Customer Reviews

Cuisinart ICE-40BK Flavor Duo Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, and Sorbet Maker

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a fast fun delicious way to make ice cream, sorbets, frozen drinks, etc. Unless you pick a particularly complicated recipe, little more is involved than mixing ingredients together, turning the machine on, pouring the goop in, and waiting 20 or 30 minutes.

The ice cream is delicious but not as dense as, say, Haagen-Dazs, because the machine whips a little air into it. So it can taste like frozen chocolate-flavored whipped cream rather than "ice cream" per se. But hey what's not to like about frozen whipped cream, eh?

You will need to leave it for another hour or two in your freezer if you don't want a soft-serve-like texture. Another issue is that it will not make enough for a crowd. For that you would have to go to an old-fashioned hand-cranked model, I think.

Finally, the machine is extremely noisy. You will think you have moved your washing machine onto your kitchen counter.

But...especially if you have kids...no one will mind...yum!

I received this as a wedding present -- it's great! I love that you can make two flavors at the same time or double the amount of your favorite flavor. It's such a pleasure to churn out ice cream in your own kitchen; seeing an ice cream base transform into a frozen confection is a delight (plus you can control all the ingrediants that go into your mixture). My stepkids love to make --and eat-- the ice cream.

The one downside isn't the machine, it's the instruction/recipe booklet that comes with it. If you've never made ice cream before, then you should know that you need to allow a 1/4-inch of head space in the canister, and I don't think that was made abundently clear. (I figured it out pretty quickly, though, after some strawberry I.C. didn't freeze up well). Also, the few recipes I've tried are not the best; there's no point in creating homade ice cream (sorbet, sherbert) that doesn't taste great. I was given the "The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever" by Peggy Fallon along with this machine; the recipes from her book are wonderful (try making the chocolate ice cream with Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chips).
Good luck and enjoy your ice cream maker!

i had been thinking about buying an ice cream maker for years, and the deal on this model convinced me.

its a very good machine. the base is surprisingly light-weight; the noise is not something you'd want to be in the same room with for the whole 20-25 minutes of chilling, but the machine doesn't require watching, so i just leave the room; the results are wonderful. even friends who have had the old-fashioned hand-cranked type of ice cream raved about the ice cream made with this machine.

the only reason i have not given it five stars is the dishwashing issue. i could accept that there is a reason that the paddles couldn't go into the dishwasher, but surely the covers could have been made of a dishwasher-safe plastic. both the paddles and the covers are very adward shapes, very difficult to wash by hand (for the paddles, that is after they've been licked, of course).

this is a minor complaint, since having this machine means i get to make ice cream with enough flavor and without seaweed (that's carrageenan), corn syrup or unpronounceable chemicals.

Although it is a bit noisy, it is not distracting...you can watch tv and carry on with a normal conversation with it running.
Being able to do two different flavors at the same time is great..or even just double the amount of one flavor!

I would recommend this machine to anyone interested in making their own ice cream. After 25 minutes you have an ice cream with the consistency of soft serve. [Though sometimes you have to run it for longer because some ingredients add more liquid to the mixture, so naturally it won't be as firm as others. Also, for those of you complaining how you have to refreeze the bowls and run it again...you are most likely not freezing the bowls long enough in the first place. For best results, leave the bowl unused in the freezer for at least a day...that way the liquid inside is COMPLETELY frozen.]

After your ice cream is done, just put it all in an airtight container in the freezer for a half hour or so and VOILA...ice cream that rivals even Ben & Jerrys! You can make ANY flavor you want...that's the best part about it. Not enough chunks in your store bought ice cream? This is your solution, add as much as you want! Enjoy!

We have really enjoyed this machine. It is easy to use, easy to clean, looks really good setting in the kitchen, and is very affordable. We tested the recipes in the instruction booklet and have found them to be very good and delicious (though we prefer using half-n-half, along with 2% milk, instead of heavy whipping cream and whole milk).

The noise of the machine isn't an issue. It doesn't even come close to the loud sound a blender or mixer makes.

Best of all, is the ice cream you can make within 20-30 minutes with no mess or hassle!! What more could you ask for!!

This is our second ice cream maker. We previously had the Krups. It is so nice to have the ability to make two types at one time. We have used it for dinner parties, guests, or just fun. It works like a charm and is simple enough for my husband. It is noisy, so we use it in the laundry room. To get a really firm ice cream you need an additional 30 minutes in the freezer.
It is really alot nicer to have the Duo, rather than have to make the ice cream in tandem. Also- we searched everywhere. Amazon had by far the best deal! .... WoW. If only they carried the spare bowls.

I was a little hesitant to purchase this after reading some of the other reviews, but I figured I would give it a try anyway. I have to admit that I am very happy I made that decision. This is by far an excellent investment. Pair this up with the recipe book from Ben & Jerry's and your options are endless.
And in response to everyone else's complaint about the noise, let's be resonable, it is a kitchen appliance, of course it is going to make some noise. Is it exceptionally loud? Not by any means.
If you looking for a great ice cream/frozen yougurt maker at a great cost, stop right here...

This cool machine does a great job.
The secret is keep everything very cold.
Store your canisters in your freezer at the lowest temperature.
Keep milk and whipping cream very cold and you will be amazed at how nice the ice cream turns out.
The best ever!

We have had this for a few weeks now and we use it quite frequently. It is very easy to use because you don't have to worry about using ice and salt like our other ice cream maker. We use this more because it is convienent. It is easy to clean up and it looks nice on the counter. I don't think it is very loud, especially when comparing to our other ice cream maker. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes to have home made ice cream.

People are exaggerating the noise level of this machine. It is far quieter than a blender or even a hand mixer. Since it only runs for 20-25 minutes, the noise level becomes negligable. Unless it's on top of the TV you probably won't notice.

Recipes included with the machine are delicious. Be sure and use pasturized in-shell eggs and try replacing sugar with Splenda for a sugar-free treat.

It also looks nice displayed on the kitchen counter.