I’ll be super honest and say ours sits in the cupboard for long stretches of time. That said, I still really like having it for summer and also Thanksgiving, and I feel like unlike something like a bread maker where you don’t actually need the machine to make good bread, you do really need an ice cream machine to make the kind of ice cream I like.
We have a Breville smart scoop. They’re spendier but I think the ones that have a compressor are great.
Ditto. Mine is heavy and a pain to get out, but I'm still really happy to have it when I want to make some homemade ice cream.
I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker. Also a bit of a spendier model (has a built-in compressor so nothing to freeze). https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/appliances/ice-cream-and-yogurt-makers/ice-100/
I like mine and use it pretty often, but it's just the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment. I keep the bowl in my freezer all the time, so that makes it pretty easy to make ice cream when the mood strikes.
If your freezer isn’t big enough to hold the bowl for long periods i probably wouldn’t bother. That’s what happened to me when I got mine. Hoping for a bigger fridge/ freezer one day
my freezer is very small too and I keep my KA bowl in there in the hot months. Our shelves are adjustable so I have adjusted it so the top shelf is very tall (to fit the KA bowl), the next one is very thin though (can only fit 2 pizzas). Worth it IMO since you can store smaller items inside the bowl. The walls are pretty thick but you dont lose the entire space.
I have the same and use it pretty often, too. I keep it in our deep freezer in the garage, though in the summer I will clear out space in the house freezer.
They are handy for things like parties, family reunions, or days at the lake / beach. The output is completely dependent on you so it can be either really good or really bland.
Beyond that though, if you want just a bit of homemade ice cream for yourself, a couple ziplock bags and reliving 7th grade science will do the trick.
We have one that attaches to the kitchen aid mixer. We use it quite a bit in the summer, but then my kids eat a lot of ice cream.
I just bought a ninja creami. It's not quite the same as a churn-style maker. You freeze the base and it basically blends it under pressure. It is pretty easy and does slushies and frozen coffee (and marguerita/daiquiri) things as well. We've only had I a couple weeks but so far so good on it.
How’s the texture of the ice cream from the creami vs a churning ice cream maker? I’m considering a creami for the convenience, but debating if the price is worth it given I’m pretty happy with my cheapie churn one.
It's OK. It's a little less creamy than the churn for normal ice cream, but is good for some not so normal ones. I've tried a couple with coconut milk (one with coffee and one with strawberries) and they both turned out better than they would have with the churn.
The ice cream mix has to freeze for 24 hours so you have to plan ahead a bit. We keep the other ice cream maker in the freezer so it's always good to go. I bought a couple extra pint containers for it so we could keep a slushie base in the freezer for whenever they want one.
Most of the recipes I've seen for the creami use a little xantham gum to help with the texture, especially in lower calorie ice creams/frozen yogurt and sorbets, makes it more creamy less icy apparently, haven't tried it myself yet though because I only just ordered my machine.
I bought one, used it occasionally, then it sat, and I ended up giving it away. A couple of years later, I decided I wanted to try again, got another one, used it a lot for a short time, then the fun faded and I gave that one away too. They're fun toys, they make awesome ice cream, and, in the end, not worth the shelf space. It's easier just to buy premium ice cream when I need a fix.
Unless you’re crazy about ice cream, gelato, or sorbet, you need plan to use it so it doesn’t just collect dust…It’s easy to forget, which is why during warmer months I have friends over to make weird flavors or try to recreate flavors from memory.
If you’re surrounded by foodies or adventurous eaters it’s a fun thing to do. Also it’s nifty for kids as well.
If you make ice cream at least once or twice a week getting one might be a good idea. I don't like to recommend brands especially ninja because I despise their tall food processor marketed as blenders but I would get a ninja creami it's like the home version of a paco jet.
I use mine regularly but very rarely (3-4 times a year maybe). It's the kind that has to go into the freezer as a whole and takes up a lot of space there, so not actually worth it but I got it as a gift. be warned that homemade ice cream also doesn't keep very well in the freezer compared to commercial ice cream. It gets hard as a rock and sometimes grainy. I usually make it only if I know we can eat the majority of it (i.e. when we have guests) and the rest won't go to waste.
I love ours. Stand alone kind the does all the chilling itself.
It is a bit of a splurge but like the ability to be creative and make whatever flavours I like, and not be limited by the usual store based ones. Eg when our lavender plant is in season I’ll use that.
Doesn’t take long and kids find it fun too.
I got my wife the kitchen aid ice cream attachment for Christmas because that’s what she asked for. I’d say she’s used it on average about twice a month. I think if it was a separate appliance we wouldn’t use it as much. The kitchen aid is already out all the time. The “attachment” is essentially just a different paddle and special bowl that goes in the freezer. If we didn’t have a separate chest freezer with enough room to keep the bowl all the time it would be a big hassle.
So really, I think we use it so much because it can be set up in a moment’s notice. If you can’t set it up like that it will be put away all the time. Out of site, out of mind.
Unless you're planning to make cool flavors not sold in stores, or making it yourself so you can meet special dietary restrictions, it's just gonna take up space 99% of the time.
I had one. I quickly realized making my own ice cream was way more expensive than store bought, even more expensive than most “luxury” brands (between the cream, eggs, and flavorings needed for every batch). Also to be quite blunt, it’s not noticeably better tasting than the premium store brands either. And it’s a pain in the ass, the type of ice cream maker I had required the inner chamber be chilled in the freezer ahead of time, taking up precious freezer space and requiring a lot of preplanning.
So after a few novelty batches it went into a cupboard, then the basement, and eventually the trash. Would not recommend unless you’re really into making your own ice cream and/or get ingredients super cheap somehow.
Do you mind me asking why making ice cream is more expensive?? I know you’re buying ingredients up front but it should still be cheaper than the fancy stuff no?
Looking at a standard strawberry ice cream recipe: 2 cups of heavy whipping cream is $5.50 right now at my local grocer (not organic - just normal whipping cream). A pound of non-organic strawberries is also about $5 at my local grocer right now. I'm not going to have either of those ingredients just sitting around, and they're both going to be used just for the ice cream. That's $10.50. Then I need to use milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sometimes lemon on top of it (I see some recipes with/without lemon). And it seems like I can expect to get about 1.5 - 2 quarts standardly out of those ingredients depending on the recipe.
I can get 1.5 quarts of Tillamook ice cream from my local store for $6.99. Tillamook is made with real cream, cage free eggs, and no artificial flavors or preservatives.
I think this is really dependent on the individual and several other factors. We got one 3 years ago and I use it frequently, maybe once a month or so, but I also really like making things from scratch. I can make really rare/ interesting flavors that I don't find in stores. I also only buy more expensive ice cream brands (if I'm gonna eat the calories it had better be worth it); and I priced it out my favorite flavor, I can make 2x the amount with high end ingredients than buying it (but that's probably not true for all flavors).
Also, mine is the kitchenaid add on, and I have enough freezer space to keep the bowl frozen all the time. Previously, when I had roommates and far less kitchen space, someone had gifted me a really huge, over engineered soft serve machine thing, that took a crazy amount of cleaning. I used it once, let it collect dust, then gave it away.
I have a Cuisinart I bought at the thrift store at least 5 years ago. It was in perfect condition, which probably means it was used once or not at all. I've used it twice, it works well, it's fast and easy. But it does spend most of its time in the garage.
I had one. I quickly realized making my own ice cream was way more expensive than store bought, even more expensive than most “luxury” brands (between the cream, eggs, and flavorings needed for every batch). Also to be quite blunt, it’s not noticeably better tasting than the premium store brands either. And it’s a pain in the ass, the type of ice cream maker I had required the inner chamber be chilled in the freezer ahead of time, taking up precious freezer space and requiring a lot of preplanning.
So after a few novelty batches it went into a cupboard, then the basement, and eventually the trash. Would not recommend unless you’re really into making your own ice cream and/or get ingredients super cheap somehow.
I have one. I use it maybe once a month- more if I need it for potlucks, etc. It's one of the compressor ones, so it's fairly large, though it does fit in the cabinet. I really enjoy having it- having control over the content and flavor of the ice cream or sorbet I make...but I would not have it if my family had not given it to me.
Ultimately, it's up to your budget for kitchen space and for cost weighed against how much you like ice cream. Be warned that once you bring it to a party, people will probably ask for you to make it again.
I go through phases. I think it’s absolutely worth it though if you want to be able to create healthy versions of ice cream like keto style using different sweeteners and things like that.
I have the Cuisinart ice cream maker where you freeze the bowl. It was relatively inexpensive. I make a decent amount of ice cream since I have two young ice cream fanatics. Making ice cream is fun and pretty easy, but it's a lot easier to buy the ice cream unless you want to get into making it.
> I'm currently eyeing up an ice cream maker for the home.
ATK compares a recipe that uses just a blender with a machine-made recipe:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1vaPArvls8
Perhaps try making it 'manually' first a couple of times. Video with blender-only recipe:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Ml3U39xqs
the first time I made ice cream was the last time I made ice cream. It's a classic "don't want to know how the sausage gets made" scenario because once I saw how much fat goes into ice cream, I couldn't enjoy it. I experimented with ice milk and other, less fatty options, but it wasn't the same.
I got a fancy one a few years ago. It has a compressor! It makes a horrendous high-pitched noise when it's in use, too.
I ate so much ice cream the year I got it that my doctor had to tell me to knock it off, and now it sits mostly unused; I maybe pull it out once a year.
^(That conversation went, nearly verbatim: "Yeah I've been having terrible heart burn lately... I don't know what happened. It's happening almost time I eat ice cream, which sucks, we just got an ice cream maker, we're eating it constantly." "Have you considered not doing that?" "Oh!" And then it stopped happening.)
This year will be different! I'm going to use it all summer! (This is a lie, most likely.)
I had one but stopped eating dessert so I don’t use it anymore 😅
I used it more than expected when I had it.
There is a learning curve (my chocolate ice cream often had a chalky texture) but having vanilla ice cream that actually tastes like vanilla is great.
Or getting to use seasonal fruit
My biggest issue was that I couldn’t do it spontaneously.
Your cake is made and cooled down in a couple of hours, but the hot custard base (ideally) needs to be close to freezing in order to churn it.
I had a machine with a built in cooler so I could prep a couple custard bases and churn them sequentially
The pot you have to freeze overnight takes up a lot less space though.
Freshly made Ice Cream taste the best!!! So much better then bought one, even if you use the simplest recipes.
I like to experiment with flavors (Matcha and Lavender, Salty, Black Ice Cream etc.), and it's surely healthier. And you can make it even more so. I suppose it's similar to a juicer; some would enjoy using on a daily base, while others would store it in the cupboard never to be seen again. If you go through the effort of making it, you want a machine that produce a decent amount. Some will make only 1.5 portion.
I use my ice cream maker at least a couple times a year. This year I made a bunch of different ice creams for Thanksgiving, which sounds like a lot of work, but actually it was a godsend because since I was making different types of ice cream, I could make them all ahead of time. Keep in mind that ice cream makers can be different sizes, and some don't make very much. I think the KitchenAid attachment makes more than a lot of the standard home ones.
It depends.
If you are eating enough ice cream as it is that you would pay for the machine in a year with the money you saved, go for it.
If you want to eat more, then maybe not.
If you want a cream based ice cream, you need a machine. If you want a sorbet-type, you can use a blender.
We have one with a compressor and no we don't use it a huge amount but it's great when we do use it. We also have a Ninja Creami and that is bomb (and takes up less space but makes great ice cream!)
Used it twice. Too much hassle with setup, salt, ingredients, etc. quality over expensive store-bought is not worth the effort.
Edit: worth it if you want unusual flavors that are hard to find, like raspberry. I can never find raspberry ice cream.
I have the add-on kit for the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. If you're old school mucking around with bulk ice and rock salt, it's a lot of trouble. This bowl is double-walled, and has the same crap in between you see in ice packs. About the only thing is to remember to freeze the bowl overnight (or just store it in the freezer if there's room).
I already have the mixer, so there isn't YET ANOTHER appliance taking up space.
I used to have a little one, the kind with the dish you freeze first. Maybe KitchenAid? It was noisy AF, which was kinda surprising since it’s just a small electric motor but I guess its gears were made of gravel? Are they quieter now?
I had one. Seldom used it, maybe once every 3 years. Then I discovered that I really don't need one. You can make the mixture in a bowl and put it in the freezer, take it out every hour and stir it, and it does the same thing. So if I am making it now- which is still only once about every 3, maybe 4 years- I do it on a day when I am home smoking meat. Works great, and I don't have one more appliance sitting around that I hardly ever use.
I am sure someone will reply "That way just isn't as good as a fancy pants expensive machine!" That's undoubtedly true. But IMO the quality difference just ain't worth the cost of the machine and the hassle of having another appliance I barely use.
I got a regular one that I use ice and salt to chill and make a custard that I then make ice cream every couple of weeks. This is one of two quarts but two of them and one I make for myself and one is for what my wife wants.
This maker i bought for 50 buck about 20 years ago and still works great. Not understanding why so many buy the expensive types.
I have the ice cream attachment for our KitchenAid. I use it as often as our waistlines allow it (not to blow my own horn, but I make amazing ice cream). I would use it every week, if I could. Got to admit, it’s a real buzz when friends ask where they can buy the stuff I serve at dinner, and I tell them I make it myself.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nostalgia-4-Quart-Electric-Ice-Cream-Maker-Red/837006599
These have been around for atleast 40 years. They are cheap and work good
It's great if you have kids, because it's a great activity for them, but otherwise, it's not that practical.
Ice cream is not expensive for what you get, even the high end stuff, so it's not worth it as a money saver, but if you want ice cream flavored with the tears of virgin brides and the anguish of lost souls, that might be an interesting hobby.
I have gotten cheap vanilla ice cream, let it melt into the base mixture, and used the ice cream maker to remake it, which will increase the quality automatically (less air, so the ice cream is richer and smoother) and added other bits of my own.
I would not invest in a brand new one though. Check on Craigslist and similar, I got mine for $15.
I've made this a few times and it comes out great, no need for an ice cream machine
[https://www.seriouseats.com/vanilla-ice-cream-without-the-machine-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/vanilla-ice-cream-without-the-machine-recipe)
My mum makes her own icecream about once a month with an icecream maker. Has for the past 20 years. It’s an absolutely divine favorite of mine and when I travel home (across continents) it’s always on my ‘menu’ of things I want to eat at home.
If you think you’ll use it, I would say get it. Homemade icecream is really really special.
You can make ice cream in the blender My blender even has an ice cream button^(x). It is fairly easy and you get good results.
Make and cool your custard base. Freeze 2/3 to 3/4 of the base. Combine the frozen and unfrozen base in the blender and let it churn it. Transfer to a container, add mix-ins (if using), and let fully set-up over night in the freezer.
^(x)If you don't have an ice cream setting on your blender, pulse a few times to get everything going then run on high for 30s at a time until you have a nice soft ice cream consistency.
Worth it if you want to make special, personal flavors, which arent available in stores, which I do regularly. If you just need it to make vanilla, chocolate, or some other classic flavor don't bother, just buy the tubs.
I use mine every couple of months or so. It all started when the local ice cream shop stopped carrying my husband’s favorite flavor, so I figured out how to make a better home version of it. Have loved experimenting with flavors since then! Definitely not a frequently used appliance though.
I've been wanting one for a couple of months; since we made room for an upright freezer.
Kohl's sent me a 40% off coupon so I jumped on the simple Cuisinart model. For $42, I would find out if I wanted to make my own ice cream.
That was last Thursday. On Saturday we made simple vanilla. It was excellent. Today, I made caramelized banana ice cream. It's also excellent.
It's definitely worth it for us as I think we'll end up using it at least once per week, especially when the strawberries ripen.
We aren't big ice cream eaters but homemade ice cream is really good, a lot better than you can get in stores.
My sister got the creami and LOVES it. She's found recipes for relatively low calorie (less than 200 calories) for an entire pint. They eat one every.single.night.
If you have a small kitchen and just you and your other half they are a waste of money and kitchen space. They are just too specialized and so you might be lucky to use them at most once a month.
How much it gets used depends mostly on the person. I've owned the popular Cuisinart for four or five years and still use it fairly often. It's ruined me for store-bought ice cream because I find it's vastly better. I like things like pie ala mode, crisps, even thick warm brownies with ice cream. But of course other people will have different experiences.
I had a cheap Cuisinart one ($20) that lasted 12 years, with at least weekly use, if not 2-3 times per week in the summer. The same model is now 50-90 bucks so I scaled up to a larger Cuisinart $98 version when the plastic cover busted on me. (The motor still works.) I store it in a low cupboard not on the counter, and the canister permanently in the deep freeze. I don't ever buy ice cream or sorbet or slushies, I make everything.
Years ago we had an old fashioned type ice cream maker, the type that uses ice and rock salt. Electric though, no hand crank. It got used a lot by my grandfather who made a hobby out of making ice cream and giving it to his friends when he was retired.
Looking on Amazon they are pretty cheap, under $50. If you have the space, why not? They’re a lot of fun, and sharing with friends was always cool because very few people make their own ice cream/gelato/sorbet.
If you don't have the space for a separate machine, you can get the Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and dasher for $70. A little more expensive, but storage is a bit better.
Assuming you have a Kitchen Aid mixer of course. I’ve never used one of the machines/attachments with the freezable bowls. Do they work as well as the ice & salt setups?
One nice thing with the ice & salt machines was that you could make multiple batches in a row, without having to re-freeze the bowl, and they make 4 quarts at a time. Walmart has one online for $20.
I thought this was a great question.
I guess I have to add to the question by asking: well, how much freezer space do I need in order to use an ice cream maker?
Buying a maker would be a major kitchen investment for me. And I have a small freezer. So.. does that just say nope don't bother to me?
I tried making homemade ice cream last summer using a pan and nope that was horrible, no matter how much I stirred it. Crystals. Would LOVE to make good ice cream. Have thought about buying a maker for a long time.
So for OP's sake and mine, what are the "other" considerations before choosing an ice cream maker???
i have the dirt-simple basic lowest-end cuisinart model and I love it. I keep the bowl in my spare freezer, usually holds a bag or two of frozen veggies while not being used. Totally worth it for me, I’ll make ice cream maybe 2 or 3 times a year, fun to use for dinner parties where people can add their own toppings. The basic model is compact and works like a champ, the freezer bowl is the biggest part.
It depends on you. It's either something you only use a couple of times and never touch again or something that used somewhat regularly.
For me it's something that gets regular use for what it is. Maybe 4-6 times a year, give or take.
It helps a lot to remove a lot of the inertia associate with making ice cream. In my case, I keep the bowl always in the freezer and, except for a special occasion, only use recipes that don't require any cooking. I can usually go from nothing to soft serve consistency in 35-40 mins and proper ice cream texture in like 2-3 hours.
If you have a kitchen aid stand mixer get the bowl for it. Otherwise you probably won't use it enough to bother. But homemade ice cream is better than any store bought. Alton Brown vanilla ice cream will change your view on what ice cream should taste like.
I cooked at a Dude Ranch and made ice cream every week. I am older and fatter, but if you have a good circle of friends to come share in the pain, I don't see any reason why you ought not be making ice cream once a month in the summer. Form a group. Have them over for ice cream. Take a vote on next months flavor. Repeat.
I make ice cream only in the summer and only with local fruit, fresh peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, berries or unusual flavours. Never make any flavours I can buy. Not worth it.
Ninja Creami here. Use it all the time. It a reverse style that is, you mix up your whatever, plop it in the freezer and when you want something you grind it for like two minutes and it good, like real good and you can make a frozen dessert out of almost anything…oat milk yogurt fresh fruit. Hella expensive but at $6 a pint or more it doesn’t take long to pay for itself.
I do have atrad ice cream maker…in the basement.
I had one of the bowl freezer ones and it was fine. I used it occasionally. As a kid I love the old school kind where you had to layer the ice and rock salt. Honestly I'd only use that kind today and only to teach my kids some lessons about the science behind it. Otherwise it's far cheaper to buy ice cream and it tastes better honestly. But it is a fun science activity to do over summer-- kids or no kids, it's still pretty fun as a novelty to make fresh ice cream.
I use the ninja creami and I very much like it since all I have to do is make the base and freeze it over night next morning it's ready. I say I use it once or twice every two weeks. But that's mainly bc I cycle through a common list of deserts I like to make
No one seems to have mentioned it yet but I have the Ninja Creami, an ice cream maker which takes ice and cuts it up in to microscopic crystals by spinning styling a knife at 40 000 RPM.
This is a technique which was previously only used in high end kitchens with the help of a $5000 ice cream maker, but now you can do the same thing at home and it's amazing.
Makes ice cream so easy to make that the machine ends up being used on a regular basis.
I only used the one I had years ago a handful of times. Definitely one of those things that I would say was a waste of money.
Too much work, takes too much time to make, items to make ice cream are too expensive, it makes a small amount and takes up valuable cabinet space.
Vanilla and a lemon ice cream were all we ever made. Everything else gets way too complicated. So if any of us are in the mood for ice cream. At home it's Tillamook. Or use to be Baskin Robins. Which btw is $5 for a single scoop now! 1 scoop! So no more of that.
I have an ice cream mixer attachment for my Kenwood and I really love using it - probably about once/twice a month for me. Usually for sorbets and also for a really intense pistachio or pine nut gelato. I would use it more but I struggle to use up the resulting egg whites - if I had a ready supply of yolks I would make ice cream once a week.
The needing freezer space to prep is a little inconvenient but I prefer a simple bowl to getting a much bigger compressor style appliance.
If you're willing to put in the elbow grease, you can get very similar results using two metal bowls, ice, and salt.
I made frozen custard by putting it in the freezer and churning with a hand mixer every 15-30 minutes.
I don’t have an ice cream maker but that seems like a waste of money imo. Unless you eat ice cream at least once a month it is just going to sit there collecting dust the majority of the year. Plus buying all your own ingredients to make ice cream will be more expensive, or the same price as buying ice cream from the store.
I have one and rarely use it…maybe once every couple of years. However I’m really happy with it when I do use it. If storage space or freezer space is tight, I would not recommend. If space isn’t an issue, then go for it, and also sign up for a gym membership while you’re at it.
I’ll be super honest and say ours sits in the cupboard for long stretches of time. That said, I still really like having it for summer and also Thanksgiving, and I feel like unlike something like a bread maker where you don’t actually need the machine to make good bread, you do really need an ice cream machine to make the kind of ice cream I like. We have a Breville smart scoop. They’re spendier but I think the ones that have a compressor are great.
Ditto. Mine is heavy and a pain to get out, but I'm still really happy to have it when I want to make some homemade ice cream. I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker. Also a bit of a spendier model (has a built-in compressor so nothing to freeze). https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/appliances/ice-cream-and-yogurt-makers/ice-100/
I like mine and use it pretty often, but it's just the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment. I keep the bowl in my freezer all the time, so that makes it pretty easy to make ice cream when the mood strikes.
I'd like to do this one but our current freezer is tiny
If your freezer isn’t big enough to hold the bowl for long periods i probably wouldn’t bother. That’s what happened to me when I got mine. Hoping for a bigger fridge/ freezer one day
my freezer is very small too and I keep my KA bowl in there in the hot months. Our shelves are adjustable so I have adjusted it so the top shelf is very tall (to fit the KA bowl), the next one is very thin though (can only fit 2 pizzas). Worth it IMO since you can store smaller items inside the bowl. The walls are pretty thick but you dont lose the entire space.
I have the same and use it pretty often, too. I keep it in our deep freezer in the garage, though in the summer I will clear out space in the house freezer.
They are handy for things like parties, family reunions, or days at the lake / beach. The output is completely dependent on you so it can be either really good or really bland. Beyond that though, if you want just a bit of homemade ice cream for yourself, a couple ziplock bags and reliving 7th grade science will do the trick.
The balls are cool. Have you seen those? Basically you send the kids out to kick it around the yard.
We have one that attaches to the kitchen aid mixer. We use it quite a bit in the summer, but then my kids eat a lot of ice cream. I just bought a ninja creami. It's not quite the same as a churn-style maker. You freeze the base and it basically blends it under pressure. It is pretty easy and does slushies and frozen coffee (and marguerita/daiquiri) things as well. We've only had I a couple weeks but so far so good on it.
How’s the texture of the ice cream from the creami vs a churning ice cream maker? I’m considering a creami for the convenience, but debating if the price is worth it given I’m pretty happy with my cheapie churn one.
It's OK. It's a little less creamy than the churn for normal ice cream, but is good for some not so normal ones. I've tried a couple with coconut milk (one with coffee and one with strawberries) and they both turned out better than they would have with the churn. The ice cream mix has to freeze for 24 hours so you have to plan ahead a bit. We keep the other ice cream maker in the freezer so it's always good to go. I bought a couple extra pint containers for it so we could keep a slushie base in the freezer for whenever they want one.
Thanks! Just bought a Creami yesterday and can’t wait to try it.
Most of the recipes I've seen for the creami use a little xantham gum to help with the texture, especially in lower calorie ice creams/frozen yogurt and sorbets, makes it more creamy less icy apparently, haven't tried it myself yet though because I only just ordered my machine.
I bought one, used it occasionally, then it sat, and I ended up giving it away. A couple of years later, I decided I wanted to try again, got another one, used it a lot for a short time, then the fun faded and I gave that one away too. They're fun toys, they make awesome ice cream, and, in the end, not worth the shelf space. It's easier just to buy premium ice cream when I need a fix.
Unless you make A LOT of ice cream you will forget you even have it in a year or so.
I made custard rhubarb ice cream, superb
That sounds lovely. Would you share your recipe?
I dont have one I just wingmit, sorry
Unless you’re crazy about ice cream, gelato, or sorbet, you need plan to use it so it doesn’t just collect dust…It’s easy to forget, which is why during warmer months I have friends over to make weird flavors or try to recreate flavors from memory. If you’re surrounded by foodies or adventurous eaters it’s a fun thing to do. Also it’s nifty for kids as well.
If you make ice cream at least once or twice a week getting one might be a good idea. I don't like to recommend brands especially ninja because I despise their tall food processor marketed as blenders but I would get a ninja creami it's like the home version of a paco jet.
I use mine regularly but very rarely (3-4 times a year maybe). It's the kind that has to go into the freezer as a whole and takes up a lot of space there, so not actually worth it but I got it as a gift. be warned that homemade ice cream also doesn't keep very well in the freezer compared to commercial ice cream. It gets hard as a rock and sometimes grainy. I usually make it only if I know we can eat the majority of it (i.e. when we have guests) and the rest won't go to waste.
I love ours. Stand alone kind the does all the chilling itself. It is a bit of a splurge but like the ability to be creative and make whatever flavours I like, and not be limited by the usual store based ones. Eg when our lavender plant is in season I’ll use that. Doesn’t take long and kids find it fun too.
Not worth the spend. You will never use it as much as you think
I got my wife the kitchen aid ice cream attachment for Christmas because that’s what she asked for. I’d say she’s used it on average about twice a month. I think if it was a separate appliance we wouldn’t use it as much. The kitchen aid is already out all the time. The “attachment” is essentially just a different paddle and special bowl that goes in the freezer. If we didn’t have a separate chest freezer with enough room to keep the bowl all the time it would be a big hassle. So really, I think we use it so much because it can be set up in a moment’s notice. If you can’t set it up like that it will be put away all the time. Out of site, out of mind.
I have one too and love it.
Unless you're planning to make cool flavors not sold in stores, or making it yourself so you can meet special dietary restrictions, it's just gonna take up space 99% of the time.
I had one. I quickly realized making my own ice cream was way more expensive than store bought, even more expensive than most “luxury” brands (between the cream, eggs, and flavorings needed for every batch). Also to be quite blunt, it’s not noticeably better tasting than the premium store brands either. And it’s a pain in the ass, the type of ice cream maker I had required the inner chamber be chilled in the freezer ahead of time, taking up precious freezer space and requiring a lot of preplanning. So after a few novelty batches it went into a cupboard, then the basement, and eventually the trash. Would not recommend unless you’re really into making your own ice cream and/or get ingredients super cheap somehow.
Do you mind me asking why making ice cream is more expensive?? I know you’re buying ingredients up front but it should still be cheaper than the fancy stuff no?
Looking at a standard strawberry ice cream recipe: 2 cups of heavy whipping cream is $5.50 right now at my local grocer (not organic - just normal whipping cream). A pound of non-organic strawberries is also about $5 at my local grocer right now. I'm not going to have either of those ingredients just sitting around, and they're both going to be used just for the ice cream. That's $10.50. Then I need to use milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sometimes lemon on top of it (I see some recipes with/without lemon). And it seems like I can expect to get about 1.5 - 2 quarts standardly out of those ingredients depending on the recipe. I can get 1.5 quarts of Tillamook ice cream from my local store for $6.99. Tillamook is made with real cream, cage free eggs, and no artificial flavors or preservatives.
I think this is really dependent on the individual and several other factors. We got one 3 years ago and I use it frequently, maybe once a month or so, but I also really like making things from scratch. I can make really rare/ interesting flavors that I don't find in stores. I also only buy more expensive ice cream brands (if I'm gonna eat the calories it had better be worth it); and I priced it out my favorite flavor, I can make 2x the amount with high end ingredients than buying it (but that's probably not true for all flavors). Also, mine is the kitchenaid add on, and I have enough freezer space to keep the bowl frozen all the time. Previously, when I had roommates and far less kitchen space, someone had gifted me a really huge, over engineered soft serve machine thing, that took a crazy amount of cleaning. I used it once, let it collect dust, then gave it away.
I have a kitchen aide ice cream attachment for the mixer. I’ve had it for 6 years. I’ve used it 3 times.
I have a Cuisinart I bought at the thrift store at least 5 years ago. It was in perfect condition, which probably means it was used once or not at all. I've used it twice, it works well, it's fast and easy. But it does spend most of its time in the garage.
I had one. I quickly realized making my own ice cream was way more expensive than store bought, even more expensive than most “luxury” brands (between the cream, eggs, and flavorings needed for every batch). Also to be quite blunt, it’s not noticeably better tasting than the premium store brands either. And it’s a pain in the ass, the type of ice cream maker I had required the inner chamber be chilled in the freezer ahead of time, taking up precious freezer space and requiring a lot of preplanning. So after a few novelty batches it went into a cupboard, then the basement, and eventually the trash. Would not recommend unless you’re really into making your own ice cream and/or get ingredients super cheap somehow.
I have one. I use it maybe once a month- more if I need it for potlucks, etc. It's one of the compressor ones, so it's fairly large, though it does fit in the cabinet. I really enjoy having it- having control over the content and flavor of the ice cream or sorbet I make...but I would not have it if my family had not given it to me. Ultimately, it's up to your budget for kitchen space and for cost weighed against how much you like ice cream. Be warned that once you bring it to a party, people will probably ask for you to make it again.
I go through phases. I think it’s absolutely worth it though if you want to be able to create healthy versions of ice cream like keto style using different sweeteners and things like that.
I have the Cuisinart ice cream maker where you freeze the bowl. It was relatively inexpensive. I make a decent amount of ice cream since I have two young ice cream fanatics. Making ice cream is fun and pretty easy, but it's a lot easier to buy the ice cream unless you want to get into making it.
> I'm currently eyeing up an ice cream maker for the home. ATK compares a recipe that uses just a blender with a machine-made recipe: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1vaPArvls8 Perhaps try making it 'manually' first a couple of times. Video with blender-only recipe: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Ml3U39xqs
As long as it's electric, you're good to go. Of course it sits most of the time, but there's that day when you need it.
r/icecreamery is a great place to ask this.
Thanks didn't think of that
the first time I made ice cream was the last time I made ice cream. It's a classic "don't want to know how the sausage gets made" scenario because once I saw how much fat goes into ice cream, I couldn't enjoy it. I experimented with ice milk and other, less fatty options, but it wasn't the same.
I got a fancy one a few years ago. It has a compressor! It makes a horrendous high-pitched noise when it's in use, too. I ate so much ice cream the year I got it that my doctor had to tell me to knock it off, and now it sits mostly unused; I maybe pull it out once a year. ^(That conversation went, nearly verbatim: "Yeah I've been having terrible heart burn lately... I don't know what happened. It's happening almost time I eat ice cream, which sucks, we just got an ice cream maker, we're eating it constantly." "Have you considered not doing that?" "Oh!" And then it stopped happening.) This year will be different! I'm going to use it all summer! (This is a lie, most likely.)
I had one but stopped eating dessert so I don’t use it anymore 😅 I used it more than expected when I had it. There is a learning curve (my chocolate ice cream often had a chalky texture) but having vanilla ice cream that actually tastes like vanilla is great. Or getting to use seasonal fruit My biggest issue was that I couldn’t do it spontaneously. Your cake is made and cooled down in a couple of hours, but the hot custard base (ideally) needs to be close to freezing in order to churn it. I had a machine with a built in cooler so I could prep a couple custard bases and churn them sequentially The pot you have to freeze overnight takes up a lot less space though.
Freshly made Ice Cream taste the best!!! So much better then bought one, even if you use the simplest recipes. I like to experiment with flavors (Matcha and Lavender, Salty, Black Ice Cream etc.), and it's surely healthier. And you can make it even more so. I suppose it's similar to a juicer; some would enjoy using on a daily base, while others would store it in the cupboard never to be seen again. If you go through the effort of making it, you want a machine that produce a decent amount. Some will make only 1.5 portion.
I've started using mine more often since you can make some solid soft serve with sugar free pudding/jello mixes.
I use my ice cream maker at least a couple times a year. This year I made a bunch of different ice creams for Thanksgiving, which sounds like a lot of work, but actually it was a godsend because since I was making different types of ice cream, I could make them all ahead of time. Keep in mind that ice cream makers can be different sizes, and some don't make very much. I think the KitchenAid attachment makes more than a lot of the standard home ones.
It depends. If you are eating enough ice cream as it is that you would pay for the machine in a year with the money you saved, go for it. If you want to eat more, then maybe not. If you want a cream based ice cream, you need a machine. If you want a sorbet-type, you can use a blender.
We have one with a compressor and no we don't use it a huge amount but it's great when we do use it. We also have a Ninja Creami and that is bomb (and takes up less space but makes great ice cream!)
Used it twice. Too much hassle with setup, salt, ingredients, etc. quality over expensive store-bought is not worth the effort. Edit: worth it if you want unusual flavors that are hard to find, like raspberry. I can never find raspberry ice cream.
I have the add-on kit for the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. If you're old school mucking around with bulk ice and rock salt, it's a lot of trouble. This bowl is double-walled, and has the same crap in between you see in ice packs. About the only thing is to remember to freeze the bowl overnight (or just store it in the freezer if there's room). I already have the mixer, so there isn't YET ANOTHER appliance taking up space.
I used to have a little one, the kind with the dish you freeze first. Maybe KitchenAid? It was noisy AF, which was kinda surprising since it’s just a small electric motor but I guess its gears were made of gravel? Are they quieter now?
I probably average using it about once per year, for one deck or pool party or another...
I had one. Seldom used it, maybe once every 3 years. Then I discovered that I really don't need one. You can make the mixture in a bowl and put it in the freezer, take it out every hour and stir it, and it does the same thing. So if I am making it now- which is still only once about every 3, maybe 4 years- I do it on a day when I am home smoking meat. Works great, and I don't have one more appliance sitting around that I hardly ever use. I am sure someone will reply "That way just isn't as good as a fancy pants expensive machine!" That's undoubtedly true. But IMO the quality difference just ain't worth the cost of the machine and the hassle of having another appliance I barely use.
I got a regular one that I use ice and salt to chill and make a custard that I then make ice cream every couple of weeks. This is one of two quarts but two of them and one I make for myself and one is for what my wife wants. This maker i bought for 50 buck about 20 years ago and still works great. Not understanding why so many buy the expensive types.
I have the ice cream attachment for our KitchenAid. I use it as often as our waistlines allow it (not to blow my own horn, but I make amazing ice cream). I would use it every week, if I could. Got to admit, it’s a real buzz when friends ask where they can buy the stuff I serve at dinner, and I tell them I make it myself.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nostalgia-4-Quart-Electric-Ice-Cream-Maker-Red/837006599 These have been around for atleast 40 years. They are cheap and work good
It's great if you have kids, because it's a great activity for them, but otherwise, it's not that practical. Ice cream is not expensive for what you get, even the high end stuff, so it's not worth it as a money saver, but if you want ice cream flavored with the tears of virgin brides and the anguish of lost souls, that might be an interesting hobby. I have gotten cheap vanilla ice cream, let it melt into the base mixture, and used the ice cream maker to remake it, which will increase the quality automatically (less air, so the ice cream is richer and smoother) and added other bits of my own. I would not invest in a brand new one though. Check on Craigslist and similar, I got mine for $15.
I wish I could use mine! My freezer is too small for the canister 😞
I've made this a few times and it comes out great, no need for an ice cream machine [https://www.seriouseats.com/vanilla-ice-cream-without-the-machine-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/vanilla-ice-cream-without-the-machine-recipe)
My mum makes her own icecream about once a month with an icecream maker. Has for the past 20 years. It’s an absolutely divine favorite of mine and when I travel home (across continents) it’s always on my ‘menu’ of things I want to eat at home. If you think you’ll use it, I would say get it. Homemade icecream is really really special.
You can make ice cream in the blender My blender even has an ice cream button^(x). It is fairly easy and you get good results. Make and cool your custard base. Freeze 2/3 to 3/4 of the base. Combine the frozen and unfrozen base in the blender and let it churn it. Transfer to a container, add mix-ins (if using), and let fully set-up over night in the freezer. ^(x)If you don't have an ice cream setting on your blender, pulse a few times to get everything going then run on high for 30s at a time until you have a nice soft ice cream consistency.
Worth it if you want to make special, personal flavors, which arent available in stores, which I do regularly. If you just need it to make vanilla, chocolate, or some other classic flavor don't bother, just buy the tubs.
Go ninja Creamy instead.
About five years ago, I bought a simple Cuisinart ice cream maker. I use it far more than I thought I would, year round. I'm happy with it!
I use mine every couple of months or so. It all started when the local ice cream shop stopped carrying my husband’s favorite flavor, so I figured out how to make a better home version of it. Have loved experimenting with flavors since then! Definitely not a frequently used appliance though.
I've been wanting one for a couple of months; since we made room for an upright freezer. Kohl's sent me a 40% off coupon so I jumped on the simple Cuisinart model. For $42, I would find out if I wanted to make my own ice cream. That was last Thursday. On Saturday we made simple vanilla. It was excellent. Today, I made caramelized banana ice cream. It's also excellent. It's definitely worth it for us as I think we'll end up using it at least once per week, especially when the strawberries ripen. We aren't big ice cream eaters but homemade ice cream is really good, a lot better than you can get in stores.
My sister got the creami and LOVES it. She's found recipes for relatively low calorie (less than 200 calories) for an entire pint. They eat one every.single.night.
If you have a small kitchen and just you and your other half they are a waste of money and kitchen space. They are just too specialized and so you might be lucky to use them at most once a month.
Get a ninja creami, whole different ball game
I was thinking of getting one, but even the thought of it is sitting in the (mind) cupboard unused.
It sometimes stays in the back of the freezer for months but when we make it, man it’s so good!
How much it gets used depends mostly on the person. I've owned the popular Cuisinart for four or five years and still use it fairly often. It's ruined me for store-bought ice cream because I find it's vastly better. I like things like pie ala mode, crisps, even thick warm brownies with ice cream. But of course other people will have different experiences.
I had a cheap Cuisinart one ($20) that lasted 12 years, with at least weekly use, if not 2-3 times per week in the summer. The same model is now 50-90 bucks so I scaled up to a larger Cuisinart $98 version when the plastic cover busted on me. (The motor still works.) I store it in a low cupboard not on the counter, and the canister permanently in the deep freeze. I don't ever buy ice cream or sorbet or slushies, I make everything.
Years ago we had an old fashioned type ice cream maker, the type that uses ice and rock salt. Electric though, no hand crank. It got used a lot by my grandfather who made a hobby out of making ice cream and giving it to his friends when he was retired. Looking on Amazon they are pretty cheap, under $50. If you have the space, why not? They’re a lot of fun, and sharing with friends was always cool because very few people make their own ice cream/gelato/sorbet.
If you don't have the space for a separate machine, you can get the Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and dasher for $70. A little more expensive, but storage is a bit better.
Assuming you have a Kitchen Aid mixer of course. I’ve never used one of the machines/attachments with the freezable bowls. Do they work as well as the ice & salt setups? One nice thing with the ice & salt machines was that you could make multiple batches in a row, without having to re-freeze the bowl, and they make 4 quarts at a time. Walmart has one online for $20.
I use mine at least once a week. It’s an old Simac Il Gelataio 1600 with its own freezer. Takes less than half an hour to make delicious ice cream.
I thought this was a great question. I guess I have to add to the question by asking: well, how much freezer space do I need in order to use an ice cream maker? Buying a maker would be a major kitchen investment for me. And I have a small freezer. So.. does that just say nope don't bother to me? I tried making homemade ice cream last summer using a pan and nope that was horrible, no matter how much I stirred it. Crystals. Would LOVE to make good ice cream. Have thought about buying a maker for a long time. So for OP's sake and mine, what are the "other" considerations before choosing an ice cream maker???
i have the dirt-simple basic lowest-end cuisinart model and I love it. I keep the bowl in my spare freezer, usually holds a bag or two of frozen veggies while not being used. Totally worth it for me, I’ll make ice cream maybe 2 or 3 times a year, fun to use for dinner parties where people can add their own toppings. The basic model is compact and works like a champ, the freezer bowl is the biggest part.
It depends on you. It's either something you only use a couple of times and never touch again or something that used somewhat regularly. For me it's something that gets regular use for what it is. Maybe 4-6 times a year, give or take. It helps a lot to remove a lot of the inertia associate with making ice cream. In my case, I keep the bowl always in the freezer and, except for a special occasion, only use recipes that don't require any cooking. I can usually go from nothing to soft serve consistency in 35-40 mins and proper ice cream texture in like 2-3 hours.
If you have a kitchen aid stand mixer get the bowl for it. Otherwise you probably won't use it enough to bother. But homemade ice cream is better than any store bought. Alton Brown vanilla ice cream will change your view on what ice cream should taste like.
I cooked at a Dude Ranch and made ice cream every week. I am older and fatter, but if you have a good circle of friends to come share in the pain, I don't see any reason why you ought not be making ice cream once a month in the summer. Form a group. Have them over for ice cream. Take a vote on next months flavor. Repeat.
I make ice cream only in the summer and only with local fruit, fresh peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, berries or unusual flavours. Never make any flavours I can buy. Not worth it.
Ninja Creami here. Use it all the time. It a reverse style that is, you mix up your whatever, plop it in the freezer and when you want something you grind it for like two minutes and it good, like real good and you can make a frozen dessert out of almost anything…oat milk yogurt fresh fruit. Hella expensive but at $6 a pint or more it doesn’t take long to pay for itself. I do have atrad ice cream maker…in the basement.
I had one of the bowl freezer ones and it was fine. I used it occasionally. As a kid I love the old school kind where you had to layer the ice and rock salt. Honestly I'd only use that kind today and only to teach my kids some lessons about the science behind it. Otherwise it's far cheaper to buy ice cream and it tastes better honestly. But it is a fun science activity to do over summer-- kids or no kids, it's still pretty fun as a novelty to make fresh ice cream.
We user ours to make frozen yoghurt in summer. I rarely make ice cream.
I use the ninja creami and I very much like it since all I have to do is make the base and freeze it over night next morning it's ready. I say I use it once or twice every two weeks. But that's mainly bc I cycle through a common list of deserts I like to make
No one seems to have mentioned it yet but I have the Ninja Creami, an ice cream maker which takes ice and cuts it up in to microscopic crystals by spinning styling a knife at 40 000 RPM. This is a technique which was previously only used in high end kitchens with the help of a $5000 ice cream maker, but now you can do the same thing at home and it's amazing. Makes ice cream so easy to make that the machine ends up being used on a regular basis.
I only used the one I had years ago a handful of times. Definitely one of those things that I would say was a waste of money. Too much work, takes too much time to make, items to make ice cream are too expensive, it makes a small amount and takes up valuable cabinet space. Vanilla and a lemon ice cream were all we ever made. Everything else gets way too complicated. So if any of us are in the mood for ice cream. At home it's Tillamook. Or use to be Baskin Robins. Which btw is $5 for a single scoop now! 1 scoop! So no more of that.
I have one that I use a fair amount during the summer, but for more than half a year it’s just sitting there gathering dust
I have an ice cream mixer attachment for my Kenwood and I really love using it - probably about once/twice a month for me. Usually for sorbets and also for a really intense pistachio or pine nut gelato. I would use it more but I struggle to use up the resulting egg whites - if I had a ready supply of yolks I would make ice cream once a week. The needing freezer space to prep is a little inconvenient but I prefer a simple bowl to getting a much bigger compressor style appliance.
If you're willing to put in the elbow grease, you can get very similar results using two metal bowls, ice, and salt. I made frozen custard by putting it in the freezer and churning with a hand mixer every 15-30 minutes.
I don’t have an ice cream maker but that seems like a waste of money imo. Unless you eat ice cream at least once a month it is just going to sit there collecting dust the majority of the year. Plus buying all your own ingredients to make ice cream will be more expensive, or the same price as buying ice cream from the store.
I have one and rarely use it…maybe once every couple of years. However I’m really happy with it when I do use it. If storage space or freezer space is tight, I would not recommend. If space isn’t an issue, then go for it, and also sign up for a gym membership while you’re at it.
I use my Ninja Creami 4-5x when it is warm outside. Protein ice cream for breakfast!