Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Machine for Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, Gelato, Ice Cream & Frozen Drinks - Makes Treats in Minutes with Large Ingredient Spout for Mix ins, Stainless Steel/Red, 2 Quart, ICE-30R

This ice cream maker seemed like a good choice to replace an older one we had which leaked when our home lost power for weeks after a hurricane. (Apparently it got too hot and the gel pushed out of the seams.) We have some other Cuisinart appliances and they have performed well, so we stuck with the brand. So far, this machine has been a great replacement. It's a bit larger than our old one, but it makes more ice cream, so that isn't a big deal. Like most machines of this type, you have to put the core into the freezer overnight. You should leave it there until you have your mixture ready to go.I'm going to pick some nits now. I wish there was a marker or some guidance on how much mixture you should use. So far it has overflowed every time even when I made sure the mixture was well below the top of the core. The ice cream expands upward and out of the filling hole. It hasn't been enough to overflow, but it did make a mess around the core. I'm not sure you can make a full 2 quarts of ice cream without making a mess like this.The stirring blades are a bit difficult to get all the ice cream out of and to clean. This is actually pretty normal though. I remember the old hand cranked machines were like this too. The rest of the machine is very easy to clean.There is no timer or auto shut off, so you have to monitor it yourself, which you should anyway. It performs just as it says. It will make ice cream in about 30 minutes. I let it run 45 minutes one time and that was too much. Some of the ice cream froze hard down in the bottom of the core, so don't run any more than 30-35 minutes.I wish it came with a cover because the opening in the top is exposed during storage. We covered ours with a plastic bag that we had on hand.On a positive note, the recipes in the manual are VERY good. I've found that you can use their strawberry recipe for just about any fruit ice cream. I used it to make some mango ice cream and boy, I'm going to gain some weight! :( It's sooo good!Overall I'm very pleased with this ice cream maker and would definitely buy it again.

This is a very good ice cream machine for its class (home use, freezer bowl). I'd owned the 1 1/2 quart Cusinart model and liked it a lot. Then someone in my house put the drum in the dishwasher and I found out when I tried to make a batch of ice cream that wouldn't freeze. Using the 1 1/2 quart model I was always scaling down recipes or hovering over the ice cream as it churned with a spoon, stealing spoonfuls ice cream as it threatened to overflow the ice cream maker because I overfilled it (not that I really minded that). I like the 2 quart size for those reasons,If you've never owned one of these types of ice cream makers before, here's an overview. There are two main parts as far as what makes the ice cream. There is a paddle and a drum, aka the freezer bowl. The night before you intend to make ice cream (or earlier) park your clean freezer bowl in the coldest part of your freezer overnight. This is essential that the bowl be frozen through with no sloshing sound. This drum is what chills the ice cream.When you're ready to make the ice cream, put the frozen freezer bowl into the base of the ice cream machine, put the paddle in and put the top on, start the machine and then pour your cold (repeat COLD) ice cream mixture into the freezer bowl as it runs. The cold of the freezer bowl chills the ice cream mixture, the paddle scraps the sides of the freezer bowl as it turns which scrapes off the freezing ice cream incorporating it back into the ice cream mixture and churns air into the mixture. Let the machine run for 20ish minutes. Give it a peak every once in a while because watched ice cream never freezes ;). When it's done, you'll hear the motor struggle a bit more because of the thickness of the ice cream, the ice cream will be soft serve consistency and will be done as far as its adventure with the machine. From here you could eat it as soft serve, or scoop out the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze it for a few hours. let the freezer bowl warm up a little, then wash by hand with warm soapy water and a soft sponge or cloth.The negative comments that people have left seem mostly to be due to them not understanding how this machine works or that they expected something different, or both. Yes, you have to freeze the bowl overnight -- that's how this type of ice cream machine chills ice cream. It doesnt have its own refridgeration unit. If you want that, then pay 5x+ the price for a different type of machine. No, this machine doesn't produce solid hard ice cream -- it produces soft serve consistency because it churns and you can't churn rock solid ice cream. And You MUST WASH THE FREEZER BOWL BY HAND. This isn't a "to keep it looking it's best" issue like you sneak your pots and pans in the dishwasher even though you shouldn't -- the heat from the dishwasher will destroy the freezing liquid in the bowl and the bowl will never make ice cream again. You can tell that a well meaning relative put your bowl in the dishwasher because the bowl will still sound sloshy even though it's been freezing for days.The It Never Froze My Ice Cream comments -- the person either put their freezer bowl in the dishwasher or the bowl wasn't cold enough. Or the freezer bowl was defective.The It Won't Make Ice Cream Immediately, It Makes Soft Serve...comments -- that's true, but that's how this machine works.Some have commented that they have to let the finished ice cream (after being I the freezer) sit on the counter for 15 minutes until they can scoop it. My suggestions are: 1. Use more fat in your recipe, 2. Let it churn more air as the machine runs, 3. Know that most commercial ice creams have a ton of what they call "overhead" which is basically air in the ice cream. You may notice that the same volume of two different brands of ice cream weigh differently. Ultra premium brands like Haagen Daaz have little overhead compared to, say most grocery store brands. Lower quality ice creams also have thickeners and stabilizers that hold the ice cream together but keep it from really forming solid. Ever leave a bowl of ice cream on the counter overnight and the next day it's a little melted but mostly in the same shape? That's the stabilizers. All of this makes commercial ice cream soft and easy to scoop even though it's frozen. Take heart that better quality ice creams like the one you are making are naturally harder when frozen, and therefore may take a sturdy ice cream scoop and perhaps a little muscle to scoop. On properly made ice creams (enough fat, enough churning) I've never made a batch too hard to scoop straight from the freezer.In short, this machine works beautifully and its make quality ice cream. I'm very happy with it.

This Cuisinart machine has been a great addition to my kitchen. It's very easy to use, even for someone who’s new to making ice cream at home. One of the features I appreciate most is how simple it is to clean after use—it doesn’t require much effort at all. It’s also worth mentioning that the machine is not noisy, which makes the experience more enjoyable. In just 25 to 30 minutes, it produces delicious ice cream with a smooth texture.The machine comes with a small recipe book that is quite helpful for making your firsts ice cream. However, for those looking for more variety, I’d recommend purchasing a more comprehensive recipe book, you can your own recipes, but you have to consider not to exceed the maximum capacity of the machine. So far, I’ve only used the machine to make ice cream and haven’t tried making gelato or slushies yet, but it’s great for what I’ve tested.

This is the best ice cream maker ever! So easy to use with several recipes in the booklet that comes with it. I have searched many and found this one to be the best option, so I got it and I am extremely happy. All natural ice cream is absolutely the best.As I said very easy to use!! But one and enjoy for yourself!! 😁

Recipes are pretty good and tasty. We make milk free versions and coconut milk and cream make good ice cream with included recipes. The only hard part to clean is the plastic insert but it does its job mixing pretty well. This unit is noisy and a little rumbly so I put it in the garage as even in next room its intrusive. The unit works really well and within 30 minutes you have a treat. Scraping the IC out the tub it a little bit of a pain as it sticks very well to the cold tub insides. A sharp wooden or bamboo scraper does the job. Very worth the money to make your own concoctions.