KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment
Customer Review: You can't beat it for this money!
Summary: 4 Stars
There's no question that there are better ice-cream makers out there. I loved my old ice and salt bucket but it bit the dust after about ten years of use and the on-board compressor models (like the Musso) are waaay out of my price range.
So, for under $100, I settled. This doesn't make as much ice cream as my massive bucket-o-ice-n-salt did (a gallon) but it was much much easier and quieter. My Rival made a lot of noise and leaked so I ran it out on the porch and went out occasionally to add ice and salt (rock salt, btw, can be hard go get your hands on at certain times of the year too). This is just the sound of the mixer, which is hardly deafening, and couldn't be easier. It requires you to freeze the bowl which will take up a lordly amount of coveted freezer space (at least it's coveted in our household) but good planning and organizational skills will come in handy here. The only really big complaint I have is that, although the bowl has these weird protrusions on it, it does NOT have a handle. This is a pretty big drawback when it's freezing cold and full of soft-serve. It's pretty heavy too so I really don't get the lack of handle. Hmmm, maybe those protrusions are made for a purchase separately handle? I can't imagine what other purpose they serve...
Anyway, what it comes down to is this: if the cost is what's keeping you from buying an ice cream maker, then don't let it hold you back. This worked every bit as well as any of the other frozen-bowl ice cream makers and at much less than half the price. Buy it and use it. If you find that you're making ice cream every week, maybe you can consider one of the really nice expensive models. For the home cook who occasionally makes homemade ice cream (couple of times a month), this is enough.
Customer Review: Great Ice Cream
Summary: 4 Stars
If you already own a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, it only makes sense to purchase the Ice Cream Maker Attachment for it. Rather than having another small countertop appliance, this is just perfect. I've made a numerous batches of great ice cream so far and while it takes a little more time to make the 'cooked custard' type of ice cream, it is definitely well worth the effort.
The longer you chill the bowl ahead of time, the better. Hopefully everyone will realize that you will not end up with hardened ice cream at the end of the mixing process - you'll need to put it into the freezer to get it to that consistency. But, with a little patience, you will really like the end result.
If you are going to add fruit, nuts, candy pieces, or anything else you want to put in just make sure to do it towards the end of the mixing process. You actually may want to consider stirring it in by hand just before transferring the mixture into a freezer container. If you do add it to the mixer bowl, sometimes the paddle (dasher as it's called) gets bogged down by the added items.
Although there are no handles to speak of, the bowl isn't all that cumbersome to deal with. The only complaint I have is that you really do want to make sure that you have something adequate for pouring the chilled ice cream mixture into the bowl with. There is limited room between the head of the mixer and the edge of the freeze bowl so if you have something with a good spout you shouldn't have too much trouble. It's not really even a complaint, more of an inconvenience.
With a little time, advance planning, and patience, when all is said and done you'll end up with great tasting ice cream and not have to pay a small fortune for it at the market. You may be able to purchase a countertop ice cream maker for a little less money but overall, this is a great value and again only makes sense especially if you already own a stand mixer.
Customer Review: This attachment filled me with regret
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd never made my own ice cream before buying this attachment and now I regret the years of fantastic ice cream I could've had! It's SO good and so ridiculously easy! Not exactly slimming, but is a life without great ice cream worth living? No!
Here are a few tips I've found useful:
1. Assembly is easy once you know how. However, because the attachment is designed to fit many different models, how it fits your particular unit is a little tricky the first time. Take the time to figure out which pieces go where on your mixer before showtime.
2. Put the bowl in your freezer on the coldest setting at least a day ahead of time. The liquid inside needs to freeze super hard or it just doesn't work right. Trust me on this.
3. Use a recipe that calls for no more than 3 cups of liquid (roughly 1.5 quarts). The first recipe in the manual called for 5 and when I added strawberries to the mix, it overflowed the bowl my first time.
4. The directions say to pour the batter in with the paddle turning to keep it from freezing to the sides. I've done that and it's messy because the arm is in the way. I've also poured the batter in with the paddle off and the arm lifted. That's easier, less
messy, and I've had no problems. Just don't dawdle.
5. After the ice cream is done, scrape out the bowl with a good stiff rubber spatula. The last bits will freeze hard to the sides and you'll want to get every bit out without damaging the bowl.
6. It's easier for me to fold in the mixings myself once the ice cream is out, rather than to pour it into the bowl while it's running. I've found that the mixings make the paddle "freeze" in place, stopping the process.
7. DON'T rinse the bowl out right away. Let it come to room temperature first. You know how ice crackles when you put it in water? You don't want your bowl to do that, do you?
Customer Review: Great for first timers!
Summary: 5 Stars
I received my first KitchenAid Stand Mixer in November, 2010, so I purchased the ice cream attachment as a xmas present for myself. I've never used a stand mixer before, nor a ice cream maker, so these are both first time products for me. I still haven't used my stand mixer for anything other than Ice Cream making so far!
I've made 4 batches total (between Dec thru Feb), 3 were from the "Perfect Scoop" book, and 1 was actually melted tub of kirkland's vanilla ice cream, re-churned into delicious smooth and creamy ice cream.
The first time I didn't put the freezer bowl onto the stand mixer correctly (the nub in the center didn't line up), and I wasn't moving very quickly nor chilled my mixture completely, so after 30 minutes it was more soft than soft serve ice cream. After that I learned my lesson and chilled my mixture properly first and it was the best vanilla ice cream i've ever had!
Only disappointment I have so far is in pouring the mixture into the bowl is quite difficult to do. There is about 1 inch of gap to pour into, and even though I used a pitcher (think ice tea pitchers), it took a long time and dont have much space. and since the mixture is quite thick, it's almost impossible to scrape the last bits into the bowl to be churned.
Funny thing is, due to the shape of the stand mixer I actually poured right on the top part of the mixer in my last attempt. It actually worked too, the thick creamy liquid just slide down from the top right into the bowl. Lol, good thing I keep my mixer really clean.
Today I tried searching for a long funnel for pouring, and almost settled for one of those beer pong funnels too, but I saw there was a measuring cup with extra long pour spout, so hopefully that will be a new alternative and make it easier for me to make more delicious ice cream!
TLDR; This ice cream maker is great!
Customer Review: Bad customer service, manufacturing defect, doesn't hold up well over time
Summary: 2 Stars
I've purchased two of these, one for myself and one for a family member as a gift.
I bought mine almost a year ago. For the first six months, I thought it was great. The ice cream that it made was a very nice texture, and I really liked how easy it was to use it. (One caveat: most ice cream recipes are for a gallon, and this bowl makes only 1/2 gallon at a time, so you may need to halve your favorite recipe.) However, it now seems to be starting to go bad. The bowls of ice cream that I'm making now don't seem to freeze as effectively as the ones I was making 6 months ago. I'm starting to think that the useful life of this bowl is only about 9-10 months.
On April 30, I bought a second one to give my sister-in-law as a gift. When she prepared to use it, she discovered that the piece that attaches to the mixer head was assembled incorrectly - a manufacturing defect. She immediately called KitchenAid about the problem, and they promised to send her a replacement in "7-10 working days". Well, today is June 7, 5 weeks later, and she still has not received the replacement. She has needed to call them 5 times so far since April 30, and still no replacement part. I have actually seen her part, and she's correct, it IS assembled incorrectly.
I had a separate problem with a different KitchenAid product's manufacturing defect, and I too had a horrible customer service experience when I contacted KitchenAid for a resolution.
So beware - if your ice cream freezer product arrives without a manufacturing defect, you'll probably find that it's a convenient way to make ice cream with a high-quality texture - at least, for the first 6 months. However, if it arrives with a manufacturing defect as my sister-in-law's did, you're probably going to have a miserable experience dealing with KitchenAid's poor customer service.