Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White

Customer Rating:
Summary: great ice cream
Comment: This ice cream maker is so fast and easy to use. You don't have to mess with ice and rock salt but you still get the old fashioned taste. A recipe book is included and the recipes are very good. We have been experimenting with low fat versions using less cream and the result is very good. Buy the extra bowl and keep two in the freezer. That way you can make two different flavors or be prepared for more guests.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Really Good For the Price
Comment: It takes a little practice to get used to what works and what doesn't with this Ice Cream Maker. For the price though, it is really good. I messed up my first few recipes by over filling the thing. Eventually, I was making my own delicious ice creams and sorbets. So much fun during the summer! My kids were thrilled! ;)

Customer Rating:
Summary: Easy, Healthy Ice Cream
Comment: Wow, with Ice cream cartons shrinking and being priced at around $8/(per former gallon) I was looking for a cheaper way to get ice cream/ frozen yogurt. My husband and I tried it by just putting two kirland peach lowfat yogurts and were amazed by the outcome. In 30 min we had lowfat frozen yogurt. We have even ventured into trying the nonfat, splenda vanilla yogurt and added frozen blended food and were very impressed by the results. I would recommend this appliance. We look forward to what else we can make!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Heavenly
Comment: I received this item for Christmas. I wanted it so I could make more natural ice cream without all those additives. I used a simple recipe from off the web: Some whole milk, condesed milk, and cocoa powder. At first it was a failure because I only froze the container for 5 hours. It didn't swish when I shook it, so I thought I was good to go. After nearly 2 hours I just had cold ingrediants. I put them in the fridge and froze the container overnight and restarted in the morning. After only 30 minutes I had some of the most amazing ice cream I have ever had. I will never buy ice cream from the store again. This ice cream maker is awesome, I love it.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Easy ice cream, with some advance preparation
Comment: I own both the Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker and the KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment, both of which make excellent ice cream, although this Cuisinart, as a special purpose appliance, will appeal to a broader range of people simply because the unit is self-contained.

The Cuisinart works without salt or mess; the bowl walls contain a liquid that, when frozen, becomes extremely cold, enough to freeze a cream/custard base to soft serve consistency. (More on that later.) For the machine to successfully work, the bowl must be placed in the freezer at least fifteen hours in advance, and the mix must be refrigerated for a minimum of 12 hours, preferably at least 24 hours. Unless you store the bowl in your freezer and use a non-cooked mixture, you won't be able to make ice cream on the spur of the moment.

The machine is fairly noisy, much like the earlier electric churners that used salt and ice. But operation cannot be easier. Simply insert the paddle, pour in the mix, attach the top, and start it up. In 20-30 minutes, depending on the butterfat content and beginning temperature of the mix, you have soft serve consistency ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, or sherbet. To improve the flavor and consistency, the frozen dessert should be ripened in another container for at least 2 hours in the freezer.

The biggest drawbacks to the Cuisinart ice cream maker are its relatively small size, especially compared to the KitchenAid attachment, and the way a portion of the ice cream freezes solid to the sides of the bowl, thus creating some waste. Of course, you can always take a sturdy non-metal utensil to it to sample it right away. You'll have to let the bowl thaw some before hand-washing. None of the parts are dishwasher safe, although all are a breeze to clean once the bowl loses its extreme cold.

If you own a KitchenAid mixer, you might want to check out the attachment, but you really can't go wrong with the Cuisinart. Fresh ice cream has never been easier.

-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann