Slurpees!

February 2, 2004 4:22 PM

Does anyone here know how to make a homemade Slurpee?
posted by @homer to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

I had a homemade slurpee machine when I was a kid. Not so much a machine really as a double-walled plastic cup filled with a liquid (between the walls) that could be frozen. You froze it overnight, filled it up with a soft-drink, then scraped down the walls of the cup as the drink gradually froze. Not bad.

Same technique might work if you made a reverse-double boiler. Fill up a metal cup with salt/ice, then dip it into a larger cup of whatever drink you want to slurpee-ize. Take it out every now and then and scrape down the sides into the drink.
posted by Jeff Howard at 4:43 PM on February 2, 2004

Notice part of the trick is keeping the solution in a spin cycle like a clothes dryer. As the solution does not spin around and around but with the aid of gravity falls making it an icee solution.
Are Slurpees carbonated(CO2)?
Wonder if you could mix dry ice with a Slurpee solution then place it a canister. Then placing the canister in your dryer set a cool setting, delicate?(your nic "homer" inspired my idea")

Think they do offer these or similar machines in a smaller sizes for office use.
posted by thomcatspike at 4:45 PM on February 2, 2004

I've always just used my blender, which sometimes can come close to approximating the same consistency. My mom has one of these Hamilton Beach Snowman Ice Shaver, and she turns out some pretty good Slurpee substitutes with it.

Not that I have tried it, but I have thought about it:
What if you used an ice cream machine, but just didn't let it freeze all the way? Hmmm ... I might have to try that tomorrow. Now you have me craving a Slurpee!
posted by Orb at 5:33 PM on February 2, 2004

Jeff seems to be referring to the Slush Mug... gotta recommend it. Freeze them, pour juice or soda into it (not Nutra-sweetened, it freezes solid for some reason), and wait for it to turn to slush. The liquid inside is non-toxic. Advantage over crushed ice is that the flavor doesn't dilute since the actual drink is frozen.
posted by ALongDecember at 6:56 PM on February 2, 2004

I've made Pseudo-Slurpees in our electric ice cream maker, and it worked just fine. Like gangbusters, even.

The machine consists basically of a container like Jeff Howard describes, a motorized bottom (fnarr fnarr), and a scraper continually scrapes the sides.

Another trick would be to freeze some coke (or whatever you want enslurpee-ized) in an ice cube tray, dump them into a snow-cone maker, and add a bit more in place of syrup.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:00 PM on February 2, 2004

Oh, right, I forgot directions. Get the ice-cream maker container out of the freezer. Put in maker. Turn on. Pour in some coke. Wait. Enjoy.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:01 PM on February 2, 2004

Ah, Slush Mug(TM). Couldn't remember the name, and had no idea they still made 'em. Thanks ALongDecember.
posted by Jeff Howard at 7:48 PM on February 2, 2004

The Pampered Chef (like Avon, but cooking stuff) sells a handcranked shave ice machine that uses something similar to a razor blade.

Our Bosch blender/mixer combo will slush the Helsinki out of any ice you throw into it.
posted by mecran01 at 7:52 PM on February 2, 2004

Response by poster: Oooh baby the Slush Mug looks like a winner. Thanks!
posted by @homer at 8:33 PM on February 2, 2004