Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
by Donvier
List Price:
Our Price: $44.99
You Save: $15.01 (25%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $36.99 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
See more product details
Product Summary
Manufacturer: DonvierBrand: Donvier
Model: 837409W
Color: White
Product features:
- Makes 1 quart of ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, frozen drinks
- No salt or ice needed; freezer bowl and paddle do the work
- Aluminum freezer bowl cleans easily
- 9-1/2-inches high, 8 inches in diameter
- Recipes included
- Zeroll Zerolon Ice Cream Scoop, Black
- OXO Good Grips Trigger Ice Cream Scoop
- iSi K8620 Scoop and Press Ergonomic Ice Cream Scoop, Blueberry
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Customer Review: Review from a Skeptic & some Tips
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, blow me down, the Donvier Ice Cream Maker really works, *lol*
Having recently been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, I had to change my eating habits drastically... and quickly. Which meant, I had to change my cooking habits as well. Not wanting to give up my sweet-tooth, I bought a sugar-free Ice-Cream at the market. Needless to say, it tasted horrid! The decision was obvious. Like everything else I was having to change, I was going to have to bite-the-bullet and learn how to make my own Ice-Cream.
After searching thru Amazon for an Ice Cream Maker, (one entire evening, mind you), I had pretty much made-up my mind to buy an electric. Alas, I stumbled upon the Donvier at the completion of my 'hours-on-end' search and thought, 'Yeah, sure'. But, as I kept reading the Reviews, I was becoming more and more sold on the product and, in the end, decided to take the plunge, (albeit purchasing one at an auction site).
MY REASONS FOR PURCHASING THE DONVIER WERE VARIED:
1. I really did not want another appliance I had to 'plug' into a wall socket; especially a noisy one.
2. I did not want another appliance that was interminably 'heavy', thus making a chore of putting it in, and getting it out of, the cupboard.
3. I wanted an appliance that had 'mobility' and 'ease of use'.
4. I didn't want to go the 'ice & rock salt' route, either, to gain that 'mobility'. As for 'ease of use', there is nothing easy about rock salt and ice.
5. I did not want to spend a lot of 'money' for said appliance, and;
6. Due to my entire family's sweet-tooth addiction, I wanted an Ice-Cream maker that made only '1-Quart'... enough for a dessert for my husband, daughter, and myself for two nights running. Having a ½-gallon, (2 quarts), or more, of Ice-Cream in the freezer would just tempt us beyond all reason.
I found all this in the Donvier. But, one question loomed: Would it really work the way the Company, (and the other Reviewers), said it would? Let's see how it all panned out --->
THE BOWL:
When I received the Donvier, the material kind of reminded me of those salad spinners; a heavy-duty plastic Bowl with a Handle, but not brittle or stiff, (like, if you dropped it on the floor it would crack). Indeed, the plastic felt strong and light, but flexible.
THE LID:
The Clear Lid, however, is a strong, hard, brittle plastic... don't drop it! *lol*
THE CANISTER:
I cleaned it, (as I do all new purchases), and made room in my freezer for it. It is, by-the-way, Aluminum, so, whatever you do, don't use metal tools to get the Ice-Cream out once it's ready, (a rubber spatula works very well for this task). As well, the Canister is 7"-Tall x 6 1/4"-Diameter. The bulk is due to the double-walled design that holds the 'Freezing Gel' inside.
THE FREEZER:
Our freezer is kept at -2 Degrees-Fahrenheit, so I had no doubt the Gel would freeze-up properly. As stated in the 'Instruction Booklet', I positioned the Canister upright, and away from the door. If you lay it on its side, (or upside-down), you're in for a very great disappointment when you try to make your Ice-Cream.
THE ICE-CREAM BASE:
I then got busy in the kitchen and made my first batch of 'Chocolate Ice-Cream Base', and put that in the fridge. According to the 'Instruction Booklet', the colder the 'Base', the more quickly, easily, and successfully will the Ice-Cream set-up as you're churning it.
THE TIMING:
I put the Canister in the freezer at 8pm, and the Ice-Cream base in the fridge about 9pm. The next day, I put it all together to make Ice-Cream at about 3 in the afternoon... a good 19-hours later.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
There are six parts to this appliance. The Canister, the Ring, the Bowl, the Scraper, the Lid, and the Turn Handle. And, they fit together in just that order.
a. Take the frozen Canister out of the freezer, and position the Plastic Ring on it, (this Ring holds the Canister in place inside the Bowl).
b. Place the Canister in the Bowl, (by lining up the slots in the Ring to the slots in the Bowl).
c. Put the Scraper in the Canister.
d. Put the Ice-Cream Base in the Canister.
e. Put the Lid on the Bowl and turn to lock it in place.
g. Put the Turn Handle in the Lid and, voila, the assembly is done.
IT ALL SOUNDS SO COMPLICATED BUT, IN ACTUALITY, ONLY TAKES 30-45 SECONDS.
CHURNING MOBILITY CAN'T BE BEAT!:
Now, the beauty of this appliance is that you can churn the Ice-Cream anywhere you want... it's so light and easy to carry. As for me, I had a pot roast in the oven, (and a couple of hours before my family came flying thru the door), so, sat at my desk to play a few games of Solitaire on the computer whilst listening to the news. I took the Donvier over to my desk with me, and kept turning the Handle 2-3 times every couple of minutes-or-so as I played my games. And, sure enough, TWENTY-MINUTES later, I had Ice-Cream. I was thrilled to no end! It was all so easy. The Handle turned the Scraper flawlessly at every stage.
STORING THE ICE-CREAM:
Once completed, I put the Ice-Cream in a 1qt-Pyrex bowl-with-lid, and put it in the freezer to keep for dessert, (by-the-way, it was DELISH)!
ANOTHER TWO 'BY-THE-WAYS':
1. Ice Cream is always soft when it is done. If you aren't going to eat it right then and there, (and/or want it harder), then you have to put it in the freezer; (making Ice Cream harder is called 'Ripening').
2. When you first begin the churning process, do so promptly at the beginning. If you don't, the Ice Cream will freeze up against the wall of the Canister and you won't be able to get the Scraper to move. If you force it, you will break the Scraper. The only remedy is to then take the Lid off and slide a plastic knife or hard-plastic spatula around the wall of the Canister to get the Ice Cream off the wall; replace the Lid, and start churning again.
THE BONUS:
Here's something I didn't expect. I found the churning of the Ice-Cream a particular joy. I know it sounds corny, *lol*, but I really liked watching the Ice-Cream become Ice-Cream. I liked being a part of the 'alchemical process' of applying cold to something and watching it turn into something else. I liked having the ability to carry the Bowl with me; to open the Lid when I wanted to add bits of goodies, like chocolate chips, near the end of the churning; and being able to see what was happening thru the Clear Lid.
I don't know... it just gave me a most enjoyable sense of 'nostalgia'. My world had suddenly slowed down; I was taking a much-needed break from my everyday tasks; yet, making something delightfully tasty for my family while I relaxed for those few moments. Instead of being bombarded, yet again, by some noisy, modern electric appliance, it reminded me of sitting out on the porch with my grandma and shucking corn, or shelling peas, or stringing beans, (or one of those thousand-and-one chores a woman does absent-mindedly), thereby allowing her to give her everyday thoughts and cares over to her dreams and reveries of life and living.
Aye, I found all this in the Donvier Ice-Cream Maker. It gave me not only Food for Life, but Food for my Soul, *vbs*
p.s. An excellent Ice-Cream recipe book to go along with your Donvier Maker is 'Ben & Jerry's Ice-Cream Book'.
p.p.s. I substitute DiabetiSweet for the sugar called for in Ice-Cream recipes 1:1.
p.p.p.s. If you use DiabetiSweet in Ice-Cream recipes, the Ice-Cream Base (Custard) should be cooked first. This is because DiabetiSweet is rather grainy, even moreso than regular sugar. You will get a much better, much smoother texture if you cook the Base first. If you're using regular sugar, and don't want to cook the Base, then I suggest you use either SuperFine sugar (what is commonly called Baker's Sugar), or put your regular sugar in a food processor and pulse it a few times to get that Superfine grain.
ADDENDUM, MARCH 17-2009: ICE-CREAM TOO HARD FROM FREEZING:
Now that we've had this Ice-cream maker for not quite 3 weeks, (and making Ice-cream every two minutes, it seems, *lol*), we have discovered that, because our freezer is so cold, the Ice-cream is frozen solid when we take it out to eat it.
We have gotten around this by putting the container of Ice-cream in the microwave for 40 seconds. It softens it just enough to make it able to be scooped into bowls.
Of course, one will have to play with their microwave-times as they're all so different.
UPDATE, MAY 14-2010:
Well, Summer is almost here, and none too soon! What a miserable Winter we've all had, *ugh*. It's been just over a year since we bought the Donvier Ice-Cream Maker, and we're just as enamoured today as we were when we first got it, *vbs*. We have no plans to switch to an electric-maker at all. For our family, (when it comes to making home-made Ice-Cream), the Donvier is the bomb!
Description of Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
We all scream for ice cream! Create delicious frozen confections in 20 minutes or less with just a few simple ingredients and the 1-qt. Donvier Premier Ice Cream Maker. Uses no electricity, ice or salt. Features the patented Chillfast cylinder, plus a double-walled freezer cylinder holder for extra insulation. Also works as an ice bucket. Includes recipes and instructions.No salt or ice are needed to create 1 quart of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, or frozen drinks at home with this ice-cream maker. Just turning the crank occasionally for 15 or 20 minutes is all it takes. The unit's freezer bowl goes into a refrigerator's freezer for about 7 hours to freeze the liquid between its walls. The bowl then goes into the outer case, the paddle goes into the bowl, ingredients go into the bowl, the transparent top is locked in place, and the crank is turned. The aluminum bowl cleans easily, the outer case and top are plastic so they wipe clean. The unit measures 9-1/2 inches high and 8 inches in diameter (not including handle). It carries a 10-year warranty against defects. An instruction booklet containing many recipes is included. --Fred Brack
Ice-Cream Scoops
Kitchen and Housewares
Most talked about in Donvier
Donvier Frozen Pop MoldsDonvier; Donvier; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Cuisipro Donvier Yogurt Cheese MakerDonvier; Donvier; Kitchen
Best price: $17.95
Price in other shops:
Donvier Pint Size Ice Cream MakerDonvier; donvier; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream MakerDonvier; Donvier; Kitchen
Best price: $44.99
Price in other shops:
1 pint Ice Cream Maker PENGUIN DesignDonvier; Donvier; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Similar Kitchen and Housewares Products
The Donvier Ice Cream Dessert Bookby Anna Creery
The Donning Company; Published: 1988-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.97
Adventures in the Family Kitchen: Original Recipes Based on the Specific Carbohydrate Dietby Raman Prasad
SCD Recipe LLC; Published: 2004-05-01; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $16.99
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Homeby Jeni Britton Bauer
Artisan; Published: 2011-06-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.86
Price in other shops:
Cuisipro Donvier Electronic Yogurt MakerCuisipro; Cuisipro; Release date: 2004-09-13; Kitchen
Best price: $44.95
Price in other shops:
Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Loveby Cathe Olson
Book Publishing Company; Published: 2009-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Everby Peggy Fallon
William Morrow Cookbooks; Published: 1998-05-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.21
Price in other shops:
Making Artisan Gelato: 45 Recipes and Techniques for Crafting Flavor-Infused Gelato and Sorbet at Homeby Torrance Kopfer
Quarry Books; Published: 2009-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.10
Price in other shops:
The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompanimentsby David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2010-05-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.67
Price in other shops:
Donvier Ice Cream: More Than 80 Recipes for Sorbets, Parfaits, and Frozen Drinks, with Light Variationsby Irene Chalmers
Studio; Published: 1987-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $70.00
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Bookby Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, Nancy Stevens
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 1987-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.85
Price in other shops: