New Hamilton Beach Soft Ice Cream Maker Blue Two 12 Oz. Freezer Bowls Recipes Included Review

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(More customer reviews)I received this as a Christmas gift, and it works really well. You freeze the bowl, make your mix of whatever you want, and just pop it on and you have soft ice cream in 5 minutes, thicker ice cream in about 10 minutes. Makes 1 large bowl of ice cream, but you can make two batches with the double bowl. Also this doesn't take a whole lot of space up, so it's good if you don't have a whole lot of storage (which I don't). I can't wait to make fruit sorbet and smoothies with fresh fruit in the summer. I really like this because you control all the ingredients, so it's really good if you have food allergies, or diet restrictions. You could make fruit sorbets with spenda or honey - so this would be great if on a diet. The only thing, this doesn't mash fruit - so if you want to make something with fruit and want it really smooth, run it through a blender first. I just chopped a banana really small and it made for some great chunky banana ice cream :) Definetly worth the money- Great Buy!

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This Hamilton Beach Smooth Pour Blender with 550 Watts of peak power has a revolutionary Wave-Action system which pulls the mixture down into the patented Stainless Steel Ice Sabre blades for smooth results with no more ice chunks. Its easy-pour spout ensures mess-free serving. The 40 oz. Boroclass heat-resistant glass jar is dishwasher safe.

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Cuisinart SM-55MP Mixing Paddle Review

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(More customer reviews)Ordered it on Feb 2 and Never received it the company "small appliances" said couldnt provide me with a tracking # and said they would do an investigation which later cancelled when I called Amazon.com. To say the least bad service from this company small appliances. Luckily I ordered through Amazon who quickly refunded my money.

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Cuisinart SM-55MP Mixing Paddle

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Rival Gel Canister Ice Cream Maker - 1 qt. Review

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(More customer reviews)COMPARISON:
Cuisinart Automatic 1.5 qt
the Rival Gel Canister, and the
Rival Electric 4&6 qt ice
I have had quite the experience with ice cream makers lately and am happy to pass on my own comparison.
I actually bought the Rival Electric 6qt ice on a whim when I passed by it in the store. This is the same one as the 4qt. ice cream maker that uses rock salt and ice, just larger. (I know it's the same because the inlaws have the 4qt.) It was on sale at Wal-Mart and even cheaper than Amazon.
I then exchanged the above ice cream maker, after issues I will get to, for the Rival Gel.
You'll notice, however, I have the "verified purchase stamp" on my review of the Cuisinart 1.5 qt automatic ice cream maker. That's because I gave up with Rival after continued problems with my first two ice cream makers and ordered the Cuisinart from Amazon. It's a keeper. However, you may actually prefer one of the other ones I used more if your needs are different from my own so I'll break down my experiences and you can decide:
But first...some TROUBLESHOOTING that may help you regardless of the ice cream maker you choose. Is your icecream more of a milkshake than ice cream? I have some chef tips:
1.Never put in chunky ingredients from the beginning. They don't allow the butterfat to freeze correctly. They need to be added at the end (chocolate chips, fruit, etc.)
2.Never use imitation vanilla extract. It contains propylene glycol which not only isn't as good as regular vanilla, it prevents milk and cream from freezing well. Use pure vanilla only.
3.Your ingredients should be cold prior to adding them to the ice cream maker.
4.If you have an electric ice cream maker it needs to be on and spinning prior to putting the ingredients in. If you add the ingredients first and then turn it on, the edges will freeze first to the bowl and your middle won't catch up. (Unfortunately you can't do this on the Rival 4 and 6 qt electric so it always wound up a little runny for me.)
5.If you use an electric gel-bowl ice cream maker the bowl should be stored at the back of your freezer where it is coldest. If your freezer is full of other foods, it will actually be colder than if it is empty so an empty freezer may mean you need to freeze your gel-filled ice cream bowl longer.
6.Cream has a higher butterfat content than milk so it begins to melt far faster and will take longer to freeze so you will see differences from soy milk, milk, non-fat milk etc.
ICE CREAM CAPACITY:
Rival Electric (RE) 4 or 6 qts, depending upon which model you choose.
Rival Gel (RG) one quart
Cuisinart Automatic (CA) 1.5 qts
NOISE LEVEL:
RE: loud; cannot hold a conversation in the same room it's in
RG: loud; cannot hold a convesation in the same room it's in
CA: surprisingly quiet...not silent but quite a purr compared to the other two.
BUILD:
RE: Cheaply made which wound up being our problem. The outside core is a very flimsy plastic. Thinner than my Tupperware. Not only did this not insulate the ice well which resulted in fast melting, it also wore down after a week of the motor popping out of the locked position and it's flexibility allowed pieces of ice to get lodged in the sides and make the motor stop. This is so common that it says in the owner's manual that when it does this you need to stop it and move the ice. This means you always need to be watching it during making. Happens on both size models which is why I had to exchange this originally for the gel model at Wal-mart. That flimsy plastic wore down after just one week from the motor popping off of the lock sockets.
RG: Made better than the other model except the top leaves air in too close to ice cream which means it doesn't freeze as well and the fill hole is on an angle rather than top and is very small so ingredients spill easily.
CA: I like the make, compact so no warm air is inside, sturdy, stores more easily with cord compartment, heavy-duty with no flimsiness or easily broken parts.
CONCEPT:
RE: Winds up costing more due to needing to buy rock salt and crushed ice each time. The manual states to use crushed ice only and this is because the top pops off easily and ice can get lodged between spinning bowl and the side. For some crazy reason, the paddle doesn't spin, the bowl does which means it makes the ice migrate and melt easily. Rock salt should not go down your sink so we would also walk it outside to the street. You don't want it in your yard either. Very messy with all the rock salt and ice being poured in while running in comparison to the other two models.
RG: Freeze the gel bowl for about 24 hours and use no rock salt or ice.
CA: Same as the RG.
ISSUES:
RE: Had lots of problems with having to fool with it during the process to make it work right, turns off automatically even if the icecream is runny when it senses the edges are done.
RG: Motor overheats easily and when it does this it turns off automatically and won't allow you to start it again for another 20 minutes. An ice cream maker isn't needed to mix ingredients but to whip air into it so it doesn't freeze as an ice block but instead becomes fluffy. This means you ruin your mix and have to start over. They need a more powerful motor to avoid this rather than an auto shut off which ruins your batch.
CA: Does not turn off automatically and has never overheated. If you need more freezing time, you can just keep on going. I haven't yet had any problems with my Cuisinart but will report back if one comes up.
TIME NEEDED TO WORK:
RE: Usually 50 min
RG: Usually 35 to 38 min
CA: Usually 20 to 30 min
The time will vary per ingredients. I based the above all on my plain vanilla recipe.
All models come with a basic recipe book but they are so basic you'll probably want a good ice cream recipe book. I love the Ben and Jerrys one because it's not just recipes, but goes into the science of making the perfect bowl too. The Cuisinart has the nutritionals to every recipe, the Rival doesn't. You probably don't want to see the calories of ice cream anyway. Especially chocolate!
WARRANTY:
RE 1 year
RG 1 year
CA 3 years
ICE CREAM CONSISTENCY:
RE: I was very disappointed in the Rival Electric. It runs until it senses the outside edges are done but this left my inside ice cream edges not whipped. It says to get it hard you should freeze it for 4 hours but the next day, since air wasn't whipped in, it left it a block of ice and I couldn't even scoop it. Because of this and then the plastic lock in wearing out is why I returned it for the Rival Gel.
RG: I got a good batch but it was still softer than I wanted, however the next 2 times the motor got hot and, as per the owners manual, apparently this design flaw is common enough that it turns itself off when this happens and won't start again for another 20 min leaving me with 2 bad batches so I returned it.
CA: If you like yours soft, 20 min seems to work well for that but I usually go all the way to 30 min to get the perfect consistency of whipped air into the icecream allowing it to be soft but still easily scooped days later. Even on high butterfat ice cream recipes we had a perfect consistency so I fell in love with this one. That was the main thing for me, to get a good whipped up ice cream. Not an icy one even days later. This one is advertised as having a "heavy duty motor" which may mean the difference in it not overheating.
CLEANING: Owners manual of all say to clean parts in warm soapy water, not the dishwasher.
CONCLUSION: Although the Rival Electric holds more ice cream which is perfect if you are making it for a big crowd, I have had no negative results with the Cuisinart since I ordered it while the other makers were returned to the store...and I rarely return anything. However, it's also possible I just got unlucky so if you want a large capacity and have easier access than I do to crushed ice, it might be worth a try.
For me, the Cusinart 1.5 qt is just the right size to keep the ice cream fresh for us before it's time to make another batch. For a large family, it may not work, but we nibble on it for a week then make another batch and that works great for us and since the consistency and motor where better than the Rival Gel for me this remains my pick.


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Hamilton Beach 68220 1.5-Quart Capacity Ice Cream Maker, White Review

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(More customer reviews)OK, first off, all the 1.5qt ice cream makers on the market -- this one, Cuisinart's, and Krups' -- are fundamentally the same. It's a metal bucket full of some fluid that you put in the freezer; it gets very cold, cold enough to freeze 1.5qts of ice cream mix. That, and it's a motor with a mixing arm. That's really it.
So I figured, when I bought this one, that I was getting a deal; it's the cheapest of the three. Now that I've used it a few times, I'm wishing I'd just splurged, spent the extra twenty bucks, and gotten either of the others.
The mixing blade on this model doesn't seem to actually mix very well. I made a cantaloupe sherbet last night and I looked into the bowl as the arm turned, and it was just shoving the sherbet around in a circle. It wasn't churning. The sherbet wasn't frozen solid or anything, it was still pretty slushy. The arm just seems poorly designed.
I think the motor's pretty weak, too. It turns so slowly that it doesn't need to be very strong, they just gear it way down and even a weak motor can push pretty hard. But this routinely gets stuck on bits of ice cream that freeze in a layer on the bottom of the bucket. I made a frozen yogurt, which you have to put in the bucket to start (vs. pouring it through the opening while it's running) because of the thickness of the yogurt, and it had real problems churning after that. I ended up having to churn it by hand with a spatula for a while at the end.
Finally, there are just design details that aren't very good about this. The top of the motor / lid assembly is sloped, and the on/off switch is on that surface and protrudes a bit.
When you take that motor / lid off and set it down, the obvious way to do it is to rest it on its top (with the mixing arm sticking up.) This invariably hits that switch and turns it on. Whenever I'm taking it off, I'm trying to move quickly, stir the ice cream or scoop it off into a container to put in the freezer, so it's always irritating to take that lid off, quickly set it down, and have it turn on, the mixing arm starts turning, ice cream splatters, etc. This happens every time. There's not really a better way to set it down. So I have to unplug it whenever I want to put it down on the counter. It's just not very well thought-through.
Similarly, the locking mechanism involves pivoting that big blue arm up and over from one side to the other, which is cumbersome; the electric cord gets in the way, and even when you get it right, it's not a terribly snug fit; the motor can rock back and forth a bit.
Overall, you get what you pay for, and the other brands really aren't that much more expensive. Don't be a tightwad like me; splurge for one of them instead of this.

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Make homemade ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, sorbet and more using this machine from Hamilton Beach. It's fully automatic - no stirring and no need for ice or salt like the old-fashioned machines. An extra-large ingredient opening lets you add candies, brownie bits or fruit during the mixing process. Other features include a carrying handle that locks into place and a transparent lid. Recipes included.

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Rival GC9155 Gel Canister 1-1/2-Quart 2-Piece Electric Ice-Cream Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first got this I followed the directions on the box for chocolate cookie ice cream exactly (which specified refrigerating the mixture for 30 minutes and freezing the gel canisters for 24 hours). This gave me something at about the consistency of a runny milkshake. My second try involved refrigerating the mixture for 18 hours and freezing the gel canisters for around 36 hours. That was more of a thick milkshake.
My winning formula was refrigerating the mix overnight and freezing the canisters for a week in a 0 degree (F) deep freezer. This produced fairly soft ice cream, but still definitely ice cream (it did harden in the freezer afterward). I haven't yet experimented to see what the minimum time for a refreeze is, but bringing them down from room temperature the first time took a very long time.
If you want to make smallish batches of ice cream fairly often, then this is the ice cream maker for you. It doesn't require you to get bagged ice to cool the mixture, and the gel canisters collapse to take up less space in your freezer if you just store them there full time. If, on the other hand, you want large batches or only want to make ice cream for special occasions you're probably better off with a bagged ice and rock salt model.

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1.5 quart capacity, fast freezing gel canister technology.Auger style mixing paddle mixes and aerates ice cream to a creamy consistency.Gel canisters nest for compact freezer storage, makes ice cream in 30 minutes, no rock salt or ice needed.

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VillaWare V5100 Classic Ice Cream & Gelato Maker, Electric Review

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(More customer reviews)I've read all the reviews and will give you some real concrete reasons not to buy this. I didn't expect this product to do all of the work for me and I understand the reasoning behind some of the directions, such as cooling the mixture before pouring it into the freezing bowl (the bowl will thaw out if you don't!!!!!!!!)I received this and a Cuisinart ice cream maker as gifts at the same time. I decided to keep the VillaWare since I Knew they made industrial machines. I made three batches in my VillaWare, one ice cream, one non-dairy "ice cream" and one sorbet. I just kept thinking "Is this really how it should look?". I was following all of the directions (which aren't as big of a hassle as some would make them out to be!) and I ended up with mildly frozen slush which I had to put in the freezer to make it even remotely firm enough to eat. So, I broke out the Cuisinart that I was going to return and made the exact same sorbet recipe that I had made the previous day. Good thing I did, The Cuisinart batch was more frozen after 5 minutes than the VillaWare after 20 minutes. It produced a nice sorbet that was still soft but firm enough to eat right out of the freezing bowl. These machines operate under the exact same concept so from what I could tell the problem is this; The Villaware bowl doesn't seem to be quite as cold and the paddle that is supposed to scrape the frozen mixture from the side of the bowl isn't close enough to the bowl to scrape enough off to freeze the whole batch. The paddle on the Cuisinart sits right against the side of the bowl and allows the entire batch to freeze and be scraped off and mixed in.
I'll be returning the VillaWare now
Save yourself some time and hassle and buy a Cuisinart

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With the VillaWare Ice Cream Maker you can make up to a quart of hard or soft ice cream or frozen yogurtYou can also make sherbet, gelato, sorbet, ices and frozen drinks.Just 20-30 minutes is all it takes for making quality, healthy frozen creations.Upscale design with sturdy, stainless steel housing.Ingredient bowls can be pre-frozen.Motorized drive to blend ingredients easily.Two speed selections for different consistencies.

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Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)Caution: Rave Review
Why can't I get decent chocolate chip ice cream? That's what I want to know. Chocolate chip, plain, unvarnished and perfect, is a rapidly vanishing breed in the highly segmented world of commercial premium ice cream.
The Donvier lets you create the fresh flavors you want, when you want them. So, I get my chocolate chip with rich veins of beautiful Ghiradelli's milk chocolate chips and just a few semi-sweet for the heck of it. My wife's favorite is fresh peach and that's what she gets. You know what - in season, it tastes very much like a beautifully ripe peach! Only better.
Freeze the container overnight. Dump in the ingredients. Pop the lid on. Stir. Wait a bit. Stir some more. Repeat for ... minutes or so. Yesterday, I made a quart of ice cream while I was in the midst of preparing dinner for six - it was just no problem. The ice cream got such rave reviews from our guests that I was troubled at how easy it was to make.
Chocolate chip TIP: Wait until it's partly frozen up before you dump in the chips - they don't all settle down to the bottom that way.
We've had our Donvier for almost ten years and have never had a problem. Hey, what could go wrong? it's a metal bowl with a plastic handle that you turn inside it. I suppose you could break the handle with an excess of joie de vivre, but they're pretty cheap to replace. Ah, you ask, but is it easy to use? Well, turning a crank in a bowl is a fundamental human activity - *anybody* can do it!
No more need you buy Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip peanut turbot ice cream at 3 bucks a pint or so. The Donvier makes it just too easy to make incredibly good, fresh ice cream yourself.
Buy one. Now. You won't regret it.

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We all scream for ice cream! Create delicious frozen confections in 20 minutes or less with just a few simple ingredients and the 1-qt. Donvier Premier Ice Cream Maker. Uses no electricity, ice or salt. Features the patented Chillfast cylinder, plus a double-walled freezer cylinder holder for extra insulation. Also works as an ice bucket. Includes recipes and instructions.

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Hamilton Beach 68330R 4-Quart Automatic Ice-Cream Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)Just received this afternoon. Ran down to the store, bought all the ingredients, and just threw our first gallon of ice cream in the freezer. It's so cool ... and FUN! We did the quick and easy vanilla recipe that came with the recipe book, chopped up some brownies and reeses PB cups, and the motor stopped like it's supposed to in just 30 minutes. Soft serve ice cream as good as anything from the store ... and better for us. The directions are VERY simple to follow. We've never made ice cream before and didn't know squat about how to do it. Including time spent going to the store, we had our first batch within two hours after FEDEX delivered the package. We were skeptical about the loudness of the motor based on a prior review we read; the motor is really not that loud, but the sound it makes is rather obnoxious after about 10 to 15 minutes. However, it sounds just like I thought an electric ice cream maker would sound like. So, no surprises and SOOOO worth it! The price was awesome too!

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Makes ice cream, frozen yogurt, custard, sherbet & gelato, fully automatic, over 20 recipes included, Easy-Lock lid

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Cuisinart ICE-25 Classic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)This design was given to me as a gift, replacing a Krups La Glaciere that had worked well for a few years before the coolant began leaking into the freezing chamber. In terms of freezing and mixing ability - the only real differences between ice cream makers at this low-end level - the Cuisinart works very well. In fact, it seems to hold its temperature longer than the Krups model, perhaps due to the extra bit of insulation afforded by "freezing chamber in bucket" design. Also, for those familiar with the Krups, the Cuisinart actually rotates the bucket rather than the dasher; odd at first, but it works fine, and allows for faster assembling of the component parts when you're starting the freezing process. The only (minor) complaint I have is that, if you are making a sizable batch, the ice cream frequently starts to pour over the top of the dasher as it expands, even if you follow the instructions for how high the freezing chamber should be filled. It doesn't spill out of the unit, however, and the freezing process doesn't seem to be significantly disturbed. In short - the Cuisinart is worth the buy, and will produce ice cream that's as good as your recipe allows.

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The Traditional styling of the Cuisinart Classic Frozen Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker will put a smile on every ice cream lovers face.Fully automatic, this frozen desert maker requires only the addition of fresh ingredients and the flip of a switchto make 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, or those fabulous frozen drinks - icy smooth and ready to enjoy in as little as 20 minutes!

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Cuisinart ICE-40 Flavor Duo Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)I was so excited to finally receive this ice cream maker in the mail that I did it all: I make sorbet, frozen yogurt and ice cream. All came out very well. Note: eat the frozen yogurt immediately as it becomes very hard in the freezer and looses the smoothness commonly associated with frozen yogurt. I really enjoy having the two bowls. I've made two separate batches of desserts as well as a double batch. My freezer is stocked and I've never had so many wonderful choices of frozen dessert!

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Cuisinart lets you indulge guests and delight family with a variety of frozen desserts.The new Flavor Due Frozen Yogurt - Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker lets you make two flavors at once, in as little as 20 minutes!With the tough of a button, this stunning brushed metal dessert maker automatically starts the process.Ingredients are added to double-insulated freezer bowls through easy-pour spouts to create the smoothest, creamiest frozen desserts.

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KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this after reading a lot of reviews. My choice was based on a number of factors. I have owned a hand-crank, ice-and-salt ice cream maker in the past - it made great ice cream but was messy; I didn't want yet another appliance that I had to find where to store; and I have owned and liked my KitchenAid stand mixer for a number of years.
This is basically a double-walled, sealed mixing bowl, with the space inside the walls filled with some liquid (presumably like the refreezable ice packs). It comes with plastic paddle. The basic steps are:
1Freeze the bowl (I keep mine in the freezer)
2Make and cool an ice cream custard, or a fruit mix for sorbet
3Assemble the frozen bowl and the plastic paddle on the stand mixer
4 Switch the mixer on lowest speed, add the custard
5Let the mixer stir the mix until it freezes (to a "soft serve" consistency)
6Transfer the ice cream to a bowl with a lid, and freeze until firm
Here are my comments:
First, take a black marker and obliterate all the nutritional information about the recipes in the instruction book. We know that ice cream is full of fat and sugar -- that's why we like it! We don't need reminding.
*Try a dry run to assemble the bowl and paddle. This is designed to fit many models of KitchenAid mixers, and it's not obvious. You don't want to be figuring this out when you are ready to make your first batch.
*Freeze the bowl for longer than the suggested 18 hours
*MAKE HALF QUANTITIES: the two-quart recipes fill the bowl, and I had a couple of overflows as the ice cream expands as it cools.
*Also, filling the bowl means that the ice cream takes longer to freeze. The first time I tried this, it didn't freeze as the bowl had not been frozen long enough to handle the two quarts.
*Get a good recipe to use up the egg whites. I make meringue from the New York Times Cook Book. I guess an omelet would be good too.
*There's mistake in the instruction book. In one place it suggests adding the fruit, nuts etc half way through the freezing process, and in another place it suggests adding these ingredients at the end of the mixing cycle.
* Use enough mix (custard or fruit puree) to at least fill half of the bowl -- this way the paddle will mix the entire batch.
* Remember that freezing enhances the sweet taste -- so do not over sweeten the mix before you freeze, otherwise the ice cream or sorbet will be too sweet.
* If you're making a fruit puree for sorbet, a blender makes a *MUCH* smoother puree than a food processor. I think this makes a difference in the texture of the final sorbet.
* After preparation, you need to cool the custard or puree in the fridge for a few hours. Use a jug that has a decent pouring lip: this will make it much easier to pour into the freezer bowl than if you just use a regular mixing bowl.
* There is very little space between the edge of the bowl and the paddle -- this can mean a mess when you fill the bowl. It **really** needs a pouring spout designed to fit
* Getting the semi-frozen desert out of the bowl can be messy - there is no handle on the bowl and it has smooth, slippery sides.
* Use a container for the final freezing that has a little air space after you fill with the semi-frozen ice cream -- this allows for additional expansion of the desert, and prevents the need to squash the final product into the bowl.
* I've used recipes from The New York Times Cookbook and Fine Cooking magazine -- all delicious, better than store bought, and slightly different than the regular recipes for vanilla, cookies and cream, etc.
* Use the freshest eggs you can find -- not the ones that have been sitting in the fridge door for a month
Update February 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks very much to all the kind comments that folks have left. For those of you who haven't read the comments on this review: it's worthwhile taking a few minutes to do so as some of the commenters have additional suggestions and ideas.
Update December 2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple of the recent comments have asked whether the inside of the bowl is aluminum or non-stick. It *appears* to be metallic, but with plastics these days, it's anybody's guess. It is light gray so could be aluminum, but I'd wager that it is some sort of alloy. It is definitely NOT the type of non-stick found in Teflon-type frying pans.
BTW - I've had this for nearly four years and am still loving it. Long term durability seems to be good.

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Creating up to 2 quarts of fresh ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet at home only takes about 25 minutes with this unique attachment. The stylish ice-cream-maker attachment quickly converts any KitchenAid stand mixer into an easy-to-use ice-cream maker. After storing the freeze bowl in the freezer for at least 15 hours, it's ready to go. Simply turn on the KitchenAid stand mixer, pour in the batter, and let the dasher and freeze bowl do the work. For quick cleanup, the dasher, drive assembly, and adapter ring are all dishwasher-safe. The freeze bowl should be hand washed with warm water and mild detergent. The ice-cream-maker attachment measures 10-8/9 by 10-2/7 by 10-2/7 inches and carries a one-year hassle-free replacement warranty.

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Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Makers Review

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(More customer reviews)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!!

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Cuisinart Automation Ice Cream Maker - Red - Cuisinart ICE20R

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Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this after much debate about whether or not I needed a two quart ice cream maker or just go with the original Cuisinart $49.95 one. I am so glad i bought this one. It is so great. Easy to use, makes alot of ice cream,so sleek looking.
I have a tiny kicthen and everytime I turn around I am buying something that will clutter my counterspace, but I have to say this I don't mind. It is square, not to bulky and the cord fits nicely up inside the machine. It doesn't dangle or anything. It's right next to my KitchenAid.
I have made two recipes out of the manual that comes with the machine. I usually don't like "manual recipes" however, these are fantastic. The Mango Gelato was a huge hit with family and friends. One girl who doesn't like ice cream, liked it. The simple ice creams that dont require making a custard, you just mix all the ingredients together and freeze, I was thinking it would be terrible. It wasn't, so you can make ice cream in 30minutes from start to finish with those recipes.
I do keep the bowl in the freezer like others suggested with the smaller ice cream maker. It has been very useful to have it already frozen when I am ready to make ice cream.
As far as noise, it is not as quiet as I thought, but don't let that scare you. It's not like turning on a blender and leaving it running for 25 minutes. It's not an annoying noise. Not like the old ice cream makers with the ice and stuff. It is fun to watch it churn too. So the noise just fades to the background.
It's very interactive and a great thing to do with kids and company.
I really can't say enough good. One of the best appliance investments I have mad yet.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker

Housed in brushed stainless steel with an embossed logo, this fully automatic small appliance makes frozen yogurt, sorbet, and homemade ice cream in as little as 25 minutes. The frozen-dessert maker features a heavy-duty motor and a double-insulated freezer bowl that holds up to 2 quarts of frozen dessert at a time. Simply add ingredients, turn the machine on, and frozen drinks and desserts are ready in minutes. Its large ingredient spout allows for easily adding favorite mix-ins, and an instruction book and recipes come included. A fun addition to any birthday party or backyard barbecue, the frozen-dessert maker measures approximately 8-1/4 by 8 by 11-1/4 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty. From the Manufacturer
The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2 Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence

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Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Additional Freezer Bowl, fits ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)While I do have the ice cream maker, I ordered an additional freezer bowl to have on hand. It is helpful if you want to make two flavors of ice cream, or if you want to cool the warm custard for vanilla ice cream before you freeze it.
I have also used this container to quickly cool items (like Jello which must be cooled for a mousse, raspberry mousse comes to mind :) in a metal bowl. Place any metal bowl on the top of this container. It will be stable and the bowl will get ice cold. The contents will then cool very quickly.
Try this bowl to cool down custard when you are filling pastries. Just pour in the custard and stir with a spatula for a few minutes. Soon, you have creamy, cold custard to fill those pastries.
I recommend keeping one of these in the freezer at all times. There are just so many more uses! Use it everytime you need to cool a liquid quickly. You will love the results.
~The Rebecca Review

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Cuisinart ICE-30RFB 2-Quart Freezer Bowl, Stainless Steel Review

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(More customer reviews)Since you want to keep these things in the freezer all the time, having two is sooo handy. Of course, you need the freezer space for them! But this lets you make back to back batches - without waiting several hours for your bowl to refreeze.

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Extra Freezer bowls allows you to make additional flavors or a larger quantity of your favorite frozen desserts.Double-insulated freezer bowl maintains a low temperature to freeze ingredients fast and evenly for smooth and creamy results.

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Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As this product had not been reviewed yet, I read several reviews for the Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker before making my decision to purchase this product. Many comments about the ICE-20 mentioned that the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve; some reviewers said it was too soft. I did not find that issue with the ice cream I made with this ice cream maker. I turned my freezer to the coldest setting and froze the bowl for 7 hours. I could not hear any liquid moving in the bowl at that point, so I assumed it was solidly frozen. I made the Simple Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from the booklet that came with the machine. After about 20 minutes, the ice cream was nicely textured and creamy. It wasn't as hard as the packed ice cream you purchase at the store, so I guess you might say the consistency was somewhere between soft serve and store-bought: firmer than soft serve, but not as firm as hard pack. As reviewers of the ICE-20 pointed out, if the ice cream was frozen as solidly as hard pack in the machine, it would be difficult to remove it from the container.
The ice cream is simply wonderful. It has a fresh, pure taste that outshines anything I could purchase from the store. I bought it mainly because I wanted to have control of my ingredients. I want to use organic products as much as possible and I want to experiment with soy ice creams; I have thought I might want to get away from dairy products altogether.
This product was listed as the newest version of the ICE-20 and as an upgrade that improves upon the ICE-20 while still keeping its popular features. I don't know what the upgrade consists of, but I can say that in 20-25 minutes, I had really excellent ice cream that I thought was the perfect consistency. (Since I posted this review, a commenter here has noted that the upgrade consists of a new paddle design, reducing the processing time by 25%, according to the manufacturer.) After freezing it for a couple of hours it was firmer and I liked it at that consistency, too. I was thinking about how great this ice cream would be with warm apple pie, because tasting it really is like tasting fresh vanilla cream. But we're a couple of months away from apple pie season! This product couldn't be simpler to use, and I think it will pay for itself fairly quickly in savings over the cost of premium purchased ice cream. And it just tastes better.

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Now you can enjoy the finest homemade frozen treats at home! The fully automatic Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker lets you make your favorites in 20 minutes or less, with no fuss and no mess. Just add ingredients to the bowl, press ON and the machine does the rest!From the ManufacturerEasy-lock lid.

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