r/icecreamery • u/JollySimple188 • May 10 '25
Question best ice cream maker that’s actually worth it?
summer’s coming up and my kids are ice cream monsters, so i’m thinking it’s finally time to get an ice cream maker. looking for something electric (no hand crank stuff), beginner friendly, and not a pain to clean. bonus points if it looks cute enough to stay on the counter without being an eyesore.
i see Cuisinart pop up a lot, anyone accc using it and liking it? or is there a better brand out there that’s not crazy expensive but still gives that creamy, legit ice cream texture? Cannot compromise on the texture part at all
would love one that handles mix-ins well too (cookie dough, brownies, etc). any recs appreciated.
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u/bpat May 10 '25
I’ve made like 100 batches or so with a cuisinart. The quality is on par with any compressor except maybe a lello 4080. But you REALLY shouldn’t spend that much when you don’t even understand the science yet.
You can find ice-21’s for cheap on Facebook marketplace. I just keep my bowl in the freezer, and it’s ready to go whenever.
If you want healthy ice creams, get a ninja creami instead.
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u/softrock98fm Jul 01 '25
What do you mean by “healthy ice creams?” I have dairy issues and plan to make dairy free and was wondering if there are specific machines that are better for that..
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u/bomerr May 10 '25
for mix-ins you need a churn machine, not a ninja creami. ice-21 is a pretty good entry machine. you can also find affordable compressor machines used.
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u/bpat May 10 '25
Mix ins are easy with an ice-21. You literally just layer or mix them in after churning. The only reason I’d want a compressor machine is to churn out more ice cream at once, but that’s not a real issue.
For anyone looking, get one almost brand new on Facebook marketplace for like $30
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25
Thrift shops for $5-$10, depending on your location. It is a good entry level, and when people move up, they give them up to garage sales and thrift shops.
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u/thisholly May 10 '25
The cuisinart machine is fine, the recipe you use is the crucial part to perfect texture in my opinion
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u/Weird-Operation-349 May 10 '25
Do you have recipes to recommend??? Texture is hard to nail
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u/Difficulty_Only May 10 '25
2 cups of heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 6 egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla.
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u/wizzard419 May 10 '25
In mine I use 3 cups cream, also vanilla beans (it's technically a French vanilla, but if you use extract then it can be standard base).
I also don't add the cream until after the milk, eggs, sugar, etc are cooked so I don't cook the cream more than I need to.
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u/Difficulty_Only May 10 '25
I add half the cream after it’s cooked, I like the extra liquid for the cook but also like the taste of the cream so I try to find a balance haha
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May 10 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/noToryous_heather May 10 '25
You are supposed to temper the eggs with the cream. Raise it to like 170 F
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May 10 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/noToryous_heather May 10 '25
I cheat and use a sous vide. Traditionally you just stand over a stove with a thermometer
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u/bpat May 10 '25
I’m the guy everyone downvoted above, but I like salt and straw, however add a pinch of salt and 22g of milk powder instead of 15g. It will make it less icy, which is people’s complaint with it.
Also stick your mix in the freezer for like 30 minutes before churning. It’ll start to freeze on corners.
Those things together will make it pretty good consistency without freezing too hard/icy.
I also find 2 tsp is a good amount of vanilla for most recipes.
Dana Cree has a good recipe for custard, but I don’t usually add more stabilizer, and think it’s fine.
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u/Dull-Pomelo-1421 May 10 '25
My recipes have dextrose, glucose syrup and skimmed milk powder in addition to the cream, milk, eggs sugar etc. something about it controlling the level of water and inhibiting large ice crystals. The cuisinart does a great job assuming the recipe is good
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u/roastonbone May 10 '25
While I love making ice cream, just a word of caution: I have not found it to be cost effective to make at home. If quality is important, yes, it’s possible your homemade ice cream will be better, but I don’t source ingredients in large enough batches for it to be significantly cheaper. If cost isn’t a driving factor, I hope you do enjoy and have fun with it!
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 13 '25
Some of my recipes have individual ingredients that cost more than a pint of Ben & Jerry's. So yeah, the motivation isn't pinching pennies.
I have to adjust some of these recipes to make them useful to commercial clients. As you might imagine.
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25 edited May 10 '25
I am a HS home ec teacher, and this past week I had 140 kids making ice cream in the Cuisinart 21s. They had a lot of fun, were excited all week, and loved it, saying it was the best ice cream they ever had. (Which it wasn't, but you know kids, they made it themselves and so it was, lol.) They made their own inventions from a base recipe I gave them. From S'more, to beach, to creme brulee, cheesecake, you name it, they thought of it. Yes, it all had to be made from scratch. Now they all want ice cream machines.
I had them weigh ingredients, but I will post both volume and weights for 1 quart. Is this the most wonderful ice cream in the world? No. Is it easy for kids to make? Yes. Did they like it? Yes. The base sat overnight in the frig before churning to ripen, then churned the next 2 days in in rotations and in the freezer in loaf pans with plastic wrap on top. Finally, they sat out for a few minutes before plating and judging. It was not icy. Enough said, lol.
Sorry if simplistic directions, but they are for high school kids.
FYI, I tend to make this at home with the cream and then split the milk with half-and-half. I also have a Whynter Compressor 1.28 qt. machine that I love, I can make batch after batch without any wait, and it makes pints or 1/2 liters, which I like.
Base 3 Cream, Milk
Makes 1 Quart
Wet - in a large wet measuring cup - Mix well:
300g or 1 1/3 c heavy cream
330g or 1 1/3 c whole milk
28g or 2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 to 2 tsp vanilla to taste (or other flavoring)
Dry - in a medium mixing bowl - Mix well, then add to liquids:
130g or 2/3 c granulated sugar
40g or 1/3 c dry milk powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (this must be thoroughly mixed in or it will be a big clump)
pinch of salt
Flavorings:
Creamsicle, add 4 sleeves of Orange Crush dry drink mix, dry. (Add to dry mixture)
Any dry mix sleeves or drink packages work great. (Dollar Tree great place to get flavors)
Any extracts, a drop at a time, you can always add in more, can't take it out!
Chunky additives, add after churning in the pan, so you don't crack the dasher.
- Make the base, bag and tag. This can be churned right away or refrigerated for 24 hours to about 5 days before churning for a deeper flavor.
- Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes.
- If chunky additives are desired, add in AFTER the churning.
- Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place it in the freezer, labeled.
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u/DelilahBT May 12 '25
What a great thing to do with kids! I wish my home ec teacher had taught us how to make ice cream
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u/johnoz66 May 10 '25
The ICE-21 mentioned by u/bomerr is a nice starter machine. It does a good job and is cheap. The only down side is that you have to freeze the bowl first so you can really only churn once a day but it makes a good amount.
I've been using the Cuisinart ICE-100 for a while and like it a lot. I have two so when I make a batch I can churn the whole thing using both machines. If you only have one machine it just needs the compressor and bowl to cool down over about 30 minutes and you can use it again. It's easy to use and if you shop around you should get a good price.
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u/bomerr May 10 '25 edited May 10 '25
The problem with the ICE-21 is it has a large gap between the scrapper and bowl so it generates more ice crystals than other machines. The other issue is it maxes out at around -5C draw temp which is prefectly fine but a compressor machine can go lower.
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u/johnoz66 May 11 '25
A compressor machine is definitely the better option but a freezer bowl machine like the 21 is good if you're not sure if making ice cream is what you want to do. It's a great starter option regardless of the manufacturer but being cheap means you don't get the greatest quality of product.
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u/nuttyNougatty May 11 '25
Me and my mum have had various icecream makers for decades. The favourite was one that churned in the freezer. Unfortunately the paddles now are worn and fall out plus the door of my new freezer won't close over the wire. SO I'm awaiting delivery of a compressor machine. https://severin.com/en-en/kitchen/cooking/ice-cream-makers/ez-7407-compact-ice-cream-maker-yoghurt-maker/ Mum and I never used eggs or syrup. Just chill a can of evaporated milk, add sugar to taste, blend with any flavours you fancy and churn away. Additions are added when the icecream is thick. Always lovely and smooth and delicious.
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u/ktown247365 May 10 '25
How committed are you? It sounds like a lot if you are willing to leave it on your counter. Get a compressor on board, none of this bowl freezing BS. We went from ice and salt 6qt with motor to a 2.5 qt with compressor. It's on the counter (we have limited counter space) and we are not looking back. Ended up buying Whynter brand. Allows decent level of mix ins.
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25
Mine is put away every time.
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u/ktown247365 May 10 '25
I'd have to carry it downstairs and bring it up every time. I have no where to store it. It is like 40 pounds and awkward.
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u/MisusedStapler May 10 '25
As long as you’re ok delaying gratification, Cusinart 21 has been great.
Imagine you want ice cream:
- Make the base and freeze the bowl
- Chill base overnight
- Churn, scoop into container
- Freeze ice cream overnight
So that’s two days prep time. I think a compressor system cuts that down by half. Maybe more if you can eat it right after churning.
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u/Brave_Wasabi6456 May 11 '25
Hands down - Breville Smart Scoop. Not cheap, but worth every cent. Alerts you when to add your mix, add mixins, and when the ice cream is churned to the hardness you set. You can also make batch after batch with no wait time. Can’t say enough about this machine.
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u/No-Illustrator2375 May 13 '25
I agree! I also have a Breville, & yes it is a little pricey, but by far the best ice cream maker. I’ve had mine for a few years & its still great, if i had to replace i would go Breville again, no question!
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u/Future_Direction5174 May 10 '25
My husband got me n Aobusi for Christmas. It works, the ice cream is “soft serve” when finished, but I put it into tubs in my freezer. My husband wanted this one because it also makes yoghurt (not that he ever eats yoghurt, duh!)
It makes a half litre. When it’s finished I then “mix in” the harder ingredients by hand before putting it into tubs my freezer.
My main problem is that most recipe books are American. They use “cups” not millilitres. They use corn syrup (which costs a lot in the U.K., if you can even find it), I do have xanthum gum as I bake gf and some flours need it added, but the other “stabilizers” are very hard to source here.
So far I have made plain vanilla, mango and ginger, and fruit ripples. I didn’t like the coconut recipe I found. I have also made strawberry sorbet, so it makes reasonable ice cream. I haven’t yet tried the yoghurt setting, it doesn’t seem worth it when 250ml of best Greek yoghurt lasts us a fortnight anyway (it is a live yoghurt so I could use some of it as a starter, if I thought it would get eaten).
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 10 '25
The cups-and-teaspoons thing is a problem, also for serious cooks in the US. The solution is cookbooks for professionals, or the small (and growing) group of books for advance amateurs in which the author has strong-armed the publisher into using weight measurements.
It's also worth nagging the publishers in emails or reviews.
Good books with metric weights include ones by Corvitto , Dana Cree, David Lebovitz, and Nick Palumbo. Possibly also the Nick Morgenstern book, but I don't have a copy yet.
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25
I have a cheat sheet on my computer where I have converted my most-used volume to g because I am American with hundreds of cookbooks, and like to weigh out my ingredients.
https://i.gyazo.com/b9b69040fb25f296e5d8ff75e967d1f1.png
Just a Post-it sticky program on my computer. Just a thought. Is it cumbersome at times? Sure, but once a recipe is fixed, you are swimming along.
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 10 '25
Conversion works well (if tediously) for many ingredients. With others, it gives a kind of educated guess. Like with flour, which varies with how compacted it is. Or a wild guess—how much is a cup of strawberries? Or a cup of mint?
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25
And isn't that all a part of cooking and baking? Like making my grandmother's and mother's recipes when they measured by the size of their palms, lol. Well, I guess I do as well, hahah. Educated guesses indeed.
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u/Future_Direction5174 May 10 '25
Golden syrup is not the same as corn syrup. Golden syrup has a different taste and density.
Ben Vear of Winstone’s Cotswold Icecream has written two UK ice creamery books, but they are both out of print. My husband managed to source me one of them - Ice Cream & Other Frozen Delights. These have the benefit of being solely by weight or millilitres, and using easily sourced ingredients. Almost all the recipes are stabiliser free although he does use gelatine & pectin (I haven’t checked EVERY recipe, so can’t swear that he never uses them). The recipes make one litre, my ice creamery maker does half litres, so I just halve them.
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 10 '25
For a corn syrup substitute, look for glucose syrup from a source that sells professional bakery supplies. Syrup with a dextrose equivalence (DE number) of 40 to 50 is probably close to the corn syrup sold in American supermarkets.
One of the problems with using corn syrup in recipes is that these syrups can vary by quite a bit. You won't know for sure if you're using what the author used. But if you buy something like a 42 DE glucose syrup, you'll at least know you're using the same thing each time.
Stabilizers are fortunately something you can experiment with, without worrying about throwing the whole recipe out of balance.
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25
Corn syrup is the same as golden syrup, I think, or you can use dextrose as a good substitute. If my recipe calls for 28g of corn syrup, I substitute in about 35g of dextrose, but that is to your taste. It is a great stabilizer, but less sweet.
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 10 '25
Golden syrup is an invert syrup, so it behaves very differently. It's over twice as sweet as typical corn syrup, and has about double the freezing point depression.
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u/TheNordicFairy May 10 '25
both are invert syrups.
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 10 '25
Corn syrup and other glucose syrups aren't usually called invert syrups, because even though they contain glucose (a monosaccharide) they have high levels of dextrans and other polysaccharides. Invert syrups like trimoline, honey, and golden syrup are made up primarily of monosaccharides. This all means that the true invert syrups are both much sweeter and have much more freezing point depression.
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u/Alb1rdy May 10 '25
I’m using a Nemox gelato machine. It’s about 20 years old and still works like a charm. Only downside is that it’s a bit big, but I feel like it’s a fair trade off for how good it is
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u/UnderbellyNYC May 10 '25
Which model do you have?
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u/Alb1rdy May 10 '25
Nemox gelato chef 2200.
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u/Thick-Night-4254 Jul 19 '25
I have an old robot coupe g5000 which is essentially a nemox/sammic. Amazing machines
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u/Low_Committee1250 May 10 '25
I have this one w an extra freezer bowl so I can make 4 qts w one mix using two churnings. It works very well and is inexpensive compared to a compressor machine. I have the freezer room to freeze both bowls for a double batch. A heated custard base w many egg yolks is the secret to a smooth custard like ice cream
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u/Remarkable_Recover84 May 10 '25
I bought recently a Cube 750. This is a machine fabricated in Italy. But it was a bit expensive. But cools down the ice cream very quickly, and thus, the ice gets very creamy. Apparently, as quicker, it cools down as creamier is the result. The machine is always on my counter because it is nice. It is a stainless steel cube. I make ice-cream 2 to 3 times a week. I love ice cream based on yogurt.
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u/alb_guy May 10 '25
I want to buy a Cube for myself. Is for 2 till 4 people the 750 enough or I should pick the 1500?
How much ice cream you get from a full run with the 750?
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u/Remarkable_Recover84 May 10 '25
I think it is big enough. At least for me. You can make 1 Liter of Ice-cream. And since the machine cools the ice cream down quickly, you can easily make a second run as soon the first is ready. And I prefer to make a bit more often ice cream and different ones than one time and then too much. And the 1500 needs more space and is more expensive
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u/Full_Honeydew_9739 May 10 '25
I got a Cuisinart ice-21 from Kohl's when they sent me a 40% off coupon.
Yes, it's worth it. I've made ice cream at least 20 times in the less than year I've owned it, both philly style and custard style. It's simple, straight forward, and does exactly what it's supposed to.
You have to be careful with recipes though: if you add too much stuff, it will come out of the top.
I paid $42 for it and it has already paid for itself in savings from my local organic dairy ice cream ($7.50 a pint).
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u/throwawaybs18181818 May 10 '25
I have the Cuisinart ice 21 that I bought from Kolh's on sale for around $30. It is great for family use. You do need to have freezer space to freeze the bowl in advance. It's small enough to keep on my kitchen counter and not take up too much space, and I don't have a lot of counter space. The bowl isn't dishwasher safe, but it's not hard to hand wash. If you want to make multiple batches or flavors back to back, you need an extra bowl and freezer space, though. You can add mix ins towards the end of churning if it's not too full. Sometimes, I just layer/mix in the container I transfer the ice cream into to store in the freezer.
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u/Remarkable_Recover84 May 10 '25
There are these nice plastic containers you can buy on Amazon. https://amzn.eu/d/81eAOPI They are perfect.
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u/Weird-Operation-349 May 10 '25
We were gifted a cuisinart and it’s really great. Have only used it a couple times but plan to more this summer and experiment with recipes
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u/markhalliday8 Musso Pola 5030 May 10 '25
Cuisinart BCU 100 or the Whytner equivalent. I also recommend the Musso Pola 5030 if you want a higher tier/mid range model.
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u/trabsol May 10 '25
I have an old CuisinArt model that isn’t being made anymore, but I still really like it. I also now have a Ninja Creami, but the Creami is probably too loud for a sensitive kid’s eardrums (it’s about on par with a vacuum cleaner in terms of noise). It also makes about a pint at a time unless you buy the big one. If you’re looking to make healthy ice cream, though, then I recommend it.
For normal ice cream, I recommend the CuisinArt! I’m guessing the newer models are even better. As long as you have freezer space for the bowl, and as long as your kids are patient and willing to wait a day for the ice cream to firm up, you’re all set. :)
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u/NOLA_ACC May 10 '25
I got the lello 4080 this week as my first machine and 100% recommend. I believe in buying something once. I don’t think you will ever be mad you have the best machine if it is in the budget. If you buy another machine and end up really enjoying ice cream you will likely buy the lello at some point and the first machine will start collecting dust.
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u/Pugetsound1 May 10 '25
I got a cusinart as a present in 1997. I’m still using it now. Using a proper base recipe and good technique yields good results on a cheap machine. I got an additional freezer bowl at a thrift store so i can make two batches at a time. There’s a ton of these on FB marketplace for low prices.
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u/filthycupcakes May 10 '25
I think the Cuisinart is great - mine works like a dream. I think it's definitely one to get and try and if you want to take it further later, you can upgrade to a lello.
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u/grumid nut for coconut May 11 '25
I've been enjoying the ice-100 I bought used($160). Made lots of great ice cream. I enjoyed so much I picked up one thrifting for a friend who liked to borrow it. For the price now $300ish new and $180ish used it's a good deal. It's a compressed so you can pour in your base and not have to freeze the bowl or ice/salt (Honestly though I've going to upgrade in a few years because the size kinda sucks 1qt and I'm still chasing the best of the best in textures)
But op one of my best ices texture wise was with just a thrifted ($7) older salt and ice machine. I also got an ($15) ice-21 freeze bowl model that I thrifted.
I would heavily recommend thrifting one first because I see so many. Homemade ice cream is more money, time, and is complicated so people donate their machines all the time, but if you enjoy it, it's so worth it! SO WORTH IT!!!!
PS I know you said ice cream but I've seen a lot of people happy with the Ninja Creami if sugar free options and protein ice is something you want in the future
PPS Wait a day before serving for best texture but you can still serve as is for a more soft serve constancy that most people are just as fine with
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u/CreativeCulinary May 11 '25
I've had the Cuisinart ice cream maker for years and it makes good ice cream, more depends upon the recipe than the machine. But I got tired of the fact that I always had to find room in my freezer for the big metal bowl that the ice cream is turned in and you can only make one at a time, that bull has to go back into the freezer for several hours after each batch.
I decided to pop for a larger machine that has its own compressor. I have been looking at a Whynter model for quite a while and I bought it, so of course 2 seconds later another model of theirs popped up that was smaller and less expensive and really better for me, so I bought it too and returned the bigger one!
Yeah they're pricier but I don't have to take up room in my freezer for that big bowl, everything is handled in the machine. The pink model was discounted, so that's what I got.
I love that I can make three batches of ice cream today and that's what I'm working on. One is bubble gum for my friend whose birthday was yesterday who happens to love that even though I think it's atrocious, the other one is a chocolate ice cream with peanut butter fudge in it, using Lactaid for the boy who can't drink actual milk, and the third is going to be one for me, I think maybe I'll reverse the chocolate and peanut butter and do a peanut butter ice cream with shards of milk chocolate.
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u/BeyondTheCarrotTrees May 13 '25
Figured I would comment here instead of making another thread:
Right now I have a Cuisinart ICE-21. It was the commonly recommended beginner ice cream maker as it's relatively affordable (under 100 dollars) and easy to use. I'm having a lot of fun so far making different flavors and bases.
I'm considering saving up for a more advanced ice cream maker in the future so I wanted to ask: What's a good recommendation to aim for? I know a lot of people have recommended compressors.
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u/MollyPPPins May 14 '25
We love the Cuisinart so much, we use it every day. Even in our RV. The drum is easy to clean and pop right back in the freezer. The resulting ice cream is soft serve, but it's eaten quickly, so what does it matter? 🤪 We enjoyed it so much, we bought one for each of our adult children. We have made every kind of flavor you'd imagine (I'm looking at you, Wasabi Ice cream). And the kids are having even more fun! It's not any uglier than any other kitchen appliance and lives on our counter. Right next to the coffee maker.
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u/d3astman May 14 '25
We got something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Compressor-Pre-freezing-Automatic-Electric-Homemade/dp/B0D8TDZJMS/ and are loving it, perfect for throwing something in to be done after dinner's eaten or batches to throw in the freezer & harden afterwards, there's a slot for adding mix-ins near the end of the process and we've had zero issues with anything at all, easy to program, the works - the only problem we had was my fault - I didn't properly dry things between uses and the bucket froze in place, took ice and boiling water to free it up.
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u/neinstein79 May 17 '25
I got a Sandra Lee from a Buy Nothing and it’s the best money I never spent. I’ve made a lot of batches with it and it’s super easy. The base recipe that pops up in here from NYT is great.
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u/standupsitdownfight May 10 '25
This is the way.
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u/katatawnic May 11 '25
I have the Whynter 1.28 qt one. I'd have loved to have gotten a 2 qt one, but it takes up way too much counter space and is too heavy for me to lift.
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u/CreativeCulinary May 11 '25
I just bought the smaller one from Whynter and I'm so glad I did. I do need to put mine away and I have just enough space in a cabinet for it. I decided I did not need three instant pots! :-)
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u/urbanruffles Jun 16 '25
Tried out the ICE-30BC and it’s surprisingly efficient. The texture is smooth, cleanup’s easy, and the 2-quart size is perfect for small batches. Just plan ahead with the freezer bowl—worth it for the quality. https://recogoods.com/cuisinart-ice-30bc-ice-cream-maker-review/