Cuisinart Compressor Ice Cream & Gelato Maker

I wanted a good ice cream machine where I don't have to wait around for a tub to freeze, and something from Cuisinart because I like their designs. This was the one I chose. Yes, I was hesitant about this purchase because of the price, and I didn't know if I would get my money's worth. I've owned it now for ten years and have made ice cream at least twice a month. That's about 240 uses over ten years. — ICE CREAM RECIPES — I use one main book, ‘The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments’, and the Internet, as my sources of recipes. I have other ice cream recipe books but none compare to The Perfect Scoop. They have perfected their recipes and I love eating many of their selections. Over the years I have made many flavors and have whittled it down to select favorites. My personal favorite flavors: • Orange Creamsicle (I literally always have a tub of this. Psst: the secret ingredient is sour cream.) • Matcha Green Tea • Ube • Spicy Chocolate — MAKING ICE CREAMS — There have been days where I get into ice cream making moods and I will make 1 or 2 tubs of ice cream in a day, sometimes one right after another. That's how easy this machine is to use. You pour in a mix, let it mix/chill and do its thing, put the finished ice cream in a storage tub, and wash the bowl and accessories, wait an hour for the machine to cool down, then do another mix. — CAUTION — Your ice cream mixture should fill around the halfway point of the mixing bowl; you should not overfill this. Forty-five minutes into mixing and you will notice your ice cream has inflated nearly to the top. If you had filled it all the way to begin with, there would be ice cream pouring out everywhere. Follow your recipes and don't try to double the ingredients. This machine is meant to make no more than 1.5 quarts at a time. How I determine my ice cream is done is when the ice cream starts scraping the top of the clear lid. That was it’s not too frosty and not too soft. Sometimes, after the mixing is done, the mixing bowl will be frozen in the machine. When this happens wait 10-15 minutes for the bowl to thaw a little before you pull it out. Don't force it out and you will prevent any possible damage. Also, before you use the machine, make sure the inside of the machine is dry, along with the outside of the bucket, or it could freeze together. — CLEANING — There is the large main unit, a gray circular mixing bowl, two gray plastic mixers (you get two: one for ice cream, and sorbets), a clear lid, and an ice cream paddle. The last three can be washed by hand. The unit itself can be wiped down on the top, sides, and inside the bowl. If you're careful, there should barely be any spills anywhere on the unit. — CONTAINERS — I store all my ice cream in Tovolo Glide-A-Scoop Ice Cream Tubs because they are the perfect long shape for scooping, and narrow in size to store in the freezer, and stackable. If I make gift ice creams, I put them in White Pint Frozen Dessert Containers . They are plain white, but can be hand-decorated with a Sharpie if I'm in the mood. *** TIPS *** • Using a rubber spatula like the Joseph Joseph Elevate Large Spatula to wipe every drop of ice cream mixture from bowls, and out of the mixing bowl; it is a helpful accessory. • Stock up on heavy cream; it takes about 1 to 2 cups of it when making most ice creams. • Ice cream that use eggs will be creamier. Eggs are magic. • The secret ingredient to getting ice cream smooth and not frozen is... alcohol (that matches your flavor); you'll learn this in 'The Perfect Scoop'. • Store ice cream in the freezer for at least 24-36 hours before eating your first scoop; it will be that much creamier. — THE MATH — Over my 100 batches over ten years, the price I paid for this machine adds about $1 to every 1.5 quart batch. So if raw ingredients cost me $4-5 (milk, eggs, flavor, cream). I am paying about $5-6 per 1.5 quarts. 1.5 quarts equals three pints. A pint of ice cream is $4-6 each. So compare $5-6 to $12-18 for three pints of ice cream and suddenly it's a great deal, especially if you eat ice cream every other day! — SUMMARY — If you love making ice cream and can afford an ice cream maker with a compressor, or if you're a budding dessert chef in training trying out new flavors, then get this. You won't have to wait to pre-freeze any tubs (but you will have to pre-chill some ice cream mixes—which can't be helped), and you can make many tubs of ice cream at any time. Nothing tastes better than knowing your homemade ice cream is made from ingredients of your choosing, and that it's tastier than most of the store-bought stuff. Recommended. *** 10-YEAR UPDATE *** It’s now been ten years since I’ve owned this. I’m updating this review as I’m currently still making ice cream today. Two batches this week. The ice cream maker still works. I make about 2-4 batches a month depending on if it’s cheaper to buy ice cream or to make a custom flavor we’re craving. The current math in 2026 is as follows: the standard custard base is $1.50 for six eggs, $3.00 for 2-cups of heavy cream, 25¢ for 1-cup milk, 50¢ for sugar. Then, it’s $1-2 for whatever your favoring component will be. This comes out to about $7-ish per 1.5 quart (three pints) of ice cream. This price is in line with our favorite brand, Tillamook. If you pay for three separate pints instead, making your own is definitely cheaper. I still think I made the right choice as I love making ice cream whenever I want. Hopefully this lasts another ten years!

It was getting difficult to find any good quality ice cream in the supermarket, without all the unhealthy ingredients. This machine was the solution, It was exactly what we needed, easy to use & clean. A cycle is done in about 40mins and ready to eat for soft serve or ready for the freezer(for hard ice cream) Easy to clean - removable bucket, I couldn’t imagine not having that. Not terribly noisy for a compressor machine. A tad louder than a fridge but that was expected. I can still watch TV with it running behind me in the kitchen. Note: it developed an annoying squeak, after 2 uses. But I put a little coconut oil on the underside of the bucket, in and around the groove where the silver turning gear meets the white plastic housing and it stopped immediately. ( See picture) I’ve used it 10+ times since and it never came back. Hopefully this helps someone else. We eat mostly hard ice cream, so we found it’s best to run the machine till the ice cream touches the lid and stick it into a quart container, and Freezer overnight. We tend to use the gelato paddle more than the ice cream paddle. The ice cream paddle seems to out too much air into the mix. Holds about 3 to 4 cups- of base recipe mix. We also use it for slushies!

First off, I have loved to cook since I was a kid. I prefaced this purchase by downloading a few of the better ice cream recipie books from Amazon a few weeks prior. I placed the order and received the ice cream maker on Christmas Eve thanks to Amazon Prime 2 day shipping I made my mixes up that day in order to refrigerate & steep them overnight. We were having guests for Christmas dinner. Late Christmas morning, I cranked up the machine and put out 3 batches of probably the best vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted, and I am not a huge vanilla fan. I next cranked out 3 batches of my favorite flavor "Cherry Garcia". The first batch took about 30 minutes since the machine had not been running. Each additional batch took between 15 & 20 minutes since the unit was cold. It's great to not have to bother with pre-freezing a container. The compressor in this unit is more than adequate to keep on cranking out multiple batches. The ice cream was a big hit with the guests. I prefer to ponder what I will make, then do the multiple batch routine, and store in the freezer. All I can say is I will not be buying store bought with the 50% air content any longer. Home made ice cream is richer, denser,& and far better overall. I am glad that I now have an efficient way to produce what I really enjoy using top shelf ingredients. Bottom line: It's a really good machine that doesn't break the wallet. It's easy to use. Looks as though it should last for quite a few years. Negatives: (minor) It's easier to add your mix ins by removing the top, rather than using the somewhat small door. The dasher due to it's necessary design can be a pain to get all of the ice cream out of, even with a small silicone spatula. (Somebody ought to invent a special tool for this :) UPDATE !!!! 04/15/2014 I have used this machine quite a bit now, and have made superb ice cream, gelato, sorbets and granitas. Not one single disappointment. I usually make 4 to 6 batches at a time. Having read every review posted to date, I can add this info. 1. The texture of the product depends on your mix, not the machine. I have now graduated to 8 recipie books, and have learned the scientific relationship of the ingredients working together. Always let your mixes sit overnight in the fridge to allow flavors to blend. 2. At 72 degrees 1st batches take about 25 minutes dependent on fat & sugar content. Subsequent batches 15 to 20 minutes. 3. Noise level about the same as an electric can opener, but sustained for the duration of the batch. 4. Squeaking sometimes (once) caused by dasher end rotating in lid socket. Use a food lubricant such as a drop of oil or butter. No complaints thus far. 5. Run the machine empty for 5 - 10 minutes to allow vat to chill before adding 1st batch mix. You will minimize ice crystals. Simply turn machine on then stop paddle until it's cold. Some reviewers complain of soft ice cream. There is not a home unit made that does not have the same result. Your batch is done once it stops clinging to the tub walls (execept the thin ice cream film. If you want it rock hard, then you need a commercial unit. The idea is to firm it in the freezer. 6. HAVE FUN !!!!

UPDATE: Purchased this ice cream maker from Amazon in December 2019. Really, really enjoyed it until today, when the motor wouldn't turn on. Immense sadness! I called the Cuisinart support number, not really expecting much. The support person (Kevin) was awesome! He ran through a set of diagnostic questions, determined that we had already done everything we could do, checked the warranty status, and then ... said they'll ship us a new unit. These guys really stand behind their 3-year warranty! I was already a fan of Cuisinart products for their design and functionality (they make the best waffle iron in the world). Now that I know how they stand behind their products, I'm even more of a fan. Cuisinart rocks! Thank you Kevin, and thank you Cuisinart. And for any of you considering an ice cream maker: I originally gave this unit a five-star review, and seriously I would bump that up to six stars now if I could. ORIGINAL REVIEW: We're from New England, where dairy farm ice cream stands dot the landscape, and where crazy people continue to eat vast quantities of ice cream all through the winter. If you've been to one of these stands (e.g., Kimball's Farm in Westford, Massachusetts) you know that the ice cream is unlike anything you can buy in a grocery store. The problem is we're now spending time down in Florida, where, despite the weather, it's much harder to find the kind of dairy farm ice cream we got used to in New England. So we decided to take a chance, treat ourselves, and buy this insanely expensive ice cream machine. IT'S AMAZING. It makes rich, creamy, stretchy ice cream, just like at the dairy farm! And we can make any flavors we want (a good coffee ice cream is really hard to find in Florida). And the machine is incredibly simple to use (just put in the ingredients, turn it on, and come back in 35 minutes. And it makes small batches with the same consistency as full-size batches. And we can even make special, ultra low sugar recipes for keto guests. Yup, it's expensive, and you'll never make your money back compared to buying store ice cream. But if you want to make your own ultra-premium ice cream, in custom flavors, any time you want, without having to plan or to store a drum in the freezer, this is your answer. It's a relatively small luxury that will generate a whole lot of delight. Well worth the counter space. Pardon my enthusiasm, but we LOVE this machine.

I bought this about a year ago on a whim. About the time ot arrived I went in for an emergency appendectomy and kind of lost my desire to use it. Flash forward a bit less than a year and I decided to try it. First couple batches were chocolate, which tastes a lot like store chocolate ice cream but with fuller flavor, smoother and creamier. Tonight at my son's behest I made the strawberry shown in my photo. Its actually berry medley because I couldn't find a bag of solely frozen strawberries so I got the mixed bag. I diced up the strawberries in it and left the other berries as is. Again it turned out great. Really super tasty, creamy, full flavored ice cream. It's more expensive to use the machine over just buying ice cream at your grocer, but making it yourself allows you to control the ingredients and gives you a richer, fuller flavor and smoother, creamier product. My only complaint is that I wish it made bigger batches. This is okay for one person, but if you have 2 or more people then you will be making frequent batches. Not that it's difficult or very time consuming. It's actually very easy to use and the time it actually takes to mix the base is about five minutes. One final note, I think I bought a unit that was reconditioned, and got a nice discount on it, down to like $150. It appears to be brand new, however. At the current price of @$300 I think I'd take a pass and just go to my local grocery store.

This was a rather large expenditure for making ice cream at home so I really debated on buying it. On a tight budget, it seemed an unnecessary expense. However, on a cost per use accounting, it is really quite reasonable as I use it at least 4-8 times a week during the hot season. Which, living in Texas is at least half of the year, if not more. What I like about it: • It does not require space in my freezer to store the canister prior to use. • It is much quieter than the old Cuisinart ice cream maker that I had. The one that required you freeze the canister at least 36 hours prior to each use. (I know the directions call for 24 hours of freezing on that model, but I found it took 36 hours to end up with a quart of satisfactory ice cream.) • Big Plus - little to no waste of ingredients. With the canister that always had to be frozen first, there was always a lot of lost ice cream stuck to the bottom and sides of the canister when done. • You can make multiple batches a day. You just need a minimum of 10 minutes in between. I made 8 batches the first weekend I used it. It was so much fun! Cons: • It takes longer than the old model which relies upon a frozen canister. That model usually took 20 minutes. This one needs about 50-60 minutes per batch. • I had to find counter space for it. I stuck it on an unused portion of the kitchen island. It has not been moved since. It found its permanent home. • Cost Hints: • Read the directions before you use it. It must sit for at least 24 hours (I gave it 36 hours) before using it the first time. The oil and coolants need to get back to their proper places after having been shook up during transport. If you do not follow the directions, you run the risk of ruining the machine or greatly shorting its lifespan. • I freeze the canister with the paddle and ingredients in it for at least 30 minutes to an hour before making the ice cream. It shortens the time needed to use the machine and produces a much better end product. It seems to be creamier with less ice crystals in addition to taking less time to freeze. • Before ordering, I read the reviews some of which stated that the gelato paddle made for a creamier end result. So, I started using it first. It is difficult to get all the ice cream ingredients off of the paddle. The ice cream paddle is easier to clean off and as far as I can tell produces the same results. • I bought it mainly because store bough ice cream has carrageenan added, which means I cannot buy it. A few premium ice creams do not contain carrageenan, but they contain enormous amounts of fat and sugar. This gives me complete control of the ingredients. • I do make custard based ice creams on occasion, but my go to is normally just under 3 cups of plain yogurt (or kefir), 1 cup of cooked fresh fruit, vanilla extract, and 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. You can use liquid stevia, but you still need at least 2 tablespoons of sugar for a satisfactory texture. I normally dump it unmixed into the container with the paddle already inserted. Then I chill it all in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before using the machine to freeze it. The final result is so tasty it feels decadent, but so healthy I can eat it guilt free. • I buy fruit when in season and on sale. When I made cherry ice cream with fresh cherries, I really did not like the end product with the fresh frozen cherries. So, for the next batch, I threw the cherries in the crock pot for 4 hours with just a hint of sugar and a pinch of salt. The cooked fruit seems to taste much better in the frozen ice cream than fresh fruit does. I freeze the left over fruit in 1 cup portions for easy use when the time comes. • I purchased 24 1-cup wide mouth canning jars and 24 plastic lids. I divide the ice cream into these for quick easy servings right out of the freezer. About 10 seconds in the microwave has them ready to spoon and eat even if they have been frozen for days. • 1 teaspoon of gar gum will give you ice cream that is softer and creamier, more like store bought ice cream. Gar Gum can be found in the gluten free section of many grocery stores. I normally leave it out however, opting instead for 10 seconds in the microwave to soften the ice cream. • Do not use more than 4 cups in the container. It will not freeze properly and will overflow towards the end. For me, the ice cream maker was a great purchase, despite its initial expense.

From some of the other reviews of this product I was almost reluctant to purchase it, and did in fact wait for several months before placing the order. I looked at a lot of other models from other manufacturers and even much higher priced models, but kept coming back to this one. When I received the shipping notice, I prepared a cooked custard ice cream base, so that it would be chilled and ready to use when the freezer was delivered to the door. After reading the instructions and the warning about not turning the freezer upside down, my husband cautioned me to wait for 24 hours before using it, to allow the freezer gases to settle, if there inadvertently had been any mishandling during shipping (one would never know if it had been tipped on its side or turned upside down). I impatiently complied. When I finally got to try it, all I can say is: This unit makes wonderful ice cream!! Absolutely smooth and creamy. The first batch was a cooked custard base into which I melted 4 oz of chocolate. It was only about 3 cups, and froze in 22 minutes. The second batch was a full 5 cups of cooked and chilled custard base, and froze in 42 minutes. Longer running time will only incorporate more air, which makes the ice cream rise higher in the freezer bucket. This could cause the ice cream to overflow the bucket, which in turn will make it difficult to remove the bucket from the machine, because the overflow will freeze to the unit's wall. Even though the instructions say that you can use a maximum of 5 cups of base, next time, I will only use 4 cups, just to stay safe and avoid overrun problems. With the 5 cups, it was all the way to the top of the lid by the time it completed its cycle. Right out of the machine, the ice cream is soft-serve consistency, which some people complained about. I've made ice cream in many different types of freezers, even the old fashioned hand crank with rock salt and ice. I've never gotten any thing other than soft-serve consistency from any machine. That's just the nature of the beast. After two hours in the refrigerator freezer, what we made today is firm but not rock hard. Do be cautious about drying the bucket THOROUGHLY between use, when making batches one after another. If the outside of the bucket has any moisture on it, it will freeze to the wall of the freezer chamber. This machine is not nearly as noisy as some people stated. I didn't find it to be any more noisy than the Cuisinart model with the canister that you keep in the freezer. It was not noisy enough to make us feel like we wanted to cover our ears, and neither did we need to raise our voices to be heard over it. The unit is sleek and easy to clean. The electronic buttons work simply, and I like the fact that they are smooth and even with the rest of the surface of the machine. Makes it easy to just wipe it off. The lid is easy to put into place--just takes a quarter twist--and the lid opening is large enough to make it easy to add chips, nuts, or candy at the end of the freezing cycle. The machine's rim for the lid has a rubber (silicone?) O-ring that seals the freezer chamber, so it fits snugly in place. The only thing I regret about this purchase is that I waited so long to make it.

Purchased this last month and I’m so spoiled now I doubt I’ll ever buy commercial ice cream again. Really like the compressor feature so that I don’t have to pre-freeze anything. As to the complaints about it being too loud, I find it far less so than a blender or a food processor. So far we’ve made butter pecan, peanut butter, and Butterfinger ice cream, and it’s great that we can mix in as much of the “good stuff“ as we want so we get some in every bite. After a month of use, I find it to be a really great machine. I’ll update this review in the next six months if anything changes.

The machine does not turn on. Attaching video for your reference. Kindly replace or refund the amount. After waiting for such a long it’s such a disappointment and we are in huge loss

Funciona muy bien ! El helado y gelato quedan deliciosos , es muy rápida, fácil y práctica Muy recomendable

The construction is rugged and heavy, the motor powerful enough to do the job, and the mechanics are so easy even I can use it properly. Ideally you're supposed to carefully concoct a mixture and then add it, but I dump the ingredients (unless it has eggs in it) right into the mixer and let it mix via the churning paddle. What I love about it is that I have ice cream within half an hour even if the ingredients are luke warm when I put them in. No freezing bowls beforehand or chilling the mixture...the freezing compressor does all that. Uber simple. The only issue I have is the small quantity you can make (when it says don't fill it beyond the top paddle, it means it), and the fact that if you don't follow instructions and overfill the mixing bowl, it expands, drips down between the bowl and the sleeve, and freezes so you can't remove the bowl until it's thawed. I also have a hard time cleaning it properly because of the cracks and crevices near the top. I love this machine. Just follow the instructions and you'll have perfect ice cream every time.

貝印DL-0272、ハイアールアイスデリJL-ICM720Aを使ってきましたが、固まらない、時間がかかる、冷却に時間がかかりアイスがシャリシャリなど、なかなか良いアイスができませんでした。 この商品は冷凍能力が高いので、材料を冷やしておけば30分程度で、余熱をとっただけの生暖かい材料からでも40-60分あれば固まります。 思い立ったらすぐにアイスが食べられますので、とても良いです。また、急冷しますので、なめらかなアイスが食べられます。 あまりにおいしすぎ、アイスクリームを作る機会が大幅に増えました。 出来上がりは柔らかめですので、すぐに食べるには丁度良いですが、固いアイスが好きな方は、冷凍庫に入れると良いと思います。 アイスが固まり始めると、攪拌羽根の周りにアイスが絡みつくため、壁面との接触面積が減り、それ以上冷却が進まなくなります。 とても良い商品ですが、強いて言えば結構な量のアイスが攪拌羽根のまわりに付着して、取り出しにくい事が難点です。 3P電源コンセントですので、一般的なコンセントで使用する場合は3P／2P変換アダプタが必要です。 昇圧する場合、本製品の消費電力は400-600Wですので、対応する容量のアップトランスが必要です。 「この商品を買った人はこんな商品も買っています」に表示されるアップトランスには定格容量が少ないものがありますので、ご注意下さい。 私は100V（実測98V）コンセントのままで使っていますが、全く問題ありません。 1Lの牛乳に砂糖70gを入れて半量になるまで煮詰め、バニラエッセンスを入れるだけで おいしいアイスができます。子供がパクパク食べるので、あっという間になくなってしまいます。

思ったより早くアイスができます。 もう少し容量がほしいです。 業務用ではないんで十分かな