Cuisinart ICE-45 Mix It In Soft Serve 1-1/2-Quart Ice Cream Maker, White
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart ICE-45 Mix It In Soft Serve 1-1/2-Quart Ice Cream Maker, White
Customer Review: A Vegan's Ice Cream Paradise!
Summary: 4 Stars
I received the Cuisinart Ice-45 Mix-It-In Soft-Serve 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker as a Christmas gift two years ago. During this time, I've used it to make a variety of soy-based frozen desserts (many pulled from Wheeler del Torro's THE VEGAN SCOOP, which might be my favorite cookbook of all time). The following is excerpted from a review I published on my own website several months ago.
Construction: The Ice-45 (as it shall henceforth be known) is a rather solid kitchen gadget. Many of the removable parts are crafted of heavy plastic, and we have yet to lose or break any. Some are top rack dishwasher-safe, while others (the bowl especially) must be hand washed with mild soap and a soft towel. (The machine base cannot be immersed in water; this you must wipe down with a damp cloth. It will get dirty! And gooey! And messy!) The machine is a little top-heavy, but to compensate, the base's underside is equipped with nonskid feet. We've never had a problem with tippage or slippage.
Durability: This past was our second summer season using the Ice-45, though our ice cream churning hasn't been limited to the summer months. We've made a number of frozen desserts with our trusty Ice-45, and thus far it's held up well, with no problems to speak of.
Ease of use and care: The Ice-45 is rather easy to operate, though clean-up can get a little...sticky.
Like many electric models, you simply flip a switch to turn the machine on, pour your chilled ice cream mix into a hole in the top of the machine, and wait 20 to 30 minutes, after which time you'll have a yummy new batch of ice cream (up to 1.5 quarts, to be precise).
As with all counter-top models, the Ice-45 requires some advance planning: the bowl must be frozen at least 24 hours prior to use, and the ice cream mix should be chilled for two to four hours or more. The bowl takes up about 3/4 of a shelf in my side-by-side fridge/freezer, which I can spare, so it basically lives in the freezer. Thus, one batch of ice cream usually demands six hours of planning: a half hour to make the "batter," four hours+ to freeze it (for good measure), and another hour to let the ice cream machine do its thing and clean up the resulting mess. While this can hamper spontaneity, for this rural Missourian, it's still less trouble than making a Whole Foods run (the nearest store being an hour and a half away - three hours round trip!).
The Ice-45 is also a soft-serve model. Unlike "regular" ice cream machines, in which the bowl basically rests in its base on the counter, the Ice-45's bowl and housing is suspended about 10 inches off the counter, allowing for a dispenser on the bowl's underside. Pull the plastic handle up and watch the ice cream flow!
But beware: if your dessert is on the chunky side - let's say the batter includes frozen brownie chunks or chocolate chips, for example - this hard material will clog up the dispenser! This isn't a major obstacle, though, as you can also scoop the finished ice cream from the top of the bowl, as you would with any other model.
Whether you're a top or bottom gal, there will be a mess. Oh yes! The dispenser can get a little drippy, resulting in a sticky mess on the tray, ice cream dispenser and even your kitchen counter. Meanwhile, try to scoop the ice cream out of the bowl, end up trailing ice cream drops all over the top of the machine (and your tabletop and person, to boot). Really, there's no getting around this; ice cream is sticky and messy. (That's what makes it so delicious, no?) Luckily, the Ice-45 is relatively easy to clean off - just do it right away, mkay?
Ice cream quality: To be frank, it's difficult to duplicate the creamy, rich texture of the high-end, store-bought soy ice creams I've come to know and love (Purely Decadent, anyone?). Difficult, but not impossible. Case in point: the Chocolate Coffee Marshmallow I mentioned yesterday, which is almost too rich. Ditto the Green Tea ice cream, which has the name brand stuff beat. The secret is in the batter, methinks - which means that the Ice-45 is doing its job, and well.
Granted, even after 30 minutes, the ice cream does come out a little soft. At first I thought this was because I opted for a soft serve machine - sounds reasonable enough, right? - but in the introductory "how to" section of THE VEGAN SCOOP, del Torro mentions that the ice cream produced by most counter-top models does require a little extra time in the freezer. (Perhaps soft serve ice cream needs a little more than most?) So there you go.
Extras: Cuisinart boasts that this model includes a three compartment condiment dispenser and a cone holder, but to be honest, I've yet to use them. Neither feature seems very practical - unless you make a new batch of ice cream every day or are serving a party and/or out to impress.
Value: At $87.95 to $185, the Ice-45 is at the mid- to high-end price range for counter-top models (at least judging by what's currently available on Amazon). To this ice cream nom-ing vegan, it's money (or rather, a gift wish) well spent.
That said, an ice cream maker won't necessarily save you any money - even if it's "specialty" vegan ice cream you're making. If you factor in the cost of the ingredients - especially those for "unusual" flavors - as well as the price of the machine, I think homemade ice cream is roughly comparable in price to the store-bought stuff. On the upside, you aren't limited to what's on the shelf; whatever wacky (or mundane) flavor you crave can be yours. You're only limited by your imagination.
When choosing an ice cream machine, you'll also want to keep counter and freezer space in mind. Each of these is a trade-off for convenience: lose a shelf in the freezer, gain nearly-unlimited access to your fantasy flavor. For me, this compromise was a no-brainer. But not everyone has the extra storage space to spare.
Conclusion: Overall, I'm happy with my Cuisinart Ice-45 Soft-Serve Ice-Cream Maker. If I had to do it again, I might wishlist a "regular" ice cream maker vs. a soft serve model - but otherwise, I love my little magic maker! Happiness in a bowl.
Customer Review: Fun and Durable
Summary: 5 Stars
I have nothing but positive things to say about this ice cream maker from Cuisinart that I have owned for over a year, but I have to issue a few disclaimers later on. There are very few modern appliances that I believe will last for 20 years or more - it just so happens, however, that I feel that way about Cuisinart food processors (own 4 models), hand mixers, and ice cream makers (own 2 models). If you want an ice cream maker that will last, the ICE-45 is a good bet. The topping ramp allows toppings to be mixed evenly as you dispense the ice cream - a piece of engineering genius that I find hidden in many of my Cuisinart appliances (if nothing else, they tend to make very thoughtful kitchen inventions). I have seen specials on the Food Network in which they visited commercial ice-cream factories, and the mixing paddle on the ICE-45 is a miniature version of the paddle used in commercial machines. It will do all the things that it is supposed to do, but there is a learning curve involved with this machine. Which brings me to the disclaimers:
1) You do have to freeze the freezer bowl in a very cold freezer for 24 hours or more, so you won't be able to use it the very first day you buy it. The first person who tried to use this machine got soup instead of ice cream. The freezer used to freeze the bowl was set to a temperature that doesn't produce freezer burn. I transferred the bowl to a freezer that puts a good coat of frost on anything stored in it, and I was able to make the first successful batch the next day.
2) There is a specific window of time involved in producing ice cream in this machine that is hard enough to be called ice cream, but soft enough to be dispensed. This amount of time will vary by the type of ice cream you are trying to produce, and the amount you are producing (and other factors, like the temperature of your kitchen or other room in which you are making the ice cream). For the simple vanilla recipe, I found that 14 minutes is about right - too much longer and it will be too hard to dispense - you would then need to scoop it into a bowl instead. Your mileage may vary.
3) The topping dispensers dispense by pulling out the tabs, not by pressing down on the tabs - don't make the same mistake that I have read other users making.
4) Occasionally, the sugars from the ice cream batches will gum up the dispenser - simply use your finger to "unstick" the rolling element in the dispenser and you will solve any leaking problems that you may periodically encounter (also, pay attention to the correct assembly/order of doing things, or you may get periodic leakage).
5) Install the bowl, paddle and lock the lid first, and then pour the ice cream mixture through the opening of the lid, or your mixture will leak from the dispenser.
6) It is difficult to find the right balance with this machine - sometimes your batch will get too hard to dispense neatly into cones. If you adjust your expectations accordingly, and expect that once in a while you won't get the perfect batch, then you will be a happier person - simply scoop the ice cream out and put it on top of the cones or serve it in bowls. It's just ice cream - it should be fun, not the end of the world. I want it to come out perfect every time myself, but I'm not going to cry if it doesn't work out every once in a while.
7) Unless you have a large crowd, you won't be able to eat all that ice cream in a day - once stored in a freezer, your "soft-serve" will become hard. Don't cry about it - just pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to thaw it a bit.
8) Sorbets are a dangerous experiment with this machine - follow the recipe exactly, or you will have a liquidy mess all over your kitchen floor.
With all of those disclaimers, you might think this is a bad machine. But it's really quite fantastic if you have the right attitude. I wouldn't recommend it over Cuisinart's other, simpler ice cream makers (I am particularly fond of the ICE-30), but it is the most fun out of all of them.
Customer Review: A Good Investment for Ice Cream Lovers
Summary: 4 Stars
After much anticipation, I finally got to try my ice cream maker today. Before purchasing and using this product, I read the reviews carefully being that this is a rather expensive investment in ice cream.
Before using the machine I wrote down some of the most helpful tips from reviewers (there were many!) so that I had them handy while making the ice cream. In summary, I found these most important:
1. Put the bowl in the coldest part of the freezer standing upright for at least 24 hours. There's been much debate concerning this so I'll make it simple - shake it. If you hear no liquid, it has froze enough.
2. Wash and assemble all machine parts (excluding frozen bowl) BEFORE mixing ingridients.
3. Whip/mix chilled ingridients together. The only ingridients that shouldn't be chilled are the sugar and vanilla!
4. Take the bowl out of the freezer, pour ingridients, and start the machine right away.
Being that my bowl was in the freezer for at least a week and my ingridients were well chilled, my ice cream was at the right consistency [for cones] in about 13 minutes; in 15-16 minutes it was "hard" ice cream!
The whole process of making and dispensing the ice cream was not hard at all; I found the most difficult part to be sliding the clear "mix-in chute" onto the machine. When actually dispensing the ice cream, hold your cone as close to the dispenser as possible to give it that "DQ ice cream swirl."
I think the ice cream came out good, however, I believe it tasted too much like frozen Cool Whip. This could be because of one of three reasons:
1. This is just how ice cream from this machine tastes.
2. I whipped the ingridients too much giving it a too airy/light texture.
3. I just need to try another recipe.
Does it taste like Dairy Queen? No. Thus far I have only tried the simple vanilla recipe and think it's OK but I will seek out others. To make ice cream, have on hand heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla - this way your not running to the store at the last minute.
As far as mix-ins go I have not used the bins. Instead, my kids just rolled the cones in a dish of sprinkles; they had a blast swirling their own ice cream. All in all this gadget is nice to have if you have the extra cash. Do not expect this product to compare exactly to DQ ice cream machines (they cost thousands of dollars!) but this one works well for home use.
***Update - I found that trying different recipes definitely worked out better than the simple vanilla recipe in the instruction manual. As mentioned earlier I felt that recipe tasted too much like frozen Cool Whip (of which I am not a fan). I was worried that all ice cream would have that taste/texture coming from this machine would have that texture but that is not the case. Places like Walmart and Amazon have ice cream mixes available where a few cups of milk are all that's need, albeit they have a lot more chemicals than a homemade recipe. Anyhow, those mixes work well with this machine too. Again, experiment with different recipes to suit your family's tastes!
Customer Review: Fresh ice cream never tasted so good
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading many reviews of this product, I wasn't so sure that I spent my money wisely. What I think many people who left negative reviews here don't realize is how to freeze the bowl correctly, which results in the thin, milkshake texture and not ice cream. I have used this machine quite a few times in the past month that I have had it, and the results varied at the beginning until I learned a few tips through trial and error.
First, follow other reviewers' advice and freeze the bowl in the back of your freezer to ensure the coldest temperature possible. Not only that, but leave the top of the bowl uncovered by other objects so that the cold air can penetrate the inside area of the bowl completely. I left a frozen meal box on top of the bowl one time, and the ingredients did not freeze to as hard of a consistency as usual. If you have any doubts as to whether or not the bowl gets cold enough, let me share my story. I made my ice cream and was washing the bowl afterwards. When I went to dry it with a paper towel, the paper kept tearing off and sticking to the sides because the water was freezing on the bowl! Mind you, I have a standard refrigerator/freezer unit in my house, not a fancy separate deep freezer.
Invest in a whisk so that you can beat the ingredients together well- it aerates the mixture so that it's easier to freeze while in the bowl.
Don't take out the freezer bowl until you're ready to turn the machine on and pour the ingredients in. Also, while you're setting the bowl up in the machine, put the bowl with your ingredients in the freezer so that it gets an extra minute to chill on its own.
In general I find that the consistency of the mix is perfect at about 20 minutes or longer. Sometimes the ice cream looks like it's being pooped out 1 inch at a time, but if you have a small container (like a cone), just hold it as close to the dispensing spout as possible, and you will get the swirl dispensing action of a real soft serve machine. Don't think that this machine is the same as the real thing- it doesn't dispense exactly the same way and costs a lot less for a reason! Whatever is left of the ice cream can be frozen into a nice Italian ice consistency and tastes just as delicious!
Clean up is easy- whatever you need to clean is detachable from the main unit. The only thing is you need to wash things by hand, but that's not that hard to do!
It's been a lot of fun creating my own recipes with this machine. Homemade ice cream is great because you know exactly what is going into the mixture, and you can adjust the sugar/fat content on your own. I'd recommend this machine to anyone who loves soft serve. It's a great gadget for kids and adults and a lot of fun to use.
Customer Review: Delivers on what it promises - just make sure you understand what it promises!
Summary: 5 Stars
In reading the reviews for this product, I've noticed that some people may have been expecting something more than what Cuisinart is selling. Having used this unit several times now, here are my impressions and thoughts.
- The unit uses a freezer bowl to freeze the product. That means that the bowl MUST be frozen solid and the product MUST be very well chilled, otherwise you will not get good results. We have just kept our freezer bowls in the deep freeze when not in use so that we can make ice cream fairly quickly. It's probably best to mix up your soft serve mix at least an hour in advance and put it in the coldest part of your fridge or (as another reviewer suggested) in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to get it as cold as possible without prematurely freezing it.
- The freezer bowl doesn't have a huge capacity. It can make "10-12" servings - if your servings are small. 6-8 is probably more like it. If you want more, make certain you purchase an additional bowl and keep it frozen.
- The instructions on time expectations generally say 10-15 minutes, and this can be true if you chill the ice cream mixture very thoroughly. Otherwise it will take longer, probably more like 15-20 minutes.
- The first serving or so may be fairly soupy - I have found that I can dispense some into a cup and then re-add that into the top of the bowl.
- The "mix-ins" really don't mix in to the soft serve at all, they are really topping dispensers. If you're expecting something like a DQ Blizzard, it's not the same. Also, don't over-fill (or pack in) the mix in bins. I've had good luck with chopped peanuts, sprinkles and the mini M&Ms.
The differences between this unit and a more conventional ice cream freezer are mainly that this unit has a freezable bowl vs. a bowl that is placed in a mix of ice and rock salt. That means it is a little more convenient, but lacks the capacity of the conventional freezer. Our ice cream freezer makes about twice as much ice cream as the soft serve, but it is much louder, generally requires more clean up and doesn't dispense the product. On the other side, I think a conventional freezer has more versatility if you are making things like frozen custards that set up harder than soft serve. Finally, the freezer just isn't really as much "fun" as this one is which has real appeal if you've got kids in the family.
Overall, I've really enjoyed this gadget - but I did some research first and made certain I understood what I was buying. This is NOT like the soft serve dispensers in restaurants - but it's very nice for a treat on a summer afternoon.