Customer Reviews

Krups 358-70 La Glaciere Ice Cream Maker

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Back when we were making up our wedding registry, my then-fiance (now husband) really wanted an ice cream maker. The store we registered at had three options: the Krups, the Cuisinart and one that used salt. We chose the Krups based on its smaller size and touted ease of use.

The claims of ease were absolutely true! We keep the bowl of the machine in our freezer at all times so we're ready to mix up a batch of fresh, homemade ice cream with as short a wait as possible. The mixer is very strong and we've yet to mix up a batch too thick for it. It's also a breeze to clean up. You wouldn't believe the raves we've received on the varieties of ice cream we've made. What more could you ask for?

Another reviewer mentioned the scarcity of recipes that came with the machine. To be honest, we've never tried any of them. The most requested batch we've made came from "Williams-Sonoma's Ice Creams and Sorbets" book - it's the recipe for Cantaloupe Sorbet with Minted Melon. We've also found Ben & Jerry's book to be a winner as well.

I am a pastry chef, and bought myself a La Glaciere when I finished culinary school, where I had fallen in love with ice creams and sorbets. One of our chef-instructors suggested the Krups machine as a good alternative to the large, and very expensive, ice cream maker we had there. She was absolutely correct. I use it all the time both at home and in the restaurant where I work. I've even run two batches through it back-to-back. If you're going to make a lot, though, I would suggest getting a second canister.

I've seen many on here with the leaky bowls. I actually got a replacement from Krups...WITH THE SAME LEAK! Disappointing, but this machine makes amazing ice cream and sorbet. Love it!

Here's how to fix the bowl. I found that by taking hold of the top collar of the bowl, holding the bottom part stable under my arm, and twisting CLOCKWISE, I was able to get the collar free and off. This revealed the gasket which lays on the collar of the inner bowl (about 3/4" wide). The inner metal bowl sets into the outer plastic bowl which has this freezing gel stuff in it. Anyhow, once I had it apart, I set the bowl on the counter so as not to spill anything (it's not really exposed, but the metal bowl could come out at this point if you tipped it hard). You can see that the bowl and collar are "threaded" sort of...they have 6 sections that are ridged..sort of like the inside of a 2 litre soda cap..not continuous threads. There are lots of narrow gaps on the inside of both the collar and large outer plastic bowl. I noticed that this gel had gotten into them, so I ran the collar under hot water and used a chopstick to get any remaining gel stuff out of the slots (freezing will expand this stuff and likely causes the gasket to unseat in the first place). I wiped everything clean, relaid the gasket over the top of the metal bowl, lined up the spaces and thread sections so I could reassemble them, and pushed it down onto the outer plastic bowl, turning COUNTER CLOCKWISE as it all seated together. Voila! The "threads" caught. I now gripped the bowl under my arm again, and twisted the collar COUNTER CLOCKWISE until it would twist no more. It was tight. I checked the seal, looked good. I froze for 24 hours (rock solid), removed it, and just ran about a quart of water into the bowl and let it sit there. Upon fully thawing, I dumped the water, wiped it completely dry, and shook it around, upside down, etc, for a few minutes. I let it sit again for 24 hours, checked it, and there is ZERO GEL LEAKING!! That is how you fix the bowl. I bet even those with the warped bowls can do this, removing all the leaked gel from the spaces inside, and get it working fine again.

Anyhow, hope this helps!!

Kevin

We loved this ice cream maker -- the ease of use, delicious results and quick cleanup were terrific. The only drawback was the unnecessarily difficult lid. However, after three months of occasional use we found that the paddle no longer will fit into the machine, so the lid won't lock down. We either have to stand there holding the lid down ourselves, or replace the machine. It has been difficult ... no, impossible ... to get support from Krups. We will try a Cuisinart machine next time.

When eating a wonderful strawberry sorbet at a friend's house, I asked how he made it. He said using the Krups. He then said I could borrow it because it was a pain. But the sorbet was great, and I'm a devoted cook. So I took it home.

This ice cream maker is a pain to use. The top is difficult to snap in. You should dump the sorbet/ice cream mix in before snapping on the top, because the hole provided is ineffective. It's incredibly noisy. It takes 24 hours to freeze the ice cream maker so that it's cold enough. You also have to pre-chill your sorbet or ice cream mixture after making it for at least four hours before freezing it in the ice cream maker. Gratification is further delayed, because when you're done aerating and chilling your mixture with the ice cream maker, you have to freeze the ice cream or sorbet until it becomes the right texture for at least another four hours.

Some of these problems are inherent in ice cream making. Ice cream can't be frozen solid and aerated by the ice cream maker simultaneously. So when it's done in the machine, it has to go in the freezer. And no matter which machine you use, the recipes in books by professionals all have you chill the sorbet or ice cream mixture first. And I'm afraid any freezer-chilled ice cream maker will take 24 hours to chill. Despite the fact that there are no acceptable shortcuts, the results are worth the wait.

This machine makes a scant half gallon per batch if you estimate properly. That's four pints. It makes you realize both how stingy Haagen Dazs is and how expensive good ingredients are.

Unfortunately, my inherited machine broke in two ways. First, the paddle snapped. So be careful. Second, I ruined the bowl in the dishwasher. (Just a warning in case you also skip the warning section of the user manual.)

So I thought I'd have to buy another one for my friend. He still thought he'd never use it, and so told me to keep it. I then went and bought another one because I liked it so much.

It's small, and the results are great. I can't believe you'd get better results with a larger or more expensive machine. My results are as good as any ice cream or sorbet I've had anywhere.

You can't go wrong with the Chez Panisse Desserts cookbook by Lindsey Shere. (I reviewed that on its page.) It has dozens of ice cream and sorbet recipes. Every one I've made has been fantastic. It's a veritable clinic on the art of cooking with seasonal American and tropical fruits.

P.S. Get a good strainer and a good blender. It makes all the difference.

According to my wife, this is "the best birthday present ever". It's fast, quiet, and the electric motor takes all the drudge (admittedly some consider rock salt and cranks to be fun) out of home made ice cream. Just make a spot in you're freezer for the freezing cylinder and you're set - probably for life.

Once I was able to get all of the parts to fit properly and the lid to lock in place, this machine made great ice cream. However, getting the equipment to work correctly was an exercise in futility.

First of all, the instructions don't explain that you MUST have the blade in place before adding the ice cream mixture, else it will freeze right to the bowl, making it impossible for the blade to fit or turn. Once you make it past this hurdle, you move on to the challenge of putting the lid in place (there was a great deal of swearing in my kitchen the day of this machine's first use). On about my fourth use of the Krups machine, the blade cracked, which makes the process even more laborious. When I attempted to use the machine about a month ago, I found that I couldn't fit the lid in place at ALL, rendering the machine completely useless.

I would have a hard time recommending this product to anyone. I'm going to give the Cuisinart model a try next time.

Although I have made some great frozen yogurt with this product, I haven't made any in awhile, because the paddle broke just over a year after purchase, and I haven't gone through the trouble of finding a replacement yet. As other reviewers have noted, it's quite a trick to snap the lid into place without feeling the need to curse loudly; it is not designed intelligently. The paddle is made of thin, cheap plastic, and it takes a lot of stress while stirring thick ice cream. Also, this ice cream maker is quite loud. I wish I'd bought the Cuisinart machine, which has received rave reviews on amazon.

Here is a tip if you want something unexpectedly healthy: I made frozen yogurt using yogurt (drained through cheesecloth, for extra creaminess), fruit and other flavorings, and stevia in place of sugar. Stevia is an extremely sweet herb native to South America, available powdered and in liquid form in the vitamins & supplements section on your health food store. It's non-caloric, completely safe (it's been used in Japan and South America for decades), and it tastes like sugar in frozen yogurt. This way you can make an extremely healthy, low-sugar, all-natural frozen treat. Enjoy!

We own several Krups small kitchen appliances, and had been happy with all of them, including initially this ice cream maker. After a few uses -- properly cleaning and drying all parts after each use -- however, the tub corroded and the freezing gel leaked out. I called Krups customer service, who expressed surprise, but offered no resolution to the problem. I note that several other reviews here report a similar experience with regard to the leakage. Krups seems to have a quality problem with this item that needs to be resolved. I would not purchase another one.

How easy can this be? You keep it in the freezer and then make the best ice cream you ever had in less than 1/2 hour. I made my first Peach Ice Cream (a Ben and Jerry's knock-off) and it was the best I ever had. It rinses out clean and you just pop it back in the freezer. I used to have one of those that needed ice and salt. What a mess. I never made good ice cream with it. This one is GREAT!