Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
|
List Price: Our Price: $63.87 You Save: $81.13 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $33.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Customer Review: You'll love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well I bought this machine after like many others, mulled over which machine to buy. I have no regrets whatsoever.
I orginally bought this machine to make ice cream and other frozen deserts for my family. We have a son with milk and egg allergies and I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and if that weren't enough, we're all on a low fat/healthier eating kick. Trying to find ice cream for everyone is a challenge and when you do, it can get pricey. This machine will pay for itself in a few months.
The ice cream recipes that are included in the manual all have insane amounts of fat (sat and trans fat in particular). I did make one match of the strawberry ice cream and it was fantastic. Very fresh tasting and very delicious. I also made a low fat caramel ice cream with soy milk and splenda sweetner, (found recipe on the internet) and it was good. Although the texture wasn't as creamy as real ice cream, it was a good trade off for all the fat, cholestrol and carbs (sugars). I'm going to try other sweeetners and someone else mentioned in another review as soon as I can find them.
The machine and recipes are very easy to use. The main thing is that the bowl needs to be throughly frozen when you use it, otherwise ice cream will be soft. If that happens, just put the ice cream in the freezer for a couple of hours. Despite what the maual says, I found that I get the best and most consistent results when the bowl is frozen for no less than 16 hours. Like every other reviewer mentioned, I keep my bowl in the freezer at all times, ready to use. I may also pickup another bowl.
Clean up is super easy and it is a nice looking appliance. The noise is a tad loud but it is NOT a real issue.
I'm now looking and experimenting with new recipes and it won't be long before you will also. Go ahead and buy this machine, you'll love it!
Customer Review: WOW! Great machine - Great Ice Cream!
Summary: 5 Stars
After research and reviews, I purchased this machine. Of 3 types of home machines available, 2 were dismissed quickly. Bucket types (manual or electric) require layering of rock salt & ice. Built in freezer types start around $300 and weigh 40 plus pounds. Freezer bowl types have a bowl that needs to be in a freezer for 24 hours. The choice there seemed easy, and reviews then led to Cuisinart 1 ½ and 2 qt. models. I went with the 2 qt. model for more volume, stronger motor, and stainless steel housing. The first recipe used was a non-custard base made without eggs to avoid the cooking step used to kill off any salmonella. My goal was to make a sugar free ice cream without the undesirable ingredients of store bought products. I went with Cuisinart's "Simple Vanilla" recipe, substituting Splenda for regular sugar. Set up was easy and 22 minutes after pouring the mix WOW! I could not believe how good it was. An excellent soft serve ice cream with great vanilla flavor, and just the right temperature. After indulging, I stored 2/3 of what was left in an airtight container, and experimented with the rest. Having fresh raspberries on hand, I mashed some up and mixed in a little at a time to get the right blend and WOW again! I might use the same basic recipe for all fruit flavored ice creams in the future. If anybody is not a fan of soft serve ice cream, just put it in the freezer and wait. It will firm up in two hours, and by the next day it's hard. When mixing, keep the bowl in the freezer until the last minute when the mix is ready to be poured. Also, use a good quality "no alcohol" vanilla extract, if you can get it. Alcohol inhibits freezing. Some comments were made about the noise. It's much less than the noise from a dishwasher and was a non-issue for me. If you like quality ice cream and want to control the ingredients, don't hesitate buying this machine.Customer Review: you'll scream for ice cream!
Summary: 5 Stars
The construction is very solid, save for the plastic mixing arm. I doubt it will break, it just seems a bit flimsy compared to the stainless steel maker and freezer bowl. I made the simple vanilla in the included recipe book, using skim rather than whole milk (it's what I normally drink). The prep work was simple, and the machine worked flawlessly. There is some noise but I can't imagine one being any quieter. You can leave it unattended anyway while it works its magic. The ice cream was very creamy after 25 minutes. It quickly began to melt at the center (because it was farthest from the ice cold bowl). If you like it more solid you'll want to make it ahead of time and give it a few hours in the freezer, but I like it the way it was. In fact when I was done there was only one quart left! I brought that to a family gathering the next day and they loved it. It came out just like the old ice and rock salt method my grandpa used to use. My only warning is once you have this you will be in a battle not to gain weight! This was my very first time making ice cream EVER, so it goes to show how easy it is. You'll be thrilled with this product, and if there's a problem Amazon has the best customer service/return policy on earth, so you have nothing to lose.
UPDATE: I have since made chocolate mint with Andes mints (from the included recipes), which came out comparable in quality to Breyer's. I also made peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter cups and it was heavenly. Just watch it because it thickened so fast I was too late to add the cups, and had to use a butter knife to poke them in. The texture is like a thick mousse, and it's amazingly smooth. Next time I want to make a dessert to knock someone's socks off, this will be it. I made sure to refrigerate all my ingredients to aid the freezing process, and it worked like a charm.
Customer Review: Perfect ice cream every time!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this ice cream maker almost a year ago and I love it and so does my family. It's been a great way for us to enjoy the treat of ice cream without all the added chemicals and processed ingredients so many commercial ice creams are loaded with. I almost didn't purchase this machine because of the reviews that I had read before I bought it but I am so glad that I did! My ice cream turns out perfect every time! Even when we have leftovers and I put it in the freezer it's never rock hard and easily scoops out just like commercial ice creams. I have found the key to successful ice cream making with this machine is freezing the bowl for the recommended time period of 22 hours. I always keep mine in the freezer that way it's always ready. I have put it in my deep freeze before for about 10 hours and my ice cream still turned out good but one time I put it in the freezer for 6 hours and it just barely set up. The bowl has to be completely frozen! Another key to success that I have found is using straight up cream (the real deal!), not the fat free or light stuff but what mother nature intended as cream! I have always used milk & cream that comes from a grass-fed cow and is vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized and I also use whole milk. I had read reviews of people trying to use fat free or reduced fat milk or cream but I have never had any problems and I feel my ice cream wouldn't turn out as good if I used the reduced fat or light options. For my base I use 2 eggs and whip for 2 minutes, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups cream, 1 cup milk, a touch of real vanilla. I add my add-ins in the last 5-10 minutes. I always make the same base because we all love the taste, I tried one other recipe and it was okay, it did set up but had way more sugar than I prefer. I highly recommend this ice cream maker, our family has saved so much money by making our own ice cream.Customer Review: Noisier than I thought
Summary: 4 Stars
I first used recipes from an old cookbook & they came out ok. Then I bought the Ben & Jerrys ice cream cookbook from a used book store & the recipes are much better as other people have mentioned. Even though this product is touted as a 2 quart, when I made 2 quart recipes it was too much. Then when I used Ben & Jerry's recipes which are "a generous quart", they came out perfectly. That "generous quart" actually came to the top lip of the freezer bowl, so this is a great combination.
Very easy to use, clean and store. We are lucky that we have a stand up freezer & we keep the bowl in there so it's always ready to go. I could see where space would be a problem if you only have 1 fridge in your household.
If you do NOT think this machine is noisy, then you either need to have your hearing checked or you possibly use this machine in another room, away from people. The sound this makes is NOT equal to a blender or mixer or food processor. You need to remember that this machine will be running constantly for at least 30 minutes so keep that in mind. Your other counter-top appliances usually do not run that long so the comparison is moot.
When I turned this on the first time, I heard - grrrrr - grrrrr - grrrrr - yes VERY loud. So to compensate for that, I folded over 2 cotton kitchen towels and placed them under the base to stabilize it. That seemed to muffle the racket a bit. Still, the developers of this could have insulated it a bit more, in my opinion.
I do love making the ice cream for it gives me control with the ingredients and thanks(?) to the rumbling it makes, an empty kitchen is now crowded with people with tongues hanging out, spoons in hand.
Like moths to a flame.
Funny they don't gather `round when I'm vacuuming.
Hmmmm.....