Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart ICE-20FR Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White
|
List Price: Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Factory-Reconditioned Cuisinart ICE-20FR Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White
Customer Review: Great for that homeade icecream taste!
Summary: 4 Stars
Good points
-once you freeze the bowl correctly- the ice cream will have a firm enough texture to eat right away (it's the consistency of soft serve)-
-the recipes they give you make great ice cream and there's lots of variety
-it really only takes 20-30 mins per batch and it's not too messy
-ice cream you make at home always tastes better than what's in the store!
Bad points
-it IS noisy
-you MUST freeze the bowl completely
-once you're done making icecream, the bowl is difficult to clean b/c it freezes the water as you're drying it out (it's supposed to be completely dry when u put it back in the freezer but this is impossible unless u let it sit and defrost- making it longer inbetween times u can make ice cream)
- you cannot put too many or too big of chunks of goodies (cookies candy etc) in the machine. it won't rotate correctly- just add them after
all in all not bad! we've saved money by not buying store ice-cream AND i can make lower in fat versions easily
Customer Review: Still Trying....
Summary: 3 Stars
This was the first ice cream machine I have ever owned. I bought it about a month ago, and although I haven't tried more than maybe 3 times, I have yet to make any ice cream. I have a small freezer, so keeping in there is a major inconvenience and most of the time, impossible. When I got it, I put it in the freezer for probably 3 days, and it still wasn't frozen solid. I went to the store and bought the ingredients for the vanilla and put it in the ice box for later. Eventually I mixed all the ingredients together and turned on the machine. 15, 20, 30 minutes later, it was still the same exact consitency as it was when I mixed the ingredients. Everytime I've tried to make ice cream, i end up putting the bowl back into the freezer with the ingredients in it until it freezes and then eat it out of there, but it's not creamy.. it's icy. I would return it, but I kept forgetting about it and it's been about 30 days already. I'll give it another try though after reading some of these reviews. And besides, the price was really good.Customer Review: Great product!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had to give up ice cream a while back because I stopped eating refined sugar. I decided to see if I could make ice cream with alternative sweeteners, so I borrowed a friend's huge electric ice cream maker and tried some recipes. When they worked sufficiently well, I decided to buy one. But I'm the only one here who eats it, so I didn't want a large unit.This machine is the perfect answer! It made my recipe just fine (I bought the Ben & Jerry's book and really liked it; my first try was butter pecan), in exactly the predicted time (25 minutes). And it was so quiet, especially compared to my friend's machine! And I *love* not having to deal with ice and salt.
And as to being reconditioned, so far at least there's no hint of anything about it different from new (except the warranty).
I've only used it the once, and I imagine I will be using it at least two or three times a month in the future. If it doesn't hold up in time, I'll post again--but if it does, I can already tell it's something I'll be delighted with.
Customer Review: Ice cream made easy!
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't be scared of buying Cusinart reconditioned. I have bought two of these for the mere fact that the reconditioned ice cream makers cost less than buying just an additional freezer bowl! This way, I have two makers, or an extra bowl when I need it!This machine works perfectly-makes the best home made ice cream in about 30 minutes-and if you or your family are true ice-cream hogs like my family is, then this will pay for itself in no time.
The recipes that are included are quick and easy. And keep in mind that you can adapt the recipes to be lower fat, or lactose free by substituting either condensed fat free milk for cream, 2%/1% or skim milk for whole milk (but don't go crazy with the skim or you'll have iced milk), or use Chocolate Soy milk for a lactose free version.
As far as it being reconditioned-well one of mine did have some minor blemishes, which would have appeared after use anyway. The other one was mint.
I'm very pleased with this purchase, and I'm sure you will be as well.
Customer Review: So far, so good (but LOUD!)
Summary: 4 Stars
The peach frozen yogurt recipe is delicious! I freeze what we don't eat that night, and if I'm feeling like yogurt for dessert, I just put the container in the fridge 2-3 hours before you dessert time, and it softens up just enough to be perfect.Ice cream turns out pretty good so far. The Premium Vanilla recipe they give isn't quite as sweet or smooth as store-bought(maybe future attempts will make it better). I followed the suggestions that I read here about thoroughly freezing the bowl, and cooling the mixture first. You do need to re-freeze the mixture for at least an hour (2 is better) to get the right consistancy.
My only complaint so far is that it is LOUD!! It seems like such a simple motor, I don't know why it would need to make such a racket. I think other people have mentioned this, so I'll assume that it is not a problem with my re-conditioned model.
Overall, though, I would definitely recommend this machine, especially for the price.