Looking for a high-quality electric ice machine that can create delicious shaved ice in no time? Doshisha has you covered with their electric shaved ice maker! This machine is designed with safety in mind and features a convenient safety lock for worry-free operation. It is also easy to use and store, making it a great option for any home or business. With AC100V power, you can enjoy refreshing shaved ice whenever you want. Try Doshisha’s electric ice machine today and experience the difference for yourself!
What is Kakigori (かき氷)?
Kakigori is Japanese style shaved ice.
I like mine with matcha (powdered green
And my trips to Japan in the summer are never complete without it.
Never been? or have you been when it’s not summer?
Turn that frown upside down!
Here’s the good news!
You can make Japanese style shaved ice at home by hand or…
You can get a machine, like the one I’m reviewing today!
Manual methods of shaving ice call for significant amounts of time and effort.
I know.
When I was a little kid I used to make it by hand!
So, if you know you like shaved ice… the next thing you need is a good quality shaved ice machine.
With that in mind, let’s look at the DOSHISHA Electric Shaved Ice Machine and see if it’s an good fit for you.
What is Doshisha
About the DOSHISHA Electric Shaved Ice Machine
The DOSHISHA Electric Shaved Ice Machine not only promises, but also delivers extremely fluffy shaved ice.
I was actually surprised how fluffy the ice is. You may be too.
It’s like fluffy powdered snow.
It’s so fluffy that at the fluffiest setting syrup will melt it away as soon as you put some on!
On the other hand, a more coarse ice will be like a traditional American snow cone.
You can even use it for slushies and other icy desserts. Think strawberry or raspberry granitas and mango and tapioca with coconut milk. Yum!
Aside from the machine itself, all you need to make shaved ice is a block of ice and some syrup.
It comes with two ice cups (lids included) and that’s it.
To operate the machine, there’s only one lever you need to push.
And you’ll be eating shaved ice desserts in less than a minute!
Doshisha Shaved Ice Machine Design
Perhaps the most Japanese feature of this electric shaved ice machine is the large red Kanji (characters for ice) found on the front and sides of the unit.
These are visible during festivals and at shops that sell shaved ice in Japan.
It’s a quick and easy way to know if a place sells shaved ice!
As for the machine itself – if you take off the top piece, you’ll see some screws.
These screws help the top rotating piece latch on the the ice block.
Which in turn, is pushed against the blade and creates shaved ice.
I was initially worried the screws would hit the ice blade but it never does.
It’s designed so that as the ice block gets smaller and smaller, the top screws will never hit the blade.
The ice block molds also have notches in them.
I thought it was important to align the notches with the screws, but it works just fine without alignment
The Doshisha instruction manual
It comes in Japanese so you can –
- A. Ask your Japanese speaking/reading friend to translate
- B. Try to use your phone and google translate with the camera function
- C. Watch my video and see that it’s really not that hard to operate without reading the manual
Still, the machine is easy to use and you might not even need the instruction manual.
After plugging it in, it’s ready to use.
All you need to do is add the block, place a bowl underneath to catch the ice, and hold down the lever and the machine will do all the work for you.
Changing the thickness of the ice coming out of the unit is as easy as adjusting a screw at the bottom.
You can adjust the ice to come out incredibly fluffy or like a coarse slushy depending on your tastes.
Also, despite the machine being fit for personal use, it can also create back to back batches of shaved ice without overheating. Before I bought this I read that some competitor shaved ice machines will overheat and stop operations after creating two batches.
My last tip for using this -the shaved ice comes out at an angle from the bottom, so you should rotate your bowl while shaving. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a bunch of shaved ice on one side of your bowl. You’ll notice this right away if you don’t rotate.
Konnichiwa! (Hello!) I'm Pat Tokuyama, a Japanese tofu cookbook author, who travels for music, food, and adventure. If you like Japanese tea, checkout some of the newestorganic japanese tea, matcha bowls and noren and more!
** Curious about the Plant Based Japanese Cooking Club? ** Learn more here!
Conclusion
The DOSHISHA Electric Shaved Ice Machine is a solid choice for someone who enjoys kakigori and other shaved ice desserts.
As I described above, it makes very good shaved ice.
A few things that could be improved would be – making the shaved ice go straight down instead of at an angle and to make the machine out of stainless steel so that it feels more sturdy.
Other than that, not sure there’s a better alternative available at this time! If you know of one let me know!
One last thing I wanted to mention is that since this was designed to be used in Japan, you may want to consider getting a voltage regulator. The voltage in Japan is 100V vs 110V in the US, so to minimize the risk of frying the little motor, I decided to invest in one to protect my purchase. Your call.
If you’re not a huge fan of Kakigori, did you know there are other types of shaved ice desserts also?
Here are a few examples –
What do these desserts have in common?
They can all be made with the help of DOSHISHA machine!
And can keep your sweet tooth satisfied all year round.
All you need are some good quality syrups and if you haven’t tried making them at home, they aren’t too difficult to do!
What do you think? Are you a shaved ice fan? Will you be buying one of these?
Checkout some of my other product reviews if you haven’t seen them yet –
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Konnichiwa! (Hello!) I'm Pat Tokuyama, a Japanese tofu cookbook author, who travels for music, food, and adventure. If you like Japanese tea, checkout some of the newestorganic japanese tea, matcha bowls and noren and more!
** Curious about the Plant Based Japanese Cooking Club? ** Learn more here!