Electric Ice-Cream Machines

Budget electric ice cream makers

While bucket-type ice cream makers are best used outdoors or near a floor drain, the most popular modern ice cream makers are countertop appliances. The cheaper electric models (under $100) use a gel-filled canister, which must be pre-frozen for between six and 24 hours. In most cases, the bowl's walls are filled with a chemical coolant. When you pour ingredients into the canister, ice cream immediately begins forming on the canister's sides. A dasher, or paddle, scrapes the sides as the canister rotates.

All gel-canister ice cream makers produce ice cream with the consistency of soft-serve. Leaving the canister in the freezer for several hours -- or, preferably, overnight -- firms the ice cream. Most gel-canister ice cream machines have rather loud motors. If you want to churn one batch after another, you'll have to buy more than one canister. Unless you have enough freezer space to store a canister, you're obliged to plan ahead, placing the canister in your freezer the day before you want ice cream.

Slate's review says that the Cuisinart ICE-20 ice cream maker (*Est. $50) is a well-made, no-frills starter machine. This model uses a gel canister that you must first pre-freeze. According to Gourmet's review, it makes ice cream that's a bit icy, but not unpleasantly so. The Cuisinart churns out 1.5 quarts of smooth, light-bodied ice cream in about 20 minutes. Most owners posting reviews to Amazon.com are very happy with the simple Cuisinart ice cream maker. Overall, almost 700 reviewers give the Cuisinart machine a total of 4.5 stars (out of five). A few say that the 1.5-quart size is a bit small for a family and that the bowl takes up a lot of space in the freezer. Still others complain that the plastic cover feels flimsy, and one or two report breaking paddles. Cuisine magazine also reviews the Cuisinart ICE-20 ice cream maker; editors like its removable bowl (for easy cleaning), but note that the automatic shut-off feature can occasionally stop the machine before ice cream is ready. The Cuisinart ICE-20 weighs about nine pounds and has cord storage underneath. It comes in red, white and translucent pink. Cuisinart sells extra freezer bowls (*est. $25).

Gourmet's editors say that the 2-Quart Cuisinart ICE-30 ice cream maker (*Est. $90) performs virtually identically to smaller Cuisinart ICE-20. Though the ICE-30 makes two quarts, reviews say the smaller model isn't as noisy. Both deliver good ice cream in about 20 minutes. Although the bowl on the Cuisinart ICE-30 is not removable, Gourmet says that the machine is still easy to clean. Fine Cooking calls the larger Cuisinart ice cream maker a consistent performer. Editors like the unit's large hopper, which makes adding ingredients and monitoring progress easy. Owners say that the machine's brushed stainless-steel housing looks sleek.

If you own a KitchenAid stand mixer, you might be interested in the KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment (*Est. $80) . The attachment includes a gel-lined freezer bowl, a plastic dasher and an adapter ring. It's capable of producing two quarts of ice cream in 15 to 18 minutes. Slate's tester found it easy to make an ice-cream base in a mixer and says that you can whip more air into the base by adjusting the mixer's speed, resulting in fluffier ice cream. Gourmet says that the end result is light and creamy. While Gourmet's review says that the attachment is terrific for those who own a KitchenAid mixer and have a fairly roomy freezer, Slate's tester finds the price for a plastic bowl and dasher "absurdly high." We found well over 150 mostly glowing Amazon.com user reviews of this attachment, plus one Epinions review which was brief but favorable. Detractors are usually upset that this attachment didn't fit their specific model of KitchenAid mixer, so be careful to check that before you buy.