Customer Reviews

Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker 1.5 Quart

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I researched ice cream makers for about a month before I purchased. The reviews were all over the place, usually the complaint was about the consistency. The consistency has to do with INGREDIENTS, not the machine itself. Thanks to one review I read, I understand that you must use PURE vanilla, not imitation vanilla for the best results -- or leave out the vanilla all together. With the Ice-20 you get a consistent, lovely soft serve quality (not runny, rather like Dairy Queen consistency). Also, using Hershey's syrup instead of melted chocolate makes a nice milk-shake, but not solid enough to be considered ice cream. It's more like a Wendy's Frosty.
I use mine to make frozen yogurt, lower-fat ice cream, and premium ice creams (with egg custard). The custard-based ice creams are the closest to commercial ice cream texture when frozen after the fact. The frozen yogurt and lower-fat content ice creams are best eaten soft serve right away. They tend to freeze hard and get a bit icy when frozen after the fact.

I have grown increasingly concerned with the ingredients in commercial ice cream, and since it's my partner's favorite treat, I wanted to be able to control the ingredients that go into it without paying an arm and a leg. Have you looked at the price of really tasty organic ice cream lately? I use strictly organic ingredients, including a specially developed low-glycemic ice cream sugar and am able to make 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream for under $3. And the taste of commercial ice cream can't compare. Besides buying commercial ice cream in the past, we also bought special toppings. No need now -- the purer the better with the Ice-20. The extra bowl is a great perk, so we can either make two flavors or we can make consecutive batches.

My only concern is the plastic blade. We use this machine daily, and sometimes twice daily, so it gets lots of use. But we take good care of it. Be SURE that the machine is running BEFORE you put the ingredients in -- otherwise you run the risk of freezing the blade and breaking it. However, I'm sure with a great company like Cuisinart behind it that we won't have trouble replacing the blade if that time comes.

In all fairness, though, I understand that you can purchase this same product at Costco for $40. But I dearly love the convenience of Amazon because I live in a remote area.

Enjoy your Ice-20. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at jadelaine@gmail.com. I also have some great recipes for fabulous tasting, low-fat, low-sugar desserts made with this machine that are not in the machine manual and that rival anything you've ever eaten commercially.

This ice cream maker is so easy to operate! I love it! The ice cream is so yummy! I have made vanilla and mint chip and I look forward to experimenting with many more different flavors! I don't think you will be disappointed with this product.

I had researched exhaustively before buying this ice cream maker. I don't know what the differences are between this model and the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, but from my experience so far, I'm happy with this model.

The first time I used the machine, I failed to completely freeze the bowl. (You can tell if the bowl is frozen all the way by shaking it--if you hear sloshing, then it's not ready!) This problem stemmed from my own impatience, though, and it wasn't the product's fault. I just tossed the unfrozen mix into the fridge, rinsed out the bowl, and put it back in the freezer until it was actually frozen.

This machine is fairly quiet, and it hums along without getting annoying. You probably wouldn't want to watch TV in the room with it, but it certainly isn't as loud as a blender or a food processor.

It helps if you chill your ice cream base for an hour or two before putting it into the machine. When you add your mixture, make sure the machine is running before you begin pouring--this prevents the mix from sticking to the sides of the container. Let it run for about 20 minutes, and you've got soft-serve-style ice cream. Usually I eat it at this point, but if you like your ice cream more scoopable, put it in a container and pop it into the freezer for 10 minutes.

I love having two freezer bowls for this machine. One bowl makes a good amount of ice cream (at least 4 generous adult-size servings), but having two freezer bowls lets me make two flavors at once and satisfy everyone (or overload myself with two choices of frozen happiness).

I am vegan and my favorite ice cream base consists of two cans of coconut milk (you can use regular, lite, or a combination) and sweetener (I like Stevia best because it's zero-calorie, but I've also used organic cane sugar, agave, and brown rice syrup). Combine in a blender and then mix in whatever else you want (cocoa powder, peanut butter, and banana is my favorite combination). I'm learning to use ingredients like Xanthan Gum to thicken my mixes.

You'll quickly learn how to make ice cream that rivals premium store brands in terms of taste, and kicks their butts in terms of affordability.

This was given to me as a birthday gift a couple of years ago. I have only bought ice cream once since then and I make at least one, if not two or three batches a week. I have never had a problem with the machine. The second bowl is great because I can always have one ready to go. My paddle has never broken, but I did order a replacement just in case--I know someone who broke theirs and I don't want to be without great homemade ice cream. Just store the canisters in double plastic bags (to prevent ice crystals) in your freezer and you can make soft ice cream in just over 30 minutes whenever you want. If you choose to make the "custard" style it will take a bit longer to prepare. At one time I thought I might like the machine with the larger canister, but I realize that it usually wouldn't fit in my very full freezer.

I love controlling what is in my ice cream and after you try some of the basic flavors in the booklet you can go out on your own. I have made chocolate mint chip, cookies and cream, root beer, orange cream, strawberry, raspberry, pumpkin, coconut, peppermint, lemon and more. I haven't ventured much beyond ice cream, having only made sherbet once, but friends of mine use fruit juice in theirs to make slush. Be warned--that freezes up faster than ice cream and if you aren't watching it closely you may break your paddle.

Great product. I highly recommend it!

I ordered this product on the suggestion of a friend who has the same one. I couldn't be happier. It makes ice cream in no time with very little effort. I have made regular, soy and yogurt ice cream. It has all been delicious. And I'm thrilled I went with the bonus bowl. As soon as I take it out of the freezer to make my yummy treat, I put in the extra one to start the freezing process. I am never without a bowl. I'm just sorry I got my ice cream maker so late in the season because I won't make the frozen treat in the winter months. I think it is well worth the price.

I've used this machine only on a few occassions just to 'test it out' and it was great. Only thing I didn't like was that you have to freeze it at least 18 hours before you make the ice cream. Now that I know that - I keep one of the bowls in the freezer at all times since you never know when the mood for ice cream is going to hit you and once you put the liquid in to the bowl and turn it on it only takes a few minutes before you get to enjoy the final product! It's great that it came with 2 bowls, one for today and one for tomorrow's flavor. I would highly recommend it for yourself or for a gift.

This Sorbet maker is soooo easy to use. My only complaint is that the recipe booklet does not give enough recipes. I am good at modifying, but I know many folks aren't. Also, it is pretty much mandatory to have a food processor to puree the ingrediants. The lemon sorbet is to die for!

Most gadgets get lost in my cabinets...used once or twice and rarely ever again. However, this one sits right on my counter because I can't imagine having to look for it considering I use it so much. It's wonderful! I love it! Just made some Lemon sorbet....better than "Rita's". Easy and yummy!

This is the second ice cream maker of this kind that I have purchased. This one is a gift. We absolutely love ours and have had no problems with it for years. I thought the addition of the second bowl would be very handy.

Love this maker. So easy to use and great results. Spent Memorial Day with friends and they had the same model and love it too.

Key advice - splurge on either the two bowl model or buy a second bowl and keep them both in the fridge. Only downside is the length of time it takes to freeze the bowl (1 day) if it's not already in the freezer. Second bowl allows you to make two batches in the same session instead of one per day - and TWO ice creams are twice as goos as one!