Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart ICE-20FR Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart ICE-20FR Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White
Customer Review: Buy with confidence!
Summary: 5 Stars
At this price, I'll probably buy several for gifts! I suppose with the great reputations of both Amazon and Cuisinart, it's a safe bet that neither company would take a chance of damaging their reputations by selling a bad product. I was leary of "reconditioned" machines, but this one arrived in perfect condition with new packaging! It has churned out over 30 batches of perfect ice cream, so now I'm a believer!As for the ice cream maker it's the best I've ever owned, and I've had six! We make a lot of home made ice cream because we live way out on a farm - over 150 miles from the closest ice cream shop and about 50 miles from the grocery store. This Cuisinart works just as described and because it's so easy to clean and store, we use it much more frequently than we would our clunky old "ice-and-rock salt" freezer. There's just the freezer bowl and a small, plastic "dasher" to wash. Everything fits inside for storage and so it doesn't take up a lot of room - or drawer space. It's well designed so there's no drips or spills to clean up around the motor.
The ice cream is ready in 20 minutes. If you prefer your ice cream hard and "scoopable", just put the soft-finished product into a Gl*dware-type bowl and let it "ripen" in the freezer for a few hours. Duhhh...licious!!!
The only tips I can offer are these... First, be sure the freezer bowl of the Cuisinart is really cold! We have a deep-freeze that we keep set to -5 degrees and the freezer on the fridge is set to 0 degrees. If your freezer just barely keeps store-bought ice cream frozen, it will probably get the freezing bowl of the ice cream maker just barely cold enough to make ice cream. I always chill the mix and the additions (fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, just to give everything a "head start". (Never hurts...just don't forget it's in there!). Also, experiment a lot! It's not rocket-science and so far, we've never made a disappointing batch of home made ice cream. Try out the combinations that you *wish* you could find at an ice cream shop! Since the Cuisinart makes 1 quart at a time, the risk is minimal, for exploring the flavors you love.
If you love really top quality ice cream, this is the way to have it. I recommend the Cuisinart ice cream maker to everyone - and especially the *refurbished* model.
Customer Review: Never Pay for Commercial Ice Cream Again
Summary: 5 Stars
The Reconditioned Cuisinart is a fantastic bargain. When I was shopping around, I could not find a comparable product ... Don't be worried about buying a reconditioned product -- if it were not for the sticker on the box, I would have been unable to tell the difference between the ice cream maker I bought and a brand new one.Making ice cream is easy: just freeze the bowl, fill it with an ice cream mixture, put in the plastic mixing arm, cover, and press ON. Ice cream will be ready in 20-30 minutes, depending on the consistency you like. The plastic cover usually does not get dirty, so you only have to clean the mixing arm and the bowl.
A word of caution: you need to get the bowl really cold for this to work. It has a saltwater solution sealed inside which freezes well below the freezing point of water, and this really needs to be frozen, or your ice cream will be soupy. The instructions said to freeze for at least 6 hours, but with my freezer on the coldest setting it takes closer to 24 hours. This is OK, since I just store the bowl in the freezer when I'm not using it, and I do not make ice cream more than once a day.
Your ice cream will also not freeze properly if you start with too much in the freezer bowl. Remember that during freezing, a lot of air is being added to the ice cream, and there needs to be room for it to expand!
Even when the bowl is really cold, the ice cream will not be the same consistency as you buy in the store -- it is a bit firmer than soft-serve ice cream. I think it is best when it comes right out of the ice cream maker, but if you want it firmer, you can put it in the freezer for a few hours before serving it.
There are not very many recipes included in the instruction booklet, but there are enough to get you started. My favorite ice creams have come from adding different flavors to the recipe for basic vanilla (try adding a tablespoon of cinnamon -- Mmm!). I have used this product to make ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbets, and they have all turned out better than anything I could buy in a store. I will never pay for commercial ice cream again!
Customer Review: Easy to Make - Wonderful Ice Cream!
Summary: 5 Stars
I normally don't write reviews but this little machine has inspired me to do so. First, it's very easy to use. My six-year old daughter helped me and within a couple of years she could probably do it by herself. Second, the ice cream it produces is absolutely delicious! We live in a dairy state and are used to quality, premium ice cream - but honestly, the ice cream we've made with this machine tops some of our local dairies! Like a previous reviewer we made a vanilla ice cream with Heath bits and it's quickly become our favorite. I do recommend freezing the bowl for at least a day before you want to make ice cream for the best results. I follow the manufacturer's suggestion of simply wrapping the bowl in a plastic bag and storing it in the freezer; that way it's ready to go at all times.
My friends like to tease me about all my kitchen gadgets. I tend to collect quite a few. However, I can honestly say that this ice cream maker has been the best gadget for the money that I have purchased in quite some time! I have been recommending it to them and I recommend it to you too. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Customer Review: Easy and terrific the 1st time out of the box!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this in kind of a throwaway moment..."hey, a cheap ice cream maker, what the heck." I wish I had more of those moments! This is a great gadget. I used it for the first time last week and made exquisite Heath Bar Crunch in about 30 minutes. It tastes much better than store-bought ice cream.The maker itself looks very nice. After freezing the bowl, you simply pour in your ice cream base (generally milk, cream, eggs and vanilla) and turn it on. It is loud, but it IS an ice cream maker...besides, for 15 minutes, can we not just deal? About 5 minutes before finishing, you add your goodies--chocolate chips, candy pieces, etc. I recommend freezing your creation another 1-2 hours afterward because the consistency can be somewhat like ice milk right away. The ice cream is even better 2-3 days letter if frozen covered.
Ice cream recipe books are a good compliment, but plenty of recipes are also available online at various places. Overall, I give this my highest recommendation. For the price, you can't beat it. The finished product is excellent and easily created. Cheers!
Customer Review: Excellent Product
Summary: 5 Stars
This thing worked for me right out of the box. Froze the bucket for a couple of days, mixed up some peppermint ice cream ingredients. I used some old candy canes from last Christmas and ran them through my Cuisinart food processor. Poured the liquid stuff in and ran the motor, came back half an hour later and poured in the crushed candy cane. I was thinking I'd need to add some red food coloring in the future, but the coloring of the candy canes turned it bright pink, so no coloring was needed. The stuff is definitely soft when you're done. I might have let it run another 15-20 minutes to firm up just a little more, but leaving it in the freezer for an hour or two firms it up nicely. Yes, the motor is loud, but you can let it run in a room where you don't care about the noise. I suspect it's just because it needs a hi-torque motor to keep it turning after the mixture freezes. I don't care about loud, anyway. You will definitely enjoy this. I don't know why some people are having trouble getting the stuff to freeze. Maybe I/O error.