After reading some of the posts on this board, I have been thinking about ordering myself a Creme Whipper and some Da Vinci's sugar free syrups. I had a couple of questions though.

First I noticed the Creme Whippers require a N2O cartridge and I just wondered how much use you all found that you were getting out of a cartridge? I'm looking at a 1 pint size whipper, and was wondering if I should buy some extra cartridges up front.

Also the Da Vinci's, I went to their website and there are soooo many yummy sounding flavors that I want to buy them all! I was just curious to hear what different people's favorites were and what you might recommend I start out with. I figure I'll start with 2 to 3 flavors. Also, I read several good ideas about how to use them, but I'd love to hear more! You all are so much more creative with your cooking than I am!

Thanks so much!

-Mollie

Slow and Steady Wins the Race - Aesop

My favorites are coconut, hazelnut, cherry and vanilla. I also like French Vanilla, Raspberry, and Amaretto.

Flavors I would ~never~ buy again: Spiced Chai Latte (not my cuppa tea!) and Orange (tastes like baby aspirin).

Another alternative for conveniently whipping small amounts of cream are the milk frothers, which are great for making very small amounts(i.e., 1-3 tbs). here are pics of the Bon Jour and the Aerolatte.



~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135/137-134
remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

Don't have a CremeWhipper, can't help there (but seriously thinking about getting one. Yes, I *am* a gadget freak.)

My favorite DaVincis are hazel nut, vanilla, and raspberry. I wasn't as impressed with the Irish cream as I thought I'd be. I'm a big fan of Bailey's and this just wasn't close enough (although I have read other postings where it tasted just about the same to some folks, so, as always, personal taste counts heavily!)

I think it depends on what you want to do with it. For hot drinks (e.g., flavored coffee), I don't like fruit flavors much. OTOH, for mock Danish, cheesecake, pancakes, etc., I think fruit flavors rule.

Aderyn

Ditto on the Spiced Chai Latte...yuck. Everything else I've tried is great. Here they are:

vanilla, raspberry, hazelnut, white chocolate, pancake syrup, gingerbread.

But, my two favorite are caramel and Dulce de Leche.

Susan


LCE Member since 01/02
341/283.5/185

I LOVE the Chai! The trick I learned is to use VERY little - it's quite concentrated. Where I might use 2 tablespoons of other flavors, about 1-2 TEASPOONS of the Chai in a mug of cream/water was just right. 'Course you gotta like Chai tea to begin with!

My current favorite is always the newest one I've gotten - I love the new Pineapple. I mixed it in with some plain yogurt and some ground flax seed, and it was awesome! I also used it to sweeten my decaf Constant Comment tea and the pineapple/orange combo was really great.

I also use a lot of the Danish Pastry flavor, and recently discovered the Huckleberry, which is great when thickened with vegetable gum (guar, xanthan, or the ThickenThin/Not Starch blend) and used as a pancake syrup or to top ice cream, cheesecake, etc.

My old standbys which I will not do without though are:


Chocolate
Pancake Syrup
Root Beer
Cherry
Cola
Grape
Orange

You can make your own sodas by blending the flavor you like with seltzer water. I also like to make a Root Beer Float or a Creamsicle by blending the RB or Orange syrup with a little heavy cream, then fill the glass slowly with seltzer.

I'm not affiliated with DaVinci but I do love their products and have used them for several years now - I feel they've been instrumental in helping me achieve my weight loss without feeling deprived!

Char

Don't squat with yer spurs on!

I bought the small creme whipper (1/2pint) about a month ago and I LOVE IT. It uses 1 cartridge for each time you make whipped creme, so yes you must buy extra cartridges. I think they come in a box of 10. You are only going to use the cartridge once, but after the creme is whipped you can keep it in the canister for a week or more. Think Reddi Whip but it has no sugar in it.

Shortie19
224+/201/130
Since 1/1/03

Yes you need the extra cartridges. I think I bought 2 dozen...not knowing how quickly I would use them. I keep my cremewhipper always ready in the fridge. (I have the 1 pint size and it uses 1 cartridge per pint.) Here's my recipe...lol...1 pint heavy whipping cream and 8 pumps of davinci's vanilla...voilla!! Perfect whipped cream!

Thankfully my Walmart carries SF davinci's vanilla!! I use that tons more than any other flavor, esp in recipes and coffee. Next to that, I use almond and/or amaretto, irish cream, caramel, and hazelnut the most, mainly in my coffee. I order all these other flavors directly from the company...great service...and be sure to get the pumps...they are so convenient and that way you don't risk spilling or wasting any!

HTH!
Lori

Physician Assistant
Full-time mother of 3 boys
Started 2/13/02
50 lbs gone forever!
The joy of the Lord is my strength (and boy do I need it)!!

A great place to pick up DaVinci for $5.99, is Marshall's or T.J. Maxx. Flavors are varied. Walmart does stock the vanilla for around the same price.

Susan


LCE Member since 01/02
341/283.5/185

Ok, I ordered a 1 pint creme whipper and a 10 pack of cartridges. I figure that will give me an idea of how quickly I will use it. Thanks for all who replied on that, I had no idea that you could only use them once!

Also thanks for the tips on Marshall's and T.J. Maxx, I haven't tried there yet, but am going to this weekend. I found them at a health food store in town, but they didn't have any of the flavors that I wanted!

Thanks again!

-Mollie

Slow and Steady Wins the Race - Aesop