The One Kitchen Gadget I Saw in Every Swedish Home This Summer

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Swedish style and design are revered the world over for their simplicity, functionality and timeless appeal. Which is precisely why every time I travel there (I’m originally Swedish but I haven’t lived there for decades), I make sure to take note of the latest trends those effortlessly chic Swedes are embracing. Just last month, I spent three weeks in and around Stockholm, popping into various homes of friends and family, and I noticed they all had one kitchen gadget in particular—a sparkling water maker, or carbonator.

What is a sparkling water maker, you ask? The device is simple, really—it sits on your countertop (it’s slightly smaller than the size of a blender) and uses carbon dioxide to carbonate tap water and make bubbly water in seconds. The carbon dioxide comes in the form of gas canisters (more on where to get those below) that you insert into the device.

Anecdotally, this kitchen gadget is very popular in Sweden. And per reports , some 20 percent of households in Sweden own SodaStream machines. Why so many? If I had to guess, I’d say that it’s partly because Swedes drink less soda than many other countries (you can buy syrups to put into your device to make soda, but nobody I know uses these), so this is a healthier way to get your fizz fix. I suspect another major factor is that Swedes are famously eco-friendly, and making their own sparkling water rather than buying it in cans and bottles cuts down on trash and recycling. It’s also highly cost effective— one user recently did the math and discovered that a family with two soda water drinkers consuming two cans each per day can save close to $600 a year with a SodaStream device. (My husband and I are guilty of each drinking one LaCroix a day—sometimes two!—an indulgence that costs us more than $360 per year.)

In Sweden, there are two big names in the household carbonator game—SodaStream and Aarke. Here in the U.S., both brands are available but there are others, of course, including Breville , DrinkMate and Philips . I haven’t tried the latter, but I can speak to the Swedish favorites.

SodaStream Fizzi One Touch Sparkling Water Maker Bundle

Amazon

SodaStream has many different devices for sparkling water lovers, but the Fizzi One Touch is probably their best option for beginners. To work it, simply fill the bottle with tap water to the fill line, insert the bottle into the device and then just press one of three buttons at the top of the machine, depending on if you want a light, medium or high fizz. Less than one minute later, your freshly fizzed water is ready to drink.

In this bundle, two Co2 cylinders are included (each one makes 60 liters of water) as well as a one-liter carbonating bottl, and two zero calorie bottles of raspberry and lime so you can make flavored sparkling water if you so choose. The design isn’t necessarily anything to write home about, but it’s not a total eyesore either. The biggest downside is that it needs to be plugged in to work.

Aarke Stainless-Steel Sparkling Water Maker

Amazon

If style is what you’re after, then you’re going to want to get the Aarke. This stainless steel Swedish sparkling water maker is undeniably elegant and comes in a variety of finishes, including copper, silver, black chrome and matte white. It also works in much the same way as the SodaStream except with a lever rather than a button; screw a bottle of water into the stand then pull the lever down until you hear a hiss, letting you know that the carbonation process is done (this takes less than a minute in my experience). Unscrew the bottle and you’re ready to drink.

The bottle size is slightly smaller than the SodaStream (Aarke’s bottle can hold up to 800 ml rather than a full liter), and you don’t get any canisters of CO2 included (although the Aarke is compatible with the standard 60-liter carbonation canisters that can be found in stores and online). Apart from its sleek design, it’s also cordless and the lever functionality means that you can play around a little bit to achieve a more customized level of fizz.

Where do I buy carbonation canisters (and what do I do with the empty ones)?

You can easily buy carbonation canisters online from the soda maker’s own website. Both SodaStream and Aarke offer canister exchange programs that allow you to exchange your empty CO2 cylinders for new ones delivered straight to your door. You can also buy gas from big retailers like Amazon, choosing either to stick with your device’s own canisters (like here and here ) or opt for a compatible (and often cheaper) CO2 canister (like this one ). If going through another retailer, exchange programs may vary. Alternatively, many retailers like Walmart and Target sell these canisters in-store and will exchange empty ones. These canisters cost anywhere from $10 to $30 each, so don’t forget to factor that into your final cost analysis.

The Best Sparkling Water You Can Buy, from the Most Eco-Friendly to the Most Bubbly