Home Ice Cream makers?

[ChefJune]

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.]

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 H]

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]

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]

Kitchen Aid attachment

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]

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.

 

[mcnerd]

I have an old OSTER Kitchen Center and recently found an Ice Cream Maker attachment that sits on the Blender base. Cost me $10 + s/h. Uses ice and salt and makes 1-1/2 quarts of that heavenly stuff in about 20-25 minutes.

 

[nanavic]

Ice Cream Maker

I have a Cuisinart Ice-20 . It is 1&1/2 quarts. I bought mine at Williams Sonoma Store for around $60. It had a bonus bowl, which you have to freeze for 24 hours. But having 2 bowls, I can make 2 batches at a time. I love mine I make sherbet using Bacardi mixers. Strawberry Daiquiri, Lime Margarita ,add 3/4 to 1 cup sugar depending how tart you want it, to the thawed, chilled mixer and add 2 cans of milk. Mix well and pour into the frozen bowl. Place the mixing arm and lid, lock and turn on for 30 minutes or more. This recipe is also good with a sprite for a float. Really good in this hot weather! You can go to the Williams Sonoma website and order online. Other sites don't have the bonus bowl. Enjoy, nanavic

 

[Radiogal1]

Hi guys! What a great topic; ice cream makers!! I had to jump in and tell you about mine.

I have the Musso Lussino 4080 by Lello. I am extremely happy with it. I received it 3 weeks ago and have now made 5 different flavors of ice cream with it; bittersweet chocolate truffle, french vanilla bean, honey-maple walnut, white chocolate with macadamia nuts and peanut butter. This ice cream maker isn't cheap, but it's built like a tank and should last me many years. It's a compressor model, so it has its own built in freezer; no need to bother with sticking buckets in my tiny freezer! The housing and blade of this machine is made from stainless steel, so it feels very solid. The only part of this machine that isn't made from steel is the transparent plastic lid which is another welcomed feature for me because I can watch my ice cream being made by looking through it AND the large opening allows me plenty of room to add extra ingredients like candy and nuts while my ice cream is being made. This machine has a powerful motor that is strong enough to continue churning through the thickest of ice cream batters and includes an automatic shut off incase the ice cream gets too stiff from the freezing process. This is a plus for me since it will prevent the motor from burning out. The freezing temp of this machine gets to 4 degrees Farenheit, so it freezes very quickly. For chilled ingredients, about 40 degrees, it will freeze it in about 25 minutes. For warmer ingredients, it will take about 40 minutes. The capacity of the Musso is 1.5 quarts, but I have found it really can only handle a little over a quart at a time. Otherwise, your ingredients will overflow from the workbowl, which is built into the machine. I have absolutely no complaints about my Musso Lussino. I love it and it's made me and my hubby very happy. I can see why it has received such high reviews from various sites. Most places are selling it for $699. I found mine for $659 with free shipping, so I was delighted with the few bucks I saved. Don't let the high price scare you away from getting a Musso if you truly love high quality ice cream that can be made in multiple batches and without having to mess with salt, ice or pre freezing buckets! The motor doesn't get very loud either. Another plus!

Linda

 

[ChefJune]

I have used this type of ice cream freezer in restaurant kitchens, and it is indeed fast and efficient. I don't know of many home cooks who can afford $700 for an ice cream freezer, tho. I've had my Cuisinart for many years, use it regularly, and have always been very happy with the results, for less than one-tenth the cost of the Musso Lussino. Actually, I've been using the Cuisinart ice cream freezer for a good 20 years, and altho I have replaced it once, still consider it a more affordable option than the one you got.

At that price, you should be pleased with it!

 

[Wyogal]

I have a noisy, electric, needs rock salt, ice cream maker from Wal-Mart, I think it was $15. Works fine. Hmmmm... may try some sorbet...

 

[LadyCook61]

I like my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker, it is the right size for just hubby and me.

 

[letscook]

i also have a Cuisinart Ice-20 I love make ice cream in about 25-30min, making sure you bowl is frozen good and your liquids are nice and cold. Not dealing with any ice is heaven and the mess that goes with it. this is so simple. Grandkids love it. they love watching get thick -- it never makes it to the freezer.

 

[apple*tart]

I've had a Cuisinart for 3-4 years now, and I'm happy with it. I have enough freezer space to keep both bowls in there permanently, so that's a big help. In the past I've made mainly sorbets, but this summer I got my hands on David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop and oh my...everything has been truly delicious. Last night I made peach frozen yogurt with fresh local peaches and my husband and I snarfed the whole quart in one sitting. It was amazing!

 

[Radiogal1]

I spent a few weeks searching the internet for various ice cream makers. I did a lot of reading during that time. I read through plenty of reviews about several including the Cuisnart models. I took a serious look at the Cuisinart model with the built in compressor that costs about half the price of the Musso Lussino. I also read that this model has some flaws that concerned me such as the plastic blade that broke for some users and a very loud and weak motor. Another model I looked at was the Lello Gelato Pro (about the same price as the Cuisinart with built in freezer) but it also had a plastic blade and I didn't like that it had such a tiny opening where you're supposed to use to add extra ingredients. It's too small to fit anything through other than an M&M or liquid! Why did they bother? lol.

But hey ... I'm not here to knock anyone's personal preferences. To those who are happy with their Cuisinarts, more power to ya. I'm glad it's working out for you guys.

Next week I'm planning on making 2 new flavors I've never tried; avocado and a vegan almond ice cream with smoked almonds. Both sound yummy to me.

 

[ChefJune]

RadioGal, those of us who are talking about the Cusinart Ice Cream freezer are talking about this model and not the more expensive compressor type.

At least, that's the model I have and love. BTW, the ICE-20 has a large enough opening in the top to add fruit or anything else I've ever wanted to add to the custard.

No way in the world I would spend $700. for an ice cream freezer, unless I had a restaurant.