Customer Reviews

Cuisinart ICE-25 Classic Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This design was given to me as a gift, replacing a Krups La Glaciere that had worked well for a few years before the coolant began leaking into the freezing chamber. In terms of freezing and mixing ability - the only real differences between ice cream makers at this low-end level - the Cuisinart works very well. In fact, it seems to hold its temperature longer than the Krups model, perhaps due to the extra bit of insulation afforded by "freezing chamber in bucket" design. Also, for those familiar with the Krups, the Cuisinart actually rotates the bucket rather than the dasher; odd at first, but it works fine, and allows for faster assembling of the component parts when you're starting the freezing process. The only (minor) complaint I have is that, if you are making a sizable batch, the ice cream frequently starts to pour over the top of the dasher as it expands, even if you follow the instructions for how high the freezing chamber should be filled. It doesn't spill out of the unit, however, and the freezing process doesn't seem to be significantly disturbed. In short - the Cuisinart is worth the buy, and will produce ice cream that's as good as your recipe allows.

I've had this appliance for 6 weeks and have had excellent results, making 5 batches so far. Depending on the recipe you use, you only have to mix the ingredients, pour it in the freezing chamber and turn it on. That's it. It also cleans up very easily. I've read the reviews of those who have not had such good luck. I think either their particular unit was defective, the freezing chamber was not cold enough or they used a cooked recipe and the mix had not cooled sufficiently. The freezing chamber contains a sealed reservoir of liquid which, when sufficiently frozen, eliminates the need for the ice and salt used in typical ice cream makers. The liquid must be frozen solid for the unit to work as advertised. Also, some recipes require the mix to be cooked on the stovetop, then chilled for at least 8 hours. If a cooked mix isn't cooled sufficiently, it won't make good ice cream either. I've used cooked and mix-and-pour recipes with equal results. I didn't give it 5 stars because the capacity is too small.

This small and simple machine, does just what it says it does: It makes simple ice cream. I have left the container in the fridge, since the day I got it. Anytime the hankering hits, I can have a frozen dessert in 30 minutes. I have made ice cream, fruit ices and gellato. I have had good luck making sugar free and fat free desserts as well, by adding a little alchohol to slow down the freezing and formation of ice crystals. It is a cute, cheap, little ice cream maker that delivers well for the investment.

for the price i paid ($49.95) at williams sonoma this unit cant be beat, especially when they threw in an extra freezer bowl for free! i felt it was such a tremendous value that i splurged on a high quality oxa ice cream scoop and williams sonoma ice cream book then went out and purchased the ben & jerry's ice cream book (which i am quite impressed with) too. this ice cream maker does a pretty decent job of creating home made ice cream which tastes excellent. in order to reduce the dairy and fat, i replaced all instances where milk is called for in the ben & jerry's book with soy milk (organic 365 original flavor soy milk from whole foods market) and it tastes as good if not better than regular milk with a similar texture to boot whether served immediately or frozen). i experimented and tried using splenda instead of sugar and the ice cream tasted good coming out of the mixer (not having been frozen), however, if frozen the ice cream developed the texture of ice. i literally had to use an ice pick to scoop ("chip") it out. needless to say, unless you plan on eating the ice cream right away, splenda will not work. i asked a co-worker who is attending cooking school why this happened and he said sugar (the real thing) is required for ease of separation of the ice cream particles which made sense. the only drawback is that the firmness of ice cream once done mixing is inconsistent. sometimes its a nice softserve and at other times it has the consistency of a not so thick shake. i found however that this has to do with the room temperature. its best to make ice cream when the room is not so warm (in the evening) or shut off all the lights and close the curtains to prevent light and heat from reaching the unit.

For anyone who remembers making ice cream as a kid with the endless hand cranking and messy rock salt, this little ice cream maker will delight you. Flip the switch, walk away, and come back after dinner to find it's all done.
The cord stores easily and neatly inside the bottom of the unit. The freezer bowl hand washes easily, and the other parts clean up in the dishwasher. The manual says it will come out soft and you need to freeze it in a seperate container to get harder ice cream, and that is true. I think that is probably true with any homemade ice cream. When it was mixing, we smelled the heat of the motor a little. Maybe because it is new?
The reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it is more of a toy and not an indispenseable addition to my kitchen. It was given to me as a gift, and I probably wouldn't buy it for myself because it is more of a novelty to us and doesn't get used that much. But I can see trying a lot of the recipes that come with it and using it for more than just ice cream. I store the bowl in my freezer at all times so we don't have to plan ahead too much, and it does take up a lot of room in there. If you have room to store the unit and the freezer bowl, then it is something fun to have.

After buying this unit, and making a couple of batches , I am still glad I bought it. IF you follow the instuctions it will work the way it is suppose to. And yes, you do have to let it sit in the freezer for 1 hr. or so before you will have formed ice cream. And yes, all mixes need to be chilled for 8 to 24 hours, and 24 hrs. for the bowl. If you do not like the wait, don't buy one and just get your ice cream from the store. But personally I have NEVER had better ice cream , it is worth the wait. I have made all kinds, full of fat, less fat, sugared, and sugarfree,ice cream, gelto, sorbet,and have been great. And add my own fresh fruit,makes such a differance , I will never buy store ice cream again! Have you ever read the ice cream box ?? It's not a pretty sight.And since there is only two of us, I have even cut the recipes in half, no waste, and no freezer burn.

We just got this recently and have made two batches so far. Our first batch was basic vanilla ice cream using the recipe that comes with the machine: milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Couldn't be simpler. In 25 minutes we had delicious, though quite soft, ice cream. We put it in a container and froze it and the next day we had firm ice cream that needed an ice cream scoop to serve. Wow!

Our 2nd batch was lemon sorbet, again using the included recipe. Similar results. Soft (Slurpee consistency) after 25 minutes which firmed up once frozen. Sorbet is a little more involved to make because you need to prepare the sugar syrup first, but that can be made in advance and stored until you are ready to make your sorbet.

The machine is not overly noisy (we could still watch tv in the next room) and very easy to clean up. I'm only sorry we didn't buy one sooner.

This is a great, simple product for making delicious ice cream and frozen yogurt! It's a blast to create your own flavors and recipes and reap the rewards.

Two major points of emphasis:

1) You must freeze the empty bucket for at least several hours (overnight is best) before you make anything.

2) You must freeze the products in a separate container (not included) for at least 4-6 hours or overnight before it is the right consistency.

So while it only takes 20-30 minutes to run, it actually requires a couple days planning to have the desserts when you want them. This is just the reality of making frozen desserts and not a flaw in the product.

OVERALL: Highly recommended as a gift for dessert lovers
ALSO: The booklet that comes with actually has a great set of handy recipes you can use as a base to make almost anything you can dream up.

This is my first frozen dessert maker of any kind.

I have done so much research on the ice cream makers on Amazon that I went a bit crazy trying to decide which to get. Then I decided to buy my cute little ice cream maker at Sam's ($39.). I have used it twice now and here are my observations:

1. Yes, it is noisy, but not intolerable.

2. The bucket MUST be frozen SOLID in order to work correctly.

3. It makes wonderful ice cream.

4. It (1 1/2 quarts)is a bit small-especially once you start adding additional ingredients towards the end (we like to add chopped up cookies or candy) and I am afraid it will spill out or clog. I end up dumping everything into a container and mixing stuff in by hand. I am seriously considering getting a 2 quart just for the extra space and peace of mind--even though this machine makes enough ice cream for a small family.

5. You have to work a bit fast when transfering the ice cream from the bucket to the storage container. It can melt quickly so just have everything ready to go.

6. Make sure to clean and dry and wrap the bucket and put it back into the freezer asap so it is ready to go for the next batch.

Overall a good buy and I would reccommend it because I don't think there are other 1 1/2 qrt. makers that offer too much more or better for the money.

Hope that helps !

I purchased this item as a X-Mas gift for my husband, he LOVES to cook and do things around the kitchen (he cooks very good). When he opened up his present (among others) he immediately put it to use, yup, he made some vanilla ice cream, to start out, just to kinda-test the ice cream maker machine and well, at first it was like ahhhhh, ice cream is kinda "soft" BUT....he figured out that the part that goes inside the machine should be kept in the freezer so when its mixing it it'll have that ice cream "consistency"; so then, the week after, my husband tried another kind of ice cream, Buttered Pecan, yummmmmmm, NOW that's more like it.....very very delicious and just like ice cream bought from the store, it was really good, so im glad he's very happy and content with his new ice cream maker machine. Our children and I are satisfied with the results! So Thank You for having this item on stock.