Cuisinart 1.5qt Stainless Steel Ice Cream and Gelato Maker - ICE-100

I had always wanted an ice cream maker with a compressor as we make a lot of ice cream but only can do so through the hot summer months. Neither of us likes store bought ice cream and, too, it's gotten so expensive. Upon much research and also watching Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) use this model, I decided to gift myself with it. Best decision I could have made! I read the instructions twice just to make sure of what I was doing and mixed up my first batch of ice cream from the included booklet. My husband wanted fresh raspberry so this is the one I made first. It was delicious. The only thing I could have done any better was to really crush up the raspberries better. I only mashed them a little thinking they would break up on their own as raspberries are so fragile. They didn't break apart in the mixer enough but it was really good anyway. The bowl and paddle are very simple to get ready and the lid is easy to lock in. It even has a little door that can be opened to add nuts, etc. in the last five minutes of freezing. The really BIG rule is to not put in too much mix. If you do, as it freezes, it will go over the rim of the basket and then you will really have a mess. But the nice thing about the maker is that after a batch is done, wait 10 minutes and then you can make another batch. This you can do all day long if you choose. A recipe from the booklet makes just the right amount for the freezer. But in saying that, if you are a big ice cream eater or have very many people to serve then you will need to make more than one batch. As there are only two of us, this is the perfect amount to make as it last several days, depending how big a bowl my husband gets. I've made several ice creams, vanilla, chocolate (delicious) black walnut, butter pecan and several vanillas with the addition of items toward the end. One of my really favorite things to make are the sorbets. If the fruit is really ripe and sweet, much less sugar can be used in the recipe. Strawberry sorbet is my favorite. Unbelievably fresh tasting. And frozen fruit can be purchased all year around which are much better than the insipid fruits I'm able to purchase out of season. The machine freezes the contents pretty firmly and even has a 10 minute cycle at the end of the churning cycle to keep on chilling. The machine will shut off the churn cycle when it can go no further and then go to the chill cycle, beeping to tell you what is happening. Cuisinart has thought of everything in their design and produced a superior product here. A few hints: always have your mix well chilled before putting into the machine. I even set the mixing bowl in the freezer for twenty minutes before putting in the machine. Thoroughly chill the storage container to have it ready to put the finished ice cream. There's not much melting doing it this way. Have a small silicone spatula handy to scrape out the finished ice cream from the machine bowl. This gets all the ice cream out and the silicone is non scratch. You do not want to scratch the machine's bowl because it would damage the Teflon coating. And last but not least, just take an extra minute and hand wash the bowl, paddles and lid. So much gentler on everything. I found out that the Cuisinart does not churn in as much air as a White Mountain or similar out door maker does which makes the frozen product freeze harder. No problem though, just let it sit out of the freezer for a minute or two or microwave the container for 7 or 8 seconds to thaw it up a bit. Also, I noticed that several reviewers complained about how loud the machine is when churning. We haven't been bothered by it as it's quieter than our dishwasher...hmm...maybe I need a new dishwasher????? Well, now on to many trials and experiments with different recipes...can't wait.

The quality of the ice cream consistency...firmness, solidity....is significantly better compared with that produced using an ice cream maker that requires pre-chilling a container. The motor that turns the paddle is a bit loud but tolerable. The creaminess of the ice cream, after removal from the ice cream maker, placed in a receptacle and kept in a freezer, is not different from that produced with my ice cream maker requiring pre-chilling the container as far as I can tell given the ice cream base I prepare. Would like to be able to set the timer at a time I choose rather than being restricted to 60 min and be able to independently set the timer and turn on/off the compressor. In any case, I am pleased with the ice cream produced AND the ability to make multiple batches without having to wait 24 hours while a container is pre-chilling or to have multiple containers pre-chilling.

I love the smooth texture of gelato made in this self-freezing machine. It helps me make two batches of gelato in a row without re-freezing the container like in my previous machine. The recipe uses 1 quart of milk, and 1 pint of cream. It's so much easier to cook the custard base with these two full containers, rather than cooking two small batches. I'm enjoying getting the process done with only one day cooking the base. The machine seems strong and durable. I think the one place they could have made it better, is the gear that turns the dasher or paddle is plastic and metal would have a longer life.

Excellent, very happy with the purchase and would highly recommend

Received this machine for 35 years of service when I retired. It is wonderful and easy to use. I now can make up my own recipes with success!!

I absolutely love it ! It allows me to be creative and spontaneous and make several batches of ice cream in one day. I have nothing negative to say about it.

Made ice cream 6 times with this machine, a learning curve but nice, real nice. Companies warranties, reputation made my decision. Wish I’d of done this a lot sooner, like that much.

Love this machine! I can now make sugar free ice cream and have it my freezer all the time for way less than it would cost at the store and with better ingredients.

We love this product! To be able to make homemade ice cream without the hassle of ice and rock salt has been a game changer. I thought I would put the unit away between uses, but I’m making ice cream almost daily now, so just leave it on the counter. We’re having so much fun trying new flavors now because it’s so simple. The unit is easy to clean.

It’s working great, but there are a couple of things that could be improved: the little window on the lid tends to pop open on its own while it’s in use ( I followed the instructions to not pass the volume limit), which can let the contents spill out; and the timer… it’s a bit of a pain not being able to set it directly.

This is such a nice upgrade from my old ice cream maker. It does a great job with all my ice cream recipes.

I’m loving this ice cream maker. If all your ingredients are chilled you have ice cream or sorbet in less than an hour. I have found I need to cut back on the maximum quantity a little as the 2nd time I used it will 900mls of ingredients it overflowed and went between the bowl and the unit and froze solid so I couldn’t get the bowl out until it had defrosted. I had to scoop all the ice cream out in situ. You definitely get a better final product with a custard base and you can add a couple of tablespoons of vodka to achieve a softer set when it’s been in the freezer. The vodka doesn’t affect the taste at all.

The machine makes amazing gelato, ice cream, frozen yoghurt and sorbet. Most of the times, you have to prepare the mixture in advance, put it in the fridge overnight, and then the machine makes it in 40-50 minutes. It is quite noisy but normal given the internal compressor for chilling the bowl. Overall a great product.

GReat item and so much fun would buy again highly recommend it

This machine is so handy to have around. When I make pie or cake, I make Ice cream to go with it. this makes it quick and simple. Most often I make a custard (In the vitamix which cooks the custard in about 5 minutes) and cool the custard, then into the machine. No prefreezing because it has it's own refrigerant system. It is expensive and I doubt I have made enough Ice Cream to make it cheaper, but I know that Ice cream, nearly on demand, and of the quality I want, is worth the price. And the recipe is what I make, without worrying about someone else's kitchen habits or quality of ingredients

Makes GREAT Ice Cream. Couldn’t ask for a better product. Easy to use and clean

This is the best!!! Made simple vanilla and perfect! Made strawberry and great flavor but juice in strawberries made strawberry pieces icey. I may try freeze dried next time or add sugar to berries to pull out water. Next I made rocky road. Perfect and delicious! I found that the timer is 60 min. When I turn it on I let it start with empty container so it get nice and cold. Then there will be 45 min on timer left. Most ice cream only needs maybe 20 to 40 min to churn. You can tell because it starts growing and pulling away from sides. Love this machine!

Have had mixed success with the freeze the bowl before making type of makers. This one works well and as allergic to dairy I can say I have made some of best vegan ice cream very successfully. It works wells. Made 5 different types so far all to great success. Bought a second bowl at time of purchase to can make two types one after the other.

Really easy to use ice cream maker. Good instructions and recipes in booklet and online . Shame it doesn’t have a little drawer to store the paddles

Easy to use and very convenient. Homemade icecream is so incredibly smooth with this machine