If the cup comes out rock hard and will not give at all, it is usually one of two things: it has been in the freezer too long, or the drink had no sugar in it. Here is how to tell which.
1. It has been in the freezer too long
This is the most common reason by far. The cup needs four to six hours to freeze. Leave it in for two days and the whole thing goes solid, walls included, and there is nothing left to squeeze.
Take it out and stand it on the counter for three to five minutes, then try again. It should give.
Do not run it under hot water to speed this up. Hot water damages the cooling layer and you will end up with a cup that never freezes properly again.
If you keep your cup in the freezer permanently so it is always ready, this will happen every time. Just build in the few minutes on the counter before you pour.
2. Your drink has no sugar in it
This is the one nobody expects. Sugar is what stops a drink freezing into a solid block. It lowers the freezing point, so the liquid turns to slush instead of ice.
Plain water, diet soda and sugar free cordial will freeze rock solid every single time. You can squeeze as hard as you like and nothing will move.
Use regular soda, juice, lemonade or anything with real sugar in it. If you want something lighter, water down a regular juice rather than switching to a sugar free drink.
3. Your freezer is running too cold
Most freezers sit around -18C. Some run closer to -25C, and at that temperature the cup over freezes no matter how long you leave it.
If your cup comes out solid every time even after four or five hours, check the freezer setting. Turning it up one notch usually fixes it, and your food is still safe at -18C.
4. You filled it too full
The slush needs somewhere to move. Fill the cup to the top and it freezes into one solid block with no give in it.
Fill to about three quarters. That gap is what lets the slush form.
5. You are squeezing the wrong way
Do not crush it from the top. Squeeze the sides and roll your hands around the cup, working your way around it. Short repeated presses work better than one long hard push.
If a child is struggling, the lower half of the cup is easier to squeeze than the middle.
Still solid after all five?
If the cup will not soften even after ten minutes on the counter, the cooling layer may be damaged. Email Info@freezenslush.com and we will take a look. We reply within 24 hours.
