Customer Reviews

Midas Non-Motorized Ice Cream Maker, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I first got my Midas, it was not available in the U.S. except by paying a ton for overseas shipping (which I did). I'd turned up some older rave reviews of it in Google, but nobody in the U.S. carried it. I finally found the inventor's listing on eBay and paid the $58.00 to have it shipped to the U.S.

I was so impressed with this ice cream maker, I wanted all my friends to be able to get it for less than I'd had to pay so I offered to carry some for the inventor in the U.S. I'm dkistner1111, listed as a seller on Amazon.

The main thing I do with my Midas is make the best peach kefir ice cream in the world. Anything you can make as a smoothie you can freeze to be an ice cream or sorbet. I blend peaches and homemade kefir -- find out how at Dom's Kefir In-site -- with about five tablespoons of xylitol (glycemic index of 2 as opposed to sugar's 100) and it makes the most delicious/refreshing ice cream that only tastes sinful.

I keep my Midas in the freezer all the time. It's a real kitchen essential. I use it for keeping champagne chilled, instead of ice in a sinkful of water when I'm blanching vegetables prior to canning, and also for cooling soups meant to be served cold. I've even grabbed the just-washed base and used it a time or two as a mixing bowl to whisk eggs and such. Given the Midas is made of stainless steel, I don't have to worry about poking holes into it with metal utensils and then having to buy a new/expensive canister like I've had to do with competing ice cream makers.

I just love my Midas. You'll love yours, too!

I think the Midas Ice Cream Maker is just incredible! What an elegant, simple solution for those of us who have major ice cream habits, but no tolerance for the loud, clunky electric versions that require careful handling to keep from puncturing their gel-filled tubs. I used an expensive electric ice cream maker I was given as a gift only once and shelved it because it was too much of a hassle to use and clean, not to mention that the noise drove me up the wall.

With the Midas, I can make two batches of ice cream before refreezing the tub, and since it's stainless steel, I can just stick it in the dishwasher. Moreover, there's nothing to assemble. All you have to do is pour in your mix and put the lid on.

I've just purchased a second one so I'll always have a spare in the freezer - like at 3:00 a.m. when I'm craving a big bowl of peach ice cream. Who ever came up with this design is to be commended for a beautiful, useful product that I will use regularly from now on. I can recommend this product without hesitation. I can't wait to try all the different recipes. Hmmmmm, I wonder if you can make ice cream out of marguerita mix?

Donna Overall

Marietta, GA

I like the way this ice cream maker works. It combines the convenience of the newer electric-style ice cream makers with the quietness and reliability of the old crank/salt-required styles. You don't "crank" this ice cream maker; nor do you plug it in and have to listen to it grind for half an hour. It's a base and a lid that you keep in the freezer until you want to use it, and then you just dump in the ingredients, wait a bit, stir briefly, then let it sit just a bit more and it's done.

If you eat it all at one sitting, you can put the whole thing right into the dishwasher. If not, you just stick it back in the freezer for later. I had ice cream made in one of those electric ice cream makers once and the gel had leaked into the ice cream, giving it a sickening taste. You don't have to worry about that with this ice cream maker.

One of the nicest things about it, though, is that it makes such a nice gift for just about anyone. I really don't like having to think too much or waste too much time (or gas) coming up with "the perfect gift." This Midas ice cream maker is well-made, cleanly styled, kind of classy, and I don't think you could break it if you tried. It looks more expensive than it is, too, so it makes a good impression as a gift.

I like to make my ice cream with 100% cream--no milk or juice--plus honey or dehydrated cane juice, vanilla, chocolate, egg yolk, whatever. Hand-crank ice cream makers caused a film of frozen cream to build up along the sides of the basin, making turning the crank impossible. Not applicable to the Midas. For my recipe and tropical climate, it takes 30 minutes in the Midas for the proper results with one stir-break at the 15 minute mark. I always use top-notch ingredients (everything organic including cultured-raw organic cream) such that I don't blame my full-sized German Shepherd for wanting to lick the bowl clean, and he deserves it. Fortunately, given that the Midas is stainless steel, there is no damage from my dog's rough treatment, unlike my other, retired, aluminum coated machine. I took the Midas in my suitcase to my tropical vacation home. It didn't take much room. No awkward cranks or flimsy plastic lids to pack. Like all modern ice cream makers, it must be well-frozen before use, as per the manufacturer's directions.

I just got a Midas ice cream maker, and I'd like to ditto what all the other reviewers have said--it's attractive, quiet, convenient, and really well made. I really like that you can store your ice cream, granita, or whatever in the same container you made it in.

And on top of all its other stellar qualities, it's an absolute party monster: It can be used to make frozen margies (yes!!) or serve as a champagne chiller.

The reviews were all so glowing, I was excited when mine arrived, and the directions were so triflingly easy! But then, after 3 hours of stirring every fifteen minutes, it was still soggy goo. I finally abandoned it overnight, and woke up to rock hard frozen paste. I'll try some sorbets and ices, but for a first attempt at simple coffee ice cream,following instructions and included recipe to the letter, the result was a terrible disappointment.

I've never made ice cream before in my life, but it can't get any easier with this ice cream maker. First off, it's a very durable product. It feels very solid and, with proper care, should essentially last for decades. What's great is that there's no grinding needed, no motors, and no salt necessary. It's extremely easy to clean by hand because nothing sticks for long to the stainless steel, yet it is also dishwasher-compatible.

The maker comes with an instruction booklet and a decent amount of starter recipes. The implication is that 15 minutes will get you your first batch of ice cream although I've found that 20 minutes is a better way to guarantee a satisfying result. Also, it's meant to remain chilled enough to make a second batch. If you attempt this, I recommend making the stronger flavor for the second batch, or making the exact same flavor. Otherwise, you may end up cleaning the maker between the two batches and the maker will warm up a bit from the cleaning. In any case, plan on the second batch to take closer to 20 minutes.

The maker allows you to simply lift the lid and stir at the 15-minute mark or whenever you need to. Additions to your ice cream should be made towards the end when you have a creamy (rather than liquid) product. Otherwise, adding in nuts or chocolate chips early on means that they will simply settle to the bottom and not get mixed in. A really firm spatula is often enough to scrape the sides, but sometimes I use a large spoon. When the maker is not in use, I store it in my freezer chest so that it is always ready whenever I get a craving for ice cream. One other tip is to chill the mixture before adding it to the ice cream maker. This would definitely help if you are planning on making two batches, otherwise, it's not necessary (unless you are making coffee ice cream, for example, and didn't allow the coffee to cool off).

While the recipe book is geared towards traditional milk-based ice cream, I've used this for non-dairy ice cream and it's highly effective. I've found that soy milk-based ice cream needs proper time to freeze but also it needs a thickener (arrowroot is recommended by some vegan blogs, and some recipes suggest silken tofu). You can find a great book called Vice Cream on Amazon and it has non-dairy recipes based upon cashews as a base. After heavily blending the cashews with soy milk or water, this ice cream maker turns out what essentially has the same texture and taste as ice cream. And, the whole family can get behind making ice cream because it's so simple with this maker!

A friend gave me this and I liked it well enough, but it burst! The side simply split and some sort of liquid ran all over the floor of my freezer. It looked beautiful and made nice ice cream, but I don't think I'd buy another after having to clean up that mess.

Five-star product gets one star for the worst price gouging I've ever encountered-

I bought this product here in July 2009 for $49 shipped. Went to this page in November 2009 to refer a friend and see that now the price is >>>>$170.00<<< shipped.

If anyone is willing to put up with this price gouging (the Midas got a positive review on Cooltools and this fact apparently went to some peoples' heads), be warned that the recipe book is rife with errors: I had to email the factory to learn that the 'gelato' recipes are all fatally flawed*.

A shame overall: the Midas makes wonderful ice cream once the recipe is corrected, but not for that kind of money.

* The correction: one cup of cream gets heated. The 2nd cup is whipped and added later after the base cools for half an hour. They also specify heavy cream: IMHO light cream actually produces a better, non-greasy product.

This company never responded to my emails and never sent the product. I was disappointed and had to ask Amazon for a refund.