Who has an ice cream maker?

[Trac]

I want to get one, as I can't buy ice cream around here that is acceptable on Feingold. I can get a Cuisinart automatic ICE-30BCC with my visa points, so the price is right, but if it's not a good one, I'll save my points for something else! Anyone have this one? What should one look for in an ice cream maker? Thanks for any advice!

[cristeen]

I have the cuisinart and love it. If you can get the one with 2 bowls instead of 1, do it. I see them from time to time, and regret that we didn't (although we got ours as a wedding gift). During the dog days of summer, the second bowl comes in handy - lets you make ice cream daily if you like.

I've also used it for making margaritas, sorbets, sherbets, ices, etc.

[CanBoo]

Got the cuisinart soft serve maker from FIL.
We like it. But it takes a lot of space beacuse of the serving spot under. Works the same as the other I think, you just poor it out a little earlier, and then if you keep letting it go, it beacomes like the normal one.
Love to be able to give DD ice cream and knowing what's in it.

[Trac]

Is the bowl plastic? If so, is that what all ice cream makers have? I suppose it's only in there for a while...once it's done it goes into a different container?

[LemonPie]

I have the Cuisinart with the 2-qt bowl. I've been pretty happy with it. I keep the bowl in my deep freeze all the time. It works a little better with custard base ice creams, but I think that's probably true of any home ice cream maker. It's also a little noisy, but I just put it on the washer and close the laundry room door while it runs.

The liner of the bowl is plastic, but you don't store the ice cream in it. In fact, the manual says NOT to.

[Chicky2]

I have a White Mountain hand crank ice cream maker. I wouldn't trade it for the world. IMNSHO, you just can't get better ice cream than you can w/an old fashioned hand cranker. Sitting under the tree sweating and cranking that ice cream while the kids take turns sitting on top of it on a towel (to help hold it still) makes for the best family time/memories/ice cream in the entire world! I did this when I was a kid, my kids do this, and I will make sure my grandkids get a chance to have this same wonderful experience. That ice cream tastes sooooo good after working for it! Nothing like scraping the ice cream off the dasher out in the heat, either!

Ok, off my soapbox, er ice cream box now! LOL!

[star792]

my mom has the cuisinart one and it is a good one and pretty easy to use. i think the bowl is metal but not completely sure... i have a kitchen aid mixer one but if i didn't, then it would be a cuisinart.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Chicky2

I have a White Mountain hand crank ice cream maker. I wouldn't trade it for the world. IMNSHO, you just can't get better ice cream than you can w/an old fashioned hand cranker. Sitting under the tree sweating and cranking that ice cream while the kids take turns sitting on top of it on a towel (to help hold it still) makes for the best family time/memories/ice cream in the entire world! I did this when I was a kid, my kids do this, and I will make sure my grandkids get a chance to have this same wonderful experience. That ice cream tastes sooooo good after working for it! Nothing like scraping the ice cream off the dasher out in the heat, either!

I remember doing this at my grandparent's when I was a kid on holidays - it was the most amazing thing. Unfortunately reality is that it's not practical for middle-of-the-week, sudden heat wave when you have a million other things that have to be done. The cuisinart and others of it's kind you can pour it in, switch it on and walk away. Which isn't to say that I don't want an old fashioned maker - I'll probably wind up with my grandparent's... it's just to say that for most people leading busy city lives, it's not terribly practical. I don't even have access to ice for a hand-crank - I'd have to buy a bag.

[Trac]

Thanks all! Sounds like I'll go ahead and order the Cuisinart...I can't wait to taste home-made ice cream! :

[Beauchamp]

I have the stainless steel Cuisinart. (slightly bigger than the white one)

I've NEVER been able to get a batch of anything to come out tasting good. If anyone has any foolproof recipes, let me know! I am ready to ditch this thing!

I made the "deep dark chocolate" from the recipe book that came with it, plus the strawberry recipe in there. Also Alton Brown's Burnt Peach ice cream...all flops! Operator error, maybe? I don't know!

I just want some easy recipes that don't take an hour and that taste good. Anyone? :

[mamadelbosque]

So for those of you with the KA one, would you recommend it? I read the review on Amazon (which really is helpful), but I'm still leary. This is something I've thought about getting ever since I got my KA (an really, tbh, even beforehand... Also, do you freeze the *whole* thing, or is there an insert that comes out that you freeze??

Lots of thanks in advance!!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

I made the "deep dark chocolate" from the recipe book that came with it, plus the strawberry recipe in there. Also Alton Brown's Burnt Peach ice cream...all flops! Operator error, maybe? I don't know!

How are they "flops"? Specifically what is it that you don't like about them?

There was a recent thread on our best ice cream recipes, I'd suggest checking those out. I know I posted my two "go to" recipes on there, and those are pretty much the only recipes I use, just altering them to make the flavor I want.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by cristeen

How are they "flops"? Specifically what is it that you don't like about them?

There was a recent thread on our best ice cream recipes, I'd suggest checking those out. I know I posted my two "go to" recipes on there, and those are pretty much the only recipes I use, just altering them to make the flavor I want.

The chocolate was waaaaaay too chocolatey. I mean, pretty much couldn't eat it chocolatey. I wonder if I packed the cocoa powder too much?

The peaches all sank to the bottom of the burnt peach ice cream, and it was overly icy. Possibly the stove/temperature was not right.

When I made strawberry, I used (duh) frozen strawberries. The strawberries sank to the bottom, and it was icy, too.

The chocolate was the only one that came out of the machine with any soft-serve kind of consistency. The others poured out, more liquid-y. They never seemed to firm up. I spent a lot of $$ on special ingredients for those three batches, plus all the time spent roasting peaches, stirring on the stove. Ugh! I ended up dumping all of the peach, most of the chocolate. DH made a few milkshakes out of the strawberry. But they were pretty bad. And I am normally a fairly good cook, so this ice cream maker is my enemy right now!

I'll have to check out your go-to recipes. My poor machine is sitting in the pantry, getting no love.

[savithny]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

The chocolate was waaaaaay too chocolatey. I mean, pretty much couldn't eat it chocolatey. I wonder if I packed the cocoa powder too much?

The peaches all sank to the bottom of the burnt peach ice cream, and it was overly icy. Possibly the stove/temperature was not right.

When I made strawberry, I used (duh) frozen strawberries. The strawberries sank to the bottom, and it was icy, too.

The chocolate was the only one that came out of the machine with any soft-serve kind of consistency. The others poured out, more liquid-y. They never seemed to firm up. I spent a lot of $$ on special ingredients for those three batches, plus all the time spent roasting peaches, stirring on the stove. Ugh! I ended up dumping all of the peach, most of the chocolate. DH made a few milkshakes out of the strawberry. But they were pretty bad. And I am normally a fairly good cook, so this ice cream maker is my enemy right now!

I'll have to check out your go-to recipes. My poor machine is sitting in the pantry, getting no love.

Are you chilling down the batter completely before you put it in the ice cream maker? AB and other suggest refrigerating overnight, if possible, it should be very cold when it goes in.

If you have the kind where you have to freeze the bowl, is your freezer set cold enough? We put ours in the chest freezer before using it because our top-of-the fridge freezer wasnt' getting it as cold as we liked.

Is the machine warming up while in use? Our KA ice cream insert says that if you do it on a very hot day you might want to use an ice bath around the bowl, and to not let it run too long tryign to get it thicker because after a certain point, the bowl isn't cold enough anymore.

Is the machine in a cool spot where it can vent well so that the workings of the motor aren't warming up the batter?

Just a few things I can think of.

I've got the Kitchenaid ice cream attachment and it has worked great. I dont' really go with recipes very often -- I make custards and freeze them. My favorite made-up-by-me recipe so far has been peanut butter:

1 cup natural PB.
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar

Mix well, chill, then freeze. For richer results, use cream

I've done chai (steep teabags in the milk mixture) and cinnamon, too. Haven't tried one with whole fruit yet.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by savithny

Are you chilling down the batter completely before you put it in the ice cream maker? AB and other suggest refrigerating overnight, if possible, it should be very cold when it goes in.

These were my thoughts as well... if it's not freezing at all that indicates that you have a temperature problem. The only ingredient that will truly inhibit freezing is alcohol, and you'd have to have a good bit of it in there to make it not freeze at all (like I said, I've made margaritas with no problem).

How long are you freezing the sleeve? How long are you chilling the custard before trying to freeze it? How long are you letting it run?

I have to freeze the sleeve at LEAST 24 hours, and our freezer really freezes things solid. If I try to do it after 18 or 20 hours, it doesn't firm up enough.

The custard has to be stone cold, if it is the slightest bit warm or room temp, it will not firm up. This takes overnight or most of the day for me... at least 6-8 hours in the fridge.

I usually have to run mine for about 25-30 minutes. 20 is too little (although that's what the instruction manual says), and by the time I hit 35, it's starting to melt again (this is on a hot summer day - there's more wiggle room if it's not hot).

I would really recommend starting with a plain (non-fruit) recipe. Fruit introduces a lot of water, and can cause the iciness you're seeing. Get vanilla down, and then you'll have some confidence to try other flavors. You can stir anything you like into vanilla after it comes out of the machine (choc chips, nuts, crushed candy, etc.). Pack it into a large container, and stick it in the freezer for at least an hour to get a good solid texture (I have 1 1/2 qt tupperware just for this). Rinse out the sleeve with hot water, wash it gently... if it's still freezing the water on the surface, then you need to let it melt (and dry) before sticking it back in the freezer or it'll cause problems with the next batch.

This is the conversation about tried and true recipes... the two I posted turn out right every time for me... one is honey sweetened and the other is maple sweetened (since I try to limit white sugar). Those are really the only recipes I use at this point. I've done dozens of flavors, but use those recipes as the base for all of them, because even after being in the freezer for weeks or months, the texture is still lovely.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I remember doing this at my grandparent's when I was a kid on holidays - it was the most amazing thing. Unfortunately reality is that it's not practical for middle-of-the-week, sudden heat wave when you have a million other things that have to be done. The cuisinart and others of it's kind you can pour it in, switch it on and walk away. Which isn't to say that I don't want an old fashioned maker - I'll probably wind up with my grandparent's... it's just to say that for most people leading busy city lives, it's not terribly practical. I don't even have access to ice for a hand-crank - I'd have to buy a bag.

Well, we don't have ice cream all the time. Too sugary. We save it for a special treat, and that so-special family time we love.

[LemonPie]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

The chocolate was waaaaaay too chocolatey. I mean, pretty much couldn't eat it chocolatey. I wonder if I packed the cocoa powder too much?

The peaches all sank to the bottom of the burnt peach ice cream, and it was overly icy. Possibly the stove/temperature was not right.

When I made strawberry, I used (duh) frozen strawberries. The strawberries sank to the bottom, and it was icy, too.

The chocolate was the only one that came out of the machine with any soft-serve kind of consistency. The others poured out, more liquid-y. They never seemed to firm up. I spent a lot of $$ on special ingredients for those three batches, plus all the time spent roasting peaches, stirring on the stove. Ugh! I ended up dumping all of the peach, most of the chocolate. DH made a few milkshakes out of the strawberry. But they were pretty bad. And I am normally a fairly good cook, so this ice cream maker is my enemy right now!

I'll have to check out your go-to recipes. My poor machine is sitting in the pantry, getting no love.

The deep, dark chocolate is reeeeeaaaaaallllly chocolatey. And it may have been the chocolate I used, but mine came out grainy. I prefered the flavor of the Simple Chocolate Ice Cream (in fact, I was thinking it would make great fudge bars if I skipped the churning step and poured it straight into the molds).

I've found custard bases work better. They come out creamier. But no matter how cold the mixture and how long the bowl has been in my deep freeze, I find that the firmest consistency I can get is like a milkshake, *maybe* like very soft soft-serve. It firms up in the freezer without crystallizing though.

It's a pain, but unfortunately ice-cream is not something you can whip up on a moment's notice.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by savithny

Are you chilling down the batter completely before you put it in the ice cream maker? AB and other suggest refrigerating overnight, if possible, it should be very cold when it goes in.

If you have the kind where you have to freeze the bowl, is your freezer set cold enough? We put ours in the chest freezer before using it because our top-of-the fridge freezer wasnt' getting it as cold as we liked.

I am pretty sure I chilled the batter overnight. Not positive though. It's more likely that the bowl was not frozen enough. I'll have to try this.

Originally Posted by cristeen

I have to freeze the sleeve at LEAST 24 hours, and our freezer really freezes things solid. If I try to do it after 18 or 20 hours, it doesn't firm up enough.

I would really recommend starting with a plain (non-fruit) recipe. Fruit introduces a lot of water, and can cause the iciness you're seeing. Get vanilla down, and then you'll have some confidence to try other flavors.

Rinse out the sleeve with hot water, wash it gently... if it's still freezing the water on the surface, then you need to let it melt (and dry) before sticking it back in the freezer or it'll cause problems with the next batch.

Yes, I am going to have to try to freeze the bowl for over 24 hours, just to make sure. What may have happened with the peach is that the bowl didn't fully thaw after I made the chocolate, and then didn't fully refreeze. Hmm... :

The vanilla sounds like a great idea. That was my original thought-- if I can just get a plain vanilla recipe to turn out okay, I would go from there and not throw the Cuisinart out the front door.

Anyone have a foolproof vanilla recipe? Is the one in the product manual probably okay?

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by Tiger Lily

The deep, dark chocolate is reeeeeaaaaaallllly chocolatey.

Oh, good. I'm glad it wasn't just me. I think I actually used dark dutch cocoa powder, as well, which probably made it worse.

My poor FIL was totally craving a Coke float with chocolate ice cream and I told him I made this stuff special for him--- he had *one* float one night and then I noticed he never asked again. Then I tasted it. :

[LemonPie]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

Anyone have a foolproof vanilla recipe? Is the one in the product manual probably okay?

I got fabulous results with the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It came out perfect. It's really rich though. I might actually use one less egg or at least yolk the next time I make it.