Ice-Cream Machine Reviews

I recently bought a really great ice cream machine and I happened to be browsing the internet and I saw this waffle cone maker. At first, I thought, "O.K., not another gadget!" but after reading several descriptions of the machine I decided to buy it. Thank God for going with my first mind!! This machine is incredible. After reading the brief instructions, I mixed up my batch of waffle cone mix (Chef's Choice) and set out on my adventure. Spraying a small amount of olive oil onto the heating pads (I always spray oil for the first time of each use) I poured my first coaster-sized amount of mix onto the machine; closed the lid and waited for the appropriate time to elapse. After opening the lid, out came this good smelling circular cone. Immediately, I lifted the cone using a rubber spatula; used the cone roller as indicated and Viola!! A great cone!! Not to mention the wonderful smell permeating my house!!
It took me two tries to get the right amount of mix to make the perfect cone. I had some of the mix slide out the sides of the machine...no problem, just wipe it off. When making your cone fold a small amount at the bottom before you begin rolling the cone; or pinch the bottom of the cone when rolling so that your ice cream will not come out at the end; or put some melted chocolate, butterscotch or caramel at the bottom and let it get hard...a tasty plug!!
The only thing I can think of that would make this one package complete is if the company would supply a rubber spatula, the towel (they mention using) or perhaps a pair of cotton gloves to help roll the cone...it is hot!! However, I really use just my hands. I get a better feel of the roller this way. And, please do not let these couple of items dissuade you from purchasing this machine. That would be terrible. We should all, hopefully, have a rubber spatula and towels!!
Cleaning the machine is a breeze. The non-stick heating pads are greatly appreciated.
I highly recommend this machine. What a great addition to any household that loves ice cream!!
Be Blessed!!

This is the best way to draw customers into our ice cream shop. They smell the waffle cones baking and we can't sell enough. Is there some way to guide me to a source or supplier who sells the waffle cone mix. The ice cream store I worked in 2 years ago bought the mix and all you had to do was add water. I can't seem to find out who sells it. It's quick and you can mix up any amount at a time instead of a full recipe. I would appreciate your help. Your cone maker is wonderful!
Thanks, Judith K. Tooker

My kids love waffle cones but they cost much $ at ice cream parlors and the store. Bought this waffle cone maker & its easy to use - just throw the cone ingredients in a bowl, stir, put the batter in the pan and 1 minute later you have a delicious fresh waffle cone. Could'nt be easier & I've saved lots of $ having cones at home instead of at the ice cream stands. Fun to make with groups of kids too!

I ordered this ice cream maker about a week ago and got it yesterday. I immediately put the bowl in the freezer - I'm not a patient person. Then this afternoon I made the simplest recipe from the manuals that comes with the ice cream maker (the Ben & Jerry's cookbook I ordered hasn't arrived yet). It was for cookies n'cream (vanilla ice cream with crumbled oreos added during the last 5 minutes. It worked out quite well. The ice cream was soft when finished, of course, but hardened up after a few hours in the freezer. It tastes & has the exact same texture of Dreyer's cookies n'cream ice cream. All the Ben & Jerry ice creams seem to ask for eggs, and I imagine that's where they get their denser consistency. All in all, I was quite pleased.

I think that they key is having a very cold freezer. Mine is at the coldest it goes and I imagine that's why I didn't need to freeze the bowl for a whole 24 hours.

I bought this ice cream maker after seeing one like it on the food channel. I have one of those Rival brand ice cream makers that requires the salt and ice. What a mess! and loud!! This Cuisinart ice cream maker is wonderful! It is quiet compared to my old Rival and very easy to use. You keep the bowl in the freezer at all times, and when you make up a batch of ice cream, you just pour the cream in the frozen bowl and turn the button to ON. In 20 minutes or less, you have ice cream. I am very glad I bought this. I also purchased Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert book and a Farberware Millennium ice cream scoop along with this maker and I would highly recommend those also!

I asked my husband to buy this machine for me for Christmas instead of jewelry, and have no regrets! I love all the sorbets, ice milks and ice creams that we can make. It is simple to use, and the results taste great!

My only complaint is how loud the machine is. I can't really let the machine run while we are having dinner unless I put the ice cream maker far away from the kitchen and dining room. But other than that inconvenience, I can't complain.

I would agree with the other reviewers -- use cold ingredients, and start your ice cream as soon as you take the bowl out of the freezer. I let my bowl freeze for at least two days before using it. I put it in a plastic bag, and then put a zip-loc bag of ice in the container just to be sure.

I have a hard time using all of the egg yolks and heavy cream to make true "ice cream" (although a splurge once in awhile isn't a bad thing!). I try to stick to the lower fat recipes. You can find endless recipes and ideas on the internet. I must admit that when in a hurry I just throw together some milk, half and half, real mexican vanilla, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no recipe here, just taste it to your own creaminess and sweetness level) to make ice cream for dessert. It's like having fresh soft serve. Yum!

If you would like your own ice cream maker, you can't go wrong with this machine!

Although it is a bit noisy, it is not distracting...you can watch tv and carry on with a normal conversation with it running.
Being able to do two different flavors at the same time is great..or even just double the amount of one flavor!

I would recommend this machine to anyone interested in making their own ice cream. After 25 minutes you have an ice cream with the consistency of soft serve. [Though sometimes you have to run it for longer because some ingredients add more liquid to the mixture, so naturally it won't be as firm as others. Also, for those of you complaining how you have to refreeze the bowls and run it again...you are most likely not freezing the bowls long enough in the first place. For best results, leave the bowl unused in the freezer for at least a day...that way the liquid inside is COMPLETELY frozen.]

After your ice cream is done, just put it all in an airtight container in the freezer for a half hour or so and VOILA...ice cream that rivals even Ben & Jerrys! You can make ANY flavor you want...that's the best part about it. Not enough chunks in your store bought ice cream? This is your solution, add as much as you want! Enjoy!

People are exaggerating the noise level of this machine. It is far quieter than a blender or even a hand mixer. Since it only runs for 20-25 minutes, the noise level becomes negligable. Unless it's on top of the TV you probably won't notice.

Recipes included with the machine are delicious. Be sure and use pasturized in-shell eggs and try replacing sugar with Splenda for a sugar-free treat.

It also looks nice displayed on the kitchen counter.

Well I purchased this ice cream maker after reading the reviews and after having gone through the old fashion type with Ice and Salt I purchased this along with the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream book and do not regret the purchase at all. Yes it makes noise, but it is tolerable and not as loud as a Blender. It is a motor.. they all make noise! The ice cream and sherbert come out soft but one placed in an closed tub for about 2-3 hours it is wonderful! I will not purchase ice cream from a retailer again. So far after a month I have made, French Vanilla, Maple Walnut, Coffee and Strawberry Banana Sherbert directly from B&J's book and all have been a delight to eat.

It's inexpensive, doesn't have to be plugged in and doesn't need ice or salt--three things plenty of folks are looking for in an ice-cream maker!

The ice cream turns out pretty good (if you use a good recipe!), and it is just the right amount of ice cream for 2-4 people after dinner--just start it about 4 hours before! Also, since it's such a small amount of ice cream, you don't have to worry about hard-to-find additives that will make it still "scoopable" the next day--it will be eaten by then!

It cleans up easily, as long as you don't overfill the cups and rubberband the top on so it doesn't slip.

IT'S STILL CHEAP, THOUGH. I use mine a couple of times a week, and it definitely shows some wear (gears slip occaisionally). In my case, having this machine for a few months has convinced me that I WILL make ice cream often, and therefore a heavy-duty machine will be cost-effective for me.

But for people who will only use the machine a few times a month and are on a budget, this ice-cream maker is ideal!

This ice cream maker takes AA batteries and your refrigerator's freezer to work. It takes 4-5 hours for it to complete the ice cream. The results? Two scoops of creamy tasty ice cream. If you are willing to wait so long for so little reward, this ice cream maker is well worth it.

I finally broke down and bought this attachment for the Concept machine. It's good, though it took me a while to figure out how to use properly.

First, my freezer wasn't turned very cold. This caused problems. Make sure your freezer is cold. They recommend around 0F or -18C.

Second, don't put too much in one batch. The ice cream recipes I got from a Williams-Sonoma book were about twice as large as this unit will do. A good rule of thumb is that the container should only be filled up 60% with liquid. It will increase in volume from the creaming process.

If you avoid these two problems, I'm sure it will be a good attachment for you as well.

This works great and very easy to use. Only issues is that the Freezer container gets stuck to the turn table and is very hard to remove. I suggest buying a second turntable and not bother removing them from the freezer container.

Cuisinart makes it easy for ice cream lovers by selling extra freezer bowls! Having an extra freezer bowl is extremely useful if you are making large quantities of ice cream or you plan on making different varieties. According to the instruction booklet it can take between six to twenty-two hours to freeze the bowl. We usually keep one bowl in the freezer all the time, then when making a batch of ice cream we replace it with the extra bowl. The freezer bowl doesn't take up much space and it's easy to clean! Fantastic Buy!

There's not too much to be said for this item beyond the fact that it does what it's supposed to do. It freezes solid and stays frozen long enough to make ice cream. I'd offer a couple of caveats which in no way reflect on the item itself: First, be sure it is thoroughly frozen or your ice cream won't firm up properly. Give it a shake. If there is even a little mushiness to the liquid inside, you'll hear it. And if you do, put it back into the freezer for 12 more hours. Next, get the ice cream out of the bowl as soon as possible after freezing. It sticks to the side and has to be scraped out. This doesn't necessarily detract from the quality of the finished product but it's a pain.

What's the point? Well, an extra bowl will allow you to make more than one batch of ice cream a day. If your freezer is set low enough, and not too packed, you can probably rotate two bowls for fresh ice cream every day. And isn't that really why you got your ice cream maker? I really recommend getting the second bowl, to avoid frustration and ice cream-less days with long faces and frayed tempers.

It's not expensive. Knock yourself out.

I bought my Cuisinart ice cream maker when I first got on the low carb bandwagon three years ago. Since ice cream can be such a guilty pleasure in the low carb lifestyle, I've got to have plenty on hand! The extra bowl allows me to have my low carb ice cream whenever I want. Use your favorite low carb ice cream recipe with heavy cream, a sugar substitute such as Splenda, some vanilla or cocoa or sugar-free chocolate pudding and in 20 minutes, you've got some great low carb ice cream! Great taste. Great product. Great price. If you're low carb and an ice cream addict, you need this to go along with your Cuisinart ice cream maker.

In this day of technology and the fact that Black and Decker are supposed to be a reputable company, this was a piece of garbage.
If you have arthritis, I definitely would not recommend. You have to have two people to operate this. Not worth the effort!! I called Black and Decker (aka: Applica) and they claimed they've never received any complaints. I was civil with them, but they would not offer any help on this, nor would give me to a supervisor to speak with.

I recieved this as a gift.I tried it out several times.The consistency is nothing like soft ice cream,more like hard ice cream that has been sitting out.Wastes most of your ice cream anyway.Total junk.Also black and decker has not been a pleasent company to work with.After much insistence they are going to investigate the situation and consider some form of a refund.

I bought one locally for my Mom as she likes soft serve, well, I HAD to buy one for myself, and that's when I saw Amazon has it and I'm buying it. It makes ice cream like you get from soft serve machines at DQ and places like that. You do need to make sure the ice cream you put in the machine is VERY hard, other wise it wont make a good soft serve cone, it'll be way to soft. This machine is great if you are making more than one cone, and you will need atleast two people if you are making cones. It's a nice little kitchen tool, and I highly recommend this. Play around and come up with neat mixes, add candy and nut pieces, have fun with it.

I would rate this a "0", but it wasn't an option available. I never got a decent batch of ice cream out of this product. Just a soupy mush. Tried multiple different recipes and even ran 2 separate trials with this machine next to my original,very tired Oster machine. The worn out machine made a great batch, this one, zilch.

When I ordered this item, it never stated that it worked with a mixer. Well I do not have the mixer that goes with this ice cream maker. It did not come this all items that it stated it came with. I think it would work fine if you had the mixer that worked with it. I also think the item has been used before.
Thank you
Michael A. Velto