Ice Cream Maker by Cuisinart, Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Machine, 2-Qt. Double-Insulated Freezer Bowl, Silver, ICE30BC Import

Excellent ice cream machine, know how to take care of it, you will be rewarded.This is a very good ice cream machine for its class (home use, freezer bowl). I’d owned the 1 1/2 quart Cusinart model and liked it a lot. Then someone in my house put the drum in the dishwasher and I found out when I tried to make a batch of ice cream that wouldn’t freeze. Using the 1 1/2 quart model I was always scaling down recipes or hovering over the ice cream as it churned with a spoon, stealing spoonfuls ice cream as it threatened to overflow the ice cream maker because I overfilled it (not that I really minded that). I like the 2 quart size for those reasons,If you’ve never owned one of these types of ice cream makers before, here’s an overview. There are two main parts as far as what makes the ice cream. There is a paddle and a drum, aka the freezer bowl. The night before you intend to make ice cream (or earlier) park your clean freezer bowl in the coldest part of your freezer overnight. This is essential that the bowl be frozen through with no sloshing sound. This drum is what chills the ice cream.When you’re ready to make the ice cream, put the frozen freezer bowl into the base of the ice cream machine, put the paddle in and put the top on, start the machine and then pour your cold (repeat COLD) ice cream mixture into the freezer bowl as it runs. The cold of the freezer bowl chills the ice cream mixture, the paddle scraps the sides of the freezer bowl as it turns which scrapes off the freezing ice cream incorporating it back into the ice cream mixture and churns air into the mixture. Let the machine run for 20ish minutes. Give it a peak every once in a while because watched ice cream never freezes ;). When it’s done, you’ll hear the motor struggle a bit more because of the thickness of the ice cream, the ice cream will be soft serve consistency and will be done as far as its adventure with the machine. From here you could eat it as soft serve, or scoop out the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze it for a few hours. let the freezer bowl warm up a little, then wash by hand with warm soapy water and a soft sponge or cloth.The negative comments that people have left seem mostly to be due to them not understanding how this machine works or that they expected something different, or both. Yes, you have to freeze the bowl overnight — that’s how this type of ice cream machine chills ice cream. It doesnt have its own refridgeration unit. If you want that, then pay 5x+ the price for a different type of machine. No, this machine doesn’t produce solid hard ice cream — it produces soft serve consistency because it churns and you can’t churn rock solid ice cream. And You MUST WASH THE FREEZER BOWL BY HAND. This isn’t a “to keep it looking it’s best” issue like you sneak your pots and pans in the dishwasher even though you shouldn’t — the heat from the dishwasher will destroy the freezing liquid in the bowl and the bowl will never make ice cream again. You can tell that a well meaning relative put your bowl in the dishwasher because the bowl will still sound sloshy even though it’s been freezing for days.The It Never Froze My Ice Cream comments — the person either put their freezer bowl in the dishwasher or the bowl wasn’t cold enough. Or the freezer bowl was defective.The It Won’t Make Ice Cream Immediately, It Makes Soft Serve…comments — that’s true, but that’s how this machine works.Some have commented that they have to let the finished ice cream (after being I the freezer) sit on the counter for 15 minutes until they can scoop it. My suggestions are: 1. Use more fat in your recipe, 2. Let it churn more air as the machine runs, 3. Know that most commercial ice creams have a ton of what they call “overhead” which is basically air in the ice cream. You may notice that the same volume of two different brands of ice cream weigh differently. Ultra premium brands like Haagen Daaz have little overhead compared to, say most grocery store brands. Lower quality ice creams also have thickeners and stabilizers that hold the ice cream together but keep it from really forming solid. Ever leave a bowl of ice cream on the counter overnight and the next day it’s a little melted but mostly in the same shape? That’s the stabilizers. All of this makes commercial ice cream soft and easy to scoop even though it’s frozen. Take heart that better quality ice creams like the one you are making are naturally harder when frozen, and therefore may take a sturdy ice cream scoop and perhaps a little muscle to scoop. On properly made ice creams (enough fat, enough churning) I’ve never made a batch too hard to scoop straight from the freezer.In short, this machine works beautifully and its make quality ice cream. I’m very happy with it.

Good productThis ice cream maker has been a fun addition to our summer treat appliances. We keep this at our summer cottage for the grandkids. It makes great ice cream although the ice cream is on the softer side as opposed to the hard version. And no, the longer you run it, it doesn’t make the ice cream any harder nor does putting the ice cream in the freezer after its made. However, having to put the container in the freezer the night before to freeze the ‘freezer pack” inside the container does take up freezer space. On the plus side, there is little noise of the motor running, nothing in comparison to the older versions of ice cream makers that use rock salt. The maker does make plenty of ice cream and comes with a recipe book for many different varieties of iced desserts.

Makes great ice cream !I have not made sherbet or gelato with this machine yet. I noticed that the more expensive version has speeds and timers separate for those. I cannot afford any more than what I paid for this one. I wanted pure plain ice cream, not a container full of chemicals and artificial flavors, as from the grocery store. It’s simple and delicious, so easy, and has a pure taste that tells you you are tasting the real thing. Making homemade ice cream costs about the same as buying the cheap brand of ice cream, which is a no-brainer for me. It’s a special do-ahead dessert when company is coming. My kids grew up with an ice cream maker that slips into the ice maker section of the side by side refrigerator from Montgomery Wards that we had, and it’s so fast and simple they made it frequently! My son misses that! I’ll add to this when I try the sherbet and gelato. The canister has to stay in the freezer, which takes up space, so it is ready to use when you want, otherwise Cuisinart recommends 24 hours in the freezer before use. If your budget will allow, I’d say get the best one, otherwise this one is well worth the money, other than the cheap paddle included with this one, which I hope will last. We had a machine that uses rock salt after our Montgomery Ward frig wore out and I hated having to deal with disposing of the rock salt. But you can get one of those rock salt ice cream makers that make yummy ice cream for about $25. The less you spend, the more work you have with these ice cream makers. The top is open on this, so you can add cherries or nuts toward the end. I recommend taking the paddle out once or twice and mixing the ice cream with a spatula so it freezes consistently. Cover it with a piece of Stretch and Seal to prevent splashing!

Great ice cream for ocasional useGreat unit. Makes great ice cream in ~ 20-25 minutes. I found that for best results it is best to cool your ice cream base in the fridge for at least 8 hours (overnight). Let the canister freeze in the back for at least 48 hours. In my fridge at -19C 24 hours wasn’t enough. The base would not turn into ice cream. You may also want to wrap the canister inside a plastic bag to reduce ice build up inside the canister. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before eating it. (Applies to store bought as well). Let the canister defrost completely at room temperature before washing it. Wipe it dry with a towel. (don’t leave it wet to air dry)Great for my needs. I make ice cream once/month. If you make ice cream more often, need to make different batches at the same time or you have a large household then you may want to get a unit that has a compressor.Pros- Great final product with great texture- Easy to operate- Inexpensive- Great recipes booklet included.- You can make up to 2 quarts (that is a lot of ice cream for 1 person or a small household)Cons- Bulky- it makes noise while churning. Doesn’t bother me (I set a phone timer and come back when ice cream is almost ready anyway) but be aware- You can only make one batch at a time- Requires prep (freezing the canister)

Used twiceHomemade ice cream is hard and more expensive to make than a half gallon of Byrne Dairy ice cream. If you want creamy ice cream you need to make a custard first, or you just have ice milk and it’s not good. Make the custard first, but remember, homemade ice cream is expensive to make .