A viral video about maggots has made a popular ice cream maker into the internet’s latest “Milkshake Duck.” That is, something that first goes viral for being beloved and then goes viral again, in the opposite direction.
Here’s what you need to know to avoid a spoonful of larvae.
In the spring of 2023, the Ninja Creami was enjoying the uphill portion of this fame journey. The Takeout explained that the kitchen appliance was trending on TikTok and that it was selling out in stores. At the time, it was selling for around $219 on Amazon. Creami models still sell for around that price online.
This month, the Ninja Creami was trending on TikTok again – this time for a darker reason. User @arriiiixo claimed in a video posted to the app that something she describes as “parasites,” or “maggots” had become trapped in the appliance she used and cleaned nearly every evening.
“I made two and I was eating it,” said the user, referring to a bowl of ice cream made with the Ninja Creami. “I’m going to throw up and cry… and on my wooden spoon was like a parasite, or like a maggot.”
She said she and her partner checked her milk and other ingredients and found nothing. Previously, Audacy reported in a TikToker finding bugs in flour from her pantry – a more common occurrence than you might think.
Then, the TikToker checked the Ninja Creami and found the critters – her partner, who could be heard vomiting in the background, said they were maggots – trapped in one of its parts. A shot shows one of the maggots wriggling inside the component.
“And there’s no way… we cannot figure out how to take this off and clean it,” she said.
As of Thursday, more than 10 million people had seen the video on TikTok. Some of the commenters on the video said they or someone else had experienced something similar with the appliance.
“Turns out, Simons isn’t alone in this, as there’s a two-year-old Reddit forum with another Creami user posting the same issue,” said an article in Mashable.
According to that article, “this is not a case of faulty Ninja Creami makers, but a cleaning and maintenance issue. The lid of the Ninja Creami's outer bowl appears to be the culprit. This lid holds the blade attachment and has quite a few crevices that can hold water. And since flies breed in dark, moist areas... well, that's how you end up with maggots.”
It also offered tips for how to clean it. Mashable recommends totally taking apart the ice cream maker, including the blade attachment, and putting all the components in a dishwasher. Those without dishwashers can use hot water and dish soap.
Ninja Kitchen released a video on Instagram about how to clean the appliance after the TikTok video went viral.
“We need to talk about cleaning your CREAMi. Here’s how to keep your machine clean,” it said.
In a comment to The Mary Sue, a spokesperson for the company stated: “At SharkNinja, the quality and safety of our products is our top priority. We’re aware of the recent social media post regarding a Ninja CREAMi unit, and we take all consumer feedback seriously. We reached out to the consumer to better understand what happened and discussed proper cleaning instructions. The CREAMi’s lid, paddle, and other components are designed to be fully disassembled and cleaned after each use, and we provide detailed cleaning guidance in the product manual to help ensure the unit stays in proper working condition.”
