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Ice Cream Makers Buying Guide

Want to do something cool on a hot summer's day?  Try making your own ice cream!    There are a bunch of manual and electric ice cream makers on the market that can help you make delicious home-made ice cream with all the natural ingredients you want, from fresh fruit to organic chocolates.  So check out some of the basics on ice cream making and the related appliances,  and you can get started on satisfying your sweet tooth in no time.

How It Works

You have to prepare your ice cream mixture before pouring it into the bowl of the ice cream maker, which is usually a half to a full quart in size.  The ingredients of each mixture varies depending on the flavour you wish to create, but usually every ice cream requires some basic components like:

  • Sugar
  • Whipping cream
  • Vanilla extract
  • Milk or Half-and-Half

Once the ingredients are added, the ice cream maker--whether electric or manual--works by mixing and chilling the ice cream.  Most ice cream makers chill the mixture using a refrigerant contained within the bowl, though some require pre-cooling within a freezer.  Most makers also produce ice cream that is ready to eat.  If you buy a lower priced counter-top model, however, your ice cream mixture may need to be frozen for anywhere up to a few extra hours to overnight in order for it to harden to a normal consistency.

The Choices

Electric Versus Manual

Electric Ice Cream Maker 

There are three types of electric appliances, each with a motor that drives either the bowl or the paddle to stir the ingredients together. The major difference between each type of ice cream maker is how cooling is achieved.

Counter-top  machines use a double-walled bowl which contains a solution that freezes below the freezing point of water. This needs to be frozen in a freezer for up to one day before the machine is going to be used. Once the solution is frozen, the bowl can then be placed into the machine along with the ice cream ingredients, which will then be stirred and gradually frozen.

  • Advantages: Inexpensive.
  • Disadvantages: Only one batch of ice cream can be made at a time. To make another batch, the bowl must be frozen again.

Freezer-unit  machines sit inside the freezer and have internal paddles that turn every few seconds to stir the mixture enough to prevent large ice crystals from forming (ice crystals can often affect flavour).  When the ice cream has frozen enough, the paddles automatically stop rotating.

  • Advantages: No pre-freezing needed.
  • Disadvantages: it takes longer to freeze than other types of ice cream makers.

Machines with a built-in freezing mechanism  do not need the bowl to be pre-chilled.  Once the cooling system is turned on, the ingredients can be poured and the paddle may start the mixing.

  • Advantages: Can be used immediately.
  • Disadvantages: Expensive, and much larger than other machines.

Manual Ice Cream Maker 

These types of ice cream makers have an inner and outer bowl along with a hand-crank, which turns an internal paddle to stir your ingredients. The outer bowl is filled with a freezing/coolant mixture of salt and ice--as the salt melts the ice, it absorbs heat from ice cream mixture, thus allowing it to freeze.

Advantages:

  • Inexpensive.
  • Small and easily portable.

Disadvantages:

  • Messy because it produces a lot of salt water that needs to be disposed of.
  • Inconvenient because the ice and salt mixture needs to be refilled each time you need to make a new batch of ice cream.

Major Manufacuturers

Related Guides

Freezers 

Refrigerators 

Yoghurt Makers 

Bakeware 

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