Original Review: Overall, these are beautiful and, for their looks/packaging, would make a fantastic gift! Mine did come stuck together (there was a thin sheet of film-paper between them, but the top one was jammed in so hard that it didn't matter; parchment paper works a lot better). They come with a beautiful and simple/sweet "Thank you!" card on top (truly adorable!), and with 4 sheets of large, very pretty labels! One thing to note: they don't come with freezing or cleaning instructions (mine needed to be cleaned, due to white plastic pieces/dust that thinly coated the tubs and lids). Another is that they are not insulated in the standard sense (there is no hollow vacuum sealed layer between the inside and outside of the tubs; these are not like thermoses). That's the main thing I bought them for. I really like the shape, and the silicone lids seal nicely onto the plastic tubs! I also like the color choices and the little swan imprinted in the lids. The paper wrapping around both tubs, inside the box, is just beautifully done, which is another plus for gifting these! The only change I would make is putting the sticker sheets inside that paper wrapping, on top of the top lid, before the wrapping is folded down so the box can close. Maybe put a piece of cardboard behind them and wrap them in a separate plastic bag, to protect them from things like water on a kitchen counter or whatever. But really, aesthetically, that's the only thing I would change! When testing these, I had put both of them (each with its lid, stacked on top of each other) and, later, I put a batch of vegan frozen dessert in them once I've had a chance to make that in my Cuisinart Pure Indulgence ice cream machine (at this point, that's the only ice cream machine I can recommend, though there are others who disagree with that). There is another reviewer who's saying it depends on your freezer's temperature, but these aren't insulated like this product page says, and yes, it does matter a great deal. I'm don't see how thicker plastic is supposed to provide better insulation than the thinner plastic of various standard food-storage containers. Heat transference isn't known to respect such things much, which is why Thermos uses a vacuum sealed gap that goes between the insides and outsides of it's products. I had hoped that this product would be similar in that respect, but unfortunately, it is not. Over time and with more experience, I've learned that keeping the lid off of one of these tubs, then putting parchment paper in it, then stacking the other tub inside that, then adding the frozen dessert, then putting the silicone lid on it, to create an air pocket that surrounds the now nested/covered tub, is the best way to keep that frozen dessert at the right temperature once the whole nested set goes in the freezer. Even that isn't perfect, but it slows the rock-solid freezing process considerably. My freezer/refrigerator thermostat is set at just above "medium" (which is where the manufacturer has stated it's supposed to be at, but it's still very warm weather, so I've adjusted for that). In any event, a small instruction manual, giving the proper temperature for the freezer when using these containers (and cleaning instructions, such as "wash before first use") would be a real plus, because a freezer's temperature is what these really rely on. These are very pretty, non-insulated, part plastic and part silicone ice cream containers made by very artistic and friendly people (I've had a short conversation with them via Amazon's message feature, prior to purchasing these). They really are just gorgeous to open up and look at, and they're easy to handle after you get them separated (which took a lot of work; I had to go back and forth between each end of these, rocking them almost endlessly until they finally separated). As a final note, for laughs, I've looked up the ideal freezer temperature for storing ice cream. Turns out that it's a range, and it depends on who you ask. Calicle.com says that it's between 0°F (-18°C) or colder and 10°F (-12°C). Kitchenall.com says it's between -10 F and -20 F. Generally, those two ranges seem to jive with each other. Idfa.org says "Ice cream is easy to dip between 6°F and 10°F." Make your own judgements, I guess, Notes taken after a half day of testing the first batch of frozen dessert in one of these tubs: Unfortunately, these are not well insulated after all. I've ended the (24 hour freezing a single batch) testing early because, about a half of a day in, and the frozen dessert is essentially a fluffy block of ice, not nice, smooth, creamy frozen dessert, like what went into the freezer earlier today, in these containers, with the lids properly sealed. I've had to turn the dial for my refrigerator/freezer up significantly (to a warmer temperature), in hopes that, within about a day (according to GE, that's how long this will take), the freezer temperature will "average out" to the new, mid-point-ish temperature (which is not given in degrees, unfortunately [Update: this barely helped at all]). The ice-block is shave-able with a teaspoon, but unless that's what's needed for some reason, I'm pretty sure that's not what anyone wants (it's not what I want). I really like the people who make these tubs, so I don't enjoy knocking a star off of the product, but it's clearly not "insulated." True insulation would mean that there is a vacuum-sealed air-gap between the inside and the outside of the tub. The thicker plastic in the tubs did mean that it took longer for the frozen dessert to turn into that block of ice, than the thinner plastic containers I've used in the past, but the bottom line is: they rely completely on the ambient temperature of one's freezer, rather than maintaining the original temperature of the frozen dessert, thus, they aren't well insulated after all. I would say that, practically speaking, these would do well during a short-term traveling session between two addresses in the same part of town, if packed into an Igloo with blue ice packs (solid, not gel) added to it. Beyond that, what you're getting is a nice size and shape in a very pretty container, that conveniently comes with beautiful and practical stickers and a lovely thank you card. Another minor note is that, while I love the size and shape, it wasn't easy to get the frozen dessert from my Cuisinart Pure Indulgence into them. I did use a "middle man" container that fits the paddle from the ice cream machine, and a rubber spatula, to get the frozen dessert off of the paddle, and then into one of the tubs, but there was some spilling along the way, due to the tub being so narrow. A possible improvement to the tub would be making the lid something that's on a hinge, along one of the longer sides, that opens up to an angle (and rests there, rather than rotating all the way down to the side of the tub), which would make a sort of "drip lip" that would catch any portion of the frozen dessert that spills while being cleaned off of the ice cream machine paddle. The other thing I think is a little odd is how the silicone lid shrinks when frozen. This does create a nice seal, so there is some use for it, but it would be aesthetically more pleasing if the silicone were only used for the sealing part around the outside edge of the lid, and if the flat interior of the lid were BPA-free, toxin-free plastic (which is what I hope the tubs are, come to think of it), so it wouldn't have that weird dip in the middle of the lid after it freezes. It's not a big deal, but I thought the designers would want to know that it's a little strange to pull a frozen tub/lid combo out of the freezer and see that dip in the middle. I've decided to keep the containers, because I like the size and shape (each of these easily fits a 2-quart vegan frozen dessert recipe coming out of my Cuisinart Pure Indulgence), and they fit perfectly into my freezer's organizer configuration. I got them just after the price went down from around $20 to around $16, and considering that they do include some hefty silicone and that the plastic used is thicker than most containers, I feel that's a fair current market value. I just think the company should not market these as "insulated." If I recall correctly, this product page does call them that. "Semi-insulated" might be more accurate (because they slowed the ambient temperature from affecting the frozen dessert, but didn't block that affect in the end). I would say that what you're purchasing, if you get these, is something that's really beautiful and with a good size and shape, but that won't work much better in your freezer than the average thinner plastic food container with a lid. It's possible that only using one, while it's nested in the other one and covered with its lid, might make some small difference, but probably not much after several hours in a very cold freezer. Read more
