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Ice cream Keurig? ColdSnap, which whips up soft-serve ice cream, smoothies like a Keurig, unveiled at CES

Here's a reason to us all to scream for ice cream: a new device showcased at CES 2021 that can whip up frozen treats just like a Keurig does for coffee.

The ColdSnap looks and works just like the popular coffee makers, featuring pods users place to create desserts like soft-serve ice cream, frozen yogurt and frozen smoothies.

Here's how it works: You place a single-serving pod into the machine, select ice cream, smoothie or cocktail, then wait roughly one or two minutes for your treat to freeze and dispense. The pods don't require refrigeration, and have a minimum shelf life of about nine months.

The machine can also make frozen coffee, frozen cocktails and slushies, according to a description on the company's website.

Matthew Fonte, president and founder of ColdSnap, said during an interview with USA TODAY that the idea originated with his daughters, who concocted the idea for a home ice cream machine in their invention journals. Fonte's later research into the process led him to start ColdSnap.

The machine uses a "compressor/condenser technology" similar to what you'd find in your refrigerator or freezer to create the concoctions.

The ColdSnap makes ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothies, cocktails and slushies.
The ColdSnap makes ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothies, cocktails and slushies.

"We're taking all the cold that it's generating and we're harnessing that cold and we're isolating it right around the pod, and we're effectively pulling heat out of the pod and putting it through this refrigeration system," Fonte said.

The pod, which looks like a tall metal can, is placed at the top of the machine, similar to a Keurig. Once it's done, you pop the can out and toss it, without the need to clean up.

"What really makes this exciting is it's never been done before," Fonte said.

The ColdSnap will undergo a smaller beta launch later this year, before launching fully in 2022. Prices have yet to be finalized, but the machine is expected to cost between $500 and $1,000, with pods costing $2.99 each.

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Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CES 2021: ColdSnap is like a Keurig but for ice cream, smoothies