Customer Reviews

KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment

5 star:		(406)
4 star:		(110)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(33)
1 star:		(61)

 

 

I bought this after reading a lot of reviews. My choice was based on a number of factors. I have owned a hand-crank, ice-and-salt ice cream maker in the past - it made great ice cream but was messy; I didn't want yet another appliance that I had to find where to store; and I have owned and liked my KitchenAid stand mixer for a number of years.

This is basically a double-walled, sealed mixing bowl, with the space inside the walls filled with some liquid (presumably like the refreezable ice packs). It comes with plastic paddle. The basic steps are:
1 Freeze the bowl (I keep mine in the freezer)
2 Make and cool an ice cream custard, or a fruit mix for sorbet
3 Assemble the frozen bowl and the plastic paddle on the stand mixer
4 Switch the mixer on lowest speed, add the custard
5 Let the mixer stir the mix until it freezes (to a "soft serve" consistency)
6 Transfer the ice cream to a bowl with a lid, and freeze until firm

Here are my comments:

First, take a black marker and obliterate all the nutritional information about the recipes in the instruction book. We know that ice cream is full of fat and sugar -- that's why we like it! We don't need reminding.

* Try a dry run to assemble the bowl and paddle. This is designed to fit many models of KitchenAid mixers, and it's not obvious. You don't want to be figuring this out when you are ready to make your first batch.
* Freeze the bowl for longer than the suggested 18 hours
* MAKE HALF QUANTITIES: the two-quart recipes fill the bowl, and I had a couple of overflows as the ice cream expands as it cools.
* Also, filling the bowl means that the ice cream takes longer to freeze. The first time I tried this, it didn't freeze as the bowl had not been frozen long enough to handle the two quarts.
* Get a good recipe to use up the egg whites. I make meringue from the New York Times Cook Book. I guess an omelet would be good too.
* There's mistake in the instruction book. In one place it suggests adding the fruit, nuts etc half way through the freezing process, and in another place it suggests adding these ingredients at the end of the mixing cycle.
* Use enough mix (custard or fruit puree) to at least fill half of the bowl -- this way the paddle will mix the entire batch.
* Remember that freezing enhances the sweet taste -- so do not over sweeten the mix before you freeze, otherwise the ice cream or sorbet will be too sweet.
* If you're making a fruit puree for sorbet, a blender makes a *MUCH* smoother puree than a food processor. I think this makes a difference in the texture of the final sorbet.
* After preparation, you need to cool the custard or puree in the fridge for a few hours. Use a jug that has a decent pouring lip: this will make it much easier to pour into the freezer bowl than if you just use a regular mixing bowl.
* There is very little space between the edge of the bowl and the paddle -- this can mean a mess when you fill the bowl. It **really** needs a pouring spout designed to fit
* Getting the semi-frozen desert out of the bowl can be messy - there is no handle on the bowl and it has smooth, slippery sides.
* Use a container for the final freezing that has a little air space after you fill with the semi-frozen ice cream -- this allows for additional expansion of the desert, and prevents the need to squash the final product into the bowl.
* I've used recipes from The New York Times Cookbook and Fine Cooking magazine -- all delicious, better than store bought, and slightly different than the regular recipes for vanilla, cookies and cream, etc.
* Use the freshest eggs you can find -- not the ones that have been sitting in the fridge door for a month

Update February 2008
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Thanks very much to all the kind comments that folks have left. For those of you who haven't read the comments on this review: it's worthwhile taking a few minutes to do so as some of the commenters have additional suggestions and ideas.

Update December 2009
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A couple of the recent comments have asked whether the inside of the bowl is aluminum or non-stick. It *appears* to be metallic, but with plastics these days, it's anybody's guess. It is light gray so could be aluminum, but I'd wager that it is some sort of alloy. It is definitely NOT the type of non-stick found in Teflon-type frying pans.

BTW - I've had this for nearly four years and am still loving it. Long term durability seems to be good.

I think my wife is trying to murder me with this KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment! She bought this for me for Christmas along with the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Recipe book knowing full well that I would become obsessed with trying all of the recipes. I'm on the third batch (Cherry Garcia, Coffee Chip, Chocolate Chocolate Chip) and I can already feel my heart slowing down. I can hardly make it to the mailbox without becoming winded. Luckily I realized her dastardly plot before having an ice cream overdose induced myocardial infarction. She almost got away with it as nobody would have suspected her. The paramedics would have just thought I was another fat pig who overdosed on ice cream.

This is so easy to use you may also find yourself overstocked with fresh quarts of the best ice cream you ever tasted. Follow the recipes in Ben and Jerry's book and carefully follow the directions that come with the churn and you'll make great ice cream every time. As the other reviewers have mentioned, it is essential to allow the ice cream to "ripen" before serving. This is not a requirement that is unique to this churn by the way. This is necessary with other churns as well. So be patient, plan ahead, get creative, and enjoy.

My friend bought this and told me about it. I have made 4 batches so far and all have tasted great. Granted it does not make the ice cream hard in the half hour but to a soft serve consistency. I usually put it in the freezer for a half hour before serving. I only cool the ingredients for an hour- but I also do not use the recipe that requires cooking. I use 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups half and half and 1 cup whole milk with 3/4 cup sugar and 3 tsp vanilla with a half cup of cocoa. As far as having to freeze the container for 15 hours I just keep it in the freezer so it is always ready so I don't have to plan ahead. Both my friend and I are very pleased. The icecream does not get ice crystals like a previous cheap maker I had.

I loved this product, it is so much easier than messing with the bulky old fashioned ice cream maker. It's important that if you want hard ice cream, you allow it to ripen. The instructions state that you must transfer the ice cream from the freezer bowl to a freezer safe container before you put it in the freezer to ripen. It was so easy to use too!

Generally i have been pleased with this product- makes a creamy soft-serve consistency ice cream. I have noticed, however, when i try to reduce the fat in a recipe by using regular or low fat milk the custard doesn't freeze as well in the mixer. Even after 15 minutes of churning, it's still more liquid than semisolid. So keep the fat (and your cardiologist) if you want a nice texture. I usually wash mine (has to be hand washed) and then stick it right back in the freezer- make sure it's either completely dry or freeze it upside down...there's a small groove in the bottom of the bowl where water will accumulate and freeze, making it difficult for the churning attachment to work.

I love this attachment.

I've made sorbets out of fresh fruit that were wonderful. I keep a bottle of simple sugar syrup in the refrigerator and it makes whipping up a sorbet fairly quick and easy. Simple sugar syrup is just 1 part sugar and 1 part water heated to boiling, then cooled down. If you make a good quantity and store it in the fridge you have it ready to use anytime.

Cut up, or mash up, your fruit then puree it. I use a Kitchen Aid Hand Blender to do that KitchenAid KHB100ER Hand Blender, Empire Red. Then I sweeten up the puree'd fruit with the simple syrup. I just do it to taste. I make it a little sweeter than I want the sorbet to be, as it isn't as sweet after freezing.

For something like Raspberries it takes a lot of syrup, and for sweeter fruits, less. I do strain the seeds out of the raspberries, so it isn't as easy as other sorbets, but it is my favorite. I add a squeeze of lemon or lime to tart sorbets like lemon or raspberry (lime in raspberry is great). Use a fresh lemon or lime. Bottled lemon or lime juice will really add an obvious plastic taste to something as clean tasting as sorbet. I've even added a little liquor to the mix. I've read that it keeps the sorbet smoother, but haven't tested it out side by side, to find out the difference. I liked them either way.

I let the mix cool down in the fridge, then freeze it in the Ice Cream bowl. It needs a little finishing in the freezer to get firm scoops, but freezes a little more firm than Ice Cream, and is really ready to serve right out of the Ice Cream Freezer bowl.

I tried some cooked custard ice cream recipes and wasn't happy with them. The first one came out delicious, but it was too much work, got too many bowls and pans dirty during the making (I wash dishes by hand), and took too much time cooking and cooling.

Then I bought the Ben & Jerry's book Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book and tried their base. Wow. That was exactly like the Ben & Jerry's from the store. It was so much easier too. The premium base is just two eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 pint cream and 1 cup milk. It's delicious and very quick. (1 pint half and half, and a 1/2 pint cream is basically the same.)

If you are going to add something chunky at the end, like fruit, nuts, candy,... Get those ready first. Break up your candy or cookies if you need to, and put them and any nuts in the freezer. Cut up any fruit and put it in the refrigerator.

I put the whisk on the mixer. Beat the eggs on high, to light and fluffy, in about 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar while it's still whisking. Add the flavorings that you want. Then add the cream and milk. Let it whisk on medium for just a minute or two and you are finished. If you whisk too long, or too fast after the cream is added, the fat starts to clump up and you will end up with sweetened butter. Then I put the mix/base in the fridge right in the mixer bowl and let it cool down. I don't even bother to cover it.

I have a remote thermometer that works in my oven or freezer. I drop the probe in the mix. The cable is made so you can close the oven or fridge on it without damaging it. Then I stick the thermometer on the fridge (it has a magnet). I can see at a glance just how cool it is. It does take longer to cool down than I thought it would. That's where the thermometer comes in handy. It keeps me from trying to freeze it too soon.

The thermometer even has a way to enter the temperature that you want, and it will beep when the mix gets to that temperature. I don't bother with that. I bought a cheap one and setting those features is too complex, so I just use it to read the temperature. This is the most popular one on Amazon that works like mine: Polder Original Cooking Timer and Thermometer. I wish I'd bought that instead of the off brand I bought from the hardware store. Mine won't even go up to candy cooking temperatures. (I think I'll order this one now).

I've put my base/mix in the freezer also, and had it freeze up a little before I got to it. It still came out perfect. The little bit of ice that formed was completely broken up during the freezing process.

I have the freezer room to keep the bowl in there. That's best if you have the space.

They warn you not to put the mix or base in until you have it already running. I don't think that is necessary at all. It's very difficult to get the mix in while it's running anyway, even using something with a pouring spout.

I put the attachment on the mixer. Get the mix out of the fridge or freezer. Give it a few stirs with my spatula. Get the freezer bowl out of the freezer. Drop the dasher in it. Pour my mix in, and put it on the mixer. Then I start it up.

It only takes about 10-15 seconds to get the mix in the bowl and the bowl on the mixer. If any ice forms, it must get broken up completely in the freezing process as I never find a single crystal in the silky smooth ice cream or sorbet I make with it. Be sure to lock the head down. When the mix/base firms up, the dasher can get pushed around a little and it won't engage as well with the attachment. If I lock the head down, I never have that problem.

In about 20-25 minutes when it looks done, put in any chunky stuff like fruit chunks, candy, cookies,... and let it run for another minute or so. If you are going to put your chunks in while it is still running, be sure to keep the head locked down. It is less likely to jam up the dasher if it can't jump around.

Sometimes it is too full to easily get them in, and sometimes the chunks are too big and jam up the dasher. I've mixed my chunks in after I transfer it to my freezer container. It isn't hard at all to get them incorporated and they are less likely to get mushed up or broken up more. Make sure your chunks are very cold, or in the case of candy, nuts, or cookies: frozen is best. That will keep them from warming up the ice cream. Fruit chunks will hold together better if very cold, so they won't get mushed up by the dasher or while you are mixing them in by hand. Candy and cookies are less likely to break up more while mixing them in if they are frozen.

I like coffee and or mocha flavored ice cream. To make coffee ice cream, I add two tablespoons of instant coffee to the eggs after I mix in the sugar. The kind I use doesn't dissolve. It does mix in more during the freezing. If you want it to be mocha, just add 4 teaspoons of cocoa. At the end, before I stop the dasher, I'll add another tablespoon of instant coffee. I let that mix in a little longer - 3 minutes or so. This portion isn't supposed to dissolve. The little flecks of coffee crystals, add a little crunch of intense coffee flavor when you bite them. I love it that way.

When I take the bowl off the mixer. (I don't wait for the clicking sound. I just take it out when it looks firm enough for me.) I pull the dasher out and scrape off the major portion by just scraping each side and pushing the big chunks out of the center. I put the dasher on a plate. It is hard to get the dasher cleaned off. That's my main complaint. But, darn it all, that just means, I have to lick all the extra ice cream or sorbet off the dasher.

I scoop the ice cream or sorbet out of the freezer bowl and into my container with the spatula. I can lift the bowl and do it that way, but it is awkward. I've found I can get most of it out of the bowl with just 4 or 5 scoops. Then I run my spatula around the sides and bottom and then pick up the bowl and transfer the remaining portion. I stir it after I've transfered it into the container. It does try to crystallize a little around the sides because I use a slower method to get it out of the bowl. Any crystals that formed are not hard enough to stick around, and just a couple of stirs with my spatula and they are broken up and incorporated.

I like the soft serve consistency of the Ice Cream, but only if it's going to be eaten immediately. It really needs to be finished off in the freezer if you are going to dish it up nicely and serve it to guests. It's too soft when it comes right out of the freezer bowl to not melt a little while you dish it up into room temperature bowls.

You can also freeze your bowls. I like to serve sorbet in martini glasses. If I freeze the glasses first, while I'm scooping out the sorbet, the glasses get frosty. If you scoop it into room temperature glasses, it will melt a little and you will have a little pool of melted sorbet in the bottom. Sorbet in frosty martini glasses - it's a little gay isn't it? - well if you haven't guessed that I'm gay yet, I'm sure that gave it away hahaha. It is really gorgeous served that way. Seems to make it taste better when it looks so good.

The last thing is really essential. Buy some pants with an elastic waistband.

I did find some people have had the problem of ordering this when they have an older or European model Stand Mixer. It is not designed to fit either. There is a warning on the Kitchen Aid site. It's right next to the attachment on their store page. I think Amazon should put it front and center on this page also.

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Fits only US 110 volt models, does not fit European models.

Convert any Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer into an ice cream maker! Offers the largest single bowl capacity in the industry. This attachment makes frozen desserts and soft-serve consistency ice cream in 20-30 minutes. The dasher rotates inside the freeze bowl to spread, scrape, and mix the batter.

If you have a model produced before 1989 please call the Kitchen Aid Customer Satisfaction Center at 1-800-541-6390 with the model and serial number from your stand mixer for further assistance.
Features:

* 2-quart capacity
* Fits Tilt-Head or Bowl-Lift Stand Mixers
* Includes: Freeze bowl, Dasher, Drive assembly, and Adapter ring

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I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I like this ice cream maker more than any other I have tried. The dasher is solid, the machine has a lot of power, and the parts fit together well.

The only problem I found was that the ice cream did not set up to be soft serve, which is usually what you expect from an ice cream maker. It is summer, and even with the air conditioning on, our house is still around 80 degrees inside. We are not complaining, because it is 105 degrees outside. I realize that the ice cream was not setting up beccause there was no cover for the top of the ice cream bowl and the chill was going out of the bowl into theair. Although it was refreshing, it was not chilling the ice cream enough.

I found a solution: After putting in the ice cream mix with the machine running, I covered the opening between the bowl and machine with clear plastic wrap. My machine has the bowl that raises and lowers. So, there are no air intake areas in that part of my machine. When I covered the opening with plastic wrap, the ice cream maker held the cold temperature like it is supposed to, and the ice cream became soft-serve.

I e-mailed the KitchenAid people about this, because they really should have included some kind of plastic cover to do this.

Even with this problem, I feel that this is the best ice cream machine I have tried. The parts are well made (so many are flimsy and break easily). The machine has power, and the ice cream machine parts fit together in a substantial way.

If Kitchenaid comes out with a plastic cover for this attachment, I will rate it 6 stars.

My mixer was bought in 1975, so I was concerned that this attachment wouldn't work for me. I called customer service and was assured it would be fine.

I received it a few days ago, and today, I made my first batch of banana ice cream. The ice cream is ripening in the freezer for dinner tonight. It was so easy to use and the soft serve originally made was excellent. I know that it will be wonderful later today.

I am storing the bowl, etc. in the freezer so it's always ready.

If you have an older machine and you would like this, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

I received the mixer and ice cream maker as a Christmas gift last year and I have enjoyed making ice creams and corbets ever since. This attachment is so easy to use and I really like it because I know what is going into desserts...natural ingredients instead of a bunch of chemicals and preservatives.

I recommend "The Ultimate Ice Cream Book" in addition to this item.
MANY recipes for sorbets, ice creams, gelatos, etc with almost any fruit or sweet you can imagine.

I own both the KitchenAid ice cream attachment and the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, two devices that work on the same principle of using a liquid filled freezer bowl and a machine-operated paddle to make homemade ice cream. I decided to compare the two using the same recipe for French vanilla ice cream (from the KitchenAid cookbook) to see which performed better.

The KitchenAid: The bowl has a greater capacity (about 5 cups of mix) than the Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White. Although it also takes up more room in the freezer, I liked this aspect. After all, if I'm going to make homemade ice cream, I want enough to make the effort worthwhile. The KitchenAid attachment added more air, which created a slightly grainier, more commercial texture but faster flavor delivery. Perhaps because it froze more mix, the KitchenAid was also slower to finish, taking eight minutes longer than the Cuisinart. Removing the frozen cream was easy except from the complex shape of the dasher. Although both machines were noisy, the KitchenAid was by far the quietest. Because you have to pour the mix into the bowl while the paddle is running and because the thick walls of the freezer bowl make it difficult to access, I recommend resting the pouring shield on the edge of the bowl -- it doesn't fit completely, but it's good enough to minimize spillage. Also, if you expect to add nuts, chips, cookies, or other harder items near the end of the cycle, decrease the mix by the same amount. Five cups of batter plus a cup of nuts will overflow the bowl.

The Cuisinart: The ice cream was definitely denser and silkier, although in more limited quantity. The machine takes about 3 cups of mix, and, unlike the KitchenAid, some of it was wasted when it froze solid to the walls of the bowl. The KitchenAid, on the other hand, had little or no waste.

My husband preferred the ice cream from the KitchenAid attachment; he claimed that it tasted much better. I preferred the denser texture from the Cuisinart, although the ice cream was much more difficult to scoop after a day or so of ripening in the freezer. Both tasted much better than anything I can buy in the supermarket.

Despite my preference for the Cuisinart texture, I'm giving this attachment five stars because it still yields great tasting ice cream with minimal work. You do have to plan ahead, however: the bowl must be frozen for at least 15 hours, and the mix must be chilled a full day in advance. Since many ice cream recipes call for a cooked custard (with egg yolks), this means cooking a day or more before you want to make it. If you have the room in your freezer, you might want to store the bowl there. I recommend wrapping it in a plastic bag to keep ice crystals and freezer-taste out.

The decision to choose between this attachment and a special purpose machine depends in part on how many people you want to feed and whether you have the freezer space for a bowl that measures 7 " high x 12" wide x 9" deep (it's not symmetrical because of the outside pieces that allow attachment to the lift mixer). The Cuisinart bowl is only 5.5" tall, with a 7" diameter. Another point to consider is longevity. I expect a KitchenAid mixer motor to far outlive anything on a special purpose machine.

This makes a great gift for people who already own a KitchenAid since most of us are also attachment junkies. I highly recommend this ice cream bowl, although I strongly suggest some comparison shopping to make sure this is right for you.

-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann