Greasy, waxy or like Vaseline

4 possible causes

1. 1

   Too much spinning churned the fat into butter

   How to tell: A greasy film on your lips and the spoon, sometimes with tiny pale yellow specks. It got worse after each Re-spin or a long Mix-in, and the base had heavy cream, cream cheese or egg yolks.

   Why: The paddle whips the tubpint as it spins. A rich base whipped too long does what cream does when you overwhip it: the fat droplets clump together and turn into butter. Every Re-spin and Mix-in adds more whipping.

   Fix this tubpint

   1. Stop spinning. Another Re-spin makes it worse.
   2. To rescue it, do it right away: scoop it into a small pan and warm it on low heat, stirring, until it is just warm, about 40 °C (105 °F), so the butter bits melt. Add 60 ml (¼ cup) of cold milk and blend for 30 seconds.
   3. Cool it fast in a bowl set in ice water, stirring, until it is completely cold, about 10 minutes. Pour it back into the tubpint no higher than the max fill line, put the lid on, freeze it level for 24 hours and spin it once.
   4. No time? Blend it with a glass of milk into a milkshake. It tastes great that way.

   Next time

   • Only Re-spin a rich tubpint when it looks powdery, and stop at two. If it is creamy after the first spin, it is done.
   • Add 1 tbsp of milk before a second Re-spin instead of spinning it dry.
   • Run Mix-in once, on a firm tubpint, not on one that is already soft from Re-spins.
2. 2

   The base has too much fat

   How to tell: Heavy and coating from the first spoon, even after a single spin. The recipe is mostly cream, or cream plus cream cheese, mascarpone, egg yolks, butter, nut butter or chocolate.

   Why: Creamy ice cream sits at about 10 to 16% fat. Much above that, it coats your mouth instead of melting clean, and it churns into butter very easily in the CREAMi.

   Fix this tubpint

   1. Let it soften for a few minutes and eat it in small scoops, or blend it with milk into a milkshake.
   2. If you Re-spin it, add 1 to 2 tbsp of milk first.

   Next time

   • Keep heavy cream to about 40% of the liquid. For a 473 ml16 oz tubpint that is about 120 to 170 ml (½ to ¾ cup) cream with 230 to 280 ml (1 to 1¼ cups) whole milk.
   • Use 15 g (1 tbsp) cream cheese, and do not stack it with mascarpone and egg yolks in the same tubpint.
   • Paste your recipe into the recipe check: it shows the fat percentage and how much cream to swap for milk.
3. 3

   Coconut fat set waxy

   How to tell: A vegan or coconut tubpint coats the roof of your mouth like lip balm, most of all straight from the machine.

   Why: Coconut fat is hard at freezer temperature, and fat that stays solid in your mouth feels waxy instead of creamy. Coconut oil, cocoa butter and white chocolate do the same.

   Fix this tubpint

   1. Let the bowl stand for 5 to 10 minutes. As the fat softens, it tastes creamier.
   2. Or Re-spin with 2 tbsp of oat or soy milk.

   Next time

   • Coconut cream is far richer than coconut milk. Use it for no more than half of the liquid, with oat or soy milk for the rest. A can of full-fat coconut milk on its own is about as rich as a tubpint should get.
   • Leave out added coconut oil.
   • Add 1 to 2 tbsp more sugar or syrup: a softer tubpint feels less waxy.
4. 4

   Too much gum makes it slick

   How to tell: More slippery than fatty: smooth but slick, it stretches off the spoon and does not melt clean. You added xanthan or guar gum, gelatin or pudding mix, or used a ready-to-drink protein shake.

   Why: Gums thicken the water in the base. A pinch keeps ice crystals small; too much turns it into a slippery gel that coats like Vaseline. Most ready-made protein shakes already contain gums, so adding more doubles up.

   Fix this tubpint

   1. Add 2 tbsp of milk and Re-spin. It loosens a little.

   Next time

   • Use ⅛ to ¼ tsp xanthan or guar gum per 473 ml16 oz tubpint and never more (⅜ tsp at most in a 709 ml24 oz Deluxe tubpint).
   • With a ready-made protein shake, skip extra gum, or use 1 tbsp pudding mix instead of 2.
   • The gummy, stretchy or slimy page has more on thickeners.

Recipes that spin smooth

Ice cream

Classic Vanilla

Ice Cream10 min + 24 h freeze

Ice cream

Salted Caramel

Ice Cream1 h 20 min + 24 h freeze

Ice cream

Vegan Chocolate Oat

Ice Cream1 h 15 min + 24 h freeze

Vegan

Gelato

Sicilian Pistachio Gelato

Gelato1 h 18 min + 24 h freeze

Gelato

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Gelato

Gelato1 h 18 min + 24 h freeze