Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer | 500W | Black | SM50BU
HIGH QUALITY, POWER AND PERFORMANCE
Indulge your culinary creativity with the Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer. Combining simplicity, performance and style, you’ll be amazed how this multi-functional machine saves you time and effort, quickly becoming an indispensable kitchen companion.
With 12 speed settings and 3 essential attachments, the stand mixer makes light work of mixing cake batters and icing, kneading dough, whipping egg whites and cream and much more.
STAINLESS STEEL BOWL
The 5.2L stainless steel bowl comfortably handles large quantities of ingredients and can be washed in the dishwasher.
12 SPEEDS
The 12 speed settings give you control of your mixing. Use the gentle speeds for delicate foods or switch to the powerful speeds to mix in seconds.
REMOVABLE SPLASHGUARD
The removable, transparent splash guard keeps ingredients inside the bowl, minimising spillages – perfect when used with icing sugar.
HIGH LIFT LEVER
The head-lift lever securely locks the mixer head into a raised position, making it easier to add ingredients and remove the bowl.
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CHEF’S WHISK
For mixtures that need air incorporating. Ideal for whipping eggs, cream, meringues, cheesecakes and mousses.
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FLAT MIXING PADDLE
For normal to heavy mixtures. Stir, mix or beat – perfect for cakes, cookies, batters, pastry, icing and frosting.
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DOUGH HOOK
For mixing and kneading doughs. Ideal for bread, rolls, pizza bases and fresh pasta.
RECIPE IDEA – Chestnut Bread is full of protein and amino acids, plus it’s lower in calories than a standard loaf. This quick and easy Chestnut Bread is perfect for lunch – watch our quick recipe video and make your Chestnut Bread using the Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer.
| Weight: | 7.6 kg |
| Dimensions: | 42.5 x 41.5 x 28.7 cm; 7.6 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Cuisinart |
| Model: | SM50BU |
| Colour: | Black |
| Colour: | Black |
Delivers strong power, but needs a bit of help finishing mixing
Overall, very satisfied with this mixer. It can knead 1.5 kg of dough to a good standard, but
– if the dough is too dry, like 50% hydration (baker’s measurements), you have to start the kneading manually, and supervise that the ball doesn’t fall of the bowl,
– when using the blending tool, the paddle does not reach the bottom of the bowl. When you finish, you better give a few more twist with a spatula to make sure the bottom of the mixture is well homogenised.
These are minor issues as long as you have a bit of experience baking. I used to knead the dough by hand and my tennis elbow was killing me. Now, it’s much improved.
Sturdy mixer. Excellent build quality. A good range of speeds.
Looks good. Dough hook gets to the bottom of the bowl. Making bread couldn’t be easier.
Great produc
This ice cream is fast and easy to use and also easy to clean.
It’s reasonably quite and well made.
I would recommend this product.
love it and use it several times a month cannot ...
We have had this for about a year, love it and use it several times a month cannot fault it and if you want the best purchase this one you will not regret it.
Delicious
This machine is great. The ice cream is absolutely delicious. The machine can be a little on the noisy side whilst working but the results more than make up for it.
Excellent piece of equipme
I am extremely pleased with this purchase, great communication from seller and can’t wait to use this in my new kitchen! I bought it to make raw dairy free ice cream and am very excited. In excellent condition, thanks very much!
Excellent produc
If you like ice cream, this is an excellent product. Easy to use and easy to clean. Very quickly dispatched as well. A bit more expensive than other products but worth it.
Perfect ice cream every time
Perfect ice cream every time. Can be a little noisy and if you make ice cream for the maximum time on the clock it can be difficult to remove it from the container. The end product is well worth the little extra noise
Summer Trea
Sturdy machine
easy to use
make one after the other
well worth the extra bit of money
Just one tiny draw back – the handle on the container is too flimsy – needs to be made stronge
I chose this model as we never have sufficient space in the freezer to pre-freeze a bowl so it was important to me that we found a maker with its own built-in compressor. It was easy to assemble and the instructions are clear. It’s currently making my first batch of home made raspberry ripple ice cream. Really simple: put the mixture into the ‘bucket’, add the lid and arm of the motor, make sure everything’s is pushed properly into place and switch on. About 35 minutes later you have soft serve ice cream which you can then add the crushed raspberries (in my case) to and then decant into an airtight container and put it in the freezer to harden. Easy peasy.
So that’s the good stuff.
The only negative comment I have is that it is a pretty large and hefty piece of kit so I don’t have room in my kitchen cupboards to store it. It will have to live in the shed in between uses as I don’t want it cluttering up my kitchen surface. Some reviewers have complained about the noisiness of the machine but its not that bad, in fact nowhere near as loud as my Kenwood Chef food mixer was when i ran it at maximum speed to whip the egg whites.
The size of the beast is the one reason I haven’t given it 5 stars.
Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Make
I love my new ice-cream maker, I have tried it I am really pleased with it
The recipes are good too.
I’ll recommend it to any one
Ice cream make
A marvellous new toy, makes delicious ice cream in just 40 – 60 minutes so can be ready after main course finished.
Only negative, a very heavy piece of equipment.
Noisy but makes great icecream
Makes great Ice cream and as yet has worked everytime even though I am a novice. Noisy but is only on for about 45 minutes, so not too bad
all good.
This is the best ice-cream maker. I have used a cheap one before where you place the tub in the freezer but it takes sooo long to freeze that I just wanted to go out a buy a bloomin’ Mivi. Cuisinart leads the way.No problems.Perfect ice-cream every time.Recommended.
Good Buy for quick delicious ice cream
Got this this on the morning of my birthday and by the evening I’d already made my first batch of ice cream. Delicious. Easy to use and very quick from raw ingredients to yummy ice cream. The only thing I would say is that it is quite noisy so if you oh have an open plan kitchen you might want to plan when you are going to make ice cream. But let’s face it, it only takes 1 hour max. Good buy so happy eating.
I am an eighty year old granny. what a joy to be able to turn out perfect ice cream and sorbets for the family. no more waiting around for the sweet course when we eat out. Instead we go back to grans for a special treat.
Some people complain about the noise. I think it’s fine, it’s an ice-cream maker! It took just 40 minutes and the result was amazing – better than Ben & Jerry, not kidding! Design is nice and clean and it’s not as big as I have thought (fortunately). And the ice-cream is flawless 🙂
If a bit noisy – would have been 5 stars if a bit quieter. I used Ben & Jerry’s recipes and found the results to be first class, vanilla, cherry garcia, maple walnut, strawberry, they all trurned out to be indistinguishable from the shop bought. Also produced some great sorbets, such as a very alcoholic sloe gin sorbet hic ! (My own recipe – equal parts sloe gin and golden syrup, with a little water and lime juice to taste. Because the alcohol lowers the freezing point it needs to go into the freezer to fully set, but WOW!) As others have commented that the gear box which drives the mixing paddles is quite noisy, and if you weren’t forwarned about it you might think it was faulty. The upside of the noise is that it acts as an audible alarm – when it goes into reverse because the ice cream is setting, you know its time to scoop into the box ready for the freezer. One tip worth passing along is that if you are doing a couple of batches one immediately after the other, beware of condensation developing between the mixing bowl and the machine freezer surface. When you do the subsequent batch, the condensation freezes between the bowl and the freezer surface and you cannot get the bowl out. I either do not remove the bowl after the first batch (i.e. scoop the ice cream out with the bowl in situ) or dry the inner surface of the machine and the outer surfact of the mixing bowl very thoroughly with paper kitchen towels and replace very quickly before condensation forms. All in all it produces a very good product, and it is great fun making ice cream with my grand children, they like thinking up their own recipes with smarties, jelly babies, maltesers mixed in…you name a sweetie and they will come with a recipe!
how to make it very easy.
it works much better than i thought it would
and just as quick as the advert said,
have made ice-cream ,plus lemon sorbet
plus others ,all have gone very fas
Great piece of ki
I chose this ice-cream maker because I have had Cusinart products before. I was not disappointed. It makes the most wonderful ice cream and sorbets.
Spent a lot of time reviewing the various ice cream makers and comparing reviews and the Cuisinart continually received positive reviews and feedback. We have used the machine on numerous occasions since its purchase and although the machine is quite loud when churning, it wouldn’t prevent me from buying the product. Love that fact that the ice cream is ready once churned and there is no need to plan except for ingredients or create additional. Space in the freezer to chill the bowl. A worthwhile investment for any ice cream fan.
Took a while deciding to buy an icecream maker and looked between a few – a friend has a Gaggia and did think about it – but glad I brought this one – making ice cream is easy now.
It is big and therefore you either need a worksurface to house it on or room in a cupboard.
Just about to get a new kitchen so will soon have anice space all of its own to sit and then will be making some more icecream for the freezer.
Icecream makers are great for making flavours not easily brought in the shops.
Looks great and is a dream to use.
Shove everything in and off you go – coming back when made – great buy
great machine, worth every penny
great machine. I bought one for myself a few years ago and have recently bought one for my father who is going to take it abroad with him. it is a bit noisy but produces lovely ice cream. simple to use. very fast delivery as well. I like it especially because I know exactly what ingredients I am using and you can make whatever combination of flavours you choose. I recently made an indian flavour ice cream by adding saffron,cardamom and chopped pistachios and almonds to the basic vanilla ice cream mixture.( leave out the vanilla essence) it was delicious!!
well built produc
Tried it twice now ,read all the reviews and yes it is noisy but its all in one and does the job its very well built not a plastic 5 minute wonder , its also heavy and a fair size if you only have a small kitchen , but i would recommend
I waited a long time for this machine and have not been disappointed. I am a previous (not so proud) owner of the put the bowl in the freezer type of ice-cream maker and it never worked very well. I finally got this as a present last year and I LOVE IT!! I have to admit that all the criticisms about it being noisy are correct – that said it takes (usually) less than an hour to complete and I simply put it on and close the kitchen door whilst it does its magic and to me and mine it is worth it. My daughter gave me the ‘Ice Creams Sorbets & Gelati’ by Caroline and Robin Weir for Christmas and I haven’t stopped making since. There are still so many flavours out there I just have to try! I am very fortunate to have a son who is a chef in a top hotel where they make their own ice creams and come up with the most weird and wonderful concoctions – all of which are passed to my domestic kitchen (some good, some not so good, but what fun experimenting!). My favourite will always be the Snickers ice cream (salted peanut) but I keep trying to find the ultimate flavour to beat it. This machine is so simple, so easy to use and even easier to clean. Apart from the noise you can’t fault it and in our opinion it’s worth putting up with that and it’s worth every penny.
We have found this machine easy to use, easy to keep clean and does what it is supposed to do. The fact that it has it’s own in built freezer makes it a completely diffent creature to the cheaper machines where you need to plan 12 hours ahead, have a freezer big enough to store the freezer bowl and can only make a limited number of batches at once. It makes ice cream incredibly quickly and with brilliant results. Small niggles are that the machine is rather noisy , it will take up a bit of space, and the recipies that come with it aren’t brilliant. You can find much better ice cream recipies online, and if you are prepared to make it the traditional way, Ben and Jerry’s have a recipie book which makes AMAZING ice cream, although some have issues using raw egg.
Great product!
I purchased this ice cream machine because I love ice cream and I wanted to make ice cream with less preservatives and less fat. And this machine is amazing. The only thing at the beginning which really I was worried about was the noise but after few times I can’t even hear it that much as I keep it in the utility room. Ice cream made are like from the shop and I would recommend it to everyone who likes a bit of fun and effort to create the most delicious dessert in the world.
As other reviews say, yes this machine can be a little noisy (although not as bad as some make out)but you just have to totally forgive that little matter when you taste the ice cream that it produces!!
I just cannot fault this ice cream maker. I originally had an Andrew James Professional and it just didn’t work well so they replaced it and the second one was worse so that went back for a refund. After much research I decided to go with this Cuisinart regardless of the reviews about noise and I’ve never regretted it for one minute. I got the Ben and Jerrys recipe book to go with it and what a great combination. Since then I just make up my own recipes.
As a member of WeightWatchers I make all sorts of flavoured ice creams using their thick cream and creme fraiche and custard plus artificial sugar. I also have a diabetic grand-daughter and make her loads of special ice cream using the recipes provided and replacing the sugar with the artificial variety and all the family just love them all. Occasionally I get the Comelle pre-mix in cartons and just tip half of one of them in for 40ish minutes and it’s absolutely perfectly timed for a super pud with strawberries after dinner.
I just can’t say anything bad about this machine. It’s easy to assemble, easy to clean and re-assemble, easy to add bits, eg chocolate flakes, nuts, etc, to the recipe as required. In fact, the hardest part of it all is deciding what flavour ice cream to make and then forcing yourself not to eat too much of it!! If you want a good ice cream maker you can rest assured that this one does the job perfectly and just to really impress, delivery is within a couple of days of your order. Take a chance and put up with the noise – you’ll not regret it.
This is the third ice cream maker I have purchased. My previous two machines were fairly inexpensive and whilst they made ice cream well, neither of them lasted longer than a year. So when it came time to replace my second ice cream maker I decided to pay more and buy a much better quality machine. I have a couple of other appliances by Cuisine Art and I love their sturdiness and quality so this one seemed to best suit what I was looking for.
I have now had this machine for over a couple of years – I was surprised when I came to review it to see that I purchased it December 2009. So that in itself confirms that this machine has far surpassed the life of my previous two cheaper versions. I use this on average 2-3 times a month – I would like to use it more often but my poor waistline is definitely showing the effects!
This ice cream maker is extremely well built and both looks and feels excellent quality. The main body is made from brushed stainless steel. This means that it is easy to keep clean, just a quick wipe down with a hot soapy cloth or a bit of kitchen roll and it looks as good as new. It also looks stylish when out on the work surface.
The motor is housed within a sturdy plastic unit which has been coloured to perfectly match the stainless steel. With a quick glance you wouldn’t really realise that it wasn’t also stainless steel.
The lid which covers the chilling bowl is made from good quality clear plastic. Again, mine still looks as good as new and there is no sign of warping or cracking.
The downsides to this ice cream maker is firstly its weight. It is very heavy, much heavier than you might expect from something of its size. I struggle to lift it, although I am only five feet tall and not particularly strong.
It is also a large item. It takes up a complete shelf in a cupboard – you will need a fairly big cupboard to fit it into. If you plan to leave it out permanently on the work surface, again, it had a big footprint and will take up a fair amount of room.
It is also noisy whilst being used. I find it hard to stay in the same room with it whilst it is working as the noise eventually starts to grate on me. As a result I tend to use it in the utility room and shut the door or run it whilst I am away from the kitchen.
So why have I given this five stars when there are things that are a bit annoying? Because although it isn’t perfect, I do genuinely love this product and Amazon’s star rating for ‘I love it’ is a 5*
It makes the most delicious, silky smooth ice cream that easily challenges the more expensive luxury brands. Also, I can make flavour combinations that I can’t buy in the shops and adapt them to suit our own taste preferences. And I know exactly what has gone into each and every batch.
I love that this machine looks and feels so good and that it is still running as good as new even after two years of regular use.
So, it is pretty pricey compared to other ice cream makers on the market, it is large and heavy, it does make a noise but it makes darn good ice cream and I won’t be swapping mine for any other brand any time soon.
I just bought this beauty and since then I’ve made 2 ice creams and 2 frozen yogurts. Ice cream making is very easy, just simmer a few ingredients in a pan, let cool for a couple of hours in the fridge, load the machine and 45 min later you have perfect ice-cream! Frozen yogurt is even simpler, I have made mine with just a tub of non-fat yogurt, fruit and honey straight from fridge to machine….that’s it, healthy frozen yogurt in 45 minutes!
I must say that this machine makes fantastic ice cream, as good as artisan ice cream. It looks beautiful, it’s not particularly loud when in function as other reviewers said (even though closing the kitchen door might be a good idea), and it turns ice cream-making into a very easy and HEALTHY affair….it will save me money too, I live in Italy and artisan ice cream here sells for euro20 a kilo!!!! All in all I am very pleased with it!
Update: I’ve had this machine now for 6 months and I haven’t set foot into an ice cream shop ever since! My ice cream is SO MUCH nicer and healthier! The Perfect Scoop by Lebovitz is a perfect companion to this machine.
It does what it claims to do
I have no idea if this machine deserves three or five stars, since I have no experience with ice cream makers so there is probably better and worse machines out there. In it’s own right it seems to be very good, it seems sturdy enough, the paddle that turns the icecream – well maybe it could be described as a bit on the flimsy side – but at the end of the day it does what it’s supposed to. Overall it does a great job in the time it claims to need, it’s easy to use and it’s easy to clean. The noise it makes is a bit on the loud side.
Ice cream makers
Well worth the extra money. Easy to use and gives good results. That said, it is a little noisy. Also remember that making good ice cream takes practice, so do not be disappointed if the first one or two are only OK. Buy a recipe book and probably use less sugar/sweetener.
Fantastic icream
Got this for Christmas Hubby did all the research as it was a surprise but he looked into it a lot. Have made two batches and it has made the creamiest icecream no ice crystals whatsoever absolutely fab icecream no negatives at all. Was worried when I read all the comments about the noise dont know if they have just sorted it now or what but it is not bad similar to a dishwasher not as bad as an extractor fan. There were comments about some bits been flimsy, I have to say I also thought the arm a bit plastic looking for such a heavy weight body but it does the job okay just hope it lasts okay. Only negative is how expensive it is just for icream but if you want one and price is not a problem I have no reservations in recommending this product.
I was a bit surprised when I assembled the machine, lovely solid looking body but such flimsy head and paddle.
I can see the likelihood of replacements needed at some time.
In saying that the machine makes perfect ice cream which is becoming dangerously addictive.
There have been alot of mentions about the noise in the reviews, and yes it is noisy. All domestic appliances are noisy, if you can put up with a washing machine, this will not bother you.
I have used the basic recipe in the cuisinart book the most ( reducing the sugar to 125g as it’s a bit too sweet )
and adding ginger from the jars of ginger with a bit of syrup stunningly moreish. Also chopped pistachios, coffee and walnut,chocolate chips.
I bought a book of recipes which I have tried but still return to the basic recipe with additions. This takes about 5 mins prep and about 40 mins churning.
Must investigate low cal recipes in the new year!
Great results from this machine.
I love it!
I’ve bought numerous gadgets over the years for the kitchen, I’m a sucker for them. This one however is one of the best. Making your own ice cream isn’t cheaper than buying it from the shop but its so much more fun and the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker makes it easy! I personally use it to make fat free frozen yogurt. The advantage of making your own is you know exactly what goes into it.
It makes enough for a family of four to have a good serving each.
Its easy to clean.
Requires minimum effort.
Nice and sturdy.
Really recommend it!
I did feel I had to review this product in light of others comments. This product is quite loud, yes, but it is a compressor which allows you to make wonderful ice cream in an hour! Mine is no louder than our kitchen extractor fan. This machine DOES make wonderful ‘soft scoop’ consistency ice cream in an hour. Any Harder and the machine stops turning. 2hrs in the freezer and it firms up perfectly.
Cuisinart Ice Cream Make
Read all the reviews, considered all the alternatives and eventually decided to go for it. It’s brilliant! We are into low fat and slimming stuff and I just put fat free yoghurt in and we get lovely ice cream in half an hour. Yes, maybe it is a bit noisy in use, but we keep it out in the utility room and shut the door! It’s only on for 30-40 minutes at a time so, for us, it’s no problem. Expensive? Yes, but Amazon had the cheapest I managed to find and it was delivered to our door within a couple of days of ordering. Altogether an excellent machine, strongly recommended to anyone else hesitating over taking the plunge.
Pleasantly surprised on how quick the delivery was.
Having made a few liters of ice cream with different flavors and additions I can confidently say that this machine is well made and fit for purpose. It is noisy and heavy, but to get the best is worth it. If your really worried about the noise and cannot ‘close the door’ then this is not for you, if however, you want the best ice-cream this machine will deliver.
After months and months of research, i decided to go ahead and purchase the Cuisinart Professional ice cream maker. The price was stopping me and the other reviews about noise and kitchen counter space.I have had this now for 3 months and used it regularly. The ice cream is very good if you follow the recipe. Less good if you make up your own recipe…
I have also made lemon granita and it was fantastic. I am alredy dreaming of entertaining friends and serving the wonderful home produced frozen desserts.
To make ice cream is not cheap. About 5 pounds to make pistachio ice cream for a batch of 700gr. In fact if you consider that you have to buy cream, sugar milk pistachios ….. However, you can be sure you are feeding yourself and your children top quality ice cream. It ‘s fun to involve the kids in the making of it too.
The big noise issue: it is noisy indeed but just as much as a bread maker. With 3 kids there is a buzz in the house anyway, so having the machine on for 1 hour is not big deal.
Counter space: actually smaller than i was imagining.
Something i wish to share : No ice cream can be produced in 40 minutes as it says on the booklet unless you want a slushy creamy consistency. The ice cream has to churn for at least 1 hour.
All in all, we are very happy about the purchase and would recommend to any family or people who love cooking.
Icream make
Great product. I have made some delicious icecream from the recipe book provided. It is so quick and simple. You need quite a large area to stand it on and it is quite noisy but so worth it for the icecream that it makes. The grandchildren just loved making the different flavours.
Love it !!
Asked everyone I knew who made ice cream what they would recommend I look for when buying my own ice cream maker. Finally settled on this one, and am highly delighted with it. Yes, it is a bit noisy but I mostly use it when I’m not in the same room. It is no worse than my food mixer or other kitchen appliances. Have to curb my enthusiasm or we will all end up so fat !
Before buying this item I read through lots of reviews that other customers had left.
A lot of you said that it was extremely noisy.
I agree that it is quite loud but it’s no louder than when using a professional food processor.
Once you’re not in the same room it’s not that bad in my opinion. After all, it is a machine.
I bought this item so I could make ice cream with a sugar substitute instead of sugar to help my low carb diet.
I have made vanilla ice cream and cinnamon ice cream which are in the instructions booklet that came with the order. Delicious!
I do wish it had been a little cheaper but well worth it when you taste your home made ice cream.
Brilliant ice cream
The quality of the ice cream made by this machine is superb. No hint of crunch or graininess. I’ve made ice cream by hand for years and even when I remember to stir it there’s still a degree of crunch that isn’t ideal. With the Cuisinart machine you get smooth, soft ice cream (if it goes very solid you won’t get the paddle out easily)that you can harden-up in the freezer.
It’s easy to use but it is heavy and noisy – luckily I have a worktop in the cellar that it can sit on.
Effective and solidly constructed
Delivered on time and undamaged. Easy to use and gives excellent results. Also easy to clean. Noise not an issue in a reasonably sized kitchen. Looks bombproof.
Fantastic ice-cream maker! A*
I have always wanted an ice cream maker but had never taken the plunge until recently. Friends had told me of their experiences, mostly bad it has to be said, about how fiddly and time consuming it was and this always put me off.
Then I came across the Cuisinart ICE 50 and a long list of outstanding reviews. After having the machine for a number of weeks I can quite confidently say that they were all right. It is very easy to use and makes lovely ice cream inside 45 minutes. The only draw back really is the very loud noise it makes. Reviewers mention this and it can hardly be understated: it is LOUD. I normally run mine on top of a washing machine in the garage as you really don’t want it in the next room let alone one you are sitting in!
But don’t let this put you off. It is a doddle to use and very easy to clean and if you buy one of the ice cream guide books like the B & J one you won’t go wrong!
great fun!
very quick and easy to use, fantastic ice-cream quality!
the only downside is the noise, could not make your ice-cream during a dinner party unless you have a sepearate dining room due to the noise of the ice cream maker.
I would still buy this machine again as it is magic!
Super home made ice cream
Having had a machine requiring pre-freezing of the bowl which gave excellent results this seemed to offer a much simpler and speedy option. And so it does! Although other reviews criticise noise levels this is a petty complaint and well worth tolerating. In fact it is little noisier than the “bowl in the freezer” type and the resultant ice cream is superb. You know exactly what’s in it. No additives you don’t want and at far lower cost than commercial products. Enjoy a continuous supply of your favourite flavours whenever you want. The only downside is your waistline – but what the hell! You only live once.
The first machine delivered did have a faulty timer. But the replacement sevice from Amazon was faultless. All on-line, the fault was reported, a printed return label supplied and courier collection time arranged. On the same day the faulty item was collected Amazon despatched the replacement. The service from Amazon couldn’t be bettered.
SUPERB!!!
Bought this machine after researching for over 4 months, and reading hundreds of reviews. Fantastic machine. Looks elegant, makes wonderful ice cream, frozen yoghurts and sorbets. Yes it is noisy, but just shut kitchen door and let it do its thing. A little noise is worth the end result. Anyone know a good ice cream diet!!! I am totally addicted.
Fantasmagoria
I am over the moon with my new ice cream maker. No more freezing bowls in the freezer!
The only down side is it is very noisy. My solution is to put it in the utility room for one
hour while churning. Ice cream is fantastic and I am looking forward to more experimentations!!
Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Make
After reading other peoples comments on ice cream makers it seemed the Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Maker was a good bet, and indeed it has proved to be, I have had excellent results on everything I have made so far from sorbets to ice creams. Noisy yes, solution, sit in another room for 40 mins, other than that I would recommend this ice cream maker to anyone.
Quality but loud
This is a well built machine and has made some excellent gelato. On the downside it is quite noisey and you can’t seem to make one batch after another. The machine stopped churning half way through the second batch, maybe because the chamber had already reached it’s optimum temperature at the end of the first cycle?
Noisy. Suggest to leave a room where this machine is operating.
Ice cream is great.
Easy to clean and assemble.
Timer needs some monitoring because icecreame can me ready earlier.
It was my husband’s suggestion that we have a go at making our own ice cream. We looked at several ice cream makers and decided on this one. I read some reviews on the smaller, cheaper versions but was put off by the fact that some people had found that the liquid had leaked into their freezer. Also you can’t make ice cream on a whim nor is it convenient if you have a small freezer as they take up quite a bit of room.
this model is quite expensive at over 200 but it is worth it for the convenience of having a built in freezer which means you can make ice cream whenever you like rather than having to freeze the bowls overnight. It is also very heavy but once the machine is in situ it should not be moved so the weight is not really an issue.
I was concerned that this may have been an expensive mistake as I was not sure if the end product would be as good as the reviews said it would be but I need not have worried. After leaving the machine to ‘settle’ for the recommended 24 hours we had a go at making some basic vanilla ice cream – it was delicious!
The instructions for setting the machine up are very easy and the instruction booklet includes recipes for making ice cream, yoghurts and sorbets – from the very basic to the more complicated.
The basic recipes are very simple, weigh out the ingredients, whisk for a minute or two, pour into the bucket, switch on and wait. It only takes about 45 minutes up to an hour, depending on whether you like soft or hard ice cream.
If you are short of freezer space or simply don’t want the hassle of pre freezing the bowls then I would recommend this one.
This is a very well made piece of kit. It is extremely heavy but this makes it stable. The parts are easy to remove and wash and put back together; I worked it all out without needing the manual. Some of the recipes that came with it are good also. Ice cream is not difficult to make on the whole but with this, it’s quick, easy, and can be a pretty “spur of the moment” process. Yes, it’s a little noisy when in action, so don’t start it up when you are planning to sit in the room it’s in for the next hour or so.
I took my time choosing which ice cream machine to buy. I have several other cusinart products but still did my homework. I like the fact that you don’t need to add alcohol or anything to the machine. Some reviews complain about the machine being too noisy. I have a bread making machine, food processor, blender and chopper etc. The ice cream machine does not make much more noise than any of these. It only runs for 45 mins and then you have fantastic home made ice cream. I have only had the machine for a few weeks but love it. I bought it initially to make ice cream for my grandchildren who are coming over from the states. I am sure they will be as impressed as we are. Easy to use,easy to clean and easy on the eye.!
I used to have one of the ice cream makers where you froze the base but it never really made frozen ice cream and if I’d forgotten to put the base in the freezer I had to wait until the next day, and if I wanted to make another batch I had to wait till the next day too so I saved up and bought this. I absolutely love it! It has none of the problems with the old ice cream maker and neither does it have the problems with some of the more expensive ones (using vodka to stop it sticking for instance). It makes fabulous ice cream, perfectly smooth and crystal free. I don’t think I’ve used an appliance more! I’ve had many a compliment on my ice cream and sorbets and would recommend this if you have the money. Plus it looks good and is easy to clean. It is a bit noisy so I’d make the ice cream before the party. I also found it needed freezing once it had finished, but that’s no hardship. Anyway, if you have it finish before you want to eat it, it’ll be ready after dinner – perfect! Enjoy!
I love my Cuisinart Ice Cream machine
I have wanted an ice cream maker for several years and finally made the plunge. I read as many reviews as possible on the various machines available. I chose Cuisinart on price and the fact there was no messing about with alcohol. Yes it is quite noisy, as many users pointed out, but you can set the machine off and leave the room. I have made various flavours of ice cream and also fruit sorbets. I use the best ingredients I can and the results have been superb.
Should have bought one ages ago
My previous icecream maker a Magimix 1.5 litre started to leak this summer after several years of use. Having been strawberry and raspberry picking I decided to purchase the Cuisinart Professional Ice Maker, so I could make several batches of iceream over a weekend. This would not have been possible with my old refreeze over night bowl machine.
Having read other reviews from other buyers of this machine, I noted that the noise was an issue, however despite that, everyone sung its praises. So when I used it for the first time I was pleasantly surprised by how much quieter it was than I expected. Indeed it was no noisier than my old Magimix machine, and I could quite easily have the machine going in the kitchen, the door closed and listen to the tv in the lounge!
Superb piece of kit, expensive but the quality of icecream and the fact that you can have a production run going in one day is more than satisfactory.
Had this for a couple of years now
and its still making the best ice cream I have ever tasted. Amazing machine. Don’t buy anything else!
delighted of mancheste
I just bought this amazing Ice Cream Maker, and what a delight. Having previously used the type of machine that requires you to freeze the bowl the Cuisinart is so easy to use.
Just mix the ingredient pour into machine and turn the dial to number of min from 0 = 60 and leave it to do all the work.
The ice cream is smooth and silky, other people have complained about the noise, all I can say is that the noise is not that bad, no more than a dish washer and at most it would only be for 1 hour.
Although it is expensive it is worth its weight in gold. I would recommend it to anyone.
I bought the machine (my first ice cream maker) after lengthy deliberation & market research and eventually selected this one because 1. No bowls had to be kept in the freezer 2. I got the (wrong) impression that I would be able to churn 1.5 litres within 20 minutes. Apparently it takes 40 minutes to churn and it makes 1 Litre at a time.
This is info I would have wanted to have prior to purchasing this ice cream maker, as I feel some of the info provided was misleading. I hope you find it helpful in making up your mind or clarifying things
BOOKLET provided with the machine offers a small number of recipes (8 ICE creams: vanilla, choc, coffee, mocha latte, sweet cinnamon, creme brulee, white choc with nuts, choc truffle; 4 FROZEN yogurt: vanilla, choc, raspberry, peach; 4 SORBETS: fresh lemon, cranberry, blueberry, orange & mango) . To my taste the amount of sugar in the recipes is enormous, so I cut it down significantly. The lemon sorbet was great (increased qty of lemon & orange juices and reduced sugar). The raspberry frozen yogurt (with low fat yogurt) was very tasty (again reduced sugar qty). Ben & Jerry’s recipes MUCH better!
* CAPACITY – One litre only (it is a 1.5L bowl but the instructions specify not to overload more than 1 L per batch). I tried churning three batches one after the other and the final products were harder than after only one churn. However the Support team recommended letting the machine rest between batches.
* CHURNING TIME – the booklet recommends 20 – 40 minutes churning for soft and 40 – 60 minutes for hard ice-cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt. The “soft” 20 minutes churning product was too runny and did not freeze even after putting in the freezer (it remains runny if not churned long enough), so I now churn for 40 minutes.
* PREP TIME- Most recipes require preparation and cooling before churning so whereas I thought I’d just throw some ingredients into the bucket and press a button, I was wrong! Most ingredients have to be chopped/cooked/boiled and then chilled for approx 2 hours before churning.
* FREEZING – Booklet recommends consuming within 3 days. I kept it for far longer (three weeks) and it was fine (it does come very hard and needs to be left for 15-20 minutes to soften, apart from the B&J’s ice cream which is softer).
* SIZE of the machine: huge!
* IMMEDIATE USAGE / STORAGE- The machine has to be kept upright for 24h prior to usage so immediate usage is not recommended. It is also very heavy, I therefore keep it on the worktop permanently (which takes up loads of space). Bear in mind it will need to be stored where you have access to the top, where the paddle and bucket access are (i.e. free space above the machine)
* EASY- The machine is really easy to assemble, clean and operate.
* NOISE – Yes it is noisy but I always prepare my desserts in advance of the event/dinner party so no problem. Otherwise shut the kitchen’s door or leave it to churn while gardening 🙂
* SMELL: an odour of rubber was initially produced by my machine however it disappeared after several uses.
* SUPPORT: I called the Helpline to ask about the rubber odour – they were very responsive and quick. The machine comes with a 5 year guarantee so I have no concerns.
* BEN & JERRY Recipes – Highly recommended, this little book is worth buying (Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book [Paperback])
– I made the Peaches and the Banana ice creams; divine ice cream!
– Recipes based on a whisked eggs & sugar mixture, which creates a fluffy, lighter and subtle ice cream.
– Recipes use both cream and milk, as opposed to the Booklet’s (and many other) recipes which are based on cream only. B&J ice cream is less creamy/heavy yet rich and full of flavour, with a better consistency. It also freezes well and is softer than the non-B&J recipes (no need to thaw in advance).
– Qty: I got away with churning the Peaches ice cream in one go, but had to halve the Banana ice cream ingredients and churn in two batches to avoid spillage. It is possible, according to B&J, to halve the qty of recipes to suit the size of your machine, and to use more milk rather than cream to create a less calorific ice cream.
– Sugar: the amount of sugar is just perfect for me (normally I find qty of sugar too sweet)
– The B&J’s book gives a good introduction to ice cream making and very nice recipes for ice creams, sorbets, cakes, cookies and frozen yogurt.
– Most recipes require preparation and cooling of assembled ingredients (2-4 hours).
– American measurements and some American ingredients (which have British equivalents) – a bit of Google help required but really worth the effort.
* QUALITY- very nice. The B&J’s ice cream is absolutely divine, and you can create flavours that do not exist in the market to suit your personal taste. Friends who tasted my home churned ice cream and sorbet decided to purchase a machine (and the B&J book) consequently.
*Recipes for quick ice creams with less prep time (even if you do not own an ice cream maker)available on the BBC Good Food website
*Containers: I keep my home churned products in supermarket purchased ice cream boxes – the size is perfect (the yield of a batch is the size of the box) and it seals well. All I have to do is label it.
* Price: I bought this end of April 2010 at 258 and in May 2010 the price dropped down significantly so Amazon kindly refunded me to reflect the reduced price. The price seems to be dropping down since then a bit more.
All in all, a relatively expensive machine, time consuming, but a nice gadget that allows one to create unique flavours of ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt. Good luck!
Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Make
Very pleased with this machine, easy to use, the ice cream is made realy quickly. Some people were complaining about the noise it made, l didn’t think it was too bad, and the end product is excellent with minimum effort. The only small gripe l have is that the body of the machine is a little difficult to clean, it is made of that ‘ribbed’ stainless which is very difficult to polish evenly.
Kimm
I thought long and hard about this purchase because it was a lot of money, but after looking at many other makes and reviews of them all, I chose this one. I’m so glad I did, as it makes lovely ice cream, simple and straightforward. This machine is noisy, as I had read in reviews, but that grumble is small when you can produce beautiful results in about 40-50 mins, no pre-freezing of bowls or anything. It’s easy to clean and the instructions are simple to follow. I find it best to make a batch in advance and pop it into a box in the freezer, to firm it up. I have also made some great sorbets and frozen yoghurts, which is helpful if you are watching the calories. The only problem now is my family like the home-made ice cream best, so I have to be sure and have a good supply in the freezer for their visits!
I bought the Cuisinart ice cream maker for my husband who is a serious ice cream fiend!
No more shop bought ice cream for us – it is so easy to use and no problem to clean. It is also relatively quick to produce the finished product. I prefer the softer consistency it produces which is more like a thick milk shake, but after half an hour in the fridge it hardens well.
Yes, it is noisy but that is the only negative I can find.
No need to buy another recipe book, the one that comes with it has lots of delicious recipes.
Heavy, solid make. It is usually necessary to process for full 60 mts for a good firm ice cream. Niggly bits – Noisy but one can live with it. The plastic lid has plastic clips that lock with the plastic clips on the arm which attaches to the motor. The plastic clips are flimsy and fragile, little preassure is likely to break it which will be disastrous. Unfortunately the ‘user instructions’ booklet is a joke. Gives no meaningful info on assembling the machine. However, once you have done it — it works like a dream. Enjoy it ! Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Make
We purchased this Ice cream maker around a year ago and it has proved to be trouble free. It is a bit noisy but that is the only issue. It produces excellent ice cream and water ice and is so easy to use. I do think that the label of professional is a bit of a generous statement, as although well engineered it would not stand the every day heavy handling of a true professional kitchen, but, saying that for heavy home use no problem. The cleaning has to be thorough and meticulous but good clean warm water and washing up liquid does the job well. The aluminium casing must only be wiped with a soft sponge as if you were to use an abrasive of any kind it would ruin the finish. If you look after this machine with care it will give many years of trouble free service. To sum up. I would purchase another should I have to!
Lovely easy icecream
The Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Maker is absolutely fantastic.
Other reviews stated it was very noisy when in use,I stood the machine on a thick mat and found the noise it made was not bad at all,certainly tolerable and well worth any inconvenience for the delicious ice cream made.
The recipes provided were more than adequate and a good selection too,but more can be obtained by using the Internet so you don’t even have to buy any recipe books!
To have such wonderful ice cream easily made in about 30-45 minutes is great,and if any is not eaten immediately pop it in a container and put in the freezer!
I read the reviews of three machines in this price range – the Magimix, Gaggia and Cuisinart. I chose the Cuisinart because of its long term guarantee and generally good reviews regarding reliability.
It is a wonderful machine and the ice creams and sorbets are superb. A jar of raspberries from Lidl’s store, mixed with some double cream, converts into a lovely pink ice cream. Drizzle a bit of cassis over it and the flavours complement each other. Delicious!
Lots of reviews complained about noise. Having worked in a ball mill, grinding coal, and served on two aircraft carriers, the noise is quite bearable. Just shut the kitchen door.
Highly recommended.
I live in Spain, and I order numerous goods from Amazon UK – both for me and for friends & family in UK.. This particular item (a very large box) was ordered on the 16 October and was with me on the 22nd – in perfect order. All previous items ordered have always been delivered promptly, and never has an order gone astray. A superb service and one which anyone can use with the fullest confidence. Well done to Amazon. Oh, and my wife was over the moon with her IC Maker.
This is a fantastic machine. I would thoroughly recommend it. It produces fantastic iceceam in 50 minutes (which is very soft scoop). If you want a firmer icecream place it in the freezer for an hour or so. Very easy machine to use and easy to keep clean. Takes up quite a bit of worktop space – but having said that, it is easily one of my favourite kitchen gadgets. The only down side would have to be the fact that it is quite noisy when in operation.
I bought this machine, along with the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream book, which is a great read. I use one of their recommended plain bases from their book and add my own flavourings or sweets. I’ve even adapted a Delia Lemon Meringue Icecream recipe (from her Summer Collection) and made it in the Cuisinart machine.
Hours of good clean fun to be had! Happy days…….
Well I have had my new Cuisinart ICE50BCU long enough to review. I have owned a Magimix Gelato 2200 for several years now and what a piece of junk. The Cuisinart fantastic.
OK lets start with the noise as everyone seems to mention this as the only downside. Yes the Cusinart when starting is excrutiating, BUT after about 5 minutes it drops and is pretty much equal to the noise of the Magimix.
NOW let’s go to the process, here I will do the magimix first. You have 2 options here you can either make your ice cream in the built in bowl or use the insertable bowl, the latter method I will review as it is closest to the cusinart.
Both machines you prepare your ice cream mix first. It is not neccessary to cool the mixture in the fridge first(obviously not hot)…
1. Magimix… first you have to buy yourself some alcohol (probably isoprop from the chemist) and then using the measure put it in the outer bowl. Then drop in your inner bowl with the mixture and clip on the motor unit with a twist and press the motor switch down. (If you don’t use the removeable bowl it is difficult to pour in the mixture without spilling it, especially if it is on the worktop under a wall unit). Here comes the real pain in the butt, after about 15 mins you have to watch the machine constantly as there is no clutch to stop the machine if the ice cream get’s too thick. So it get’s to what they call a “soft scoop” consistency (between 25-45 mins) you have to turn it off manually. WARNING!!! if you leave it to it’s own ends it will BREAK off the lugs and wind itself up the cable leaving you with a mess and a heafty repair bill. You can now take out your ice cream and put it in a freezer for 2 hrs to get to the consistency of commercial ice cream.
(If you decline to use the removeable bowl the cleaning is awkward as well)
2. Cuisinart… prepare your mix. Pour it into the bowl and drop into the machine. Insert the arm that has the paddle and splashguard attached. Switch on and set the timer. An amount for 4 persons takes about 25 mins, a full tub about 45mins-1hr. (The timer goes in intervals up to 1hr.) Soft scoop takes about 20-25 mins hard commercial texture 35-1hr depending on quantity.
When the machine gets to the point that the texture is hard it will stop churning with NO DAMAGE to your machine and the timer also lets you know when it is ready.
Cleaning a cinch simply remove the bowl serve ice cream and then rinse out with hot water and soap. Rinse paddle under tap.
Summary… the Cusiinart wins by a long shot.Easy to use and does not self-destruct when left. The result of the Cusinart ice cream texture is way ,way smoother and firmer than the Magimix
thus saving the extra agro of freezing afterwards.
Marks out of 10. Cuisinart 9 Magimix 1
Just one extra point you can shop around and usually get around 20ukp cheaper but of course Amazon’s protection is good.
I purchased this ice-cream maker last year so it’s had quite a bit of use in that time. The main plus point is that it makes delicious ice-cream very quickly. I’ve tried recipes out of the booklet provided as well as recipes from different cookery books and I haven’t been disappointed in any of them. There are a number of negatives but none of them make me regret purchasing it. They are – its quite heavy and as I don’t have counter space for it, it’s a bit of a nuisance having to take it in and out of the cupboard. As many other people have mentioned, it’s noisy but once it’s churning I just shut the kitchen door so that’s not really an issue. Finally I wish they had made it so that it wasn’t so prone to finger marks – the parts are very easy to wash but the actual unit itself get’s marks on it very easily and they are difficult to remove.
As mentioned before, these are minor gripes that would have made the machine perfect, but even with them, I am extremely happy with my purchase and would recommend this ice-cream maker to anyone.
Excelle
I made the right decision! This product is excellent, stylish and so easy to use, I was undecided which make of ice cream machine to buy but after other comments left I made my mind up. Everyone agrees it makes the most delicious ice cream, I wish the bowl was bigger, as soon as you have made some its gone! the only negative comment i can say is it is slightly noisy, but i am happy to put up with this as the rewards well and truly out way the negative.
I’ve had ice-cream makers before that you have to pre-freeze the container,this just makes the whole process so easy.Yes,it is heavy,yes,it is noisey in operation,but the results are superb.I bought the Ben and Jerry’s book and believe me,the results are perfection,dont take just my word but everyone of my friends that have tasted the products.I agree that at the end of the alloted time the ice-cream is a little on the soft side,and I always put it in the freezer,but,come on,thats forward planning not a hassle ! If you have any incling that you you might want an ice-cream maker,dont hesitate in getting this;I bought this as an Xmas present for someone and still ended up buying one !
What a great item! I have had this ice cream maker for about a month now and the end result is amazing every time. I admit the machine is noisy but its worth it for the final product. I have made some great ice creams including munchie and malteasers and a cream tea one. If you’re going to purchase this item I would strongly recommend buying the Ben & Jerry’s book as it really is a great recipe book but make sure you have a measuring jug with the “cups” measurement on it.
great produc
This ice cream maker is quite good so I might as well just tell you the bad points,its slightly noisy and if youve got a large family then you might need to go for a larger one because every one will love the ice cream it makes.
Ice Cream Heave
Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Maker
Very simple operation and easily cleaned.
Kids like mixing the ingredients and love eating the finished product, and all within an hour.
Experimentation gives ice cream exactly the way you like it.
The down side is the very high price.
My purchase arrived in two working days and as soon as I used it I was delighted. Other reviews mentioned that it was noisy. Yes it is a little but not that noisy. I really dont find the noise a problem. It comes with a recipe book to make various types of Ice Cream but so far I have only tried out the plain simple soft vanilla flavour. The paddle for churning the mixture looks a bit flimsey but up to now it has been satisfactory. The only niggle I have is that Cuisinart tell you not to put the plastic churning paddle in the dish-washer, which is a bit of a shame. I can make ice cream in 40 minutes. This is something which works right out of the box.
Ben and Jerry eat your heart ou
Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Maker
Rarely been off since it arrived. I can tell because of the grating noise coming from the kitchen. Makes delicious ice cream. Beware of expanding waistline from eating ice cream. Worth the money compared with older pre-freeze versions.
We have gone ice cream mad!
I purchased the Cuisinart Professional Ice Cream Maker for my wife’s birthday. After years of searching i have found an affordable product that enables ice cream to made in as short of 30-40 mins; it’s great! There is a down side however; we need to do more exercise as it is too easy to eat ice cream every day. I am glad that i took the advice of Amazon customers and went with this product….I am off have an ice cream now….
Superb ice cream, but noisy
Ice cream is great…so far tested on over 50 folks. Real ice cream parlour stuff.
Here come the but………definitely noisy. Thankfully I have a utility room to house this monster, and shut the door. Found the free recipe a little too sweet, Try reducing the sugar by 25% or more.
Ive had an icecream maker for several years, but the last one had a bowl that needed to be frozen – which I often lost the urge to make icecream.
So I bought this one after reading lots of reviews. I could barely wait to try this machine. The first batch disappeared as soon as it came out of the machine, so had to make a second one. Since then we have made icecream every few days.
I made Ginger and Rhubarb and a Honey and Whiskey for a dinner party last week, plus a strawberry and orange sorbet. One guest who claimed to dislike honey and whiskey had 4 helpings!
Very easy to use just sling everything in then let it churn, BUT word of warning do not wander off and leave it because when it goes hard the machine doesnt like it one bit. Its very noisey and I dont always hear the ‘ping’
You can use a wide range of ingredients including mascaphone, cream, milk and yogharts. Great way of introducing fruit to children.
We had a Gaggia before but it sadly died after 7 years hard use.
Cuisinart – likes – Professional looking. Fewer bits to clean. Do not need to add alcohol into the bowl first. Timer is reliable. slightly lighter to lift in and out of the cupboard. No chilling of the machine before churning.
dislikes – VERY noisy. The standard vanilla recipe is too sweet. Ice cream does not firm up into a good serving consistency (too soft even after 60 mins churning) and melts too quickly. Impossible to serve it straight from the machine, must go in the freezer for an hour or two first.
Wish I had stuck to the Gaggia – makes much better ice cream
Buy It!
How easy can it get to make really exceptional ice cream? Chill your ingredients first, pour into the machine and wait for 45 minutes.
Have made rhubarb and ginger and lemon and vanilla as well as lavender ice creams.
Yes its noisy and take care to add the “bits” rhubarb etc towards the very end of the cycle – but the results are truly fab
We replaced our magimix machine with this professional machine and purchased this particular model after reading through numerous competitor reviews and decided on it due to the excellent 5* reviews from other buyers, although expensive its well worth the money
The up sides
The machine makes excellent quality ice-cream in about an hour
The downsides
It is quite noisy but once you get used to it, it’s ok
(you can always leave the kitchen)
I don’t usually post reviews about items, but after spending a long time researching ice cream makers, and reading the reviews here on amazon, I decided to go for this item. I was a little put off by the reviews which says it’s noisy, but seriously it really isn’t that bad at all. I’m really glad i bought this particular machine, as unlike others it doesn’t need any alcohol in the freezing process, has it’s own chiller unit, and makes absolutely wicked ice cream every time (so far) made 5 different varieties using both the supplied recipie book and also the ben and jerrys book. I can’t recommend this unit enough – it’s superb. If you’re in the market for an ice cream maker, this is the only one you should be considering, it may be expensive, but it’s well worth it.
Great Ice Cream machine. Easy to use. Great warranty and excellent support from Amazon. Just a bit noisy but would definitally recommend.
I have tried Gaggia and Magimix ice cream makers in the past and the Cuisinart one is far superior in quality, design and operation.
The noise other reviewers refer to is what is to be expected from an Ice Cream maker and compariable to others on the market.
Strong, solid, robust and durable and if you want a machine to last………….buy the Cuisinart!
I chose this ice cream maker over the Gaggia and Magimix ones because :-
1) Looks – Strudy, retro design that co-ordinates with my existing gadgets and if it needs to live on your worktop this is important. (To me anyway!)
2) No need for alcohol to help the freezing process. I still cannot beleive that after paying nearly 300 for the others you need to ‘feed’ it with alcohol to help it freeze!
3) Capacity – seems to make double the quantity of the other 2.
4) Price – unbeleivably (given the above) up to about 50 cheaper depending on where you buy! I’d have still bought it if it had been the same price.
My machine is hardly ever off (family now fondly calls it ‘the tractor’). Yes a little noisy but so so worth it. I bought 3 books from Amazon but find I like the Ben & Jerry’s book the best.
Fresh strawberry ice cream and sorbet is like nothing I have ever tasted before. I have a son who is lactose intolerant and have been able to produce delicious sorbets and dairy free ice creams (using coconut cream and milk). I havent had to buy any ice cream at all since having the machine and given I have a family that would eat it for breakfast, lunch and tea if I let them it is so nice to know that what they are eating it chemical free!
Like others, I did much research before purchasing. After all it would be an expensive appliance purchase to ‘get wrong’. I was within seconds of purchasing the Magimix competitor product but after looking at a YouTube demonstration I realised I did not like the requirement to place a saline or alcohol liquid between the bowls mentioned here and buried in the product’s online manual AND I did not like how the arm ‘looked’ that was to turn the paddle… it looked flimsy.
All the positive recommendations here swayed me. After all I already had a Cuisinart US voltage ice cream maker for some time.
Bottom Line: I could not be more pleased with how this product makes ice cream! I am an experienced ice cream maker and have used any number of freezer insert type models over the years. Ice cream can now be made ‘on a whim’ all that is required is to make the mix, pour it in and turn it on. At first I thought the 40-60 minute churn time would be a negative of the product but the resulting ice cream texture is so good that it is worth the wait. And yes it is a bit noisy while in action but still the time and noise issues are minor given the quality of the outcome. Hence my 5 star recommendation.
This machine arrived a few days ago, and we’ve had a go at four different ices, mainly from the Ben and Jerry ice cream book. I have to say that the results have been exceptional–specifically a dark chocolate ice cream with bits of chocolate covered crystallised ginger, and a strawberry frozen yogurt (simply made just with mashed strawberries, lime juice, sugar and Greek yogurt–the result was absolutely delicious, better than any frozen yogurt I’ve ever bought). The machine is very easy to set up and a doodle to clean. The one setback is, as others have noted, that it is rather loud. I set it up in our utility room, where it happily churns away without disturbing anyone, and if this is an option for you, I’d certainly go with it. It’s very quick to make a good size amount of ice cream, which means you can throw the mixture together when people unexpectedly come over, and hey presto, less than an hour later you have something delicious to have with your coffee. No need to plan ahead and pre-freeze anything, which is a real bonus. I’ve been freezing left-over ice cream, and whilst it takes a few minutes to thaw to the right consistency, it still tastes amazing. If you love ice cream/frozen yogurt and sorbets, I’d definitely invest in this machine. It’s not cheap, but you’ll never have to buy ice cream again, and you’ll always know what lurks in your ice cream and can decide exactly what you put in it, and how rich or restrained you want it. A top purchase.
Gets four stars because I love the machine – makes great ice cream / sorbet etc, seems very solid and well made, and isn’t bad to look at.
But loses a star because it makes an unholy racket that might put you off using it. Don’t imagine that you can have the machine going in a room you are using. It makes a grinding, groaning noise that sounds like mechanical torture, and then the paddle changes direction and it gets even worse.
Strange because I can’t imagine what’s making such a racket – the chiller unit is pretty quiet, so it must be the stirring paddle. But plenty of other kitchen gadgets manage to turn a paddle or blade without inflicting that kind of din.
Mine lives under the stairs and the gnashing of cogs can still be heard throughout the house. Buy one – but only if you’ve got somewhere to muffle it!
Having had ice cream makers before I can say with my hand on my heart, this is the best I have ever used. it is worth every penny, makes wonderful ice creams completely effortlessly and makes enough for six – eight. I cannot recommend this machine enough.
A Big, noisy brute of a machine. However, does the job and does it well. Having tried various recipes including, Gelato (Italian custard based) the ones in the recipe book included with the machine, recieved the best reviews! Make sure you keep it upright for 24hrs before use!
You need to think where on earth you are going to put it, it is rather large (28cm x 35cm and 28cm tall), heavy; noisy and it must not be tipped 24 hours prior to use. However, with its brushed steel finish and plain, sleek lines, it is not unattractive. It comes with an instruction book, including basic recipies for ice cream, sorbets and iced drinks. It is simple to use, and makes up to 1L of fantastic ice cream – smooth, creamy and full of flavour (although British palates may choose to use less sugar than the recipies suggest) 1L may not sound much, but the ice-cream is very rich, and this is ample for 10-12 people – there does not appear to be a minimum amou
I also was undecided whether to go for the Gaggia brand, but after reading excellent reports on the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and the excellent price, as far as I was concerned this one was for me.
I definatly made the right choice, the ice cream is delicious also I have tried just using a large carton of fruit yoghurt which worked a treat, lovely frozen yoghurt and nothing else added to it which was good on the waistline.
I spent hours scouring the internet and reviews both in the UK and the US before finally buying this fabulous product. The main considerations for me were 1. quality of the machine (sturdy/unlikely to fall to pieces after two uses) 2. ease of use 3. no need to freeze any parts in advance 4. no need to add vodka to the bowl every time you used it (like apparently the Gaggia). Amazon delivered this item on time with the usual amazing logistical efficiency that makes them my number one choice for buying anything on the internet. We let the product sit for 24 hours and have been churning away ever since. I bought a couple of books with this but the one I like the most is the ultimate ice cream book by bruce weinstein which is all you need to figure it out (includes sorbets, granitas, yogurt etc.). This is a really fantastic machine. Buy it and have a great time.
I have owned this machine for a few months and am very happy with the results. The recipe book that comes with the machine contains a reasonable number of recipes and, after trying vanilla, I decided to experiment! Blueberry ice creams is fantastic (I just liquidised and strained two punnets of blueberries with a small amount of apple juice and substituted the mix for the milk in the vanilla recipe) and did the same with Raspberries. Have also made honey ice cream (vanilla recipe again, this time leaving out the sugar and adding 200g or so of honey), which was fragrant and delicious. It seems you can make lovely ice cream with minimum fuss, to the extent that I no longer purchase ice cream at all.
The machine is noisy, there’s no getting away from that and it is better to leave it to work its magic whilst you are in another room. But the ping when it finishes is loud enough to alert you when the cycle is completed.
I’ve given it four stars as it is expensive but the results are worth it and it is incredibly easy to use.
I bought the Cuisinart along with the Ben & Jerry’s recipe book and have been delighted with the results.
The ice cream that comes out of the machine is the consistency of that found in parlours that make their own; the texture is just superb.
Left over ice cream can be frozen, but the texture just isn’t the same as when it’s fresh; still tastes good though.
As this device has a chiller, I thought that it might run noisily, but the chiller unit is actually very quiet. The base unit contains the chiller and provides power to the stirrer motor, which is an arm-like unit that fits onto the top of the base. The good thing about this design is that the chiller and the stirrer are separate components, so can be replaced separately should they go wrong. The bad thing about the design is that the motor is not tucked away where some of the noise would be muffled. It is noisy; not deafeningly noisy, but loud enough that you’d rather be in the other room when it’s running.
It takes about 45 minutes to make a pint of ice cream, which is fine for us. If you make more or the ingredients are warmer it takes longer; so making the mixture in advance and putting in the fridge for a few hours will reduce the time needed in the ice cream maker.
The base unit is very solid and looks well put together. The stirring motor arm is plastic and light, but appears up to the job. The plastic paddle is a bit lightweight and you do need to treat it carefully to avoid breakage; similarly for the clear plastic bowl cover. You also have to be careful when assembling the stirring arm, paddle and lid.
Cleaning is easy; the bowl lifts out and the paddle and lid detach. The centre part of the paddle unclips and all can be easily cleaned with a cloth. I think it recommends not putting the bowl in the dishwasher, but it is easily wiped with a soapy dishcloth.
Be warned that due to the chiller unit, this product needs to be kept upright for 24 hours before using, so don’t expect to be making ice cream on the day you first receive it in the post. (My wife was very disappointed!)
There is a built in cut-out to prevent the motor overheating, so if the mixture is getting too thick, the stirring stops.
On the whole, I’m delighted with this product and am looking forward to the summer!
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Having deliberated long and hard over which machine to buy, we were initially favouring the Gaggia (based on many positive reviews) but got the opportunity to buy this at 70 or so less than the Gaggia.
So, we took the plunge and I have to say it is spot on. I have seen one review which complained of this machine cutting out when the consistency reached a certain point but this sounds like a good safeguard to me. Besides, if you want it rock hard, then you would have to freeze it separately anyway – I fail to see how you can have the paddle mix it when it is solid.
There are some recipes included and the vanilla is pretty much identical to the one in Ben & Jerry’s recipe book. All the vanilla recipes we have seen said to use vanilla extract so we did, but this is expensive compared to vanilla flavouring or essence. So we tried vanilla flavouring instead and a more sensitive palette may indeed discern between them, but we couldn’t – that’s the norm for us now. We have used strawberry flavouring and banana flavouring too and they are both spot on. We’ve also made grapefruit by using 125 ml of grapefruit juice and 300 ml milk in place of the 425 ml milk, then mixed the chopped grapefruit segments at the end – if you like grapefruit, this tastes unbelievable.
It is a doddle to use, too – mix your stuff, put it in the bowl, decide what consistency you want (this is only so you can set the timer to the desired duration) and switch on. All that remains then is to wait for the ‘ding’ and make sure you get to it before anyone else does.
The capacity of this machine is very good too, making 1.6 litres which is around 3 pints – this is more than most other makes. This sounded a lot to us at first but we soon discovered that it actually doesn’t go very far once people know there’s some to be had. We always intend to freeze some but there’s never any left to freeze.
We have used our machine quite a bit already and it is superb, as are the results. Everyone who has tried any raves about it, then comes back for more.
A word of caution, though – watch the calories; the output from this machine is so good, moderation really is a struggle.
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