Customer Reviews

Cuisinart ICE-45 Mix It In Soft Serve 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

In reading the reviews for this product, I've noticed that some people may have been expecting something more than what Cuisinart is selling. Having used this unit several times now, here are my impressions and thoughts.
- The unit uses a freezer bowl to freeze the product. That means that the bowl MUST be frozen solid and the product MUST be very well chilled, otherwise you will not get good results. We have just kept our freezer bowls in the deep freeze when not in use so that we can make ice cream fairly quickly. It's probably best to mix up your soft serve mix at least an hour in advance and put it in the coldest part of your fridge or (as another reviewer suggested) in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to get it as cold as possible without prematurely freezing it.
- The freezer bowl doesn't have a huge capacity. It can make "10-12" servings - if your servings are small. 6-8 is probably more like it. If you want more, make certain you purchase an additional bowl and keep it frozen.
- The instructions on time expectations generally say 10-15 minutes, and this can be true if you chill the ice cream mixture very thoroughly. Otherwise it will take longer, probably more like 15-20 minutes.
- The first serving or so may be fairly soupy - I have found that I can dispense some into a cup and then re-add that into the top of the bowl.
- The "mix-ins" really don't mix in to the soft serve at all, they are really topping dispensers. If you're expecting something like a DQ Blizzard, it's not the same. Also, don't over-fill (or pack in) the mix in bins. I've had good luck with chopped peanuts, sprinkles and the mini M&Ms.

The differences between this unit and a more conventional ice cream freezer are mainly that this unit has a freezable bowl vs. a bowl that is placed in a mix of ice and rock salt. That means it is a little more convenient, but lacks the capacity of the conventional freezer. Our ice cream freezer makes about twice as much ice cream as the soft serve, but it is much louder, generally requires more clean up and doesn't dispense the product. On the other side, I think a conventional freezer has more versatility if you are making things like frozen custards that set up harder than soft serve. Finally, the freezer just isn't really as much "fun" as this one is which has real appeal if you've got kids in the family.

Overall, I've really enjoyed this gadget - but I did some research first and made certain I understood what I was buying. This is NOT like the soft serve dispensers in restaurants - but it's very nice for a treat on a summer afternoon.

We bought this ice cream maker thinking we could use it for a big party we were having. It turns out that the freezer bowl will give you about 10 - 12 servings before it needs refreezing. So we opted not to use it for the party (not enough servings) but instead use it for our family.

I was a little apprehensive about buying this product since similar product reviews were none to flattering. This unit howover seems to work just fine.

The instructions claim that the ice cream is ready to serve in about 12 - 15 minutes but we found that 20 minutes was needed to reach the right consistency. But, once it's ready, the ice cream poured out perfectly (we even got the knack of twirling the column of ice cream into our cones). We've decided that the vanilla ice cream recipe is our family's favorite.

Clean up was a snap since all the parts can be easily removed and cleaned.

We tried the condiment dispensers and my kids loved it. We found that certain things don't work well if they aren't chopped finely or if they don't have a slippery surface (like m&m's). Otherwise, it's cool to have the 'extras' intermixed with the ice cream.

Overall, this product is nicely engineered and works very well.

We just used this machine tonight, and we are VERY pleased with it.

I read through all the 48 other comments on this page before buying, and was a little daunted by the negatives, but we promised the kids to get the machine, so we took the plunge.

Thought we would need a second bowl since we have 7 kids, but found it not so. We used regular sized Keebler Waffle Cones, piled to the top but not beyond, and everyone got one (even Mom and Dad) with a couple of the bigger eaters getting seconds.

Here are my observations:

1) The bowl gets plenty cold if your freezer is plenty cold. Folks down below who claim they had cold freezers and their bowls didn't get cold enough ... don't know what to say about 'em. 'Cold' is one of those things that either it is, or it ain't. Enough said.

I started dispensing after 15 minutes, because I was afraid the bowl would start warming up, but as I got to the last cones, I noticed the ice cream continued to harden and look more "professional" as it dispensed. Next time I'll wait until 20.

After the bowl had been out of the deep freeze for 40 minutes, we rinsed it in HOT water, and the water froze solid to the bowl. That's cold.

2) The mix in thingy worked perfectly. I couldn't believe how neat-o that was. Follow the directions on sizes, and you won't go wrong.

3) I took the advice downstream and avoided the Cuisinart recipes. We just used our family favorite old fashined vanilla, with the raw eggs, flour, salt, sugar, milk, and cream. No problems. I made our usual 6 or so quarts that we put in the full-sized ice cream freezer, so we have left-overs for tomorrow.

Final analysis: Cold freezer, follow directions. That simple. Sucker works like a charm. I had kids hugging me and thanking me for buying the machine - it doesn't get much better than that.

This product works as advertised - but it is extremely important to place the freezer bowl in the back of your freezer to insure that it freezes solid. The first two times using this product we failed to make ice cream because we froze the bowl in the front part of our freezer for 24 hours and it did not freeze solid. The condiment dispenser works fine for sprinkles, but items like chopped nuts don't quite work as well. The recipies are very good and once you get the feezer bowl froze solid (really takes about 48 hours the first time) the ice cream is very very good.

I purchased the Mix It In on 9/8/06 and used it the next day. I never got soft serve. I froze the bowl again, this time in my upright freezer, and made the mix the day before and refrigerated it for 15 hours.

Today, I made soft serve!!!!!! It isn't perfect but I'm well on my way. I have been making the low fat version but I think the regualar version will be excellent. To make this machine work for you here are some pointers:
1. If you don't have an upright or chest freezer, put the bowl in the back of your regular freezer.
2. Freeze the bowl for as long as possible beyond the suggested 12 hours.
3. You can forget the 12-15 minute check described in the manual. You will not have a chance of having soft serv before a minimum of 25 minutes. I mixed as long as 40 minutes.
4. SAVE YOUR RECEIPT. Since the ice cream takes twice as long to mix as is suggested in the manual, you are using the motor 2x as much. Therefore, you might have to use the 3 year warranty.

For soft serve and ice cream cone lovers, this Cuisinart Mix-It-In Soft Serve Machine is a fun and effective kitchen gadget with the novelty of three built-in topping dispensers. Follow the instructions and adapt the recipes and you can get tasty soft serve comparable to your favorite soft serve shop.

If you've been doing your homework, you're apt to become confused, as I did, as to the reason why so many reviewers rave about this machine whereas the other half claim that it simply doesn't work. Most complaints seemingly center around the fact that the bowl must be frozen, and if your freezer doesn't have the space or doesn't get cold enough it is nearly impossible to obtain desirable results. For the money, consumers seemingly expect that these machines will refrigerate the soft serve ice cream -- but they don't. Yes, you can buy ice cream makers that self-refrigerate the ingredients as they mix but those generally cost much more, do not produce soft serve and do not offer a dispenser. In other words, apples to oranges.

I feel fortunate to have read reviewer tips from successful owners here on Amazon prior to purchase. Had I not, I too may have been among those who are disappointed with the product. Instead, I learned that while the user manual suggests freezing the bowl for 15 hours, 24 may be necessary (toward the back of the freezer). Better yet, if you are able to store the bowl in the freezer it makes it much easier to use the machine spontaneously. I also learned something the manual does not suggest but should: Mix up the ingredients using a wire whisk or low speed mixer at least 20 minutes ahead of time and chill the contents in a pitcher, along with the mixing paddle, for a bit more before you remove the bowl from the freezer, pour in the contents and switch on the machine. The name of the game is to minimize time sitting out on the counter warming up. The colder the ingredients and the faster you get them into the bowl, the less time it will take to bring the contents up to the desired consistency.

The user guide indicates that it may take 20-30 minutes to attain finished results, whereas the box claims as few as 15 minutes. I personally found doing all of the above resulted in ice cream shop soft serve consistency in about 18 minutes. By 26 minutes it was so thick that it was difficult to dispense (at which point the user manual suggests scooping it out of the bowl and serving that way). Also important to understand is the fact that if you fail to turn off the machine, the soft serve may become so thick that a circuit may switch off the motor to protect it from overheating. This is not a defect but something plainly stated in the manual. So for those who are curious to know if it can be left running to produce hard packed ice cream, the answer is absolutely not.

Because there is no timer on the machine, it is entirely up to the user to determine when it is time to dispense the contents (a period of checking that begins 15 minutes into the process). This is by far the trickiest part about the machine's operation and the likely source of most complaints. Wait too little and the consistency is not much better than a milkshake. Wait too long, and the dispenser can no longer propel the ice cream through. The window of opportunity to dispense the entire contents of the bowl may be as little as five minutes (assuming you like your soft serve on the thick side and push it to the last few minutes before it is too thick to dispense). One way to get the consistency you desire is to take a measuring cup or small dish and periodically dispense (test) from about 15 minutes onward (every minute or so). If it is too runny dump it back in the bowl. If the soft serve holds its form, it is ready to serve.

There are certain kitchen electrics that involve a learning curve and this Cuisinart soft serve machine is no exception. I own a Carnival Popcorn Maker (movie theater style), an espresso machine and a bread machine, each that required me to adapt to particular design and operation characteristics for best results. If you understand what you are getting -- and for that I suggest prospective buyers download the owner's guide at the Cuisinart website before placing an order -- you won't be disappointed.

If this machine doesn't seem to live up to its billing, it may stem from Internet descriptions that would have would-be buyers believe this is an ice cream maker. The badge on the machine clearly designates it foremost as a soft serve machine. And for that purpose it is a lot of fun, complete with choice of three topping dispensers. Where the toppings are concerned, I discovered that there is no way to adjust the rate of flow, which is why I'm docking this product one star. Toppings tend to dispense too fast and are best reserved for bowls and not cones; they tend to scatter and a bowl can catch them much better than a cone can.

In terms of cost effectiveness, there are some recipes, typically the more exotic variations, that can cost quite a bit more than just treating yourself to an ice cream parlor. Basic recipe ingredients, however, are cream, sugar, milk and flavoring, which won't set you back too far. Using yet another tip I read here on Amazon, I reduced sugar content on Cuisinart's Basic Vanilla and the results using French Vanilla Extract for flavoring were light, fluffy and silky smooth without ice crystals. And therein lies my final tip: Until you get the hang of this machine, go by the book. Literally. Once you get the operation down pat using the included recipes, branch off into Internet recipes, ingredient substitutions or whatever else captures your imagination. In this way you can easily distinguish between a faulty machine, an inadequately frozen bowl and a recipe that isn't suited for soft serve machine use.

In closing, soft serve lovers should not be dissuaded by negative reviews. As for giving this away as a gift -- particularly to a child or anyone who lacks patience in the kitchen -- I would think twice. Not everyone will be intrigued by the dispensing features or the novelty of spending that much time making soft serve at home.

Although dispensing the condiments and the soft serve is somewhat of an art, it is worth the effort for anyone who prefers their ice cream extra light, fluffy and/or served in a cone. How many machines offer features like this? Only one other non-discontinued product that I'm aware of. As the wildly different reviews attest to, however, this machine is not as foolproof as other kitchen electrics. Success relies upon eyeballing the mixture through the cutout in the lid. And while you're at it, if you want to avoid a messy drip you must make sure to return the lever back into the up position each time you finish dispensing. Otherwise the soft serve flow will not be entirely closed off and you will have soft serve in the drip tray to show for it.

Bottom line? Practice makes perfect.

I'm a nut when it comes to icecream makers. I love soft serve.
This one works great, but I hate having to freeze the bowl for 12 hours first. I have limited freezer space so I don't leave it in there, which means we really need to plan in advance.
It is great for a family, but not for a big party.

bought this a couple of months before the holidays with the intention of experimenting with it so I could use it on Christmas. Found good recipes for vanilla (no eggs) and chocolate ice cream, on Alton Browns website. Keep in mind the ice cream comes out as soft serve, but can harden in the freezer, overnight. The machine is very easy to clean, it all comes apart. The critical error I made was not giving the freezer bowls, (i bought an extra) enough time to freeze. Made the chocolate the day before Christmas (came out perfect) so we could serve vanilla in the machine on Christmas, the freezer bowls were only in the deep freeze at that point (at 5 below) for approx. 20 hrs, not enough time to refreeze the bowls solidly, which we didn't discover until we put the vanilla ice cream base in the machine, it never hardened enough to serve in a dish or cone, more the consistency of creme fraiche, tasted great , perfect topping for other deserts, but not the impact I was hoping for. My fault for not allowing enough time for the freezer bowls to recover. However, keep in mind that if your freezer won't freeze the bowls properly, you won't get the results you want. Most home freezers, (not deep freezers) are between 5-8 degrees, usually not cold enough to freeze an ice cream bowl. Before you spend $125 on this machine, buy a freezer thermometer for $5 and make sure you have a freezer in your home that goes below zero. If so, have fun!

Buy some of that Junket ice cream mix, follow the instructions, put it in your Ice-45 and wait, not too long you will have soft serve as good or better than the Dairy Queen. Not too sweet, just right. And the great thing is, you can do it twice with the bowl that they give you, the darn thing stays that cold. The negatives, it needs a bit more capacity, and don't use their recipes unless you really like it sweet. We love it!!

I was a little skeptical about buying this but when I found a 30% off coupon, I figured I'd go ahead and splurge.

The Good: Love the color. You can get really creative with what you make in it - you can adjust the amount of sugar, use organic ingredients, and make whatever wild concoctions you can dream up. It's easy to set up and clean and you can dismantle it and store it in the box if counterspace is limited. The final product really is ready in 20-30 minutes and kids will enjoy watching the ice cream freeze right before their eyes. This is great to pull out at a party - be sure to purchase a couple of spare bowls to freeze since it doesn't hold that much.

The Not So Good: The first time I used this I let it go for too long and it wouldn't dispense in a stream - more like large ice cream drops. Then when it dispensed into the bowl it practically melted on contact with the bowl. The mixing blade holds onto a lot of ice cream when you lift the lid. You don't have too much time to clear it off before it starts dripping/melting everywhere. If the bowl is super cold, the ice cream sticks to the sides of the bowl and it can be difficult to get it all out - you'll need a stiff spoon but not a metal spoon. I can't find spare freezer bowls in pink - I had to buy a couple of white ones so I could use this during parties. They are pretty large so you need a fair amount of space in the freezer.

Recommendations: Be patient and don't expect the first couple of runs to be perfect. It takes practice to get the hang of how long you need to run it and it will vary based on what you make in it. Make sure your ingredients are very cold before putting them into the frozen bowl - the liquid that hits the bowl first will freeze on contact. I actually mix my ingredients and put them into the freezer for about a half hour, take it out of the freezer, mix well and then add them into the ice cream machine. I also dispense into chilled bowls instead of room temperature bowls.

Overall: This is a good product. There is a learning curve with this but once you get the hang of it, it's very easy to use. It's super quick and if you have several extra bowls you can make a bunch of different frozen treats at a time. I love the fact that I know what's going into my ice cream and there's no chemicals or strange ingredients like guar gum and carrageenan. I really like this and use it at least a few times a month.