By Lily
I believe every home should have a cotton candy maker. Yes indeed, a chicken in every pot and also cotton candy on a stick. My 10 year old daughter received hers as the one present she could open on Christmas Eve.
This is not the first cotton candy maker for our family. Before shopping on the internet was invented, I spotted one in a mail-order catalogue. Ah, the miracle of that modern age! It looked small but I knew it was to be. No longer would we have to wait for a trip to the amusement park. Our home could smell like the good part of the county fair. We were going to be able to make honest-to-goodness real cotton candy right in our very own kitchen any time we felt like it! Wouldn’t that be fun?
It arrived UPS and we were excited to spin out some sugar. We spun and spun. Then we spun some more. I realized that over-indulging wasn’t going to be a problem as it produced doll-size portions. The paper cones that were included with the machine were used up almost immediately and my idea of twisting paper plates didn’t work very well. We could enjoy tasty tidbits, but dedicated time was required if you wanted any decent amount.
I remember making a novice mistake on the the 4th of July. I spent a lot of time filling up paper bags with cotton candy for the kids that would be playing at my house. It was one of those “bad mom 
moments” and cries of disappointment when it was time to distribute the bags. Inside each bag an unpleasant surprise awaited in the shape of a small melted lump of goo instead of the fluffy good stuff. I had no idea the paper would cause it to melt. I guess that’s why they sell it in plastic bags. Oops, and what a waste of time that had been. Our small cotton candy maker was fun to have around, but it was found wanting and mostly lived on top of the fridge next to the wok. At some point, I realized we hadn’t used it in years and sent it to appliance heaven.
Fast forward to this decade’s miracle of modern age: My daughter’s cotton candy maker is decorative, genuine and proves the old one to be a pathetic toy. The cost of $35.00 is about the same price I paid nearly twenty years ago. Someone thought up reusable plastic cones so there’s no worry about running out, Oh joy, it’s no time at all to make the kind of serving for which one wishes. At a recent sleepover, I easily filled up three two-gallon plastic bags.
In addition to sugar and cotton candy floss; you can choose to spin hard candy, even sugarless. I was excited to try wintergreen. My expectation was high. It was a bitter disappointment as it was too strong tasting. How could that be?
I have discovered I am purist when it comes to cotton candy. My daughter has no such boundaries. After receiving instruction on where not to touch and how to put the
candies/sugar in, she and her friends have enjoyed spinning their own concoctions. They get a kick out of trying different combinations of hard candy and fruit flavored Life Savers are a hit. My only complaint is cleaning up spilled sugar from off the floor. I have no complaints on cleaning the machine.
Let us know if you received a gift that has turned out to be a great appliance or gadget that you couldn’t live without now that you possess it. Or maybe there is a gift that you received that was a big disappointment that you would like to warn others about? Please share in the comments!
Lily Doe has written for ImperfectWomen.com since 2009. She has never been shy about sharing her opinion and enjoys writing on a variety of topics. Her life’s focus is sharing good times with family and friends.
Lily, you have very lucky children and I am guessing you have just as much fun as they do.
i would be over the moon thrilled if I had a cotton candy machine
My kids would love this!
this would make a wonderful gift!
Very cool – I had no idea home cotton-candy machines were so effective!
I posted under the wrong article, sorry! 🙁
This would be so much fun for a birthday party. You would be the hit of the neighborhood!
How fun! Cotton candy and a snow cone machine then my life would be complete 😉
Yum! Cotton Candy! I’ve always wanted a cotton candy machine! My kids are older now, but I would love to have one for when the grandchildren come over! Sugar them up and then send them back home! Lol
I love this for family gaterhrings.
I have never used a cotton candy machine but they look like a lot of fun!
Oh my gosh, my kids would totally go nuts over this! Awesome!
Love cotton candy, brings back so many fun childhood memories. This would be awesome for kid’s birthday parties. Thanks!
Some little girl is very lucky. I have never been one for Cotton Candy, even when I was young but this post makes me wish I had a machine, LOL
Wow!! My family would throw parties just for an excuse to use this machine!
Aw, what a pretty neat cotton candy maker! My daughters and nieces would love something like this.
I love cotton candy. It is whimsical and reminds me of carnivals. Having a cotton candy machine at my immediate disposal everyday would be awesome, especially for hosting summer parties with the kids!
Thanks so much for posting this! My grandchildren have been hounding for one but I really thought they were probably all the same………….like the one you first purchased. Going to check out the new ones now!
My daughter just registered for one of these for her wedding! 🙂
I love going to amusement parks and eating the junk food, like cotton candy. One of my favorites but I wish they could improve it by not making it so sticky. I always wind up licking my own fingers.
I think the thing I like most about cotton candy is the smell. Your house must smell so yummy good whenever you have the machine running!:-)
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I’m going to be put this on my Future Grandma List for fun things to do when/if I ever have grandchildren!
This would be great to have for parties! The kids would be so excited!
Love cotton candy!!
Ahhhhh, cotton candy & children (and mommy, lol) perfect together! Who doesn’t love the stuff!
Now I want to go out and buy one, or maybe next time we head down the shore (Jersey girl here)
Thanks for sharing : )
Robin R
how cool is taht i have to try this
I like your review on – Everyone Needs A Cotton Candy Machine! You are correct. I would love to own this little machine. This would take my reason to visit fairs and amusement parks away…lol. I was pleasantly surprised at the price and my grand kids would love it…even if they would be a little hipper for sugar. thank you
I love cotton candy and as a diabetic it is a good thing I do not own a machine otherwise I would be explaining to my doctor why my blood glucose is so high.
A Cotton Candy maker in every house! I agree! I loved Cotton Candy when I was a kid and I still like it today. The one item I loved when I was a kid was my Suzy bake oven. I used that oven until it died. I made so many fun cakes, and I thought I was a big baker then!
what brand is your machine?
Ali,
It looks like by the picture that it is “Nostalgia Electrics.”
http://www.nostalgiaelectrics.com/?c=7&p=394
We have one just like yours Lilly -we love it too! If anyone orders one of these and has trouble getting it to melt the sugar right – check to make sure the part where the cotton candy threads come out is pushed fully down so it’s close to the heating element. We ordered ours through Amazon a few years ago and I think that part loosened up in transit. My husband just popped it down and it works like a charm.
What I would do with this! LOOVE cotton candy! Its like the sole reason I go to the county fair, that and funnel cake. Just reminds me of wonderful times! 🙂