It’s summertime and we’re on an extended vacation outside of the city, which means that it’s pretty intense to keep a 4 and 6 year old occupied on a daily basis (I don’t know if I can take another day at the pool…). So, in an effort to find fun, healthy family activities to do together that don’t involve goggles, we’ve been testing out fun ways to make cool and healthy summer treats.
For years, we have vowed not to feed our kids those sugar and artificial ingredient laden popsicles from the grocery store or the ice cream truck, so we’re always on the lookout for easy, fun popsicle molds to make our own at home. When I found Zoku on a Google search for silicone molds, I was immediately intrigued. So, they sent me their Polar Pop Molds (they also make Space Pop and Fish Pop molds) and Quick Pop Maker to test with my wee ones.
First, let’s talk about the Polar Pops. We tested them with the simplest popsicle recipe we know: Watermelon Pops (Directions: puree watermelon in a blender; pour in a popsicle mold and freeze). The molds are all in one piece, which is dreamy (no plastic parts to worry you’ll knock about while filling them).
So we poured the blended watermelon into the molds, stuck the sticks on top and threw them in the freezer at bedtime with promises of popsicles for breakfast.
Now, my main problem with all the popsicle molds we have tried is that you have to spend several minutes rinsing and rinsing and rinsing the frozen molds under lukewarm water and often end up with mushy popsicles by the time you wrestle them out of the plastic. Well, Polar Pops solves that problem completely. As advertised, there is absolutely no rinsing necessary. We pulled them out of the freezer, pushed the silicone up from the bottom and, voila! Perfectly frozen, perfectly yummy watermelon popsicles. For breakfast. No mess, no rinsing, no mush. My six year old needed absolutely no help releasing her watermelon treat.
My only issue (and it’s a small one) with the Polar Pops is that when you place the sticks in the unfrozen pops, they basically just sit on top of the molds and don’t click into place or close securely. So, when you put these in your freezer, make sure they aren’t going to get knocked around, because those sticks will shift and move, potentially creating a sticky freezer spill or a cockeyed popsicle stick. All in all, this is a minor complaint and pretty much mitigated by the silicone all-in-one-piece design.
As for price, at $19.99 for the Polar Pops, they’re only a teensy bit more expensive than the other molds we’ve tried, which have run about $12-$18. But, for the functionality and ease of use with these molds, we’ll happily pay the extra couple of bucks.
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And now for the Quick Pop Maker. Zoku makes this product in three models, the Single, Duo and the Triple. We tested the Triple. Now, I was skeptical about this one. When a product advertises frozen popsicles in 7-9 minutes, it’s not a bad thing to be cautiously optimistic. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
When you open the box, you can really feel the quality of this popsicle maker from the moment you get your hands on it. The freezing unit is heavy and solid and the sticks are anything but flimsy.
First things first. When you take this baby out of the box, wash the freezing unit and put it in the freezer for at least 24 hours. Then, leave it in the freezer until the moment you’re ready to pour your popsicle mixture or juice into the molds. For our first try, we made what we like to call “smoothie pops,” which is exactly what it sounds like: make a smoothie with your favorite fruits/veggies and freeze it in popsicle molds. This may not have been the best idea with these molds. Our smoothie was really thick and I had a hard time getting it right into the space allowed. So, after one messy attempt (pictured left), we added water to our smoothie so it was the consistency of juice and started over with much less messy, gloppy results.
Now, does it freeze solid in 7-9 minutes as advertised? Oh, yessiree it does! Solid. And, is it easy to remove from the mold and enjoy immediately? Yup. There’s an extra screw on handle that pulls it right out of the mold. Perhaps most excitingly, you can repeat this process 2-3 times before the freezing unit thaws too much to be effective (although our third round took more like 16-18 minutes to be ready).
Once the pops are frozen, just pass them out and enjoy! There’s really nothing more to it than that.
As for price, the Triple retails for $49.99 (Duo is $36.99; Single is $24.99), so it’s definitely a bit of a splurge compared to molds that freeze in the traditional way. But, for the novelty and instant gratification, I think it’s worth the money if you make popsicles as often as we do and would make a fabulous housewarming gift.
Zoku really does have some of the best popsicle products out there, no matter what your budget. And, no matter what, making summer memories and healthy treats with your kiddos is priceless.
Mollie Michel is a South Philly resident and a Philadelphia public school parent. A recovering non-profit professional, Mollie is also an experienced birth doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and the mom of two awesome girls and a sweet pit bull named Princess Cleopatra. In her spare time, she is usually trying to figure out how Pinterest works, training for a(nother) half-marathon with her dog at her side, or simply trying to keep up with her increasingly wily daughters.