2 Responses to “Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker”

1. Kathryn Price says:

   June 15, 2011 at 9:10 am

   267 of 271 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Simply Great Ice Cream, July 17, 2010

   By 

   Kathryn Price (MN) –

   Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker (Kitchen)

   As this product had not been reviewed yet, I read several reviews for the Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker before making my decision to purchase this product. Many comments about the ICE-20 mentioned that the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve; some reviewers said it was too soft. I did not find that issue with the ice cream I made with this ice cream maker. I turned my freezer to the coldest setting and froze the bowl for 7 hours. I could not hear any liquid moving in the bowl at that point, so I assumed it was solidly frozen. I made the Simple Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from the booklet that came with the machine. After about 20 minutes, the ice cream was nicely textured and creamy. It wasn’t as hard as the packed ice cream you purchase at the store, so I guess you might say the consistency was somewhere between soft serve and store-bought: firmer than soft serve, but not as firm as hard pack. As reviewers of the ICE-20 pointed out, if the ice cream was frozen as solidly as hard pack in the machine, it would be difficult to remove it from the container.

   The ice cream is simply wonderful. It has a fresh, pure taste that outshines anything I could purchase from the store. I bought it mainly because I wanted to have control of my ingredients. I want to use organic products as much as possible and I want to experiment with soy ice creams; I have thought I might want to get away from dairy products altogether.

   This product was listed as the newest version of the ICE-20 and as an upgrade that improves upon the ICE-20 while still keeping its popular features. I don’t know what the upgrade consists of, but I can say that in 20-25 minutes, I had really excellent ice cream that I thought was the perfect consistency. (Since I posted this review, a commenter here has noted that the upgrade consists of a new paddle design, reducing the processing time by 25%, according to the manufacturer.) After freezing it for a couple of hours it was firmer and I liked it at that consistency, too. I was thinking about how great this ice cream would be with warm apple pie, because tasting it really is like tasting fresh vanilla cream. But we’re a couple of months away from apple pie season! This product couldn’t be simpler to use, and I think it will pay for itself fairly quickly in savings over the cost of premium purchased ice cream. And it just tastes better.

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2. B. Miller "Small business owner" says:

   June 15, 2011 at 9:56 am

   132 of 132 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Great ice cream maker indeed!, August 1, 2010

   By 

   B. Miller “Small business owner” (Ogunquit, ME) –
   
     

   Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker (Kitchen)

   I have relied on my Rival ice cream maker for many years, churning out many, many batches of good ice cream…but after so many years, i got tired of the rock salt and ice ordeal so i went for this model. GLAD I DID! I’ve made half a dozen batches so far and i’m pleased to say this works better than the salt/ice machine. A few comments:

   First, it’s easier to do, and doesnt take any guessing on how much ice to salt than the traditional ice/salt machine. THer’es no messy clean up of salt and/or ice off the counter/floor, either.

   Second, it’s quicker than advertised. While eveything says 20-25 minutes, i have yet to have a batch take longer than 15 minutes.

   Third, I did not have to turn my freezer down to the lowest setting either (i was concerned about wasting energy just for this!). I have it on a “5″ out of “9″ settings, and it’s fine. I stuck the canister in the back, on the bottom shelf–which I assume is the coldest place. Just make sure the recipe you use is VERY cold before you throw it into the machine. (i often put it in the freezer for 30 min before i make ice cream). ANother tip: put the exterior clear casing into the freezer for a while before making the ice cream–it just helps insulate the canister all the more when it’s turning.)

   Fourth, it’s the quietest ice cream machine i’ve heard. No, you cant hear a pin drop in the other room, but i use it in the kitchen and can comfortably watch TV in my adjacent family room without having to adjust the volume at all. I can hear the machine churing, but it doesnt get in the way of hearing the TV.

   Fifth, so why 4 stars instead of 5? Her’es the only downside of the frozen canister v. salt/ice machines. Scooping the finished ice cream out of the heavy and awkward-to-handle canister and into a container for freezing, is challenging. The canister, understandably, is VERY cold. It seems off balance as you try to do this, too. And if you wait more than a moment, the ice cream quickly starts to freeze hard to the canister, so a rubber spatula (never use metal or you’ll scratch the canister!), cant scrape the hardened ice cream off the sides very easily.

   Overall, GREAT ice cream maker. THe quality of the ice cream is good, with a nice, smooth texture.

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