Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Customer Review: It Does The Job...But Not Perfect
Summary: 3 Stars
In order to make quality ice cream with a good consistency, you need good ingredients, a frozen apparatus, and a mechanism that properly turns and scrapes the sides of the container. That's a pretty basic view. This machine gives you a 2qt container/bowl that stays frozen pretty well throughout the ice cream making process. The scraper, on the other hand, does not adequately scrape the sides of the container. Can you still make good tasting stuff? Yes, but it could be much better.
If you don't care and just want something quick to eat, this machine should be fine. It is loud, for sure, but that is to be expected. It is a motor after all.
If you are particular about your ice cream like I am and have experience with the old-fashioned hand crank types, my recommendation is this: occasionally/frequently take a plastic device (spoon, spatula, etc) and scrape the sides (and bottom) of the container while it is turning. This will keep the most frozen parts from staying on the side. You want them to be intregrated into the rest of the mixture. This accomplishes two things: 1) your ice cream will freeze faster and 2) it will have a better/creamier consistency.
Also, don't forget to make sure your ingredients are cold BEFORE putting them into the container. I did not buy the extra bowl but it would be worth it for those who wish to make a lot of successive batches. Otherwise you'll be waiting for the bowl to refreeze.
Overall, I would buy this item again. It is reasonably priced and is easy to use.
Customer Review: Wow!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you get the right recipes you can't beat the ice cream it makes. It's a little noisy but what the hell it's great ice cream without any of the mess. Frankly I've stopped buying any ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, Coldstone, Marble Slab, Baskin & Robbins or from any store.
Try this recipe. I'll stand it up against any store bought:
Double Decedent Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 Four oz bar of Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
3 cups Half and half
4 Large eggs
2 cups Sugar
2 cups Whipping cream
2 tablespn Pure Vanilla extract
Directions:
Break the chocolate into squares and melt them in the top of a double boiler. Gradually whisk in the cocoa and heat. This will seize on you and you won't be able to get rid of all the "clumps". This will leave very small bits of chocolate in the final batch.
Whisk in the half and half, a little at a time, and heat till it looks mostly blended. Don't use a electric mixer on this unless you have a really slow speed. Remove and let cool a bit.
Whisk the eggs until fluffy. A mixer will help and it really gets the eggs fluffy. Blend in the sugar with the eggs until it's completely blended. Pour in the cream and vanilla and whisk till blended. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Transfer to your ice cream machine and follow manufactures instructions. Makes two quarts.
Customer Review: I am in big, big trouble!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am going to gain 50 lbs now that I own this awesome contraption! I made my first batch of ice cream tonight and it came out thick and sweet and totally perfect. It was super easy to use and not messy at all. I followed most of the suggestions I read right here in the reviews. I turned my freezer down to its coldest setting and I froze the bowl for 24 hrs. I mixed up my "ingredients" and let that sit in a bowl for about 2 hrs to get good and chilled. I immediatly took out the frozen metal bowl from the freezer and loaded up the mixture and hit Go. It was pretty loud, but I didn't expect it to be exactly quiet. I was using a recipe from the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Cookbook (which I highly recommend) and the one I was using involved adding chocolate chip cookie dough balls. I also balled these up and froze them the night before. I tried adding them at the last minute of churning and found it to be too hard to do bc the balls were too big and the ice cream was too thick. I just dropped them into the metal bowl and mixed them in really quickly. It was a tad hard because of how thick the ice cream got, but not too bad. I noticed that at about 20 minutes the batter was still very thin, but it was like the last 5-10 minutes were magic and it got super thick and creamy. I am so happy with this unit. It is so easy to use and yielded really awesome ice cream. I would def opt for this model over the 1.5 quart bc it handled my large batter well and I also like the Stainless Steel finish. I could not be happier with this ice cream maker.Customer Review: Completely disappointed
Summary: 1 Stars
I've wanted my own ice cream make for a very long time now. I'm a huge Ben & Jerry's fan, but always wanted to make my own recipes. As a kid, i can remember going to my grandmother's house and eating homeade ice cream that she made. It was great and tasted so different from store bought kinds. When i saw this item from cuisinart, with such high reviews, a good name backing it, and a great price, i jumped at the opportunity. But now, i couldn't be more disappointed.
Honest, this thing just doesn't work. I've attempted to make several simple batches of ice cream and each has failed miserably. The first time, i followed the directions in the booklet to the very last detail, freezing the bowl for over 24 hours, measuring the ingredients exactly (sugar, milk, cocoa powder, heavy cream and vanilla, not exactly rocket science), and mixing the ice cream for 35 minutes, but all i was left with was a runny milkshake. Ok, so maybe i did something wrong? For round 2, i tried even a simpler vanilla recipe (again freezing the bowl for an entire day), but let it mix for an entire hour this time. But alas, i was again left with a runny milkshake-like mixture. I was so disappointed. After spending ~$100 for an appliance, you expect it to do what it claims. This just doesn't fit the bill.
Oh, and the machine is LOUD too! It's so annoying listening to it mix. If anyone out there still chooses to order this product, please don't get your hopes up like i did. You'll be greatly disappointed.
Customer Review: Belongs in EVERY kitchen!
Summary: 5 Stars
The cuisinart 2 quart ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt machine should be required equipment in every kitchen. It is very easy to operate, simply turn the switch "on" or "off." It comes with an instruction manual with directions that get right to the point, quickly and effectively. The manual is LOADED with great recipes with ingredients found in most kitchens. To operate, simply place the removable bowl in your freezer (over night if possible), to let the fluid inside freeze solid. Later, place the frozen mixing bowl in the machine, pour in the mix, and turn the switch to "on." In approximately 30 minutes, you will have the most delicious ice cream you ever tasted. We like to prepare the basic liquid ingredients in advance, before having company over for dinner. About half-way through dinner, start up the appliance then go finish dinner with our friends. What a treat, then, to serve freshly made ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt, prepared while you wait, right at the table! Cleaning the Cuisinart is easy. Simply wash the bowl, plastic top, and plastic mixing tool with warm soapy water, towel dry, then place the mixing bowl back in the freezer for the next use. Left over ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt, can be placed in the freezer in a separate container and eaten throughout the week. The Cuisinart is durable and has an attractive design. We display ours on the kitchen counter, 24/7.
I recommend the Cuisinart 2 Quart Ice Cream, Sorbet, Frozen Yogurt machine without hesitation.