Home Ice Cream makers?

[ChefJune]

Originally Posted by SmokedChef

Itzalgud,

Those ice cream makers aren't cheap. That's why I was hoping to find someone who has used them. The one in the picture is around $225. I'd like to hear from someone who owned one before I buy. The other suggestions are great but I want a machine that I can just plug in.

SC

That's what I have.... a machine I can just plug in. I take the bowl from the freezer, set it on the housing, pour in the custard, insert the paddle, put on the lid and turn it on. It does all the work for you. No ice, no salt no sweat.

Any other type of machine is going to run you at LEAST the $225 you don't want to pay. The really good ones most restaurants have cost in the thousands.

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by ChefJune

Dry ice is not edible. I wouldn't want that in my food!

Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide. As it chills the ice cream, it "melts" and turns into carbon dioxide gas which dissapates into the air. Harmless.

[Katie E]

Originally Posted by ChefJune

I love the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker (the one that costs around $50) I've had one since they first came out in the early 90's. I make all my own ice cream, and did when I was catering full time, so it gets used a lot. So much that I wore one out, and am on my second one. I keep the container in my freezer all the time (I have a dedicated freezer that is not part of my fridge) so it is always ready to go. We love sorbets, both sweet for dessert, and savory for palate cleansers, so even when we're going low-fat, it gets a workout. It's really an excellent product.

I don't know why anyone would say not to get an ice cream freezer that does not require ice! There are many excellent commercial ones on the market, if you are looking for one for your restaurant. The Cuisinart is great for home use.

We have the Cuisinart one, too, ChefJune. We love it and it makes great ice cream. If we want firmer ice cream, we just put it in the freezer for a little while until it gets as firm as we want.

[Chopstix]

Originally Posted by ChefJune

Not necessarily! you've never worked in a restaurant where the ice cream ran out during service and you had to make more on the spot!

No, you can chill the custard just as well over an ice/water bath! not so much if you have a separate freezer. You can portion out the soft ice cream into serving dishes and it will set up in about 20 minutes, if you need it.

It's always a good idea to keep one's options open by being willing to experiment... sometimes you can come up with a whole revolutionary new dish or technique!

ChefJune, I like your tip about portioning out the ice cream. Using my home ice cream maker though, the ice cream would still be too soft to scoop into nice individual portions at this point however much I try to churn it further. On your ice bath suggestion, I've tried chilling the custard in an ice bath a few times but this always resulted in grainy ice cream. How do you prevent this from happening without having to chill the custard for a few hours?

My ice cream maker is the old-fashioned wooden bucket with a motorized churner. It needs rock salt and ice. It is a bit messy to use but I love it. For people like me with severely restricted freezer space, this is the only feasible solution. Also, the wooden bucket is very charming and, when filled with ice chips, can serve as a cooler for beer/soda when we're entertaining.

[VitaWright]

I have the Cusinart one as well. I love it!! I normally hate having appliances that only do one thing but ice cream is a favorite desert around here so it is well used.

[ChefJune]

I've tried chilling the custard in an ice bath a few times but this always resulted in grainy ice cream. How do you prevent this from happening without having to chill the custard for a few hours?

Chopstix, I've never had that happen. You have to stir the custard in its bowl when you put it in an ice bath.....

I haven't used one of those huge old fashioned freezers since I was a little girl on my family's farms. I would never have enough company to warrant making the amount of ice cream we used to make in that monster! Plus, it was manual, and took way too much energy!!!

[rettoc]

I have had a number of ice cream makers, both electric and manual. My current favorite is the ice cream bowl attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. It must be kept in the freezer like the canister for any of the electric type, but it holds a full 2 qts of ice cream. The others generally hold only 1 qt.

I also like the fact that I don't have another dedicated appliance. The bowl is an accessory to my standard mixer.

Mary

[ChefJune]

Originally Posted by rettoc

I have had a number of ice cream makers, both electric and manual. My current favorite is the ice cream bowl attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. It must be kept in the freezer like the canister for any of the electric type, but it holds a full 2 qts of ice cream. The others generally hold only 1 qt.

I also like the fact that I don't have another dedicated appliance. The bowl is an accessory to my standard mixer.

Mary

My Cuisinart makes 1 1/2 quarts. The KitchenAid bowl does not have a cover... or am I missing something?

[Essiebunny]

I like the KA ice cream attachment, also. It makes a very good product.

[PanchoHambre]

The Cuinsnart one works pretty good and is fairly easy I have used it alot if I were to go buy one it would be this one. One rec is to get an extra cylynder if you can as then you can make 2 types of icecream to go together!

Icecream makers are a fun toy but they tend to get alot of shelf time after the novelty wears off.