GADGETS & GIZMOS

When it comes to making frozen pops in a flash, it’s hard to beat Pampered Chef’s Quicksicle Maker.

In just eight minutes you can have homemade (read custom) Popsicles. Simply stash the maker in your freezer for 24 hours before use, insert the sticks, fill with desired mix — sweetened mixtures like fruit juice or flavored milk work best — and watch the pops freeze. On the counter, pops take 10 to 15 minutes to freeze; placing the Quicksicle in the freezer cuts the time down to as few as eight minutes.

The trickiest part is taking care not to overfill the wells and getting the hang of using the special “key” to loosen the frozen pops. The “key” screws onto the stick and then loosens the ice from the mold.

We tested the Quicksicle using the poptail recipes featured in today’s cover story and were

able to make six treats in about 20 minutes.

Our mixtures were rather low in alcohol, but according to the Pampered Chef test kitchen, you can use up to 1 tablespoon of alcohol per pop. Pampered Chef cautions against using sugar-free mixtures as these will freeze too hard and may be difficult to

remove.

A word of caution: The base is quite heavy and the inner surfaces of the mold are cold enough to freeze skin; adult supervision is recommended.

For more information, visit pamperedchef.com Hand wash only. $56.50 includes six sticks and a removal key. Additional sticks and accessories sold separately.