KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment
Customer Review: Fantastic product!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVE this ice cream maker! Very easy to use and the end result is perfection and rivals some of the most expensive ice cream out there.
I was actually worried about buying this after reading some of the reviews but figured I would give it a try anyway.
First thing I would suggest is be sure you have some good ice cream recipes to use. Ice cream is only as good as what the recipe calls for and it's not the ice cream makers fault if the recipe wasn't good to begin with. Personally I got Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert book after seeing someone else suggest it. Great book!
Second thing I noticed were complaints that the ice cream was only "soft serve consistency". Very true! The ice cream maker only starts the process but you do need to freeze it for a few additional hours for it to finish firming up. Nothing unusual with that and my other ice cream maker required the same method. Alcohol can also cause freezing issues as well.
Third I did see complaints about there not being a lid for the bowl. If you read the instructions they specifically tell you NOT to store ice cream in the maker since the utensils you use to scoop it out could damage the surface. I am sure they did not provide a lid just so people wouldn't try doing just that and then complaining later. If you are worried that food crumbs might get in the bowl while you are freezing it you might want to cover the top with foil. I simply set the bowl near the top of my chest freezer and haven't had any problems. It's also easier to grab when I want to make ice cream.
I have the Kitchen Aid Professional 600 and found that setting up was fast and easy. I know some people had issues with the drive assembly staying on but haven't experienced that problem for myself. Once the drive assembly is in place and the dasher is engaged I have no idea how the assembly might fall off as some complained. I have a feeling that either they are using an old mixer and the attachment doesn't work with it or they didn't read the instructions very well.
Customer Review: Great little addition to the kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
This thing rocks.
Some of the negative comments are valid but seem exaggerated:
* Yes. I's not super easy to pour your mixture into the bowl while the turbine is running but I manage do my pours from the rounded corner of a plastic container and get minimal mess.
* Yes. After making a batch you won't be able to make another until the bowl refreeze (important notes on that coming up).
* Yes. The churn isn't attached firmly. It does, however sit very comfortably in the bowl and I've noticed no problems with it operating exactly as needed.
One suggestion that does appear often is to refreeze the bowl immediately after use. Pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if this treatment of the bowl could result in the blue freezer goo leaks. Freezer packs contain water and if you've taken some physics you may be aware that water has a curious property, it contracts right before freezing then expands slightly when it actually does freeze. It's actually the only molecule to exhibit this behavior and it's powerful enough to break rock in nature.
Now, if you pop the bowl back in the freezer right after use you can shake it and feel the liquid slosh as well as solid parts. It's not hard to imagine that the above scenario could easily put pressure on the bowl. My suggestion is to let it reach room temperature and then let it refreeze evenly. I doubt it's necessary to do that every time, but no one has really explained why some people randomly have a blue freezer one day. Also the instructions do say to let it reach room temperature before cleaning and refreezing so not doing so could technically void your warranty (improper use).
With all that said, I love this product. I'd never made ice cream before and am just starting to sprout my culinary wings. Despite my ineptitude this thing is a cinch to operate. The best part is making recipes that I actually like. I've never bought a peanut butter ice cream that has enough peanut butter for my taste and now I don't have to!
Customer Review: Excellent Ice Cream with Minimal Effort
Summary: 5 Stars
After months of prodding, I finally received this as a Christmas gift. Upon opening I immediately placed the bowl in the freezer and began to plot what I would make the next day. After letting it freeze for the recommended amount, I placed the chilled batter in the maker. The ice cream came out EXCELLENT! I used the recipe for the Strawberry ice cream in the manual, and it came out creamy and rich. Easily the best ice cream ever. Here are some tips I have for those interested in buying...
In order for this to useable and convienent, you MUST store it in the freezer, like many other models. It also needs to be frozen for at least 15 hours, or so KA recommends. I am not troubled by this because many ice cream bases are cooked and need to be chilled for a few hours anyways, but if you need ice cream NOW, this may not be the choice for you.
When adding chunks of fruit or candy, do not add more than recommended. I added the 2 cups the KA recipe specificed and it almost began to over-flow. Thankfully it didn't, but there would be no feasible way to add anymore without this occuring.
Make sure to use caution when pouring. There is not a ton of room to add the batter. It is sufficient, but not a large space. So go slowly and use something with a pour spout.
Lastly, remove your ice cream immediately from the ice cream maker. If not it will freeze. This is also why you must have it running prior to pouring in the mixture. If you make an ice cream with candy or fruit, put it in your container to ripen over the next few hours, but also give it a quick stir to redistribute the fruit and candy at the bottom (Bonus: Now you can lick the spoon)
Also I am brand new to ice cream making. Thankfully, other reviews helped me become realistic with my expectations. You must allow the ice cream to ripen over a few hours, because when it comes out it will be a soft serve consistency, not the ice cream we all love to eat. I will write back if I have any thing else!
Customer Review: awesome and well worth the wait!
Summary: 4 Stars
I got my mixer about 8 months ago when a hand mixer died. I mainly bought it for actual mixing for when it comes to the breadmaking and baking that I do.
Then I saw the attachment for the ice cream maker that is available, and I really wanted to be able to get it. I waited awhile until I could have the right set of circumstances to buy it. We put the bowl in the freezer and followed the instructions, and cooked up the base ahead of time. The first time I used it I didn't quite chill things long enough, and it turned out a little (ok- a lot ) on the soupy side (didnt really freeze right in the bowl). then the second batch I made- turned out great. i wanted to make strawberry and i had some frozen ones that i had thawed. When I was making that batch, the base itself turned out great but when I added the strawberries it was very soupy again and took awhile to freeze. overall though it wasnt that much difference from when you get a premium ice cream from the store in terms of consistency. the taste is SOOOO much better though.
When it gets time when the base is done and you're getting ready to transfer it to the container you're putting it in- have a good spatuala ready and be ready to work FAST so that it doesnt start to melt on you! it is definitely the consistency of soft serve if things work well and i really love to sneak a few tablespoons of it out of the dasher.
overall im really pleased with this. its a great adventure in the kitchen, a little more expensive than buying a half gallon of ice cream in the store, but so well worth it. and the leftover egg whites- its great for me because i just started storing them in the fridge and using them the next morning to make healthier scrambled eggs or french toast.
i'm really looking forward to trying more flavors of this after i know 100% that i've got the process down. i did also get the ben and jerry's book so i have more recipes. it was only a few dollars on here and seems to have some great recipes in it.
Customer Review: Frickin' Fabulous!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
My mom bought me a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas one year (she insisted that I ought to have one), but I rarely used it. When I became interested in making homemade ice cream, I carefully read the online reviews about this attachment and decided to give it a go. I didn't want another separate appliance and I thought this would be a way to actually get some use out of my mixer.
I purchased the Williams-Sonoma book on ice cream and tried the green tea ice cream recipe (only 1 quart version--I decided not to double it) for my 1st use of the attachment. I kept the freeze bowl in the freezer for over 24 hours and set it to the coldest setting for the last 8 hours. Also, I put the dasher in the freezer as well. When the time came, I quickly attached everything to the mixer and poured in the custard with a funnel (and a pair of helping hands). After reading a review about making something like a "tea cosy" for the mixer to keep the cold air in and hot air out, I simply draped a thick towel over the whole ensemble without getting a drop on it.
The dasher started to "click" after about 10 minutes and I stopped the mixer at 13 minutes. The ice cream froze incredibly well and was the consistency of very thick soft serve. I (and once again my pair of helping hands to hold the freeze bowl) scooped it out into a freezer-proof tupperware and let it harden as directed. I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH SMOOTH ICE CREAM IN MY LIFE. It was incredible!! No icy-ness at all. Wow. I am going to have so much fun with this thing. I highly recommend it! I store the freeze bowl in the freezer so that it's ready to go when I want.
If anyone has a problem with this attachment, I'm guessing that they just aren't being careful enough to follow freezing instructions for the bowl or chilling the custard long enough. Or perhaps the recipe isn't being followed or is faulty. Cutting corners on following instructions isn't going to let this A+ mixer perform at its best.