Slushies at home: the €20,000 whim nobody can explain

Slushies at home: when the whim costs as much as a small car

Twenty thousand euros for a home slushie machine. It sounds like an El Mundo Today headline, yet it comes up in consumer debates with complete naturalness. The €20,000 reference appears in a conversation about the Ninja Slushi, a compact appliance that promises to turn any drink into a slushie within minutes. Although the actual price of the standard model is around €300, the €20,000 joke (a nod to another thread about outrageous costs) reveals a sceptical attitude towards impulse-buying single-purpose appliances.

How it works and what to expect

According to the comments, the machine works without the need for crushed ice: you pour the drink in directly and it chills it until it reaches a slushie texture. Under normal conditions, the process takes about 20 minutes, although with alcohol –a recurring use– it takes longer. The ability to make frozen cocktails at home appeals to party lovers, but purists warn that high-proof spirits end up watered down and the experience is mediocre unless specific liqueurs are used, such as coffee-flavoured Bailins.

The leisure factor and home safety

One of the arguments raised in the discussion is the antiestéticar of theft in public outdoor spaces if the machine were used for street selling. That is why the home option gains ground: the whim stays at home, away from prying eyes. The idea of women being kept busy with the machine while the men sip a calm cognac adds a layer of irony to the purchase, which seems more like an adult toy than a tool for responsible consumption.

With the market price of these appliances well below the initial joke –and with the possibility of making everything from lemonade with spirits to coffee slushies–, the lingering question is whether they really add value or will end up gathering dust in the cupboard. Time will tell. And so will the next heatwaves.