Pacojet: The alternative for making creamy ice cream instantly, according to Martín Lippo

In the ice cream industry, the versatility of the Pacojet is still largely unexplored, awaiting professionals to understand its operation and its potential for achieving ice cream with a finer texture.

Martín Lippo has studied the versatility and creativity of this machine at his Vakuum culinary school and workshop in Barcelona. In our international ice cream magazine, so cool.. magazine 3, he explores its many features and advantages.

Ready to discover a real alternative for making creamy and versatile ice cream instantly without needing much space and avoiding waste?

Discover so cool.. magazine 3

How does the Pacojet work?

The Pacojet is a countertop machine that crushes and emulsifies mixtures or pure products (without the addition of any sugar or texturizers) previously frozen in a special container. 

Main advantages of making ice cream with the Pacojet

1. No chilling required: individual portions instantly and less waste

Unlike a conventional ice cream maker, the Pacojet doesn’t have a refrigeration unit, so it can’t chill the mix. This means the mix must be pre-frozen between -20 and -22ºC.

Since the mix doesn’t need to be chilled immediately, only the required portion can be packaged, and the rest can be returned to the freezer immediately, maintaining freshness and avoiding product waste.

2. Micro-crushing: finer, smoother, and creamier texture

The blades move from the surface to the base of the cups, crushing the frozen mix into the pre-programmed number of portions. This process actually produces smaller ice crystals than traditional ice cream makers, resulting in smoother and creamier textures.

3. Controlled aeration: two ice cream styles (firm or compact)

The Pacojet operates in two modes: with overpressure and normal pressure. With overpressure, up to 30% air is incorporated into the mixture. This results in creamier ice cream with a lighter texture. In normal pressure mode, an overrun of between 3% and 5% is generated, resulting in a firmer and more compact ice cream.

4. Versatility: from sugar-free sorbets to frozen powders

The Pacojet is a very practical and flexible machine that allows you to process the mixture in the bowl on demand, either whole or in portions, without needing to store it for later use. This is the key to its versatility, as it allows you to work with products that would be difficult or even impossible with a conventional ice cream maker.

For example, creating completely salted ice creams or sorbets without any sugar, or the well-known frozen powders, introduced by elBulli in the late 1990s. These add a new, icy, and dry texture to dishes, using any sweet or savory ingredient. 

5. Cups marked in units: operational speed in kitchens and workshops

The cups are marked in units of one-tenth of their capacity. These volume markings allow professionals to process a single portion as ordered or needed and then return the rest to the freezer, where the contents of the cup can remain safely frozen for months. Each portion typically weighs around 80 g, and its final volume ranges from 110 to 120 g after expansion. This provides greater operational speed in kitchens and workshops.

6. Simple recipes and less sugar

With the Pacojet, much simpler recipes can be developed with a much shorter number of ingredients than those typically used in ice cream making. Flexible, functional, and extremely controlled sugar management is possible, tailored to the nature of the product and the desired texture for each type of ice cream or sorbet. Lippo uses sugar not as the primary sweetener, but as a tool for controlling texture, freezing point, and mouthfeel.

Discover all the versatility of the Pacojet and these recipes in so cool.. magazine 3