Norpro 423 Frozen Ice Pop Maker with 24 Wooden Sticks - White & Blue Homemade Popsicle Mold (4x9x5.5 inches) - Perfect for Summer Treats, Kids Parties & Healthy Snacks

Ever since I first tasted a paleta at Las Paletas in Nashville, Tennessee, I've wanted to make my own at home. I'm hosting a cook out at my home in June and realized that paletas (Mexican-style popsicles) would be a great dessert for an outdoor event that runs during the hottest hours of the day. Not only that, but it is a dessert I can make weeks ahead of time and keep in the freezer until I am ready to serve them - that means less work the week of the party.After researching molds, I found only a few that use disposable sticks. This was important to me because I didn't want to have to try and retrieve the sticks after my guests finish a popsicle and I wanted to make a lot before the party without having to purchase tons of molds. I ended up purchasing two of the Norpro Ice Pop Makers. Having used Norpro products with good results in the past, I felt comfortable with this brand, and they were a good price.I also thought about just using little 3-ounce bathroom cups, but decided I wanted a classic popsicle shape. Plus, the bathroom cups would take up more room than they need to in the freezer, where the Norpro mold makes popsicles that can easily be stacked atop each other in the freezer.Norpro recommends NOT putting this mold in the dishwasher. Washing it by hand is easy enough providing you have a good dish brush that will reach all the way in and scrub the entire inside of the mold well. This is less of an issue if you only make fruit pops, as soaking them in hot soapy water will help remove all juice traces, but if you make any cream based popsicles, you definitely need to be able to scrub all of the inside of the mold. I bought OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set and it works very well with this mold.Since I bought these molds, I've made about 200 popsicles: mango paletas, watermelon paletas, strawberry paletas, cantaloupe paletas, pineapple paletas, balsamic strawberry paletas, roasted banana paletas, lime pie paletas, caramel paletas, chocolate pudding pops, and strawberry gelatin pops. All of these flavors have worked exceedingly well in the Norpro molds and I really like the shape of the popsicles. These molds will be a staple in my kitchen every summer from now on - I don't think I can go back to store bought popsicles again after enjoying the homemade recipes now. Not only do they taste better, but since you control the ingredients, they can be so much healthier than what you buy at the grocery.I shared some with my neighbors and one of them told me he has never cared much for popsicles and that in the 60-something years of his life, he's probably only eaten five popsicles until now. He is addicted to the homemade paletas I shared with him and his wife, and they now have their own Norpro Ice Pop Maker so they can make their own.The first two batches of popsicles I made looked a little weird at the tip. It wasn't until the third batch I realized the problem was with me - NOT the mold. I had set the mold in a sink of hot water to loosen the popsicles, and it melted the tips too much. Now I just run the sides and bottom under hot water for a few moments and then test it. The resulting pop looks much prettier and you don't lose so much of the good stuff that way.The lids lay on top of the mold and keep stuff out of the popsicles while they freeze. More importantly, these lids make it possible to put the sticks in the ice pops before you start freezing them, no matter how liquid the pop is. For me, remembering to run out to the freezer and put the sticks in halfway through the freezing time was difficult, so this is one of my favorite features.I highly recommend this mold to anyone who wants to make homemade popsicles, paletas or whatever you call your frozen treats on a stick. If you are looking for a good paletas cookbook to go with your mold, I would also recommend Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Aguas Frescas