Which ice cream maker is the best?

[virgo9]

Since seeing the beautiful chocolate ice cream that JulieO made, I've been thinking about putting an ice cream maker on my Xmas wish list. I was wondering what type people who have them would recommend. I don't know anything about them, but have looked a little bit on the net. Are the ones where the bowl needs to stay in the freezer any good? And are the cheaper ones just as good as the more expensive ones? And what size bowl is ideal? Any advice is gratefully received
Thanks

[Zan]

I have a Mistral Igloo one (cheap think it was around $20 on special from target).
I love it. It's one you leave the bowl in the freezer.
I remember reading that the ones where you don't put the bowl in the freezer aren't very good unless you are prepared to pay lots of money.
Didn't know they came in diff sized bowls, mines just the regular sized one, makes 1 to 1.5 ltrs I guess?
Oh and def make Julie's Choc icecream for a treat, it really is so decadent.

[judydawn]

Only trouble for me is, where do I find room in the freezer to store an empty container 

[achookwoman]

There are basically 2 types of icecream machines.   One that you put in the freezer at some stage and one that has a built in freezer.   The first question to ask is ..... do I have enough freezer space.   Next question is how much can I afford.   Both machines take up a bit of space,  so this is worth considering.    I have a stand alone freezer one.  I have had it for about 30 years and it sits on the bench in the laundry.  It is an Italian made one ,  and at the time was the only one available.   The only design disadvantage is that the bowl is fixed,  so you have to scrape the icecream out of the machine.  The size of the bowl is also worth looking into.   What suits you family.    I love it and if it stopped working I would buy another.

[mel81q]

I just bought a cuisinart one for $89 - they are expensive, and its only a 1.5L bowl. It is a great machine though, and worth it just for that chocolate ice cream. The bowl comes out and you leave it in the freezer. Everything else is really easy to clean as well. I would definately recommend this machine, but depending on how many people in your house, you may want the larger one.

[JulieO]

I have 2, a Breville Scoop Factory that I've had for about 13 years and is one where you keep the bowl in the freezer.  I decided to replace it about 3 months ago and given that one to my daughter.  The one I replaced it with is the one that has it's own compressor so no need to keep the bowl in the freezer, just pour in the mixture and it will churn.  Its bowl does lift out.  I'm very happy with it, it means I could make more than one batch straight after another if I wanted to, not something you can do with the freezer bowl as they need freezing for 24 hours between batches, but really I've never had a problem as I've not been one to do extra batches at one time.

The compressor model was expensive (nearly $500) where as the other type are around $100 more or less depending on the brand.  It depends on what you want to pay and the extra cost doesn't necessarily mean it churns the ice cream any better.  I really like it and it looks good LOL  but probably wouldn't spend the money on the more expensive one again, in my opinion it isn't needed and doesn't make the ice cream any better than the cheaper one.  You are paying for the convenience of being able to make multiple batches straight after each other, a bonus if making different flavours for a party etc.

Here's a pic of mine, brushed stainless steel.  

[maddy]

Hi virgo9......as Judy mentioned, spare freezer room is a must 
I've had mine for about a week, and only have made a slushie for the kids so far  (just pour in soft drink). 
I have the 2L cuisinart machine, and it's very simple to use.



You can buy spare bowls for this model for around $80.00.

Today I am planning a maple syrup & walnut ice cream, so will get back to you.
Julie has more experience with them, so I'm sure she'll fill you in more, but there are a lot of recipe books to give you ideas.
Julie has recommended this one



Which will hopefully be arriving here soon.
Most recipes have some cooking/melting or mixing before churning, but there's nothing difficult.

[maddy]

LoL.......Julie posted before I pushed "post"

[faffa_70]

We just bought this one on Saturday with a compressor in it for $199.00 as DS4 really reacts to the 160b in ice cream.

http://www.homeart.com.au/catalogue_03.html

I just don't have enough freezer room for a bowl as I am now down to 1 freezer and it is my smaller one   

Haven't had a chance to use it yet as the kids had two birthday parties yesterday and I had a Tupperware party to go to. Hope to use it tonight - so will report back.

[maddy]

OH......I love the ice cream bowls in that catalogue Faffa!

[Zan]

I find the bowl takes up far less room than I expected.
In our fridge freezer the top draw has a large and a small part.
The small part holds - the ice cream maker bowl - inside this I pop bags of frozen fruit etc (so it's just the rim part of it that's taking up room) , the container I put icecream in and the freezer pack things for the kids lunches.

[whisks]

i am groaning as i read this post. some 20 odd years ago i got the icecream maker with a built in compressor and the non removable bowl for something in the vicinity of $2000...and you know what? back then, i didn't even bat an eyelid. now you can get one for $500 with a compressor and removable bowl....sigh...until i have more time, i don't think i could justify getting one, but they sure look great.

[cookie1]

It looks like confession time. I HAD an icecream maker and never used it, I couldn't be bothered beating eggs etc up, so 5 years ago when we shifted I gave it away.  Now I regret it. It was a put in the freezer one. Kathryn I'll be interested to hear how yours goes as I make all our icecream now (thanks TMX) and like everyone else just don't have room in the freezer for a bowl.

[JulieO]

OH......I love the ice cream bowls in that catalogue Faffa!

Maddy they have the ones that look like icecream dripping down the side, in Cheap as Chips for about $1 each (I think that's what I paid for them, but it was a good few months ago).  I also use them for when I'm prepping food as well as they are a good size for that sort of thing. 

[virgo9]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I am thinking I would be pushing my luck a bit with a compressor type one (as I DID only get the TMX late September, and DH just asked me if we really eat enough ice cream to warrant buying ANY ice cream maker). I like the idea of not having to buy commercial ice cream though (no added nasties). We do have a second freezer, so space is not an issue. I just want ice cream that can be mixed in the TMX and then churned in an ice cream maker. I haven't made ice cream yet, 'cause every time I've thought about it, I haven't had the 3-4 hrs 'sitting in the freezer time' to have the ice cream ready before dinnertime. But 20-30 minutes churning time is a different matter!!
One question though - if you make some ice cream one day, and then wait the 24 hrs for the bowl to get cold again and then make another batch the next day, is the first batch still easy to scoop? ie: I guess I'm asking how long does it 'last' in the freezer, provided the kids and DH don't get to it?