I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you're going to make ice cream at home, it is worth it to get an ice cream maker. In fact, it is necessary to get an ice cream maker because it ensures that you will always get the optimal results from your frozen desserts. There are a wide range of ice cream makers to choose from, but there will definitely be at least one that fits your kitchen and your budget. After a batch or three of homemade ice cream, every single one will pay for itself in taste alone.
Ice Cream Ball - play with it and make ice cream. It's a great way to give your kids something to keep them occupied while they wait for the ice cream to be ready. $29
Cuisinart 1.5-qt. Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker - a great, easy-to-use all-purpose machine that can handle most family-sized jobs. Keep the extra freezer bowl in the freezer at all times so you're ready to go. Recommended by me (I own this model, pictured, and love it) and America's Test Kitchen. $49.95
EuroPro Triple Canister Ice Cream Maker - with each bowl holding about 1 cup of ice cream, this machine can make three flavors at once. It's great if you're indecisive or prefer to make sundaes than stick with one flavor. $89.95
White Mountain Freezer Electric Ice Cream Maker - looks like an old-fashioned wooden pine bucket churn, but this electric machine can crank out 4-quarts of ice cream in only 30 minutes. It uses a freezer tub, though, so make sure you have room to store it. $199.95
White Mountain Freezer Traditional Crank Ice Cream Maker - this really is an old-fashioned machine that, while it does utilize a freezer bowl, must be churned by hand. If you have a strong arm, you'll get all 4-quarts done in 30 minutes - and you'll have burned off enough calories to justify eating it. $149.95
Musso Stainless Steel Lussino 1.5-qt. Ice Cream Maker - commercial grade machine, also recommended by America's Test Kitchen, it has a self contained freezing unit and can make multiple batches with very quick turnover. $594.95
Compressor 1.5-qt. Ice Cream Maker - this is the junior version of a commercial ice cream maker, lacking the power of the Musso machine, but it requires no pre-freezing before use, which makes it a great choice if your freezer simply isn't large enough to hold the freezer bowl that is required by other machines. $160
Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Attachment - if you don't want an extra appliance on the counter, just get the freezer bowl attachment for your Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, which snaps in in place of the regular mixing bowl. It makes up to 2-quarts with the included churn. $79.95











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-07-2006 @ 2:58PM
Adam Fields said...
I have a Cuisinart ice cream machine, and I've never been able to get good results out of it, with about 10 different recipes over a few summers. For the first few bad batches, I blamed the recipe, and switched to something else. But everything I've made in it always has an unpleasant grainy texture, which gets worse after a night in the freezer.
I've assumed this means that the freezer bowl doesn't get cold enough to freeze the mixture fast enough. Since it the bowl does freeze solid when left in the freezer overnight, I kind of assumed it was a problem with the design.
Perhaps they've improved it in later models?
Do you have this problem?
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8-07-2006 @ 3:56PM
Nicole Weston said...
I have never had that problem, nor has anyone else (friends, family) that I've recommended this particular model to. Do you have the same model I mentioned?
It honestly sounds like there was a problem with the recipe, and either the sugar was not fully incorporated into the base or ice crystals formed somehow.
Since it happened with multiple batches, though, perhaps you got a faulty machine.
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8-07-2006 @ 4:07PM
Adam Fields said...
How long do you typically have to process the base before it's sufficiently frozen?
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8-07-2006 @ 6:47PM
Nicole Weston said...
No more than 30 minutes, frequently only 20. Once the base has come together, I put it into a freezer-proof container (like Tupperware) to firm up completely, as the machines instructions recommend.
If you do it longer than that, the freezer bucket begins to defrost and the ice cream can actually re-melt.
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8-07-2006 @ 8:06PM
Adam Fields said...
Hmmm... in mine, it takes much longer than than to come together - closer to 40 minutes. It does not remelt in that time, but if I take it out before that, it's still pretty gloppy. (This is after chilling the base in the refrigerator overnight.)
And this is at normal room temperature. Guess I should contact Cuisinart then...
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8-08-2006 @ 5:02PM
Miss Tenacity said...
Adam,
It sounds like your freezer is not cold enough to sufficiently chill the canister. Get a thermometer and check it out.... Hopefully you are reading 0 (fahrenheit) or below, but many home freezers just don't make those numbers, especially if they are overfull or need defrosting.
Good luck!
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8-13-2006 @ 12:59PM
Adam Fields said...
My freezer reads at exactly 0F.
Reply
8-15-2006 @ 4:45PM
glenn noakes said...
Adam, I'm having the exact same problem as you, grainy and icy ice cream, and it's worse on the secind day.Did you find out how to fix the problem.
Glenn
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