# Ice cream makers- worth it?



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I have had my eye on the Cuisinart Ice-21 frozen yogurt and ice cream maker for a while. It's actually in my basket at Amazon (for all you regular shoppers, you know that putting your items in your basket and watching them change price is a good way to grab a bargain) as i've been contemplating the purchase. 

I'm wondering though, if it is worth it to buy it or if it'd be just another gadget. We're big ice cream eaters here and I unless there's a good sale and I have coupons for the flavors with add-ins, we eat plain ol' chocolate in a tub. It's not the cheapest icecream in a tub, but the next level up. With the cost of ingredients, as most recipes i've seen call for heavy cream, is it cheaper to do what i'm doing or buy the machine?

I'm not even considering one of the ice/rock salt versions. We had one before- too messy, too noisy and it never was used. 

Thoughts?


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## MyFullHouse (Jan 30, 2011)

We have the Cuisinart Ice-45. A relative gave it to my kids for Christmas. Since then, we've only used it once, but that's probably b/c I'm not a big fan of eating ice cream when it's 12* outside!

I don't think it comes out cheaper, especially when you consider how often store ice cream goes on sale. But I can say it's SOOOOOO much better! It tastes better, it doesn't have weird preservatives and stabilizers in it, and you can do whatever flavors your in the mood for.

I think we'll get quite a bit of use out of it this summer.


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## Nette (Aug 17, 2003)

I got a Cuisinart model for my brother and sister-in-law for birthdays, and they LOVE it. In fact, the next year, I got them an extra bowl thingy, so that one would be frozen and ready to use at all times. They love not having to do the rock salt thing. We have a dairy, so the main ingredient (!) is always readily available.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Ummmmmmm...homemade ice cream!

Sorry, I just had to say it!


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## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

I have a Cuisinart IC maker(don't know about a # though) and love it. I'd like to get an extra bowl for it though(the kids never want the same flavor). Homemade tastes so much better and for some reason it seems colder to me.

I don't use heavy cream because of the cost and I like that I can use a lot less sugar than store bought and it still taste great. One of our favorite recipes is for the pumpkin ic that came with the machine.


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

I'd get one in a heartbeat (my sister has one and makes some fantastic ice cream with it), but only if I could get the Cold Stone Creamery recipe for Cake Batter Ice Cream. The other store versions (breyers, etc) just aren't the same. Yes, I'll admit it....Cold Stone's Cake Batter ice cream is my kryptonite. Of course if I could make it at home, I'd be 30 pounds heavier, so maybe its a good thing that its classified.


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

If you are not opposed to buying a used one do an ebay search. I got my yogotherm on there for $10.00. I also bought an ice cream maker at a local thrift store, still in the box for $5 but I wasnt looking for a particular model..


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## akaRach (Sep 29, 2009)

Ha! My son loves IC, I don't buy it all the time tho and when I do, its usually the cheapo stuff.

I was shopping yesterday, thinking I should pick some up. 

The fancy IC was $7!

...

That's insane! I don't care what's in it 

We do have a small IC maker and I do enjoy using it. My daughter helps make it and my son helps eat it, lol. It wasn't very expensive, under $30.

I don't like using cream in the recipe either, its way to rich and coats the mouth.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

i want one BUT lol I have enough time trying to find space for the blender, the spice grinder, the dehydrator, the kitchen aid mixer, the waffle maker, the toaster and the microwave as it is. Whenever I need to use one of them I have to play musical chairs and suffle everything around.


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

I have a Cuisinart too (can't remember the model number). I LOVE IT!!! I do wish I had an extra bowl though. I sometimes want to make a couple of kinds of ice cream, but can't because the bowl only stays frozen enough for one at a time.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

I love home made ice cream but..... It's so much more expensive than the stuff you get at the store. I've not had great luck having it stay nice and creamy when you re-freeze it.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

YES!
I didn't have that one, I had a cheapy, handcranked yard sale find one that worked on the frozen bowl principal.

I never used cream, just whole milk. It always came out AWESOME - though I do have to add that I always used the cooked recipes, making that custard makes a difference and we loved it.
It wasn't that expensive, cheaper then storebought the way I did it. Milk, eggs, less sugar then you would think, flavoring. My most expensive ingredient was Oreos - the store brands are NOT the same, especially in icecream. But homemade CookiesNCream....drool.

I gave it and the recipe book away when I moved and have kicked myself since.


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## my3boys (Jan 18, 2011)

I don't think you save much when you make your own ice cream, but the taste is absolutely superior than store bought. You also don't have all the additives that so many brands have, except for Breyers.

We have a hand-crank model (White Mountain) because we make our own for the experience as well as the taste.

Hmm, maybe its time for a thread on ice cream in the recipe section?


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

IMO I'd just go with one of the old fashioned salt/ice machines. I got an ice cream maker to go with my Kitchenaid as a free mother's day gift from the company. It was rather small and in no time it was leaking blue liquids ( they assured me it was food safe ) all over everything in my freezer. needless to say I was unimpressed...I usually have such great things to say about Kitchenaid products.


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## IMContrary (Sep 22, 2004)

I have one and I use it a lot. In the summer I make lots of ice creams and sorbets with mine. I've been thinking about getting the ice attachement for my Kitchne-Aid mixer though. I love those Kitchen-Aid gadgets! LOL 

And like the poster above, I'd love to learn how to make Cold Stone Creamery's cake batter ice cream. That stuff is my downfall too! I don't even want them to mix anything in it, just give it to me straight!


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## mistletoad (Apr 17, 2003)

I had the Kitchen-Aid one for my mixer but it never makes the ice cream cold enough. I keep the bucket in my manual defrost freezer, chill all of the ingredients overnight in the fridge and still can only get the softest, soft serve before the bucket warms up. We do not have air conditioning so my house is hot in summer, but that is why we want ice cream! lol

Anyone else have this problem or a solution?


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

We have one and love it. I make more like ice cream fruit slushies than anything else. I keep the ingredients on hand most of the time, but honestly I just use milk if I don't have heavy cream. Mudslides are the bomb and so yummy, plus making milkshakes is fun and easy too. I use my own fruit that I've frozen with very little sugar for our slushies and they are so good, if it needs a punch I will use some of my freezer jam for a kick up.


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## CollieFlowerWV (Jun 28, 2010)

I have the Cuisinart ICE-20. I love it. I don't make ice cream too often though, I will be making it much more now. They do not have to list all the ingredients in ice cream because of some loop hole. There is antifreeze in many of the ice creams that are on the market as well as a lot of artificial ingredients. None of which I want to ingest. It is not that much more expensive to make your own. You just eat a little less. And I think that most of us can afford to do that-me included.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

We use ours regularly, and comparing apples to apples, it is MUCH less expensive to make than buy. It used to be I could get Hagen Dazz for $2.50/pt, but that is no longer the case. A single quart of half-and-half plus eggs and sugar will make at least a couple batches.

The slush in the sealed part has just enough cooling power to make the soft serve style, and once you remove it from the maker and put it into the freezer, it is important to take the new ice cream out of the freezer about 3 times and "finish" it by stirring. If you look at the professional machines, they also only make a soft ice cream and have a finishing stage outside of the maker. Don't expect to immediately make hard scooping ice cream.

It the mix isn't even getting to the soft-serve stage, either cover the outside of the container with dish towels, or use an extension cord, and stick the maker right into the freezer while it is running.

I'm a dairy products snob. I won't give 99% of store ice-cream a second glance, ESPECIALLY Ben & Jerry's, even though I was one of the first to try their ice-cream (it wasn't as good as the student made ice cream at the ag building at UVM down the street), and their plant sits near the end of my old paper route. Ice cream made with gums is like cake made with pine tar.

FWIW, ours is a Rival maker.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Oh yeah I have the small Cuisinart ice cream and yogurt maker.


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

DD and SIL really like their ice cream machine - it's a Cuisinart, not sure of the model. It was a Christmas gift in 2009. They use it regularly.


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## DAVID In Wisconsin (Dec 3, 2002)

Now yall have done it. I'm going to have to order one or get one tomorrow. I love ice cream.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I've got the old fashioned one that uses ice and rock salt. It's fun to experiment and make up recipes.

I stopped buying heavy cream and I use half and half. It makes excellent ice cream. The heavy cream recipes have you add milk, anyway.

I don't think it costs more to make home made. Compare weight, not volume. The store bought ice cream has a lot of air whipped into it to make it look like you are getting more.


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## amyd (Mar 21, 2005)

I have one with an extra bowl. It makes about a quart of ice cream. I have a recipe where you use a pint of milk, 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, and half a tub of cool whip. Just dump it in and turn it on. It's to die for! You can add flavors, strawberry is one of our favorites!


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## CollieFlowerWV (Jun 28, 2010)

amyd said:


> I have one with an extra bowl. It makes about a quart of ice cream. I have a recipe where you use a pint of milk, 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, and half a tub of cool whip. Just dump it in and turn it on. It's to die for! You can add flavors, strawberry is one of our favorites!



The thing that is bad in the recipe is that Cool Whip has hydrogenated oil in it. Since you are already going through the trouble of making delicious ice cream, it makes no sense to put in chemicals or ingredients that are harmful to our families.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

had to go look - yup, mine is a Cuisinart too. It's the two quart model.

I make frozen yogurt often in the summer, and ice cream not quite as often. I use my homemade jam for flavoring. I love making jam but we don't eat it much so I've got plenty for ice cream flavoring. 

I also make my own yogurt - so tossing a quart into the ice cream maker is not big deal. 

If it wasn't about 10 degrees out right now I'd be making a batch.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

We have one of the old wood bucket models with a motorized paddle on top, you use rock salt and ice to freeze the mix. It takes a long time to make and the motor is loud. We normally only make ice cream outside and for a special occasion. Now I'm gonna have to look at the new models. Love ice cream, hate the artificial ingredients and the price at the store.


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## mamaof3peas (Oct 8, 2009)

uh, i have a small one from walmart, it was the cheapest model, it uses rock salt and ice, lol, it is kinda loud, and it takes a little time, but it is so fun to use!! i just use it on my counter, it is pretty simple, the kids enjoy watching it turn and turn, and adding in the extra ice. it was workth the $25 to get, and we will be using it this summer to make homemade icecream with goats milk )_))


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Harry Chickpea said:


> We use ours regularly, and comparing apples to apples, it is MUCH less expensive to make than buy. It used to be I could get Hagen Dazz for $2.50/pt, but that is no longer the case.


It might be cheaper than high cost, fancier ice cream but I don't understand how that many people can afford those and why they want to spend so much money on them.

Walmart brand vanilla ice cream is pretty good. Actually, their ice cream, over all, is pretty good. Does it compare to home made? No. Can I afford to have ice cream more often this way? Yes.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Joshie said:


> It might be cheaper than high cost, fancier ice cream but I don't understand how that many people can afford those and why they want to spend so much money on them.
> 
> Walmart brand vanilla ice cream is pretty good. Actually, their ice cream, over all, is pretty good. Does it compare to home made? No. Can I afford to have ice cream more often this way? Yes.


Laura, I CANNOT eat stuff with guar gum in it, so the cheap ice-creams are off limits, unless I want to spend four hours choking back thick mucous and trying to breathe. Sorry to be so graphic, and I'm not willing to totally go on a rampage saying that no one should eat guar gum, but for me the cheap ice creams are more evil than Oggie's cats - even the ones with fur balls.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

I got one only after trying to decide the pros and cons of plunking down that much money over simply buying ice cream. After all, you can buy a lot of ice cream for the same amount it costs to buy and ice cream maker.... then we made some. I'll just say the money is long forgotten.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Definitely not opposed to used- i've scoured all the thrift stores around since last summer and while i've found a LOT of bread machines, there're NO ice cream machines to be found. 

Gosh, I love y'all! I should have figured if there was a cheaper, tastier way to make ice cream, y'all would know. So if I take the heavy cream out of the equation it sounds much more do-able.

I've been saving those ice cream buckets from the store- they make great storage containers, non-spillable buckets for toting chicken feed/dog food/what have you. Oh, and I intended to use 'em for homemade ice cream too!

Thanks for all the opinions 

I almost have enough saved in Amazon gcs so I guess we'll be makin' ice cream at home soon!


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We have one of those little ice cream makers from Wal-Mart and when the cow's milking, we love home made ice cream. The only down fall of those little Wal-Mart ice cream things is it takes a lot of ice, but the ice cream sure is better than store bought stuff.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> Gosh, I love y'all! I should have figured if there was a cheaper, tastier way to make ice cream, y'all would know. So if I take the heavy cream out of the equation it sounds much more do-able.


If you use the cooked recipes, it is SO good and just substitute milk for cream - not one person I served it to ever noticed the difference - they were too busy raving about how good it was!
A pint of milk, 4 egg yolks and a half a cup of sugar makes your basic custard (doesn't sound expensive, does it?) Most recipes call for pouring back and forth and complicate heck out of it. 
I just heated the milk till it steamed, whipped up the egg yolks and sugar pretty well and slowly drizzled and stirred yolks and sugar into the steaming milk (I mixed it in a mixing cup to make it easy to pour) keep stirring it at the temp that it just steams and when it's thick, take it and chill it and make it icecream when it's cold.

A big old splash of vanilla for most recipes (or the chocolate of your choice) and our favorite was to crumble cookies into it.

Oh, man! See what you've done? Got me dredging up how to do it from the back of my mind and now my mouth is watering! You'll be ruined for storebought icecream and you'll never miss the cream.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> I'm wondering though, if it is worth it to buy it or if it'd be just another gadget. We're big ice cream eaters here and I unless there's a good sale and I have coupons for the flavors with add-ins, we eat plain ol' chocolate in a tub. It's not the cheapest icecream in a tub, but the next level up. With the cost of ingredients, as most recipes i've seen call for heavy cream, is it cheaper to do what i'm doing or buy the machine?


You may not save money on ice cream unless you have your own cow or dairy goats, but I have one of the Cuisinart ice cream makers and I LOVE it. You can get creative with your own flavors, make lowfat versions if you like, frozen yogurt, sorbet, etc... even smoothies. Since we have dairy goats it makes sense for us. Plus, it's fun. 

The one problem is that the ice cream tends to get rock-hard after it sits in the freezer. I've discovered the solution to this problem is to add a little alcohol to the mix at the very end of the freezing process. Depending on the flavor, we use Kahlua, Creme de Menthe, Bailey's, etc. It adds wonderful flavor and helps keep the ice cream creamy.


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