Ice Cream Freezer Bowl Died

[chuffle]

Hello all:

The strangest thing happened to me yesterday. I wanted to try a new ice cream recipe before the Christmas gathering, and when I reached for the freezer bowl of my older model Krups La Glaciere model 337 machine, which I always keep in the freezer (the bowl, not the machine), I found that the "stuff" in the bowl which freezes was sloshing about when the bowl was shaken.

The bowl has been in the freezer for a week, and should have been rock hard. Everything else in the freezer is OK, so it has got to be the "stuff" in the bowl that has gone bad. Has anyone had this experience?

I have ancient freezer packs that have gone through hundreds of freeze/thaw cycles, so I never would have expected this. I know that washing the bowl in a dishwasher is forbidden, but I don't own a dishwasher, so I didn't goof up there.

I have looked all over the internet for a replacement, but have had no luck. There is a gentleman on eBay with one for sale, and he claims that it will fit the machine, but I am a little leery.

The machine itself is in wonderful condition, with loads of life left in the motor. I would hate to chuck it into a landfill, and I guess that I can store it on a shelf in the basement for the time being. It just galls me that this has happened.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Does anyone know of a site or a business that I could contact for a replacement bowl?

Thanks for all of your help and advice.

Joe

 

[Andy M.]

I have not heard of this happening. Did you try to make the ice cream regardless? It would seem that if the bowl was in the freezer for an extended period, it HAS to be cold.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

Perhaps your freezer was on tge tail end of an extended defrost cycle. If not, I would check your freezer as well!

 

[chuffle]

Alas, I did try to make the ice cream. After a half hour of churning, the stuff looked like a nice topping to pour over ice cream. I have saved it, as it tastes too good to pitch.

As for the bowl, I placed it back in the freezer yesterday after the bad experience, and this morning, when I checked it, it still sloshes about. The stuff just no longer wants to freeze.

I just don't understand.

Joe

 

[Candocook]

Alas, I did try to make the ice cream. After a half hour of churning, the stuff looked like a nice topping to pour over ice cream. I have saved it, as it tastes too good to pitch.

As for the bowl, I placed it back in the freezer yesterday after the bad experience, and this morning, when I checked it, it still sloshes about. The stuff just no longer wants to freeze.

I just don't understand.

Joe

In your search have you contacted Krups customer service.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

If it doesn't get cold enough to make ice cream after 24hrs in the freezer, then you have a problem with your freezer.

 

[YT2095]

the bit I`m concerned about is that in order to hear the liquid inside, air must have gotten in, that implies a leak and liquid displaced, therefore Some of that liquid must still be in your freezer!

 

[Veloce]

It might be worth putting a thermometer in the freezer just to be sure it's working correctly. It might be cold enough to freeze water (32º F) but not as cold as it's supposed to be (0º F).

 

[chuffle]

Hello, and thanks for the replies. I have been away for the Christmas holiday, and have been unable to get to a computer until now.

I still am puzzled by the failure of my freezer bowl to completely freeze. The freezer is OK, everything is rock solid, including the ancient freezer packs that I always keep in there. The freezer bowl is not frozen, still sloshes when shaken.

I can find no tell-tale sign of leakage, nothing around the seam of the bowl, no cracks, and no sign of the "stuff" on the bowl or anything else in the freezer.

I guess that this is going to be considered one of life's mysteries!

Anyway, all of the best for 2007 to everyone here in the forum.

Joe

 

[VeraBlue]

Yes, the same thing happened to mine. Fortunately, mine was of a hand spin variety, so I didn't incur the expensive loss of a lively motor.

Have you written directly to the manufacturer for a replacement bowl?

 

[VeraBlue]

the bit I`m concerned about is that in order to hear the liquid inside, air must have gotten in, that implies a leak and liquid displaced, therefore Some of that liquid must still be in your freezer!

Actually, you could always hear liquid inside. Since frozen matter expands, threre was always a bit of space available for the freezing process. I don't believe hearing anything sloshing around is a cause for concern. I think the chemical just lost it's freezing properties.

 

[Corey123]

Well, I myself, never really like those types of ice cream makers. They make you wait too long (at least 8 to 12 hours) for the bowl to freeze up before you can make any ice cream. And they can only be used once for one batch of ice cream at a time.

Add to the fact that you must make some room in the freezer for the bowl and keep that space availible as long as you want to use the machine. And even if you have a double-bowl unit, that's double the space that you must have in the freezer for two batches.

Put simply, having one of these machines is much more of a nuisense than a convenience! Which is why I won't ever buy one.

I own and prefer the self-contained unit, which does not require you to place the bowl(s) in the freezer at all, simply because the machine has its own buit-in sealed refrigeration system that allows you to make batch, after batch, after batch, and you'll never loses its freezing qualities until you are done making the ice cream and you turn the machine off.

The internal temp of the well where the bowl is put reaches a whopping -4 degrees!!

Wouldn't have it any other way!

 

[chuffle]

Well, here is the response from Krups:

"Thank you for your email inquiry via KRUPSUSA.com regarding parts for your product. Generally this occurs if the bowl has been exposed to heat or if the bowl is not stored flat."

The message then went on stating that I should contact their parts and accessories division in the hopes that the bowl is still offered for sale.

Hmmm...I don't recall plunging the bowl in hot dishwater, and I know that the bowl is always upright as it is stored on the shelf in the freezer. I guess I'll take the blame for maybe washing the bowl out in water that was less than tepid.

So everyone out there, heed this warning...wash in cold water, and always keep the bowl sitting upright.

Joe

 

[GB]

Since frozen matter expands, threre was always a bit of space available for the freezing process.

Actually, it is only water that expands when frozen. Everything else (or at least I think it is everything) actually contracts when frozen. Since it is probably chemicals without water then it probably does not expand.

Hopefully they will still have that bowl available for you to buy. If not, instead of throwing the machine out you might want to try putting it for sale on eBay. Maybe someone out there has a bowl, but no machine.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

Wait a minute (LOL), don't buy anything yet.

If you verified that your freezer is at the correct temperature with a thermometer, then anything you place within the freezer will be brought to that temperature (given enough time) and should make ice cream fine.

If the bowl will not absorb enough heat to make ice cream, then the freezer is not cold enough (indicating either a setting or mechanical issue with the freezer).

 

[Corey123]

Well, here is the response from Krups:

"Thank you for your email inquiry via KRUPSUSA.com regarding parts for your product. Generally this occurs if the bowl has been exposed to heat or if the bowl is not stored flat."

The message then went on stating that I should contact their parts and accessories division in the hopes that the bowl is still offered for sale.

Hmmm...I don't recall plunging the bowl in hot dishwater, and I know that the bowl is always upright as it is stored on the shelf in the freezer. I guess I'll take the blame for maybe washing the bowl out in water that was less than tepid.

So everyone out there, heed this warning...wash in cold water, and always keep the bowl sitting upright.

Joe

Also, those bowls are most likely made with aluminum anyway, along with the
bowls for my machine. The instruction manual warns me not to put the bowls in the dishwasher because the harsh powerful detergents used in them could cause the surfaces of the bowls to dull and darken inside and out.

They would eventually be no good for making ice cream in, and could possibly leave a strange metallic taste in your ice cream, and they could start to pit and holes can develop, rendering them completely useless.

So I wash them by hand in some warm soapy water, rinse them and let them air dry. It's much quicker than washing them in the machine anyway.

 

[Andy M.]

...They would eventually be no good for making ice cream in, and could possibly leave a strange metallic taste in your ice cream, and they could start to pit and holes can develop, rendering them completely useless...

This is a significant leap from, "could cause the surfaces of the bowls to dull and darken inside and out.",

There is an enzyme in dishwasher detergent that turns raw aluminum surfaces dark grey to black. I have seen no evidence that that would cause them to dissolve and taint the ice cream.

 

[Corey123]

Disolve it and make the ice cram taste a little bit funny like metal or something. This has happened with a friend of mine who has a self-contained unit that uses the aluminum bowls.

I tried to tell him that he should have washed the bowl by hand, but he chose to machine-wash it anyway. He's been complaining that the ice cream tastes like metal. Now he's looking for replacement bowls for his machine, which BTW, is excactly like the one that I own.

And yes, the enzyme in the detergent IS used to attack stubborn food soil on the dishes, but it's murder on aluminum ware - like cake pans, bowls and such.

I've made a mistake and machine-washed the aluminum drip pan that collects the fatty drippings and meat juices in my George Jr. rotisserie, and the thing is now a darkened color, almost black!