99~~

Zoku Quick Pops Recipe Book
Imperial Trading Limited; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $16.93
Price in other shops: ~~$16.95~~

Similar Kitchen and Housewares Products

Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats Image

Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats
by Shelly Kaldunski
Weldon Owen; Published: 2011-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops: ~~$15.95~~

Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats Image

Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats
by Charity Ferreira
Chronicle Books; Chronicle Books; Published: 2011-06-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.61
Price in other shops: ~~$16.95~~

Zoku Chocolate Station
Imperial Trading Limited; Zoku; Kitchen
Best price: $19.99

Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone
by Krystina Castella
Quirk Books; Published: 2008-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.71
Price in other shops: ~~$15.95~~