The Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker, available from amazon, is a 1.5 quart domestic ice cream maker with a self-refrigerating compressor. It has an optimum capacity of 700 ml (0.74 quarts), producing about 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of ice cream with about 29% overrun, and produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy. This will be a comprehensive and impartial review of my experience with the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker.
THIS REVIEW WAS UPDATED ON 6th April 2016. I’M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THIS BLOG. PLEASE DO GET IN TOUCH AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT, OR WANT TO SEE INCLUDED IN, THIS REVIEW. RUBEN 🙂
I’d also recommend having a look at the following machines:
To view the top selling ice cream makers on amazon, please click here
1. APPEARANCE
The Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker, or Sage by Heston Blumenthal the Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker as it’s known here in the U.K, is constructed from stainless steel and looks aesthetically pleasing. It’s a relatively small machine, weighing 32 pounds (14.5 kg) and measuring 16.2 inches (41 cm) in length, 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) in width, and 10.2 inches (26 cm) in height; I’ve found it very easy to move and store in my kitchen.
Breville USA Support note that it’s designed to operate on a standard dedicated US household circuit of 120v, 60Hz, (220-224v, 50Hz here in the U.K) and operates at 148 watts (+/- 10 watts) when the freezer bowl is empty. While under a heavier load, the maximum amount of power that it will consumer (for a very thick ice cream) is 288 Watts.
On top of the machine are the manual timer, pre-cool, keep cool, °C or °F , start/pause, and music buttons, as well as the hardness setting knob. There’s also a large LCD display that shows temperature, manual or auto mode, timer, and the 12 hardness settings, which we’ll be looking at in section 6 of this review. Overall, I’m very impressed with the appearance of the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker.
2. ICE CREAM MIX FORMULATION AND PROCESSING
To test the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker, 5 ice cream mixes were formulated to contain 54.9% total solids, 23.3% milk fat, 10.8% milk solids-not-fat (the lactose, proteins, minerals, water-soluble vitamins, enzymes, and some minor constituents), 16.3% sucrose, and 4.4% egg yolks. All 5 mixes contained fresh cream, fresh milk, skimmed milk powder, sucrose, and egg yolks. All 5 mixes were heated to 72°C (161°F), held at that temperature for 25 minutes, cooled, and aged overnight at 4°C (39°F). Mix composition was kept constant for all 5 mixes but mix volume was varied from 700 ml (0.74 quarts) to 900 ml (0.95 quarts). Two further mixes were made using the Basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe and the Pistachio Gelato recipe from the Breville instruction manual. Both recipes contained fresh cream, fresh milk, sucrose, and egg yolks, and both followed the same processing stages as the previous 5 mixes. The Basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe yielded a mix of just over 500 ml (0.53 quarts) and the Pistachio Gelato Recipe a mix of 600 ml (0.63 quarts). Test results can be seen in section 5.2 of this review.
3. OVERRUN
Overrun is the calculation of air that’s incorporated into frozen desserts and is calculated as the percentage increase in volume of the mix that occurs as a result of the addition of air (Goff & Hartel, 2013). Overrun can range from as low as 20% to as high as 150% in ice cream and 20% to 60% in gelato, with low overrun generally associated with a premium product. Overrun influences the rate of melt down, with ice cream containing a high amount of air (high overrun) tending to melt slowly (Goff & Hartel, 2013), and ice crystal size, with smaller ice crystals observed in ice cream made at low overrun than in the same ice cream made at high overrun (Hartel, 1996; Sofjan & Hartel, 2003).
The dasher on the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Maker rotates at a low 55 revolutions per minute (rpm), relative to typical speeds of 100-200 rpm in commercial machines, resulting in overrun of between 10 and 30%. Results from my overrun tests can be seen in section 5.2 of this review.
4. MAXIMUM CAPACITY
The Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker comes with a 1.5 quart anodised aluminium freezer bowl that’s easily removable. The instruction manual, available by clicking here, states ‘due to aeration of ingredients do not exceed 3½ cups [828 ml, or 0.87 quarts] of liquid ingredients.
I’ve found that the BCI600XL produces the smoothest ice cream when the mix volume does not exceed 700ml (0.74 quarts), which produces about 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of extremely smooth and creamy ice cream with about 30% overrun. When I increase the ice cream mix to 800 ml (0.85 quarts) and 900 ml (0.95 quarts), I find that although it’s able to freeze both mixes, it produces ice cream that isn’t quite as smooth and creamy as that made using a 700ml (0.74 quarts) mix.
5. ICE CRYSTALS IN ICE CREAM
Ice crystal size is a critical factor in the development of smooth texture (Donhowe et al., 1991) with smooth and creamy ice cream requiring the majority of ice crystals to be small, around 10 to 20 µm in size. If many crystals are larger than this, the ice cream will be perceived as being coarse or icy (Drewett & Hartel, 2007; Goff & Hartel, 2013). Ice crystal size is affected by the composition of the ice cream mix and by freezing, with the latter done in two stages: dynamic freezing, where the ice cream mix is frozen in an ice cream machine whilst being agitated to incorporate air, and static freezing, where the partially frozen ice cream is hardened without agitation in a freezer. Ice crystals form only during dynamic freezing and grow during static freezing.
In this review, we’ll be looking at the key principles that underpin crystallisation, as well as the effect that the features on the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker have on these principles. These will include the dasher, the self-refrigerating compressor, and the freezer bowl.
5.1. NUCLEATION
As the aqueous ice cream mix is added to the machine, the refrigerant removes enough heat to bring the mix below its freezing point. A layer of ice then freezes to the wall of the cold freezer bowl causing rapid nucleation, or the birth of small ice crystals (Hartel, 2001). These ice crystals are scraped off the wall by the rotating dasher and scraper blades and dispersed in the middle of the bowl where the mix is warmer and causes the ice crystals to grow and undergo recrystallisation (large crystals growing and fusing together) (Russell et al, 1999; Drewett & Hartel, 2007). Once the warmer mix in the middle of the bowl is cooled sufficiently, some of the ice crystals scraped from the cold ball wall begin to survive and grow.
It’s important to have a high rate of nucleation so as to create as many small ice crystals as possible (Hartel, 1996).
5.1.1. THE DASHER
Nucleation is affected by the rate of heat transfer from the mix to the cold freezer bowl, with a high rate of heat transfer promoting a high rate of nucleation (Hartel, 1996; Goff & Hartel, 2013). Because heat travels more slowly through ice than stainless steel or aluminium, ice building up on the freezer bowl wall acts as an insulator and lowers the rate of heat transfer. Goff & Hartel (2013) note that even a very thin layer of ice remaining on the bowl wall can cause a dramatic reduction in heat transfer. The rotating dasher and scraper blades help promote high heat transfer by scraping off the ice layer that forms on the side of the cold bowl wall. Keeping the scraper blades as close to the bowl wall as possible is therefore important because it prevents ice build up, thereby ensuring efficient heat transfer (Goff & Hartel, 2013).
The Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker comes with a plastic dasher that has two plastic scraper blades attached. When fitted onto the central pin in the freezer bowl, it leaves a considerable gap between the scraper blades and the side of the bowl, resulting in the build up of ice and inefficient heat transfer. This is a fundamental flaw common in all domestic ice cream makers I’ve tried and it’s only when you get to commercial machines that you find dashers with spring-loaded blades pushed firmly against the side of the bowl. Although the dasher and scraper blades could be improved to ensure efficient scraping of the freezer bowl wall, I’ve found that the BCI600XL still produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth and creamy.
5.1.2. THE SELF-REFRIGERATING COMPRESSOR
The freezer bowl temperature is another factor influencing the rate of nucleation and ice crystal size, with lower freezer bowl temperatures promoting higher rates of nucleation and smaller ice crystals. Drewett & Hartel (2007) found that decreasing the coolant temperatures at the freezer bowl wall caused higher ice crystal nucleation rates and reduced recrystallisation in the warmer bulk mix, which helped the ice crystals remain small. Similarly, Russell et al. (1999) found that as the freezer bowl temperature was lowered, the nucleation rate increased accordingly. Cook & Hartel (2011) simulated ice cream freezing in an ice cream machine by freezing ice cream mix in a thin layer on a microscope cold stage. The temperature at which ice cream mix was frozen on the cold stage varied from -7, -10, -15, and -20°C (19, 14, 5, and -4°F). They found that warmer freezing temperatures gave more elongated and slightly larger crystals with a wider size distribution.
To promote rapid nucleation, the temperature of the refrigerant should fall within the range of -23 to -29°C (-10 to -20°F) (Goff & Hartel, 2013), with the freezer bowl wall temperature estimated to be a few degrees warmer. I’ve found that the compressor on the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker is able to get the freezer bowl temperature down to an impressive -28°C (-18.4°F) when empty. This I achieved by using the pre-chill button and leaving the machine running for 15 minutes before adding the mix.
TIP #1 – LOW FREEZER BOWL WALL TEMPERATURE
It’s a good idea to leave the compressor running for about 15 minutes before you add the ice cream mix. This will ensure that the bowl is as cold as possible when the mix is added and help promote higher rates of nucleation and a shorter residence time.
5.2. RESIDENCE TIME
Residence time, that is the length of time the ice cream mix spends in the freezer bowl during dynamic freezing, has a significant effect on the final ice crystal size distribution, with longer residence times resulting in larger ice crystals (Russell et al., 1999; Goff & Hartel, 2013; Drewett & Hartel, 2007; Cook & Hartel, 2010). Russell et al. (1999) showed that residence time in the freezer bowl had a more important impact on final crystal size distribution than did the initial nucleation rate. A similar study by Drewett & Hartel (2007) also concluded that residence time has the greatest impact on final crystal size distribution, followed by draw temperature and dasher speed. This is because a longer residence time gives the ice crystals in the centre of the freezer bowl more time to recrystallise and grow larger (Russell et al., 1999; Drewett & Hartel, 2007).
The Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker has a Keep Cool function that keeps the ice cream at a constant temperature for up to 3 hours once it’s been frozen. When the machine is in this function, the compressor and motor turn on incrementally to test the consistency of the ice cream. Because a longer residence time gives the ice crystals more time to recrystallise and grow larger, I wouldn’t recommend using this function.
A high rate of heat transfer and colder freezer bowl temperatures contribute significantly to shorter residence times. Lower freezer bowl wall temperatures can lower the bulk temperature of the ice cream faster, reducing residence time and improving the ice crystal size distribution (Russell et al., 1999; Drewett & Hartel, 2007). Commercial machines usually take between 8-10 minutes to freeze a large batch, ranging from 3 to 44 quarts, of ice cream. Below are the results from my residence times tests.
1. BREVILLE’S VASIC VANILLA ICE CREAM – MANUAL MODE
Mix volume: 500 ml (0.53 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 650 ml (0.69 quarts).
Overrun: About 30%.
Residence time: 23 minutes.
Draw temperature: -6°C (21°F).
Texture: Surprisingly smooth and creamy ice cream that was quite light.
2. BREVILLE’S PISTACHIO GELATO RECIPE – GELATO AUTO MODE 9
Mix volume: 600 ml (0.63 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 700 ml (0.74 quarts).
Overrun: About 17%.
Residence time: 40 MINUTES.
Draw temperature: -9°C (15.8°F).
Texture: Way too icy and watery.
3. MY MIX – ICE CREAM AUTO MODE 12
Mix volume: 700 ml (0.74 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 850 ml (0.9 quarts).
Overrun: About 20%.
Residence time: 33 MINUTES.
Draw temperature: -9°C (15.8°F).
Texture: Really nice, smooth, and creamy. Not too heavy and not too light. Impressed with this.
4. MY MIX – MANUAL MODE
Mix volume: Just under 700 ml (0.74 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 900 ml (0.95 quarts).
Overrun: About 29%.
Residence time: 34 MINUTES.
Draw temperature: -9°C (15.8°F).
Texture: Nice, sweet, and creamy. Nice and airy and quite light.
5. MY MIX – MANUAL MODE
Mix volume: 750 ml (0.79 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 1000 ml (1.06 quarts).
Overrun: About 33%.
Residence time: 33 MINUTES.
Draw temperature: -9°C (15.8°F).
Texture: Creamy, nice, and heavy. Not as airy as I thought it would be. Very smooth and creamy.
6. MY MIX – MANUAL MODE
Mix volume: 800 ml (0.85 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 950 ml (1.00 quarts).
Overrun: About 20%.
Residence time: 30 MINUTES.
Draw temperature: -9°C (15.8°F).
Texture: Quite icy and coarse. Not the smoothest ice cream I’ve tried.
7. MY MIX – MANUAL SETTING
Mix volume: 900 ml (0.95 quarts).
Frozen volume: About 1000 ml (1.06 quarts).
Overrun: About 11%.
Residence time: 40 MINUTES.
Draw temperature: -9°C (15.8°F).
Texture: Not bad, not the best I’ve tasted. You can notice the slightly larger ice crystals than usual, but it’s not too bad. Just not the best.
Below are the residence times for domestic ice cream machines I’ve tried, along with links to my reviews.
Whynter ICM-200LS Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker – 1000 ml (1.06 quarts) mix – 27 minutes.
Cuisinart ICE 30BC: 900 ml (0.95 quarts) mix – 35 minutes
Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker: 900 ml (0.95 quarts) mix – 13 minutes
Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: 600 ml (0.63 quarts) – 16 minutes
Cuisinart ICE-100 Ice Cream and Gelato Maker: 900 ml (0.95 quarts) mix – 45 minutes
KitchenAid K45SS: 900 ml (0.95 quarts) – 30 minutes
DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato Maker: 500 ml (0.53 quarts) 30 minutes
Although residence time has a significant effect on the final ice crystal size distribution, a short residence time won’t guarantee smooth and creamy texture. The quality of homemade ice cream is, in my experience, more dependent on the recipe than on the machine you use. You might find it useful to have a look through my Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe to get an idea of mix composition.
5.3. DRAW TEMPERATURE
Draw temperature refers the temperature at which ice cream is removed from the freezer bowl and is usually -5 to -6°C (23 to 21.2°F) in commercial machines (Goff & Hartel, 2013). Draw temperature determines how much ice is frozen, with between 33 and 67% of the water in the mix being frozen during dynamic freezing and the hardening stage accounting for an additional 34-57% (Goff & Hartel, 2013). Caillet et al. (2003) showed that decreasing draw temperature resulted in more water being frozen and, consequently, increased ice crystal content. Similarly, Drewett & Hartel (2007) note that draw temperature significantly influences mean ice crystal size. They showed that ice crystals were larger at draw temperatures from -3 to -6°C (26.6 to 21.2°F). When the draw temperatures were colder than -6°C (21.2°F), the mean ice crystal size decreased.
To attain a low draw temperature, the freezer bowl temperature must be low to give rapid heat removal. Rapid heat removal allows for faster ice nucleation rates, which results in smaller ice crystals (Berger et al., 1972). I’ve found that the Breville bCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker produces ice cream with a draw temperature of -9°C (15.8°F).
5.4. EXTRACTION TIME
To quickly review, we know that ice crystal size is critical for the development of smooth texture, with small ice crystals imparting smooth and creamy texture, whilst many large ice crystals impart coarse or sandy texture. A high rate of nucleation, a short residence time, and a low draw temperature play a significant role in promoting and maintaining small ice crystals and these three factors are governed by heat transfer and the freezer bowl temperature, which are, in turn, affected by the dasher and the self-refrigerating compressor.
At draw temperature of between -5 and -6°C (23 and 21.2°F), ice cream will have a consistency very similar to that of soft serve ice cream. Ice cream is usually served in its scoopbable state at around -12°C (10.4°F) and so requires further freezing, or hardening. This is known as the static freezing stage and its aim is to preserve the small ice crystals and air cells formed during dynamic freezing. The extraction time, that is the time it takes to empty the ice cream from the machine and get it into your freezer for hardening, is another factor that has a significant effect on ice crystal size.
As you extract your ice cream from the bowl, it spends time at room temperature. During this time at relatively warm room temperature, some of the ice melts from the large ice crystals and the crystals that were initially small melt completely. This is known as ripening and occurs when ice cream is held at elevated temperatures (Goff & Hartel, 2013). When you then get your ice cream into your freezer for hardening, the melted ice re-freezes onto the large ice crystals that survived. The result is that the total number of ice crystals is reduced and their size increases, resulting in coarse or sandy texture. Just holding your ice cream at room temperature, therefore, results in an increase in mean ice crystal size.
5.4.1. THE FREEZER BOWL
The removable bowl on the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker has an attached handle, which makes it easy to remove and means that you don’t get any ice cream on the machine during the extraction stage. The one thing I have noticed is that the plastic central pin on which the dasher sits rises about 10 cm (4 inches) from the centre of the bowl and only leaves a gap of 5 cm (2 inches) between it and the side of the bowl. This doesn’t leave much room for a large wooden spoon, which I’ve found makes the extraction stage take slightly longer. Overall though, I’ve found the extraction stage on the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker quite quick and easy.
TIP #2 – QUICK EXTRACTION TIME
It’s important that you extract your ice cream from the freezer bowl and get it into your freezer as quickly as possible. This is to minimise the time it spends at relatively warm room temperatures, where ice cream starts to melt, thereby limiting ice crystal growth during hardening.
5.5. THE STATIC FREEZING STAGE
When you extract your ice cream at between -6°C and -10°C (21.2°F and 14°F), significant changes to the ice crystals continue to take place until the temperature decreases to -18°C (-0.4°F), preferably -25°C to -30°C (-13 to -22°F) (Goff & Hartel, 2013) to halt these changes. Marshall and others (2003) note that during static freezing, ice crystals grow by about 30% to 40%. Donhowe (1993) showed that faster cooling of ice cream during hardening resulted in smaller mean ice crystal size.
TIP #3 – FAST COOLING
To promote faster cooling of your ice cream during static freezing, it’s important to ensure that your freezer is set to its coldest temperature. If you have a super chill button, or something similar, it’s a good idea to switch this on.
It’s also a good idea to place your empty plastic container in the freezer a couple of hours before you start churning a batch. This will remove any heat stored in the container and will help prevent ice crystals that come in contact with the relatively warm plastic during the extraction stage from melting.
6. MANUAL AND AUTO MODE
The Breville BC1600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker has an Auto mode that lets you select from 12 hardness settings. These include sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, and ice cream, with the ice cream setting producing the hardest texture. The Auto mode doesn’t change the bowl’s revolutions per minute, but just switches the machine off once a certain consistency has been achieved.
I used the Pistachio Gelato recipe from the Breville instruction manual, which yielded 600 ml (0.63 quarts) of mix, to test the gelato Auto mode. This batch had a residence time of 40 minutes and produced gelato that was too coarse and wet, which I suspect was more because of the low fat and high water contents in the recipe than the Gelato setting. I used my own recipe, which yielded 700 ml (0.74 quarts) of mix, to test the Ice Cream Auto setting and found that it produced excellent ice cream with smooth and creamy texture. Although the latter produced excellent ice cream, I found both settings a bit of a gimmick and redundant. This is because both just let the machine run until the mix hardens and stops the dasher from rotating. Only after the dasher stops does the machine switch itself off. I don’t see any difference between the Auto mode and just letting the machines run on Manual mode until the hardened ice cream stops the dasher from rotating.
7. CLEANING
I’ve found cleaning the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker very quick and easy. Both the bowl and dasher are easy to clean using warm soapy water. Breville do note that the freezer bowl should not be put through the dishwasher but the dashers and lid are dishwasher safe.
8. ISSUES RAISED BY USERS
In their amazon reviews, several users have complained of a loud grinding noise, similar to gears grinding in a car’s transmission. Throughout my testing, I haven’t had any problems with grinding or squeaking noises, and have found the BCI600XL very quiet during freezing: it produces about 73 dB of noise.
9. THE QUALITY OF THE ICE CREAM
I’ve found that the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth and creamy when an optimum 700 ml (0.74 quarts) of mix is frozen. It produces ice cream with about 29% overrun that’s quite dense and not too airy.
10. FINAL THOUGHTS
I’ve found that the Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth and creamy. It has an optimum capacity of 700 ml (0.74 quarts) of ice cream mix, producing about 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of frozen ice cream with about 29% overrun. The powerful compressor is able to get the removable bowl to an impressive -28°C (-18.4°F) when empty, it’s very quiet during freezing, and the stainless steel finish and large LCD screen make it an aesthetically pleasing machine.
It is, however, by no means perfect. Although it’s capable of freezing larger 800 ml (0.85 quarts) and 900 ml (0.95 quarts) mixes, producing about 950 ml (1.00 quarts) and 1000 ml (1.06 quarts) of ice cream respectively, I’ve found that above the optimum 700 ml (0.74 quarts), it produces ice cream that is slightly coarse. It suffers from ice build up on the freezer bowl wall, caused by poorly designed dasher and scraper blades, resulting in inefficient heat transfer, and I’ve found the 12 Auto Hardness Settings a bit of a gimmick and redundant.
I hope this review helps. If you’re considering investing in the Breville BCI-600XL and would like to support my work, you can do so by shopping at amazon. Please help others by using the stars at the top of the page to rate this review and please spread the love on facebook with the buttons below. Ruben 🙂
11. COMPARABLE MACHINES
11.1. NON-COMPRESSOR MACHINES
For the home cooks looking to spend less on an ice cream machine, I’d recommend having a look at the Cuisinart ICE 30-BC. It makes excellent ice cream but requires the freezer bowl to be frozen overnight before use. You’ll also need a freezer capable of getting the temperature down to around -25°C (-13°C). This is to ensure that the freezer bowl wall temperature falls between -23 to -29°C (-10 to -20°F), the temperature range necessary to promote rapid nucleation and shorter residence times.
11.2. COMPRESSOR MACHINES
The Cuisinart ICE-100 Ice Cream and Gelato Maker makes excellent ice cream and has a slightly larger optimum capacity of 800 ml (0.85 quarts), producing about 1000 ml (1.06 quarts) of ice cream with 25% overrun. The Whynter ICM-200LS Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker has an impressive 2.1 quart freezer bowl with an optimum capacity of 1000 ml (1.06 quarts), producing about 1100 ml (1.16 quarts) of smooth and creamy ice cream with about 10% overrun.
The Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker has a smaller optimum capacity of 600 ml (0.63 quarts) but a shorter residence time of 16 minutes and makes exceptional ice cream. The Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker has an impressive 1300ml (1.37 quarts) maximum capacity, makes exceptional ice cream that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy, and at 13 minutes has the shortest residence time of any domestic machine I’ve tried.
I hope that helps. I’d be happy to answer any questions so do get in touch and say hi! All the best, Ruben 🙂
References
Berger, K. G,, Bullimore, B. K., White, G. W., & Wright, W. B., (1972). The structure of ice cream – Part 1. Dairy Industries, 37(8), 419-425.
Caillet, A., Cogne, C., Andrieu, J., Laurent, P., Rivoire, A., 2003. Characterization of ice cream structure by direct optical microscopy. Influence of freezing parameters. Lebensm Wiss U Technol. 36:743–749.
Cook, K. L. K., & Hartel, R. W., 2010. Mechanisms of Ice Crystallisation in Ice Cream Production. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 9(2).
Cook, K. L. K., and Hartel, R. W., 2011. Effect of freezing temperature and warming rate on dendrite break-up when freezing ice cream mix. International Dairy Journal. 21(6).
Donhowe, D. P., Hartel R. W., and Bradley R.L., 1991. Determination of ice crystal size distributions in frozen desserts. Journal of Dairy Science. 74.
Donhowe, D. P. (1993) Ice Recrystallization in Ice Cream and Ice Milk. PhD thesis, University of Wisconsm-Madison.
Drewett, E. M., & Hartel, R. W., 2007. Ice crystallisation in a scraped surface freezer. Journal of Food Engineering. 78(3).
Goff, H. D., and Hartel R. W., 2013. Ice Cream. Seventh Edition. New York Springer.
Hartel, R. W., 1996. Ice crystallisation during the manufacture of ice cream. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 7(10).
Hartel, R. W., 2001. Crystallisation in foods. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers.
Marshall, R. T., Goff, H. D., and Hartel R. W., 2003. Ice cream (6th ed). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Russell, A. B., Cheney, P. E., & Wantling, S. D., 1999. Influence of freezing conditions on ice crystallisation in ice cream. Journal of Food Engineering. 29.
Sofjan, R., P., and Hartel, R. W., 2003. Effects of overrun on structural and physical characteristics of ice cream.International Dairy Journal. 14, 255-262.
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RECOMMENDED READING
Your feedback on choosing a company name!
I run a small-batch ice cream start-up based in Manchester, U.K.
Hi, Ruben
Is there any better ice-cream maker than this one? What could you recommend for the best quality of ice-cream possible?
Thank you.
Alex
Hi there Alex!
Thanks for getting in touch! I’d recommend having a look at the Cuisinart ICE-100 for a better machine in the same price range; this would be my preference out of the Breville BCI600 and the Whynter ICM-200LS. You could also have a look at the Lello 5030 if you have a bit more to invest.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you need a hand.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi,
This machine is also good for Gelato?
I’m not sure between this machine to Cuisinart ICE-100..
Thank you.
Hi there Tom!
Yes, all domestic machines are able to make gelato because of their relatively low dasher speeds, which result in low overrun. My preference would be for the ICE-100 because of the price and because it makes a better quality product. It also incorporates less air into the mix than the Breville (about 15%, depending on mix composition, compared to about 30% overrun in the Breville), which may be more important to you if you’re making gelato (gelato tends to have far less air incorporated than ice cream).
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben 🙂
Thank you very much 🙂
🙂
Hi Ruben! I’m trying to decide between getting the Breville Smart Scoop and the Whynter ICM-200LS. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on which one I should purchase? Thank you!
-Daniella
Hi there Daniella!
Thanks for getting in touch! Is the amount of ice cream you freeze per batch important to you? The Whynter ICM-200LS has an optimum capacity of between 900 ml (0.95 quarts) and 1000 ml (1.06 quarts), producing about 950 ml (1.00 quarts) and 1100 ml (1.16 quarts) of ice cream respectively. The Breville has a smaller optimum capacity of about 700 ml (0.74 quarts), producing about 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of ice cream. The Breville incorporates a little bit more air into the mix, about 30% compared to about 10% with the Whynter, which makes the ice cream just a little more airy and lighter. My preference would probably be for the Whynter because of the slightly larger capacity, the shorter freezing time, the larger freezer bowl that makes extracting the ice cream easier, and because it’s nearly $100 cheaper; I think the Breville is really overpriced. Have you looked at the Cuisinart ICE-100? That would probably be my preference out of the three.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck with whichever machine you go with!
All the best,
Ruben
Hello,
my name and Silvio ,
I live in Brazil , I bought an ice cream machine Breville smart scoop ,
but so far could not use , I am struggling to make
the temperature drops to -10C or less.
could let me use this beginning of the machine.
hug.
Hi there Silvio!
Ola to you in sunny Brazil! Is your Breville working now? Have you tried switching it on and leaving it running for 15 minutes before you add the mix?
Let me know if you have any problems.
All the best,
Ruben
Hello Ruben,
I have a strange question, under your prep tips you mention:
5.1. PASTEURIZATION, If you’re running a business and making ice cream to sell, you need to ensure that you are in compliance with food safety legislation…. is this processed required when using already pasteurized milk or just when using fresh milk?? Thanks, Veronica
Hi again Veronica!
Yes when selling ice cream pasteurisation is also required where the milk or cream have previously been pasteurised. This is because the dry ingredients, sugar and skimmed milk powder, and the egg yolks will also need to be pasteurised.
Hope that helps.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Like yourself I am OBSESSED with making great Gelato.
I am purchasing the smart scoop ice cream maker and I am extremely excited
I noticed you saying the ‘automatic gelato’ setting wasn’t great. However, you did say that the manual settings worked brilliantly. So, if i am going to make a delicious dense gelato product. How do I do this with the machine manually. Please list the manual settings for temperature, the time it takes and any buttons I need to click in order to produce great gelato.
Keep up the Fantastic Work!!
Hi there Guy!
Thanks for getting in touch! Good to hear you went with the Breville. By the manual settings I mean leaving the machine churning until you are confident that the gelato or ice cream is at a nice stiff, dry, and gummy consistency. The automatic setting switches the machine off too soon I find, which leaves you with a product that is still quite wet and icy.
The time it will take for you to freeze a batch will depend on the recipe you use. If you try my vanilla bean recipe – http://icecreamscience.com/vanilla-bean-ice-cream-recipe/ – it should take around 42 minutes. You need to keep the machine churning until you get a stiff, dry looking gelato that sticks firmly to the dasher.
I’ll hopefully be putting up some new videos on the blog in the new year to help people judge when their ice cream is ready.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck with your Breville.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Thank you for the in-depth response,
After working with the machine 3 tries now.
I found out that the texture you were talking about can be a bit “runny”, so I used your advice and left it in longer. I found the “pre cool” function works great too. However, I have 2 concerns with this machine.
1 – It took SO long, for the machine to reach the consistency. I made my own recipe of “mint chip gelato”
Simply had fresh mint, whole milk, cream, sugar, skim milk powder, dextrose and dark chocolate (for the chocolate chips. I made it like usual and kept in fridge for a few hours. I put it in the machine at 4 degrees, after pre cool was working and the machine reached -30 degrees. It took so long, everything was in place.
e.g – compresser was attached correctly. Everything was done correctly.
It took 1hr and 26 mins to make a 700g batch.
I once used the Cuisinart 100 ICE and it took 25 mins. I found the texture and consistently great. But the time taken very disappointing. Do you know why this happened?
2 – Secondly, I am unsure on how to use the “keep cool” setting. Once reached my desired consistency. Do I press “start” and then keep cool. Or turn the machine off, and then on, and then just press keep cool. Or something else,
Thanks so much for the great work!
Sorry to disturb you with a large comment but I am just a bit concerned as it was an expensive machine
And I hope it will start to make the gelato a bit “quicker”
All the best,
Guy
Hi again Guy!
Wow, 1hr and 26 minutes is indeed a very long time! Sounds like the water content in your recipe is too high. Try increasing the total solids content by increasing either the fat, skim milk powder, or sugar. I’ve found that for smooth and creamy texture, the total solids content in homemade ice cream should be around 49%. Have you tried any of my recipes? If not, try the vanilla bean ice cream recipe http://icecreamscience.com/vanilla-bean-ice-cream-recipe/ and see if that makes a difference to your freezing time.
I haven’t actually used the keep cool setting myself because the longer ice cream stays in the machine, the larger the ice crystals are likely to grow and the sandier the texture is likely to be. I would recommend removing the ice cream from the machine and getting it into your freezer as quickly as possible to preserve the small ice crystals that are formed when you churn your mix in the machine.
I hope that answers both your questions. Let me know how you get along if you do give one of my recipes a go.
Merry Christmas to you!
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
I will definitely try out your vanilla bean ice cream recipe. I would just like to share you the recipe I used, so you can tell me if there is a problem with something.
This is the recipe I used for fresh mint gelato.
The end product was delicious but as I previously said, it took too long.
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch mint, (15 stems with leaves)
650g milk
120g cream
145g sugar
45g skim milk powder
35g dextrose
METHOD
Infusing
Wash the mint and pick off the leaves. Put the leaves in a food processor with the milk and cream and blitz until the leaves are finely chopped, then transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge overnight to allow the flavours to infuse.
Strain the milk, cream and blended mint mixture into a bowl, leaving some of the mint in for effect, but not too much. The milk mixture should have taken on a pale green colour.
Mixing
Put the mint-infused milk and cream in a double boiler over a medium heat.
Put all the powders in a bowl and mix until combined. When the milk and cream hit 40°C, whisk in the powders and bring the mixture up to 65°C. Keep the mixture at 65°C for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl and place in an ice bath; chill to 40°C. Cover tightly with foil and put in the freezer, stirring every 10 minutes or so until the mixture drops to 4°C, then place in the fridge and let it age for 4 hours.
Churning
Turn on your gelato maker so it begins the freezing process.
Using a stick blender, blend the mixture for 1 minute, then pour into the gelato maker.
Once the mixture reaches –4°C, scoop out the gelato and transfer to a pre-cooled stainless steel bowl, cover tightly and immediately place in the freezer.
Serving
The gelato should be served within 2 to 3 hours after placing it in the freezer, or when it reaches –12°C. If it goes below –15°C or is left in the freezer overnight, the texture will be compromised.
PROFESSIONAL
INGREDIENTS
as above
METHOD
Infusing
Wash the mint and pick off the leaves. Put the leaves in a food processor with the milk and cream and blitz until the leaves are finely chopped, then transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge overnight to allow the flavours to infuse.
Strain the milk, cream and blended mint mixture into a bowl, leaving some of the mint in for effect, but not too much. The milk mixture should have taken on a pale green colour.
Mixing. Let the mixture age for 4 hours at 4°C.
Put in gelato/ice cream machine
Hi again Guy!
Happy new year to you! I’m probably not the best person to ask about gelato as I haven’t yet tried making any myself. It does look like the fat content is very low, which I’m guessing is causing a sandy texture. Do you know what the percentage of water in your mix is? A water content greater than around 50% is also likely to lead to sandy texture.
65°C sounds a bit low for me and I would recommend going up to around 72°C to try and promote reversible protein unfolding, which contributes significantly to smooth and creamy texture. I’d also recommend leaving your mix to age in your freezer overnight before you churn it instead of 4 hours.
I hope those answers help. Again I’m not the best person to ask about gelato.
Did you end up trying the vanilla ice cream recipe?
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
I purchased this machine a month ago and I’m still experimenting with gelato. Thanks for the great tips that I will be using, like pre-cooling for 15 minutes and set on manual. One of the issues I’m having is that my gelato melts too quickly after serving. What’s the reason for that?
Thanks,
Veronica
Hi there Veronica!
Thanks for getting in touch! That’s a great question and I keep meaning to write a post on ice cream melt down. There are quite a few things that affect the rate at which ice cream melts. High total solids, low overrun (incorporated air), low emulsifier, not ageing your mix after you’ve heated it, and I think protein also plays a role but can’t remember what. Which recipes are you using? I’d recommend using more egg yolks, or egg yolks if you aren’t currently using them, in your recipe as these have similar effects to added emulsifiers. I’d also recommend leaving your ice cream in your Breville for an extra 5-10 minutes to incorporate more air. I wouldn’t recommend reducing your total solids content as this will more than likely result in coarse or icy texture.
I should hopefully have something up on the blog on ice cream melt down within the next few weeks, which I hope will help!
I hope that reply helps. Let me know if you have any other questions and please do let me know how you get on with your Breville.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Thank you for your prompt response. Actually, I’m trying to perfect (close to) gelato without eggs, since there’s less air in the gelato, it will have a low overrun, which that’s a good sign. Instead of the eggs, I use cornstarch, about 3 tablespoons, with 3 cups of milk, 3/4 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of chocolate (or a fruit puree). As soon as you scoop some out to a dish, melt down starts almost immediately. I’m looking for a simple way to make gelato with the Breville but with fresh ingredients to sell at our pizza shop. I didn’t realize all the science behind it until I started to research on line, learned a lot of very interesting stuff. I haven’t tried to pre-cool the unit for 15 minutes though, maybe this might help, but I think it has to do with the ingredients mix base. Can’t wait till your write up on melt down. So happy to have found your blog and hope continues success to you with your ice cream business.
Hi again Veronica!
Have you had a look at the Jeni’s Splendind Ice Creams recipe book? She doesn’t use egg yolks in her recipes, which you might find useful. Also have a look at section 2.6 Homogenisation in my post on partial coalescence. You might find heating your mix in two separate batches and then combining before freeing in your Breville beneficial, although time consuming, if you’re not using emulsifier or egg yolks.
Hope that helps. All the best,
Ruben
I will try all of the above this weekend. Thanks RUBEN. Have a great day
This reply is for Veronica…. You should try the recipes in Gelato Messina, The Recipes, by Nick Palumbo. Gelato Messina is a very popular Gelato chain in Australia (I think they have stores in China and USA NOW)It contains Gelato recipes without egg. The recipes mainly use sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose which are available from health food stores, online, home brew shops etc. they also use stabilisers (5grams per kg, I use 3grams/kg). The book says you can leave the stabilisers out for at home if consuming soon after churning, however they do improve texture, melt resistance, freeze / thaw protection etc. Some stabilisers aren’t as bad as the reputation they have, some are just gums from vegetables.
In the recipe books in gelato Messina. It has a professional and domestic section. Should I heat my mix to 85 degrees or 65 and hold for 35 or other.
I usually just follow the domestic instructions… So it’s mostly heat to 65c then hold for 30mins… Some of the sorbet recipes require heat to 65 then ice bath right away. I guess you could heat to 85 and cool as per the professional instructions but I have got really good results just following the domestic instructions…
The reply regarding heating my mix is to Jason.
Thanks Jason and Guy, excited to take a look at Messina’s recipes and start experimenting!!!
Ignore steps where it says “professional” and downwards
Hi Guy, looks like you are using the mint gelato recipe from the Gelato Messina The Recipes book, it’s a great book. From my experience the instructions for the recipe are fine. Over churning can cause a slightly gritty texture pulling the mixture at -4C (actual mix temp, not what the machine says) and hardening in the freezer helps. I notice you have left the stabiliser out as it says you can earlier in the book. The stabiliser significantly thickens the mixture and may result in less time being needed in the machine.
One thing regarding using stabilisers as per the Gelato Messina Recipes… 5 grams is what the recipes state but I think it really depends on the stabiliser blend you are using, you can use less I found 5 grams resulted in an overly gummy gelato so I think 3.5 grams is right for what I have. It’s not a synthetic product, it’s made up of vegetable gum/s and animal fats.
I usually just follow the domestic instructions… So it’s mostly heat to 65c then hold for 30mins… Some of the sorbet recipes require heat to 65 then ice bath right away. I guess you could heat to 85 and cool as per the professional instructions but I have got really good results just following the domestic instructions…
You have made a very nice analysis of the most important ice cream makers, congratulations for the methodology you developed.
Could you comment on the relative quality of the final product for the in-built compressor machines that you classified as good (Breville BCI600XL vs Lello 5030 vs Cuisinart 100)? Or is it that they are all of the same quality?
Hi Nelson!
Good to hear from you. The Breville BCI600CL and the Cuisinart ICE-100 both make excellent ice cream that is smooth, creamy, and dense and that is identical in quality. If choosing between these two, I would probably go with the ICE-100 simply because it is cheaper and the freezer bowl on the Breville makes emptying the ice cream a bit tricky.
The 5030 makes ice cream that is ever so slightly smoother, a very very small difference, than the Breville and Cuisinart simply because its powerful compressor only takes around 12 minutes to freeze a 1000g batch, compared to the 40 minutes it takes the ICE-100 and 30 minutes it takes the Breville. Again, the difference in quality is a very very small.
I can’t stress enough though that it is the recipe and technique that you use that will determine the quality of the ice cream. You can have the best and most expensive machine in the world but you will still get coarse texture if you don’t use a good recipe and technique. I still use my Cuisinart ICE-30, that is the cheapest machine I have, as it makes excellent ice cream that is comparable to the Breviile, the ICE-100, and even the Lello 5030. It all depends on your recipe and technique.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
All the best, Ruben
Oh I forgot to say, but that recipe I used in the above post also had 2 ripe bananas in it, which I guess increased the solids a bit as I tried another one today, without the cacao and bananas and replacing the water for macadamia milk I made using a cup of raw macadamias and 4 cups water. I soaked the macadamias overnight and then rinsed and blended with the water the next day it came out to 5.5 cups all up, and I used 400 ml in the mix… this was a bit much I think, and without the solids of cacao and bananas it didn’t seem to thicken up nearly as well…
I think I will toast the nuts next time also to bring out some stronger flavors… I am at the stage of this AIP diet where I am reintroducing foods… it is sort of like an elimination diet to find out what foods you can tolerate and what ones cause you issues… The good news is macadamias are in!! and so is Ghee!!
Scotty
Ruben,
Brilliant review mate…. I too struggle with getting the ice cream out… and have had issues with the ice build up round the edges of the bowl. Interesting point you make about the speed of whipping and the density of the ice cream. I guess the ultimate ice cream maker would have a variable speed, spring loaded dasher with silicon edged blades… lolll we should design one!!
The last batch I made was very dense. I have found I can tolerate Ghee (clarified butter), so in the last batch I used 75g of clarified butter, 1 can full cream coconut milk, 350 ml water, 1/3 cup cacao, 6 fresh dates, 1tspn vanilla and 3tbsps of coconut syrup. I put this on 71 degrees, (but the stove is all over the place you really need to watch it all the time… I need to get a hotplate with thermo probe… more on that in your stirrer page) and stirred for 60 mins… by the time 60 mins was up it was really quite thick and creamy.. then I put in ice bath and aged it over night I churned it up the next day and it was amazing in texture… very dense and creamy… no iceyness at all… and after freezing for 24hrs it was actually scoopable!!! Finally I cracked it… first batch I have made that has not set rock hard!!
Also this batch did not freeze to the sides of the bowl while churning hardly at all….
Another interesting thing I came across was this device: http://www.nutbuttergrinder.com/
It is a stone grinder… they have a demo vid on the page…I reckon it would do a great job on coconut meat…. (and nuts for that matter)…. I can only imagine what shipping would be UPS costs so much to Australia….
Keep up the good work mate.
Scotty