ice cream makers

I am considering buying my husband an ice cream maker for Father's Day, but I am in a muddle. Do they make the old fashioned ones still or has everything gone electric? I don't think I want one of those new little ones, my sentimental brain is leaning toward the kind with rock salt and cranking. But I think I read somewhere that they make that style, but it's now electric. But I could be delusional.

Any thoughts, opinions? Suggestions on where to look?

thanks!

bjt

Well, I can't give you advice on a hand-cranked old fashioned model, but I can say that our Cuisinart 2qt electric maker does a great job. I've seen it for $50 at costco, also.

If your dad has a kitchenaid stand mixer, there are ice cream maker attachments for some models. That has the advantage of not requiring yet more gadget storage space.

Have you checked here:

http://www.rivalproducts.com/support_files/whtmt.aspx

I have both.....I have the Cuisinart (LOVE IT!) and the Rival electrified rock salt one. I'd say go for the Cuisinart.....I keep the bowl in the freezer all the time so it's ready when I am. The Kitchenaid attachment is a similar concept; freeze the bowl and pop it on when you're ready.

Amazon.com has them pretty cheap from time to time. Check there too!

The one thing I'll say is that, at least for us, getting really good results at ice cream makes us want to get one of the machines with the built-in freezer so we can make a triple batch of base and freeze it all at once. But that's an expensive proposition, so we're resisting.

But the results are so, so, so good.

I've had one of the motorized churning buckets or another for a couple of decades now and, well, really like it. I feel that style gives me more control of the final product; learned people here have suggested the amount of control is minor, but I'm comfortable with it. Consistency from batch to batch is harder to achieve, but you find your groove. It's worth picking up a couple of good recipe books; my favorites are The Ultimate Ice Cream Book and The Joy of Ice Cream.

dees_1 wrote:I have both.....I have the Cuisinart (LOVE IT!) and the Rival electrified rock salt one. I'd say go for the Cuisinart.....I keep the bowl in the freezer all the time so it's ready when I am.

I have the smaller model (Cuisinart ICE-20 - 1 quart). The problem I have with it is that the dasher does not actually touch the sides of the bowl - the closest it gets is about 1/8" maybe (I'm very bad at judging distance, plus I haven't used it since last summer).So I have to keep on stopping and scraping the sides down, otherwise I get a frozen layer while the center doesn't freeze too well.

Does anyone else have this problem (or this machine)? Any tips?

White Mountain manual ice cream makers go way back. Can get in electric motor driven as well.

http://www.rivalproducts.com/support_files/whtmt.aspx[url][/url]

If you check Lowe's sale flyer in todays Tribune, you will find an electric motor, plastic, icecream maker for less than 20 bucks.

gleam wrote:The one thing I'll say is that, at least for us, getting really good results at ice cream makes us want to get one of the machines with the built-in freezer so we can make a triple batch of base and freeze it all at once. But that's an expensive proposition, so we're resisting.

I, too, have lusted after the $400 and up Italian self-contained ice cream makers, but ultimately I decided on getting another Cuisinart for $50. I keep the second bowl in the freezer so I can either use both bowls consecutively to chill the base and then make ice cream or sorbet immediately afterwards, or make two different batches within one 24 hour period. Besides, I take a rather cynical view on appliances, and realize that the more exotic they are, the more likely they are to break down.

Rich, that's a great idea. I wish we had a bigger freezer!

I have the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and I've had good luck with it. I believe it ran me around $80.

I started with a compromise model: a Rival electric churn with a wooden bucket to hold the ice and rock salt. For starters, don't get the wooden bucket -- the melting ice and salt caused mine to split within the first couple of uses, and then I always had to stick the thing in a cooler to catch the leakage.

Second, the thing was god-awful noisy. Third, it was a pain in the butt to crush the ice and mix the salt.

I got one of the inexpensive cuisinart makers for xmas a few years later, and found it much more user-friendly. I never noticed any particular difference in the quality of the finished product.

In short, I suggest tempering the romance

Lehman's Non-Electric offers hand cranked ice cream makers

http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product ... 163&KICKER

If the above doesn't bring you to the right page, try searching www.lehmans.com

Good luck

I have a Donvier, which probably qualifies as "one of the new little ones," though I've had it at least 10 years. It works great; it's really easy to use, non-electric and doesn't require a lot of cranking. The only drawback is you have to remember to freeze the cylinder ahead of time. I solve that during ice-cream season by just storing it in the freezer.

Note that the ice cream it makes is a dense gelato type. It won't do if you like airy ice cream.

I have nostolgic recollections of the hand-cranked ice cream maker we owned when I was kid. I assume that's why you're considering one. But I'll inject a dose of realism in here...while it's a nice throwback to childhood, so it making ice cream in general. Remember that you'll actually have to hand crank it for about 20 or 30 minutes. And once it gets the consistency of ice cream, that's a serious workout. The nostolgia factor is fun the first time...maybe the second time, too, if you're having a party and can convince your friends or kids that it's a fun game, but after that, you'll wish you had a motorized ice cream maker. I know I'm thrilled that I have one.

(BTW, I have an electric Cuisineart, which makes about a gallon of ice cream. Before that I did have a hand-cranked Donvier with the frozen base, which makes about a pint. When I was a kid we used the wooden bucket/rock salt hand-cranked type...obviously, the more ice cream you're making, the more difficult it becomes to hand crank as the ice cream freezes.)

Keep in mind, too, that buying fresh, quality ingredients generally means that your ice cream will cost more than a similar amount would have in the store. And if you're making anything that requires prep time, it's often faster to buy it as well.

Neither of those, of course, cancels out the enjoyment of enjoying something you made from ingredients you selected. But it does also add a little something to that nostalgia factor.

Hi,

I have an Il Gelataio from Simac. It was one of the first ice cream makers on the market with a built in freezer. It is heavy, but you can make ice cream all afternoon without much pause.

I lucked out buying it at a rummage sale for $10 years ago, when they sold initially in the $500 range. It needs a gear replaced, which causes it to pause and stop when the ice cream thickens. It will cost $150 to get repaired. I have been going back and forth in my mind whether or not it is worthwhile to spend the money.

I toddled over to e-Bay to find the same model selling for over $100, which suggests to me repairing it is still worthwhile. I also estimate if I bought a used model via e-Bay, the machine may just have the same exact problem. From talking to the service department, this gear seems to be an achilles heal.

Regards,

I bought the Cuisinart Flavor Duo ic maker for my sister-in-law about 2 years ago. It's electric and as the name suggests has two separate freezing chambers so you can make two flavors at once. I think it was $100 to $150. It makes excellent sorbet and ice cream-she made key lime ice cream most recently and it was out of this world. She's a culinary school grad and seems very happy with it.

I love my Cuisinart Flavor Duo. I've had consistently good results with the ice creams and sorbets I've made - very happy with the texture. Plus the machine is easy to operate and to clean.

Cathy2 wrote:I have an Il Gelataio from Simac. It was one of the first ice cream makers on the market with a built in freezer. It is heavy, but you can make ice cream all afternoon without much pause.

Wow... that's a gem

My family had one that finally gave up the dog a year or two back. I know we had it for at least 15 years, and it may have been 20. It was kind of a beast, but it did a damn fine job

gleam wrote:If your dad has a kitchenaid stand mixer, there are ice cream maker attachments for some models. That has the advantage of not requiring yet more gadget storage space.

I just ordered one of these and am anxiously awaiting the arrival.

chgoeditor wrote:When I was a kid we used the wooden bucket/rock salt hand-cranked type...obviously, the more ice cream you're making, the more difficult it becomes to hand crank as the ice cream freezes.)

We used the same type, and I have the same nostalgic memories.

Now for the business...Mrs. Ro was trying to find some rock salt today for ice cream making purposes and came up empty at both Whole Foods (Ashland & School) and Dominicks (Ridge N. of Devon). Am I wrong to believe that this is still something you can find at most supermarket chains?

Keep eating,
J. Ro

Rock salt is widely stocked in the winter for melting snow and ice but not in summer. Finer salt particles worked better than rock salt in my considerable youthful experience making ice cream in a hand-cranked ice cream freezer with wood bucket. The big reason for using rock salt is that it is/was cheaper. Pickling salt or whatever kind you can find will work well. Buy the cheapest salt you can find. Unless you are making multiple six-quart freezer batches, the cost won't be a big deal. Even then you are probably more concerned with where you are going to buy 50-pound bags of crushed ice.

Hardware stores, the more throwback the better, may be a better bet for rock salt out of snow season.

ekreider wrote: Finer salt particles worked better than rock salt in my considerable youthful experience making ice cream in a hand-cranked ice cream freezer with wood bucket.

I have never tried using anything but rock salt. Finer salt is almost like heresy (but if it works, I'll use it).

Hardware stores, the more throwback the better, may be a better bet for rock salt out of snow season.

Yes. Andersonville True Value carries 10 pound bags of rock salt for $2.99. After trying five grocery stores the night before, I phoned the hardware store in advance. I told the gentleman on the phone, who spoke English with a vaguely eastern european accent, that I wanted rock salt for making ice cream. He told me that he had some 5 pound bags (turned out to be 10) for $2.99.

When I arrived at the store, I asked for the rock salt, and the following exchange occurred.

"Ah, you called."
"Yes, do you have the rock salt?"
"Yes, but you are the second person to ask for rock salt to make ice cream. I don't understand how you use rock salt for this purpose."
"Well, you put the salt with the ice to help with the freezing process."
"I still don't understand."
"You have a metal canister that contains the ingredients for the ice cream, then you surround that with ice and rock salt to make it really really cold."
"Aha, you use the rock salt for the machine."

Our machine was this new-fangled blue plastic ball with a metal cannister in the middle. Some genius inevitably decided that cranking the metal crank was much too difficult, so the alternative would be a playful ball that could be shaken, not stirred. Well, throw several pounds of ice and rock salt into the plastic ball, and the game more closely resembles a boxer training with a medicine ball than anything truly fun.

The ice cream (vanilla with chocolate chips) was a little loose, especially in the middle, but it tasted the part.

Keep eating,
J. Ro

Chiming in again to sing the praises of my Cuisinart Flavor Duo. This weekend I was able to make a sabayon ice cream which quite closely resembled the sabayon gelato found at the Penguin (both in taste and texture). A glorious and dangerous achievement!

I just returned from Jewel. Low and behold they sell Morton Rock Salt for making ice cream. $1.35 for 4 lbs. It's in a red box and I found it next to all the other salt in the baking isle.

Snow melt salt always seems to have rock bits in it.

Diannie

finally following up on my original post . . .

My father-in-law ended up getting my husband the ice cream maker. He picked it up at Costco, it is a Rival, it has a plastic bucket with an electric mixer. Nothing fancy but also not too enormous, which is a plus for us apt dwellers. It sat in the box until our heat wave hit, yesterday we put the canister in the freezer. The maker came with a small bag of "rival" rock salt, so we didn't have to go searching for that. We used the simple vanilla ice cream recipe from the July Martha Stewart (the one that did NOT require eggs or heating/scalding the cream/milk mixture). It required about 40 minutes of mixing and while the motor was a bit loud, it didn't get stuck on the ice/salt. We then let it sit in the freezer all afternoon and just scooped it up after dinner. It froze up nicely, it wasn't mushy or watery. My only minor complaint was it wasn't as creamy as I'd like. It wasn't scratchy like ice milk (oh horrors from childhood!) but it wasn't as smooth as any commercial ice cream. I would imagine this is because we did not go with the recipe that called for eggs? if any of you ice cream pros have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them--and recipes too if time allows. Oh and the Rival "ice cream rock salt" left bits of little rocks at the bottom of the bucket, so maybe that's the case with all rock salt?

Thanks a bunch and I hope you're all staying cool and eating some sort of frozen dessert . . .

bjt

Bits of rock and undissolved salt left over are common when using rock salt to make ice cream. If there is a lot of undissolved salt, you used too much. Finer grained salt will dissolve faster than rock salt and work quite well. The big reason for using rock salt is that it is cheap.

The cooked custard is used as an emulsifier and stabilizer. Egg yolks contain lecithin. Even raw egg will add smoothness and creaminess and was fairly common in home-made ice cream years ago but is on the horror list these days.

I don't know the proportions used in the recipe that didn't seem creamy enough, but I suspect that the butterfat content was lower than the 10 percent required by the Federal Standard of Identity for ice cream or the 12-16 percent common in super premium ice creams. Note that half and half is usually around 11.5 percent butterfat, so using only that plus sugar and vanilla would put you near or below the fat lower bound for commercial ice cream but way below the mandated level of nonfat solids. Using whole milk and whipping cream would require that over a third of the volume of the mix come from whipping cream to get into premium ice cream butterfat levels.

Home-made ice cream is best eaten the same day it is made and can be really good even when the butterfat is well below that legal requirement for calling it ice cream. Just note that holding in a deep freeze over night will make the stuff really hard.

wow! you really know your ice cream and butterfat, thanks! we only used half and half, sugar and vanilla, so I think you pinpointed the situation quite well. I am not afraid of raw egg yolks nor oodles of butterfat, so I will start to experiment.

bjt