Cuisinart ICE-20

We found the best review of the Cuisinart ICE-20 at Cook's Illustrated, which tests seven inexpensive electric ice cream makers. Gourmet magazine pits the ICE-20 against nine other electric ice cream makers. Stephen Metcalf of Slate.com tests it with two recipes, along with seven other models, and almost a thousand owners rate and review the Cuisinart ICE-20 ice cream maker at Amazon.com and Cooking.com.

Reviews praise the Cuisinart ICE-20 as an excellent budget ice cream maker, saying this countertop model consistently delivers one and a half quarts of creamy ice cream in about 20 minutes. The catch (as with all models less than $100) is that you need to pre-freeze its gel-filled canister for 10 hours or so (depending on your freezer). There's a large opening in the top for adding ingredients and an automatic shutoff feature that prevents the motor from overheating. It works best with custard recipes (made with eggs and heavy cream). Owners say this ice cream maker cleans up easily but is rather noisy and takes up a fair bit of space on the countertop. The similar Cuisinart ICE-30BC (*est. $90) has a larger two-quart capacity.