By
I bought this ice cream maker after seeing one like it on the food channel. I have one of those Rival brand ice cream makers that requires the salt and ice. What a mess! and loud!! This Cuisinart ice cream maker is wonderful! It is quiet compared to my old Rival and very easy to use. You keep the bowl in the freezer at all times, and when you make up a batch of ice cream, you just pour the cream in the frozen bowl and turn the button to ON. In 20 minutes or less, you have ice cream. I am very glad I bought this. I also purchased Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert book and a Farberware Millennium ice cream scoop along with this maker and I would highly recommend those also!
By webgrunt (USA)
The first several times I used this product, it didn't seem to work--the ice cream never really froze, it just turned into a very cold soupy sludge. I had checked all the obvious things--made sure the bowl was completely frozen, made sure my ingredients were well-chilled, didn't overload it and let it run the recommended amount of time. I was going to return it, but thanks to all the positive reviews here, I thought maybe there was something I was doing wrong.
There was.
For flavoring, I was always using a certain artificial vanilla flavor that I like. And because I like it, I use a lot of it. One of the main ingredients of this flavoring is propylene glycol. If any of you who read this are chemistry buffs, I'll bet you're laughing now. Propylene glycol is often used in food flavorings and colorings, but also is used as antifreeze when a non-toxic antifreeze is required. So I was pouring in a good deal of edible antifreeze with my ingredients--next time I'll just use chocolate or something!
So, if you're having trouble getting your ice cream to freeze and you've checked everything else, make sure your flavorings don't contain propylene glycol!!
By John Stevens (Columbus, GA)
So far, my wife and I have made a batch of mint chocolate chip, and cookies and cream. Both were excellent! We made these using the "simple" recipe (no eggs or cooking required). These recipes taste like Breyer's (which is an A+ rating by our standards). Not a surprise, because if you examine a carton of Breyer's, you'll see the same simple ingredients (cream, milk, sugar, real vanilla or mint extract) -- no "xantham gum" or what-not. I disagree with the other review here that says the ice cream doesn't freeze well (after making) -- in fact, we think the texture is better after it firms up a bit. We compared this product to a similar one by Krups, but the Cuisinart has a more powerful motor and a better warranty. We are looking forward to trying frozen daquiris, slushies, and other ice cream flavors. This is a great machine!
By B. Pfahnl (Southern NH, USA)
I asked my husband to buy this machine for me for Christmas instead of jewelry, and have no regrets! I love all the sorbets, ice milks and ice creams that we can make. It is simple to use, and the results taste great!
My only complaint is how loud the machine is. I can't really let the machine run while we are having dinner unless I put the ice cream maker far away from the kitchen and dining room. But other than that inconvenience, I can't complain.
I would agree with the other reviewers -- use cold ingredients, and start your ice cream as soon as you take the bowl out of the freezer. I let my bowl freeze for at least two days before using it. I put it in a plastic bag, and then put a zip-loc bag of ice in the container just to be sure.
I have a hard time using all of the egg yolks and heavy cream to make true "ice cream" (although a splurge once in awhile isn't a bad thing!). I try to stick to the lower fat recipes. You can find endless recipes and ideas on the internet. I must admit that when in a hurry I just throw together some milk, half and half, real mexican vanilla, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no recipe here, just taste it to your own creaminess and sweetness level) to make ice cream for dessert. It's like having fresh soft serve. Yum!
If you would like your own ice cream maker, you can't go wrong with this machine!
By chia pet (San Francisco, CA)
When buying the Cuisinart ice cream maker, I really wasn't sure I'd use it, as I rarely eat ice creams. The power to create is a heady experience, though, and the effortlessness with which wonderful concoctions can be made using this machine ensures it will not become one of those useless appliances collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.
This is a great purchase even for those who assume they can't eat ice cream! Since you control the ingredients, you can create recipes working around any sort of diet -- allergy, diabetic, lactose intolerant, vegan, whatever! The machine also works equally well for sherberts and frozen drinks. It's extremely easy to use and cleans very easily.
Few notes for better results:
1) The bowl must be *frozen*. I recommend at least 2 days in the freezer between uses (you may want a second bowl).
2) Upon removing the bowl from the freezer, add ingredients and use -- it will start to thaw immediately. A friend noted that covering the top of the unit while mixing causes it to retain its "cool" longer (a plate over the opening works well).
3) The ingredients must be very cold. If cooking ingredients (such as for fruit or egg enhanced recipes), it's absolutely necessary to chill the resulting mixture before adding it to the unit.
4) Choice in ingredients can make or break your ice cream. While milk can be used, cream results in a much richer, thicker, tastier ice cream. Also, make sure you've crushed or finely chopped any solid ingredients before adding, as otherwise, they will clog in the mechanism; they should also be added during the last 5 minutes only or will impede freezing (same goes for alcohol). Thorough mixing of ingredients is important, as well, since the machine does not churn the mixture (sugar especially needs to be well dissolved or will result in uneven flavoring).
5) Regardless of what you do, you will produce very soft ice cream. Pouring the result into a freezer-proof container and freezing for a few hours to one day works very well.
I know that sounds like a lot of hassles, but it's really not.
The preparation of ingredients can range from moments to hours, as your options are quite limitless.
It makes 1.5 quarts of ice cream, which is not a limitation (should you feel you will consistently need more servings, invest in additional bowls). It stores very well, lasting for a couple of weeks without crystalizing. I would use mine every day if I could remember to buy cream!
