Customer Reviews

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker, Black

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a fun product! You do need to freeze the bowl before use, so as long as you realize that, you should be good. And my first batch was the Vanilla Bean. It was/is to die for. Had I read the directions THOROUGHLY, I would have seen that this particular recipe requires the custard (which you make from scratch) is to be chilled thoroughly prior to mixing it in the machine. This recipe takes a little time but boy is it worth it!! I am sad that the other guy left a bad review for the machine when his beef was with the company's customer service before even ORDERING it. I like the first guy's idea of buying an extra freezer bowl (if you have the storage space). They include recipes for ritas, gelattos, slushies, floats, sorbet, etc. LOTS of fun!

The info Amazon provides says it's fully automatic, just put the ingredients in and it does the rest. That's not accurate, you must do a little mixing work to prepare the ice cream recipe, then pour it into the machine and then it freezes it. I have made some very good ice creams from both ultra-rich recipes and less-fattening ones, with the final hard-freeze happening in individual dishes in my freezer (easier to serve). You can also indulge in eating it as a soft-serve, and not bother to freeze it harder. Homemade ice cream freezes VERY hard in your freezer, so if you go that route, set it out on the counter about 10 or 15 minutes before you want to eat some. It softens up some and also tastes better.

I am concerned about the number of people who said their cannister didnt do the job of freezing the mixture. I think there IS something wrong with their cannister, not the recipe, and not their use of the machine. That's something to take into consideration. If you buy it, try it out right away, a couple of times, make sure all is well, and return it promptly if you don't get the contents to freeze to at least soft-serve stiffness at about 30 to 40 minutes.

Yes, it's a little noisy. You could put it in the laundry room or the garage if you hate the sound it makes. I dont think it's that bad, but it isnt silent, it does growl as it churns.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream book is an excellent choice for recipes, by the way. I bought it, and am delighted! For diabetics, Splenda works very well for sorbet and ice cream recipes. You might like to experiment with Splenda, and perhaps add more to your recipe after you try out one or two -- the sweetness does diminish a little, but the taste is still very good, with no artificial flavor overtones.

I received this item as a birthday gift and had to try it out immediately.
It works great! It is a bit noisy but nothing that can't be overlooked.
It makes enough ice-cream for a small crowd. Can't wait to try some of the other receipes. If you love ice-cream you must get this item.

I had been using a Donvier hand crank machine to make a fat-free ice milk recipe once a week for the last year, and I was perfectly happy with it, but it didn't make enough to last through the entire week, so I decided to spring for a 2 quart electric model. After some serious research, I gave this a try.

If you've ever made a lowfat recipe, you know that homemade ice milk turns into a brick when fully frozen, and the best you can hope for is to scrape off a spoonful at a time. (Or, defrost it for a couple minutes in the microwave, so you can get a spoon into it.) Very tedious. The continual turning action on this machine makes a much lighter, more aerated version of the ice milk, so it CAN be spooned out after being completely frozen! Awesome!

The canister is about the size of a half-gallon carton of ice cream, so you need enough space in your freezer to store it, but the result is worth the effort. It's a bit noisy, but not more so than any other machine.

If you've had trouble getting the machine to freeze for you:

1. Make sure your freezer canister is completely frozen. Buy a freezer thermometer, lower the freezer temp if necessary, (should be at, or preferably below, 32°F, 0°C), and keep in mind that opening the door frequently raises the temperature dramatically. Storing it in the back helps. Making the ice cream in the morning after leaving the freezer closed all night also helps.

2. Make sure your ingredients are thoroughly chilled. (Not warm. Not room temperature.)

3. To speed up the freezing process, (which would normally take about 35-40 minutes for a full 2 quarts), I covered the open hole at the top with a flat silicone trivet, to keep the temperature stable inside the machine. (Worked like a charm - only took about 25 minutes to reach soft-serve consistency.)

4. If you want firmer ice cream, STOP the machine after you reach soft-serve consistency, take the paddle out, quickly scrape the sides, cover the top, and let the ice cream sit undisturbed in the canister for another 10-15 minutes or so. Rotation slows down the freezing process, but makes the ice cream lighter and fluffier. The ice cream directly in contact with the canister will get really hard, and you might need to scrape it off into the center area once or twice during the hardening-off process. Use a stiff silicone spatula or spoon to scrape down the sides. (This is normal for canister style ice cream machines.)

5. If you can't get the ice cream to reach soft-serve consistency, which can happen if your canister wasn't frozen enough to begin with, try turning off the machine for 1 minute intervals every 5 minutes or so, AFTER the first 20 minutes of processing. It gives the ingredients more contact time with the frozen canister sides, and speeds up the freezing process. But you need to give the machine time to partially freeze the slurry first, or you might freeze the paddle into place.

You can also scoop the soft ice cream into your freezer storage containers and let it finish freezing in your main freezer. If you use small containers, (1 cup), that will take an hour or so. Large containers can take several hours to fully freeze, depending on how cold your freezer is. (Which makes freezing your ice cream in the morning very practical.) Again, this is normal for canister type machines, you just need to know what to expect.

5. A full recipe takes longer to freeze than a half recipe. If you need it quicker, or want it firmer, you can try removing about a fourth of the liquid before starting. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. (Or just reduce the recipe.)

6. Use a recipe you are comfortable with. I just about choked when I saw a couple of recipes in the Cuisinart cookbook that called for over a full Tablespoon of vanilla! That's ridiculous and has to be an editing problem. (Vanilla is made with alcohol, and alcohol doesn't freeze.) I find that 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla is plenty, but never more than 2 teaspoons of extracts, total. (By the way, flavor oils make a great addition to your recipes. "Loranne Oils" or "Superior Products Oils" are fabulous, and really add depth. Use sparingly though, just add a drop or two of the concentrated Loranne oils or you'll mess up your ice cream. Try the Loranne Eggnog oil. Yuuuummmy!)

7. Don't put more than roughly 7 cups of liquid ingredients into this machine, or they will expand right out of the top of the machine as they start to freeze! Whoops! This was very amusing, but due to the design, I was able to just scoop the soft ice milk out of the center hole as it expanded and pack it into the freezer containers. I like the open hole design, it makes for easy addition of fruits/nuts/coconut at the end. And the fact that the canister rotates, and not the center paddle, makes it easy to carefully scoop a bit out if necessary, without stopping the machine.

8. Either store the canister inside a large double bread bag in the freezer, with a twist tie and a bit of bag at the top to use as a handle, or take a pair of potholders or rubber gloves with you when you go to remove it from the freezer. It gets VERY cold. And touching directly with warm hands will lower the temp of the canister, if you don't drop it.

9. Always make sure the canister is completely dry before storing in the freezer.


Finally, here's a healthy-ish ice cream base recipe to use in it:

Ice Cream Base (2 quarts)
8 generous 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

6 cups Lactaid reduced fat milk w/extra calcium. (Ain't cheap, but you get the eXtra calcium. You can substitute whole milk or half & half for richer ice cream.)
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups "WheyLow" for ice cream. (Lower glycemic index sugar. 1/4 the calories of regular sugar. [...] ) Or use sugar.
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.
2 small pinches of salt.

Mix everything vigorously with a wire whisk in a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl until the sugar dissolves completely. Use this as the basis for all ice creams, varying by the addition of pureed fruits in season, coconut flakes, or nuts. If you use flavor oils, add a few drops to the mixture above, if you add nuts and fruits, put those in through the opening during the freezing process, in the last five minutes. (Fresh strawberries or peaches macerated with a bit of sugar is a spectacular add-in.) If you want to use cocoa to make chocolate ice cream, use about 2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa, dissolved first in 2 TBS hot water, and then stirred into the liquid mixture before freezing. Add chips, crushed cookies or flake chocolate at the end. (Liquids go into the mixture before freezing, solids go in at the end.)

It's pretty hard to mess this one up. Since there are no eggs in the mix, you can taste it to see if you like it, before freezing. Just keep in mind, the flavors and sweetness will intensify after freezing. Start sparingly and add more to the next batch if it needs it.

Give it a try, and don't be afraid to experiment.

Okay, that's enough. Hope it helps. This machine is an excellent value.

This is my 2nd ice cream maker, and i graduated from using Hamilton Beach 68330R 4-Quart Automatic Ice-Cream Maker

This is a wonderful product, because you can just put the canister in the fridge, leave it.. and when you are ready to use it, take it out, pour the ingredients in, and start it up, i normally make a full batch of 2qt and it comes out in 40 mins. I tend to like my ice cream on the softer side, so this makes it just right for me. If you want your ice cream harder, add a little more cream (subtract milk) and it will come out harder.

Clean up is pretty easy if you let it warm up, otherwise, if it's still very cold, after you rinse it, and try to use a paper towel, it will stick to the insides.

So far i've made 3 batches, and they've all come out perfect. I made Vanilla, Strawberry and a Blueberry. I add a cup of fruit at the end (mooshed up first) and they always come out great.

Just be warned that 2qt is 2qt.. so if you add a cup of fruit, you'll wind up with some spilling out the top over the inner canister. It doesn't make a mess though, because the canister has a groove around the outer part to capture spillage, so i never had a problem with adding a cup worth of fruit.. i'm just saying that it's better to subtract about 1/2 cup of liquid to make sure you have plenty of room.

Initially when you add the liquid you might think there's plenty of room, but after it freezes up in the machine and churns, you soon see that it'll fill it to the top.

all i can say is that without needing to get ice and salt every-time i make ice cream is fantastic, and it's so easy that we tend to make it every weekend now.

plus, if you make ice cream more than 15 times it's paid itself off, just in the savings of a bag of ice + a can of salt + time that i used up in my old ice cream maker.

also, it's not silent, but it's not really too loud either. my old ice cream maker was SOOOOO loud, i had to make it in the garage, but this one i use in the kitchen, and it's not too bad.

I really can't recommend this ice cream maker enough.. i know it may seem a little pricey compared to the others, but you will not be disappointed if you buy this model.


** 3/15/2011 - I just wanted to post a quick update. It's been awhile since i bought it, and i've made ice cream every weekend since i bought it. Still going strong, still easy to make. I didn't mention it before, but the whole reason i'm making this myself is because i like to use Raw milk and Raw cream in my ice cream recipes. Plus i can make sure to use all organic products. I thought i would share some of my recipes for other people.

Vanilla Ice Cream:
----------------------------
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Heavy Cream
3 1/2 Cups of Milk
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon of Lime
(1 cup of frozen fruit if desired)


Coconut Ice Cream:
----------------------------
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Heavy Cream
1.8 Cups of Milk
1 Can Coconut Milk (13.66oz) (1.7cups)
1 Tablespoon of Coconut Extract
1 Tablespoon of Lime
1 cup of fine coconut flakes

Chocolate Ice Cream
----------------------------
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Heavy Cream
3 1/2 Cups of Milk
1 Tablespoon of Chocolate Extract
1 Tablespoon of Lime
2 Tablespoons of Dark Cocoa

Mint w/ Chocolate Chips Ice Cream
----------------------------
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Heavy Cream
3 1/2 Cups of Milk
1 Tablespoon of Peppermint Extract
1 Tablespoon of Lime
1 cup of chopped chocolate chip


** 9/01/2011 - Hi, i just wanted to give another update. I'm still making ice cream pretty often, and i'm sure i've past the point where this thing has paid for itself. I just wanted to let people know that i'm still happy with the product, and it's still performing just as good as the first day i used it.

I love this ice cream maker. Had it for 3 years and use it (too) often. Dropped the lid and cracked it, but still works. No other problems with machine.
I agree, it does make some noise, but if you like ice cream like me, the noise is music to the ears.
I did have one problem that I had read about from other reviewers. That the mixture would not freeze. I found out rather quickly that it wasn't the freezer but rather the recipe. Or, I should say, the vanilla in the recipe. Some cheaper vanilla brands contain Ethylene Glycol, the same thing that's found in antifreeze (want freeze,)....go figure. Read the label on the vanilla. One tablespoon of the vanilla prevents 2 quarts of ice cream mixture from freezing, and not only that, it will thaw-out the freezer bowl in about 15 minutes.
I will buy another when this one quits.

This 2 quart ice cream machine makes yummy homemade ice cream. The vanilla is especially good. I'm trying other flavors now. Did make some peach ice cream, but the peaches froze in it and are hard. Will try a different recipe next time. My husband is in love with this machine and it was a great idea to invest in it. It's kinda soft when you first make it, but when you put it in the freezer in an air tight container for a couple of hours, it hardens up just fine. I did a lot of research on this product before buying it and my choice at Amazon.com was a good one. We bought the extra freezer bowl for the machine and some recipe books.

I've had this ice cream machine for about 2 weeks now and it works fairly well. The first time I tried to make ice cream in it ended in complete and utter failure but it was (mostly) my fault. It was a hot day and I put too much mixture into the machine. I also just quickly mixed up the ingredients and stuck it into the machine. I thought that because the milk and cream had been in the fridge that it would be cold enough to start. Nope. Now I thoroughly chill ALL ingredients mixed together in a bowl overnight. I use about 1/3 less ingredients than is listed in the recipe for 2QT. Even with these adjustments it turns out ice cream that can be barely classified as soft serve before I put it in the freezer. Nonetheless, all subsequent batches, once frozen, have turned out nicely.

One of my few complaints it that it's very tough to tell if the core still has any freezing power to it or if it has given its all. With ice and rock salt models you can see how much ice is left and add more ice/salt if necessary. However, you give up that ability for the convenience of a very simple and easy to clean core freezing bowl. Some people have complained about the noise it makes, but it's really not any noisier than other machines with similar functions (mixer/blender). I'm still experimenting but I will probably try to get a second core so I can either make 2 batches in a day or use the second core to solidify the ice cream more.

I am thrilled with this appliance because it works as well as I'd hoped. I wanted to be able to make ice cream that tastes like it has been churned by hand for hours, but without all the hassle of gathering ice, salt, cranking, etc.

Once the freezer bowl has frozen (I leave it in freezer for 24 hours before I make ice cream), then the simple ingredients can be assembled in minutes. All I have to do is pour mixture in machine, turn to "ON" and it is done in about 20 minutes.

I've tried several recipes, from the recipe book that is included and from the Ben & Jerry's recipe book, all have been successful so far. I've made vanilla, fresh strawberry, butter pecan, maple walnut and peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream. It's easier than baking a cake!

I love that I can control the sugar and fat content as well as the flavor. All ice cream is initially a soft product, so if you prefer a firmer texture, freeze for a few hours before eating.

THIS CUISINART ICE CREAM MAKER IS AWESOME. I WAS NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO MAKE ICE CREAM BUT IN NO TIME AT ALL IT CAME TOGETHER. NOW YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN CRANK IT, OR MAKE SURE YOU DON'T GET THE ROCK SALT DOWN IN IT, OR BE ABLE TO DARE YOUR BROTHER ON WHO CAN HOLD THEIR HAND IN THE COLD WATER THE LONGEST - IT'S THE SIGN OF THE TIMES. WHAT MEMORIES !!!! HAPPY EATING !!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ICE CREAM MAKER.