34 MINUTE READ
After more than 2 months of extensive testing, I’ve found that the Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker, available from amazon*, produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy. In a taste test, I found that it produced ice cream that was smoother than that produced by both the Whynter ICM-200LS* and the Breville BCI600XL*. It has a maximum capacity of 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of ice cream mix, producing about 1100 ml (1.16 quarts) of ice cream with 22% air in 35 minutes, makes ice cream and gelato, and can make 10 batches back-to-back. My only complaint is the two small holes on the gear in the underside of the bowl. These let in diluted ice cream mix during cleaning, which can solidify over time and impart a mouldy smell if not thoroughly cleaned.
You can view the top selling ice ice cream machines on amazon by clicking here*.
MY REVIEW METHOD
I’ve used a slightly unconventional method of review. Let me explain. The best ice creams in the world have a smooth and creamy texture. This texture, primarily associated with a high milk fat content, is also determined by the average size of the ice crystals: smooth and creamy ice cream requires the majority of ice crystals to be small. If many crystals are large, the ice cream will be perceived as being coarse or icy.
Because ice crystal size is a critical factor in the development of smooth texture, I’ve discussed the key principles that underpin ice crystal formation and growth, and how these principles are affected by the features of the Cuisinart ICE-100. By having an understanding of these key principles, I hope that you’ll be in a better position to evaluate this machine. If you’re short on time, you can skip to the summary of this review. If you’d like a nice long read, then sit back, grab yourself a hot cup of cocoa, and the enjoy this comprehensive review. 🙂
Table of Contents
- 1. Ice Crystals in Ice Cream
- 2. Factors Affecting Nucleation, Growth, and Recrystallisation
- 3. Does the ICE-100 Make Good Ice Cream?
- 4. General Questions
- 5. Summary
- 6. What The * Means
1. Ice Crystals in Ice Cream
Ice crystals range in size from about 1 to over 150 μm in diameter, with an average size of about 25 μm in commercial ice cream (Berger et al., 1972; Caldwell et al., 1992; Donhowe & Hartel, 1996; Hagiwara & Hartel, 1996; Hartel, 1996; Koxholt et al., 2000; Marshall et al, 2003; Sofjan & Hartel, 2004; Inoue et al., 2008; Kusumaatmaja, 2009). Small ice crystals, around 10 to 20 µm in size, give ice cream its smooth and creamy texture, whereas larger ice ice crystals, greater than 50 μm, impart a grainy texture (Marshall et al., 2003; Eisner et al, 2005; Drewett & Hartel, 2007). To produce ice cream with the smallest possible ice crystals, it’s important to develop an understanding of ice formation (known as crystallisation) during the freezing of ice cream.
Ice cream is frozen in two stages, the first being a dynamic process where the mix is frozen in a scraped-service freezer (SSF) (an ice cream machine) whilst being agitated by the rotating dasher, a mixing device with sharp scraper blades attached, to incorporate air, destabilise the fat, and form ice crystals. Upon exiting the SSF, the ice cream, at about -5°C to -6°C (23°F to 21.2°F) and with a consistency similar to soft-serve ice cream, undergoes static freezing where it is hardened in a freezer without agitation until the core reaches a specified temperature, usually -18°C (-0.4°F). Cook & Hartel (2010) argue that the dynamic freezing stage is arguably the most important step in creating ice cream because this is the only stage in which ice crystals are formed.
1.1. Nucleation
During dynamic freezing, the ice cream mix is added to the SSF at between 0°C and 4°C (32°F and 39.2°F). As the refrigerant absorbs the heat in the mix, a layer of water freezes to cold barrel wall causing rapid nucleation, that is the birth of small ice crystals (Hartel, 2001). For smooth and creamy ice cream, it’s important to have a high rate of nucleation so as to form as many small ice crystals as possible (Hartel, 1996). The more ice crystals that are formed during dynamic freezing, the more will be preserved during static freezing, resulting in a smaller average crystal size and smoother texture (Cook & Hartel, 2010).
1.2. Growth and Recrystallisation
The crystals that form at the cold barrel wall are then scraped off by the rotating scraper blades and dispersed into the centre of the barrel, where warmer mix temperatures cause some crystals to melt and others to grow and undergo recrystallisation. Recrystallisation is defined as “any change in number, size, shape, orientation or perfection of crystals following completion of initial solidification” (Fennema, 1973). The greater the extent of growth and recrystallisation in the centre of the barrel, the larger the ice crystals will be. Russell et al. (1999) found that crystallisation during the freezing of ice cream is dominated by recrystallisation and growth and that these mechanisms appear to be more important than nucleation in determining the final crystal population.
2. Factors Affecting Nucleation, Growth, and Recrystallisation
2.1 The Scraper Blades
Nucleation is affected by the rate of heat transfer from the mix to the cold freezer barrel, 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 build up on the freezer barrel wall acts as an insulator and lowers the rate of heat transfer. The rotating scraper blades help promote a high rate of heat transfer by scraping off any ice that builds up at the barrel wall.
Ben Lakhdar et al. (2005) found that a large gap between the scraper blades and the barrel wall slowed heat transfer. This was attributed to a permanent ice layer, which forms between the blade and the wall only when the gap is high enough (3mm). When the gap is 1mm, the ice layer is not strong enough and is periodically removed from the wall. Keeping the scraper blades sharp and close to the barrel wall is, therefore, important because it prevents ice build up, thereby promoting efficient heat transfer (Goff & Hartel, 2013).
Does the ICE-100 leave a gap between the scraper blades and the bowl wall?
The Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker* comes with two dashers, one for ice cream and the other for gelato. Both are made of plastic and have two plastic scraper blades attached. I’ve found that when fitted onto the central pin in the bowl, both dashers leave a gap of about 1mm between the main blade and the bowl wall, and about 2mm between the second blade and the wall, resulting in minimal ice build up during dynamic freezing.
Does the ICE-100 make gelato?
Yes, the Cuisinart ICE-100 does make gelato. All domestic ice cream machines are capable of making gelato. Let me explain. Italian-style ice cream is referred to as gelato, the Italian word for ice cream. There are, however, significant differences between traditional gelato and regular ice cream: gelato is typically lower in milk fat (4-8% in gelato, 10-18% in ice cream), total solids (36-43% in gelato, 36->40% in ice cream), and air (20-40% in gelato, 25-120% in ice cream) but higher in sugar (up to 25% in gelato, 14-22% in ice cream) (Goff & Hartel, 2013). Gelato also tends to be softer, more pliable and stickier than ice cream, and is served at warmer temperatures.
Because dashers on domestic machines rotate at relatively low revolutions per minute (rpm) (25-84 rpm, compared to typical speeds of 100-200 rpm in commercial machines), they whip a low amount of air into the mix during dynamic freezing. All domestic ice cream machines I’ve tried whip between 8 and 30% air, well within the typical 20-40% range for gelato. So as long as you use a gelato recipe, domestic ice cream machines, the Cuisinart ICE-100 included, will happily produce gelato with a low air content.
2.2 Air In Ice Cream
The amount of air incorporated into a mix during dynamic freezing, referred to as the overrun, affects the size of the ice crystals, with slightly larger ice crystals observed at a lower overrun (Arbuckle, 1977; Flores & Goff, 1999b). Flores and Goff (1999a) suggested that overrun below 50% does not influence ice crystal size, but suggested that the amount of air cells at 70% overrun is just enough to prevent collisions among ice crystals, which can result in an increase in crystal size. Sofjan & Hartel (2004) found that increasing the overrun in ice cream (from 80% to 100% or 120%) led to the formation of smaller ice crystals, although the effect was relatively small.
How much air does the ICE-100 whip into ice cream and gelato?
Both dashers rotate at a relatively low 26 rpm, resulting in overrun of between 20% and 25% when using the ice cream dasher, and between 14% and 20% when using the gelato dasher. I found that larger batches generally resulted in higher overruns due to longer freezing times.
THE GELATO DASHER
The gelato dasher is designed to incorporate less air into the mix than the ice cream dasher. To test this, I prepared two identical 700 ml (0.74 quarts) batches comprising 54.9% total solids, 23.3% milk fat, 16.3% sucrose, and 4.4% egg yolks. One batch I churned using the ice cream dasher, the other using the gelato dasher, and measured the overrun. Both batches took 30 minutes to freeze. The gelato dasher incorporated about 14% air into the mix and the ice cream dasher about 20%.
I also tested the gelato dasher using the gelato recipe that came in the instruction manual, which you can read by clicking here. This comprised 250ml double cream at 47.5% fat, 750ml full fat milk at 4% fat, 175g sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tbsp liquid pectin, and produced just over 1000 ml (1.06 quarts) of gelato mix. I heated this mix to 72°C (161°F) and held it at this temperature for 20 minutes. The mix was then cooled and aged overnight in the fridge. The following day, it took 41 minutes to freeze, producing just over 1200ml (1.27 quarts) of extremely coarse gelato with about 20% air. I suspect the relatively high overrun was due to the long 41 minute freezing time. The recipe also yielded too much gelato mix, with a lot pushed against the lid as it froze. Unless you like coarse gelato, I wouldn’t recommend this recipe.
2.3 The Freezer Barrel Wall Temperature
The temperature at the freezer barrel wall, or the bowl wall in the case of the ICE-100, has also been found to affect the rate of nucleation and recrystallisation. Drewett & Hartel (2007) found that decreasing the coolant temperature at the freezer barrel 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 barrel 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 and minimise recrystallisation, the temperature of the refrigerant, which is R134A in the ICE-100, should fall within the range of -23 to -29°C (-10 to -20°F) (Goff & Hartel, 2013), with the freezer barrel wall temperature estimated to be a few degrees warmer.
How cold does the bowl get?
I’ve found that the ICE-100 is able to get the bowl wall temperature down to an impressive -30°C (-22°F) when empty. This I achieve by leaving the compressor running for about 15 minutes before I add my mix. To compare this to an industrial machine, my Emery Thompson CB-200 batch freezer gets the freezer barrel wall temperature down to -32°C (25.6°C).
Do you need to pre-freeze the bowl?
Because the ICE-100 has an in-built compressor, there’s no need to pre-freeze the bowl for 24 hours. When you’re ready to make your ice cream or gelato, you just switch it on and it’s good to go.
How much ice cream does the ICE-100 make?
The Cuisinart ICE-100 comes with a 1.5 quart anodised aluminium bowl. The instruction manual states ‘Gelato and Sorbet bases should be no more than 1 quart (946 ml)’ and ‘Ice Cream bases should be no more than 5 cups (1183 ml or 1.25 quarts)’. I’ve found the maximum capacity for both the gelato and ice cream dashers to be somewhat lower than those stated by Cuisinart.
THE GELATO DASHER
When using the gelato dasher, I’ve found the maximum capacity to be just under 700 ml ( 0.74 quarts) of mix, producing about 800 ml (0.85 quarts) of product with 14% air. Above 700 ml (0.74 quarts), a considerable amount of frozen product starts to brush against the lid as it freezes.
THE ICE CREAM DASHER
I’ve found that although the ICE-100 is capable of freezing 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of mix, producing about 1100 ml (1.16 quarts) of smooth and creamy ice cream with 22% air, the ice cream just starts to brush against the lid as it freezes. When the batch is increased to 1000 ml (1.96 quarts), producing about 1250 ml (1.32 quarts) of ice cream with 25% air, a considerable amount of ice cream is pushed against the lid and texture deteriorates. I’ve found the optimum capacity to be about 800 ml (0.85 quarts) of mix, producing about 1000 ml (1.06 quarts) of ice cream with 25% overrun. At this amount, no ice cream is pushed against the lid as it freezes.
Can I make 1 quart or less?
If 1000 ml (1.06 quarts) of ice cream is too much for you, the ICE-100 can indeed freeze smaller batches. To test the minimum quantity, I churned a 500ml (0.53 quart) batch of ice cream, which took 14 minutes to freeze and produced ice cream with the same incredibly smooth and creamy texture as the larger 800ml (0.85 quarts) batches.
Can you use the ICE-100 for commercial purposes?
This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked about the ICE-100. In my experience, the ICE-100 can be used to freeze 10 batches of ice cream or gelato back-to-back. To test this, I prepared 10 batches of ice cream each measuring just over 900ml (0.95 quarts). The ICE-100 was in near continuous use for 6 hours and 5 minutes with just a 3 and-a-half-minute break in between batches to extract the ice cream and clean the bowl. I recorded a temperature of 25°C (77°F) on the left side of the plastic grill, where warm air is expelled to cool the internal freezing system, after the machine had been operating for 25 minutes. I repeated this roughly every 30 minutes throughout the 6 hours and 5 minutes the machine was on and found that the temperature stayed between 25°C and 27°C (77°F and 80.6°F), suggesting the freezing system didn’t overheat. The ICE-100 didn’t cut out or cause my circuit to trip, nor did it take longer to freeze batches the longer the machine was in use. The same smooth and creamy texture was recorded for all 10 batches.
2.4 Draw Temperature
The draw temperature is the temperature at which ice cream is removed from the barrel once dynamic freezing is complete. In commercial machines, this is usually -5°C to -6°C (23°F to 21.2°F) (Goff & Hartel, 2013). Draw temperature significantly influences mean ice crystal size because it determines how much water is frozen during dynamic freezing and, consequently, how many ice crystals are formed. Caillet et al. (2003) found that decreasing the draw temperature resulted in more water being frozen and increased ice crystal content. The more ice crystals that are formed during dynamic freezing, the more will be preserved during static freezing, resulting in a smaller average crystal size and smoother texture (Cook & Hartel, 2010). Drewett & Hartel (2007) showed that ice crystals were larger at draw temperatures from -3°C to -6°C (26.6°F to 21.2°F). When the draw temperatures were colder than -6°C (21.2°F), the mean ice crystal size decreased.
How do you know when the ice cream is ready?
The easiest way to tell when your ice cream is ready is by using a cheap infra-red thermometer. For the mix I use, which you can see in my vanilla bean ice cream recipe, I’ve found the optimum draw temperature to be -10°C (15°F). At this temperature, sufficient water is frozen, giving the ice cream a dry appearance and making it stick firmly to the dasher as it’s extracted. I’ve found that ice cream extracted at warmer temperatures, -8°C and -9°C (17.6 and 15.8°F), isn’t quite as smooth and creamy after it’s been hardened in the freezer.
The drive motor in the ICE-100 gets a thumbs up from me because it’s able to produce sufficient torque to continue rotating the dasher as the mix hardens to -10°C (14°F). On some machines I’ve tried, the drive motor isn’t powerful enough to produce sufficient torque to rotate the dasher as the mix hardens. This means that the dasher stops rotating before sufficient water has frozen, resulting in slurry-like ice cream with coarse texture.
2.5 Residence Time
Residence, which refers to the length of time ice cream takes to reach its draw temperature, has a significant effect on the final ice crystal size distribution, with shorter residence times producing ice creams with smaller ice crystals due to a decline in recrystallisation (Russell et al., 1999; Koxholt et al., 2000; Goff & Hartel, 2013; Drewett & Hartel, 2007; Cook & Hartel, 2010). Longer residence times mean that ice cream spends more time in the bulk zone of the barrel where warmer temperatures cause rapid recrystallisation. Donhowe & Hartel (1996) measured a recrystallisation rate at -5°C (23°F) of 42 μm/day. At this rate, a size increase of around 8 μm would be expected over a 10 minute period. This matches almost exactly the increase in crystal size observed by Russell et al. (1999) at a slightly different temperature of -4°C (24.8°F). Clearly, the longer ice cream remains in the ice cream machine at temperatures where recrystallisation occurs very rapidly, the greater the extent of recrystallisation and the larger the ice crystals.
A high rate of heat transfer and colder barrel wall temperatures contribute significantly to shorter residence times. Lower barrel wall temperatures 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). Investigating the effect of draw temperature, dasher speed, and residence time on ice crystal size, Drewett & Hartel (2007) concluded that residence time had the greatest impact on final crystal size distribution, followed by drawing temperature and dasher speed.
How long does it take to freeze a batch of ice cream?
I’ve found that it takes 31 minutes to freeze an 800 ml (0.85 quarts) batch of ice cream to a draw temperature of -10°C (14°F), with the residence time increasing to 35 minutes when a 900 ml (0.95 quarts) batch is frozen. Generally, increasing the batch size will result in a longer residence time.
3. Does the ICE-100 Make Good Ice Cream?
If there’s one thing this machine does extremely well and consistently, it’s make extremely smooth, dense, and creamy ice cream. I’ve found that it produces ice cream with the same smooth and creamy texture when mixes of between 500 ml and 900 ml (0.53 quarts to 0.95 quarts) are frozen, but texture deteriorates once the batch size reaches 1000ml (1.06 quarts).
In a taste test to compare texture, I found that the ICE-100 produced ice cream that was slightly smoother and creamier than that produced by both the Whynter ICM-200LS* and the Breville BCI600XL*, with the Whynter ICM-200LS a close second, and the Breville BCI600XL third for overall texture. The Breville BCI600XL incorporated slightly more air during freezing, resulting in ice cream that was slightly lighter and airer. The Whynter ICM-200LS incorporated the least amount of air of the three machines, about 8%, producing a nice dense ice cream. If I had to recommend one of the three, it would be the ICE-100 just because of the quality of the ice cream.
How Does the ICE-100 Compare to the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino?
To test the Cuisinart ICE-100 against the more expensive Lello 4080 Musso Lussino*, which I currently use as my backup machine for my business, I prepared two identical batches measuring 700ml (0.74 quarts) and comprising 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. Both batches were heated to 72°C (161.6F), held at this temperature for 25 minutes, cooled, and then aged in the fridge overnight. The batch frozen in the ICE-100 took 20 minutes to freeze to a draw temperature of -11°C (12.2°F), and the batch frozen in the 4080 19 minutes to freeze to a draw temperature of -10°C (14°f). Both batches were placed in the freezer immediately after they were extracted to harden overnight.
In a taste test the following day, I found the batch frozen in the 4080 only slightly smoother and lighter, whereas a second taster didn’t find any difference between the two. This shows that there is little, if any, difference in terms of texture between ice cream produced in the Cuisinart ICE-100 and in the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino.
4. General Questions
What are the dimensions, Weight, and Voltage?
The Cuisinart ICE-100 comes in a nice stainless steel and plastic finish: the top and front of the machine are made from stainless steel, whilst the sides and back are made from plastic. When I first unboxed it, I was surprised by just how small and light it actually is: it measures 16.5 inches (41.9 cm) in length, 12 inches (30.5 cm) in width, and 10 inches (25.4 cm) in height, and weighs 22 pounds (10 kg). It’s very easy to move and stores easily in my kitchen. In the U.K, it runs on 230v 50Hz and draws 150 watts. In the U.S it’s 110v 60Hz.
Is it Noisy?
I’ve found the ICE-100 pretty quiet during freezing and haven’t had any problems sitting in the same room with it running. It produces 79 dB of noise when the bowl is empty and 85 dB during freezing. I have noticed a very slight squeaking noise that comes and goes during freezing but haven’t found this an issue. Overall, no noise complaints from me.
Is it easy to clean?
Yes it’s extremely easy to clean. Once dynamic freezing is complete, I always take the bowl out before extracting my ice cream to stop any falling onto the unit itself. Cleaning the bowl, lid, and dashers with warm soapy water is extremely easy. Only the dashers and lid are dishwasher safe, the bowl isn’t. The stainless steel parts of the machine do pick up fingerprint marks quite easily and so need to be wiped down with a damp cloth.
How reliable is it?
After 2 months of testing, I haven’t had any issues with the machine failing, the compressor stopping, it tripping, or it causing my circuit to fail. Here in the U.K, it comes with an impressive 5 year warranty, whereas you guys in the U.S only seem to get a 3 year warranty. I thankfully haven’t had to use my warranty but will post a reliability update after 6 months or so of use to see if this changes.
A Potential Issue
An issue that’s been raised by several users in their reviews on amazon, which you can read by clicking here, is the build up of residue on the drive gear located on the underside of the bowl. Users have noted that when the bowl is soaked in soapy water, some of the diluted ice cream mix gets in through the plastic seal on the underside of the bowl and through two small holes that have been drilled into the gear. Over time, this diluted ice cream mix hardens and causes a bad smell.
Another user has noted that the dasher on his machine stopped rotating. When he investigated, he found that a little piece of ‘crap’ that had gotten into the drive train and gears appeared to be a piece of dry, hardened ice cream. Once he fiddled around with the gears, this hardened ice cream came loose and everything turned freely again. He noted that he could not find any way that this piece of hardened ice cream could have gotten into the drive train and gears. My guess is that some diluted ice cream mix that had gotten in either through the plastic seal or the two holes in the gear on the underside of the bowl then seeped into the drive train and gears after the bowl was washed, dried, and placed back in the machine.
After reading these reviews, I decided to investigate whether I too had fallen victim to hardened ice cream in the underside of my bowl. I churned a batch of ice cream and cleaned my bowl just as I normally had done in my sink with warm soapy water. After leaving the bowl on my drying rack overnight, I unscrewed the three screws that hold in place the plastic seal around the gear on the underside of the bowl. I noticed that there was some water that had gotten in through either the seal or the two holes the previous night and hadn’t dried. This didn’t, however, get into the bowl itself, nor did it smell of dairy, but I can see how this can result in a build up of diluted ice cream mix over time.
I don’t think this issue is a show stopper, but I’ve now changed the way I clean my bowl after having read these reviews. I now use running hot water and a soapy sponge to rinse my bowl instead of soaking it in a sink full of warm soapy water. I also regularly unscrew the plastic seal on the underside of the bowl and pour boiling water over the seal and gear to sterilise them both. I then make sure that both are dry before I screw the seal back on.
UPDATE ON 23RD JUNE 2017
Another user posted the helpful feedback below in the comments section of this post; I’ve added it here to make it more accessible. Thanks for sharing Marc 🙂
Hi Ruben,
Great to have a review on the ICE100 & to have you give it the thumbs up. I purchased one of these machines 3 years ago & along with your recipe advice, we’ve been churning out some amazing KETO ice cream.
I noted in your article, that you spoke about a squeak and you also dismantled the seal housing in the bottom of the tub in order to clean it, something I had not done until you mentioned it. I did this to explore the possibility of residue being stuck in there. As I have never soaked the tub, always washed & rinsed immediately after use, I found no sign of residue in the seal housing. What I did find is a complex set up of metal & plastic interlocking components that were both dry & a little rusty. This is not an ideal situation for either a seal or a moving part. All of a sudden it dawned on me, this is where the squeak during operation comes from.
So, I recommend the following as part of a regular cleaning & maintenance routine. Disassemble the seal housing, clean with a toothbrush & warm water, dry all the components. Upon reassembling, using a bamboo skewer, apply a small amount of food grade silicone grease to all of the moving parts of the seal assembly. When reassembling do not over tighten the screws, place a small amount of grease on the bottom flange where it comes into contact with the dog gear on the bottom of the shaft, as this too is a friction point. The annoying squeak is now gone & your machine will run beautifully for at least a few more years. As for the frequency of this type of maintenance? I’d say every 30 to 50 batches would be a good idea.
5. Summary
In the 2 months that I’ve been testing this machine, I’ve found that the Cuisinart ICE-100* consistently produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy. It has a maximum capacity of 900 ml (0.95 quarts) of ice cream mix, producing about 1100 ml (1.16 quarts) of ice cream with 22% air in 35 minutes, although I’d recommend churning no more than about 800ml (0.85 quarts) of mix to avoid ice cream being pushed against the lid as it freezes. It makes both ice cream and gelato, and can make 10 batches back-to-back. In a test taste, I found that it produced ice cream that was slightly smoother than that produced by both the Whynter ICM-200LS* and the Breville BCI600XL*, and that wasn’t far behind the ice cream produced by the more expensive Lello 4080 Musso Lussino*.
My only complaint is the two small holes on the gear in the underside of the bowl, which let in diluted ice cream mix during cleaning. This diluted mix can then solidify over time and impart a mouldy smell if not thoroughly cleaned and dried. Diluted mix may also then seep into the drive train and gears when the bowl is placed back in the machine after cleaning, which, over time, may cause the gears to seize up. I don’t think this is a show stopper, although I now clean the underside of the bowl more thoroughly after having read other users’ reviews.
I hope that review helps. I’d be happy to answer any questions so feel free to get in touch. Ruben 🙂
6. What The * Means
Transparency is key. On that note, I haven’t been paid to write this review, nor was I given this machine for free. I paid for this bad boy with my own money and have written this review in my own time. If you find my work helpful and would like to support the blog, this is how you can help. If there is a * after a link, it means that I will earn a payment if you go through it and make a purchase on amazon. This doesn’t increase the cost of what you purchase, nor do these links influence what I write.
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Hartel, R. W., 2001. Crystallisation in foods. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers.
Inoue, K., Ochi, H., Taketsuka, M., Saito H., Sakurai, K., Ichihashi, N., Iwatsuki, K., and Kokubo, S., 2008. Modelling of the effect of freezer conditions on the principal constituent parameters of ice cream by using response surface methodology. Journal of Dairy Science. 91(5). 1722-32.
Kusumaatmaja, W., 2009. Effects of mix pre-aeration and product recirculation on ice cream microstructure and sensory qualities [MSc thesis]. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin – Madison. p.136.
Koxholt, M., Eisenmann, B., and Hinrichs, J., 2000. Effect of process parameters on the structure of ice cream. Bur Dairy Mag. 1:27-30.
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., and 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., 2004. Effects of overrun on structural and physical characteristics of ice cream. International Dairy Journal. 14, 255-262.
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I run a small-batch ice cream start-up based in Manchester, U.K.
Hi wow your article is so impressive and detailed. I’m new to this home made ice cream making thing and i was wondering can this machine also make sorbet? Thanks
Hi Ruben,
Thanks so much for your detailed reviews! I really appreciate all the time you took to share your knowledge! Curious if you have any idea why this machine and the Breville Smart Scoop have a Proposition 65 warning. Proposition 65 is a law passed in California that requires the labeling of products that contain chemical known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. I’ve seen very little in the way of answers online and curious if might be due to a part that comes in contact with the ice cream or could be the refrigerant or solder used on the circuit boards as a couple people have speculated on Amazon.
Thanks!
Corey
Hi there Corey!
Thanks for getting in touch. I hope the reviews help. I’d love some brutally honest feedback if you can spare a minute or 2; I fear the reviews may be too long!
That’s a very good question. I don’t know the answer but I’m guessing it may be because of the r134a refrigerant used in the freezing system, or possibly because of the anodised aluminium bowl. I’ve come across a report on aluminium seeping into acidic food during prolonged periods of storage. Sorry I can’t be more specific.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi ruben,
Could you kindle advice how much stabiliser powder should i put in a quart of ice cream to maximize the shelf life & minimize ice crystals?
ThAnk you.
Cheers,
Nat
Hi there Nat!
Which stabiliser are you using? Are you using a stabiliser/emulsifier blend? The amount you use will depend on which stabiliser you’re using but around 0.15% by weight of the mix is normal for ice cream with 16% fat, so try something like 1.5g for a 1 quart mix. Reduce this if you get a gummy texture or unpleasant flavour. Stabiliser quantity usually increases with decreasing fat content. Do you know the fat content of your mix?
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Ruben
So I was cleaning up and accidentally washed my bowl. Now the drive in the bowl doesn’t turn freely, which I suppose can be remedied by disassembling and applying food grade silicon grease. My question, is the bowl safe to use now that the finish has been exposed to a cycle in a dishwasher with a high heat dry cycle?
Thanks
I doubt that your bowl has survived the dishwasher. The caustic environment of the dishwasher has most likely damaged the anodised surface of the bowl & the heating has most likely damaged the seal & bearing assembly. The take home message is that I would not put the bowl in the dishwasher.
You might be lucky & not have damaged the bowl to badly. I’d disassemble the drive clean & lubricate it. reassemble the before putting it back in the machine, half fill the bowl with water. If it leaks, the bearing?drive assembly has been damaged & you’ll need to order a replacement bowl from Cuisinart.
This is a much better solution than mine!
Hi there Mark!
Thanks for getting in touch. That’s a very good question and one to which I don’t know the answer, sorry. It might be a good idea to send Cuisinart an e-mail to check. If all else fails, there is always an option of getting a replacement bowl.
Sorry I can’t be of much help. Do let me know how you resolve the problem.
All the best,
Ruben
hi ruben,
ive recently bought this product. but when i make it gelato i keep getting my mix wont freeze well, i’ve been churning about 50 minutes but i dont get soft serve consistency.
My recipe:
750 ml full fat milk
180 caster sugar
2 Tbspoon corn starch
1/2 vanila extract
3 gr stabilizer
please help me. is it my machine had a problem or my mix is the problem?
Thank You,
Hi there Abu Bakar!
Thanks for getting in touch! Is your ice cream still quite runny after 50 minutes or does it freeze but looks really grainy or icy? I’d recommend that you try my vanilla ice cream recipe because I know that freezes well in the ICE-100. If you do try my recipe and then get the same results as what you’re getting now, then it might be a problem with your machine.
I hope that helps. Let me know how you get on if you try my recipe.
All the best,
Ruben
okay first i will try your recipe then i will tell you the result of it,
thanks for your reply ruben,
🙂
Hi Ruben
Great to have a review on the ICE100 & to have you give it the thumbs up. I purchased one of these machines 3 years ago & along with your recipe advice, we’ve been churning out some amazing KETO ice cream.
I noted in your article, that you spoke about a squeak and you also dismantled the seal housing in the bottom of the tub in order to clean it, something I had not done until you mentioned it. I did this to explore the possibility of residue being stuck in there. As I have never soaked the tub, always washed & rinsed immediately after use, I found no sign of residue in the seal housing. What I did find is a complex set up of metal & plastic interlocking components that were both dry & a little rusty. This is not an ideal situation for either a seal or a moving part. All of a sudden it dawned on me, this is where the squeak during operation comes from. So, I recommend the following as part of a regular cleaning & maintenance routine. Disassemble the seal housing, clean with a toothbrush & warm water, dry all the components. Upon reassembling, using a bamboo skewer, apply a small amount of food grade silicone grease to all of the moving parts of the seal assembly. When reassembling do not over tighten the screws, place a small amount of grease on the bottom flange where it comes into contact with the dog gear on the bottom of the shaft, as this too is a friction point. The annoying squeak is now gone & your machine will run beautifully for at least a few more years. As for the frequency of this type of maintenance? I’d say every 30 to 50 batches would be a good idea.
Hi ruben,
Just bought cuisinart ice 100 for my small shop and glad i found your review!
Im using jeani’s recipe but the result is not consistent, sometimes i get smooth creamy texture , other times crystally which puzzled me, is it because i underchurn it? (Usually i left it churning for about 30mins)
U mentioned that u made 10batches of 900ml for total time of 6hrs 5mins, does this include 15mins pre-freezing the empty bowl first and then putting in the mixture for every batch?
Hope to hear from you.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Nat
Hi there Nat!
Thanks for getting in touch. I haven’t actually tried one of Jenni’s recipes yet, although I do have her book around somewhere. It’s important that you leave your mix in the machine long enough for enough of the water to freeze (I’ve found that about 31 minutes for 800ml of my mix works well). The more water that freezes in the machine, the more ice crystals are formed and the creamier the texture usually turns out. If you don’t churn your mix for long enough, you will get a wet and runny ice cream that will most probably be coarse. Do you always churn the same sized batch when you use a recipe from Jeni’s book? Bigger batches usually take longer to freeze so you need to leave them in the machine for longer.
The recipe also has a huge effect on texture. Does Jeni use the same base recipe for her ice creams or does it change? If it changes, this may also be why you are getting inconsistent results.
No my 10 batch test didn’t include 15 minutes pre-freeze before each batch. I started with a 15 minute pre-freeze before the first batch but then just froze one after another without pre-freezing the bowl between batches.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi ruben,
Appreciate your prompt reply.
Yes, jeani’s always use the same recipe and it is less than 900ml/batch.
For now i am just using half of jeani’s recipe to test for flavours (each batch is about 360ml currently). Since we live in asia , where its humid & hotter, I did prefreezing for 15mins then had to stop churning just now for my chocolate ice cream after 29mins because the machine made funny noises & would stop everytime i closed the plastic lid. But when i scopped it out, only the top part that sticked to the dashers were hardened and by the time i scooped the remaining bottom, it was already melting 🙁
Also, For the 10batches that u did, You mentioned that 15mins prefreezing was only done for the first batch and that you didnt do prefreezing for 2nd batch onwards after washing the bowl with warm water, may i know why is this?
Would not it result in bigger ice crystals for the 2nd batch onwards since your review mentioned that low temperature on freezer bowl = lesser resistance time = results smaller ice crystals&smooth result ?
You mentioned that for 800ml, you find 31mins works well. So this is the resistance time without prefreezing bowl for you?
Thank you. Looking forward to hear from you.
Cheers,
Nat
Hi again Nat,
Have you tried making the full 900ml Jeni’s recipe? If so, is the quality the same as when you freeze 360ml? 360ml sounds quite low and may be having an adverse effect on freezing. Does your 360ml batch touch the side of the bowl as it freezes or does it clump in the middle of the bowl and stick to the dasher? I’d recommend freezing the full 900ml Jeni’s batch if you can to see if the texture is the same. I would also recommend that you try my vanilla bean ice cream recipe to see how that texture compares to Jeni’s. I haven’t tried one of her recipes so don’t know whether the sandy texture is because of the recipe or because of the low amount of mix that you are freezing. If the dasher stops rotating when you put the lid on, it’s because the mix is too hard and needs to be extracted.
Yes I only did the 15 minute pre-freeze for the first batch because I wanted to replicate how most people will use this machine at home; I don’t think many people would do a pre-freeze for each batch. Also, the freezing coils or tubing that carry the refrigerant will retain some of the cold from the previous freezing cycle and so won’t take as long to cool down and remove heat from the bowl after the first batch. Yes you’re right that pre-freezing for about 15 minutes before each batch is ideal, although the ICE-100 still makes great ice cream if you don’t do this.
Yes the 31 minutes is just the freezing time, or residence time, for 800ml of my mix. I also pre-freeze the bowl for 15 minutes before I add my mix. The recipe you use affects residence time so one of Jeni’s recipes may have a different residence time to mine.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Rubin, Do you think the machine can make a reasonably good sorbet?
Hi there Mary!
Thanks for getting in touch. I haven’t tried making a sorbet in the ICE-100 before but yes I think it could make a good sorbet, just as long as you use a good recipe with a high solids content.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Ruben
I have the ICE-100 and Ruben’s review was dead on. A friend of mine bought a Breville, compared it to mine with the same recipe, and returned it (nasty icy ice cream). Then he bought Whynter, tried it, and returned it, though I found ice cream spun in it to be deliciously dense and creamy. Finally he relented and bought a Cuisinart, which he still uses.
I’d like to try printing or modifying an ICE-100 dasher to better scrape the chamber walls but I suspect the motor lacks the necessary torque. No sense in burning up the motor with an experiment when it already makes incredible ice cream.
😃
I have been using this machine for five years, and I have made at least 200 batches of ice cream, sorbet and gelato over that time period. The capacity and quality of the machine have remained at a high level. I have used conventional recipes, Jeni’s and yours. Your recipes are the best, but all three are better than what I can buy in the store.
🙂
Yes, I did try your vanilla ice cream recipe. And I wrote down everything about the measurement.
Ingredient:
416g 35% cream
767g whole milk(reduce to 240g)
119 g sugar
70g yolks
using vanilla extract
After cooking the custard, finally got 767g/750ml ice cream base.
residence time : 26 minutes.
Result:
Really perfect on texture.Dense, smooth, not sandy at all.
Yet in terms of flavor, I’m not a big fan. In my opinion, the ice cream is not refreshing enough, additional milk protein made the ice cream too rich and too dry. For the texture , I love it. For the taste, I am not quite enjoying it. I’m not telling the ice cream is bad, the taste is good, but not as wonderful as I thought.
I might keep adjusting my old recipe and try to make it better on texture.
Appreciate for everything you wrote here. I have learned many things from you.
Hi Ruben,
Would you please tell me what room temperature it is when you using ice-100?
I found that under 27°C room temperature here in Taiwan(with air conditioning), ice cream never succeed when i using a 700ml mix recipe.Large ice crystal appeared and not the one i would like to eat. It worked better with about 550ml mix.
I had done pre-running for 15 minutesand the mix sited in the fridge overnight.After my dozens of batches, only mix volume effect texture.I consider that room temperature might low down the compressor efficiency a lot. I have to do a smaller portion once at a time to make good quality ice cream.
By the way, for residence time:
150 ml mix: 8 minutes
550 ml mix: 18 minutes
700 ml mix: 25 minutes
Hi there Andy!
A big hello to you in Taiwan! My room temperature during testing was between 16 and 22°C I’d say. Yes smaller batches will always freeze faster than larger batches; a faster freezing time contributes to the formation of smaller ice crystals and smoother texture. I’ve found the ICE-100 to have an optimum capacity of 800ml of mix so I suspect that your recipe is having a greater effect on texture than your room temperature. Have you tried churning one of my recipes? If not, I’d recommend giving my vanilla ice cream recipe a try to see if you still get the same icy texture. Pease do let me know if you give it a try.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben.
Thanks for your reply!
I may do some adjustment to my recipe recently. I had tried many recipes, yet neither of them succeeded in 700ml batch.
The frustration is that the same recipe worked beautifully on small batches while larger batches failed. Doesn’t that means the machine wasn’t powerful enough to produce larger batches? I don’t know, too many things effect on ice cream’s texture.
I admit that I didn’t try the recipes systematically, but i will do so in the next few weeks.I’ll tell you the result then.
I have a question that does milk powder effect on texture a lot? I have read the protein section from your blog but i’m dying to know whether if the milk powder was missing.
Hi again Andy!
Larger batches will take longer to freeze, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the machine isn’t powerful enough. It may be that you have to compensate for the longer freezing time, and greater ice crystal growth, by increasing the fat content and/or the total solids content. I’ve churned 700 ml, 800 ml, and 900 ml batches in the ICE-100 that had the same composition and the texture turned out pretty much the same in all 3. As you’ve found though, smaller batches will likely produce ice cream with the smallest ice crystals and the smoothest texture.
Yes the protein in milk powder plays a significant role in developing smooth texture. You won’t get the same smooth texture without skim milk powder, unless you increase the protein content by evaporating a lot of the water in the mix, which takes time. What did you think of my section on Protein? Did you find it easy to read? I’m always looking for ways to improve the content on the blog so would love your feedback.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Big thanks, Ruben.
That make sense why my peanut butter ice cream and Adzuki ice cream came out better. Because of the extra protein from nuts and Adzuki , the ice cream contains more solid component and turn out so perfectly. I will try your vanilla ice cream recipe in next batch, I’ll tell you the result then. However, it is very difficult to buy good quality milk powder here, so I am going to try the evaporating method.
For calculation, I found the milk used in your recipe contains about 8.99% MSNF. The milk i could find in Taiwan said the MSNF is not under 8.25%.
For your recipe, there are 90.36g of MSNF from milk and powder. So, for my 8.25% MSNF milk , I need 1095g of milk then evaporating about 700ml of water.
And…i am using a 35% fat cream while the recipe using 47.5%. That makes the different either.
After all, the recipe look like this:
594g 35% cream————-27.918g MSNF, 207.9g fat
285g whole milk(evaporating from 1095g milk)–90.3375g MSNF, 32.85 fat
170g suger
94g yolks
1200g total weight , 118.2555g total MSMF , 240.75g total fat
9.85% MSNF
20.06% fat
By the way, the protein section is fine to read. But I consider more experiment result would be better and more convincible.
Hi again Andy!
Did you try my vanilla recipe? Publishing my test results is a great idea so many thanks for that! I’ll try and update some posts to include my results.
All the best,
Ruben
milk should be 342g , i forgot the weight of milk powder
Hi Ruben,
Is Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker same as the new Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that is on amazon? The one at your link (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006UKLUFS?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&tag=icecreamscien-20&creativeASIN=B006UKLUFS) is not available in Amazon any longer and there is this other option that seems to be the new model ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cuisinart-ICE100BCU-Ice-Cream-Maker/dp/B00ARETWDK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8).
Best & thanks,
Juan
Hi there Juan!
Thanks for getting in touch! 🙂 Yes both the machines in your two links are the same. One is the North America model and the other the European model.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Ruben
Thank you for the review… I’ll buy it.
🙂
Hey there!
I’m trying to experiment and come up with a menu of flavours for my shop. For this, I don’t want to churn up batches of 1 quart (as there’s a lot of wastage if a batch goes wrong on any level). So, I’ve been experimenting with about 200ml batches. However, I noticed that going in, my batch weighed 218ml, and once it was done (I’m using the Cuisinart ICE100), it weighed only 198ml. Assuming a 20% overrun, even after the wastage (ice cream that stays on the dasher/bucket etc at places which can’t be removed), I was surprised that the weight of the product reduced. I’m think this is because I’m churning up small volumes, and hence the amount I’m losing is high. What do you think?
I made another batch today –
Before churning, it weighed 480ml and after churning (right out of the machine) it weighed 453ml. How can I lose volume after air is being incorporated?
Hi Ruben,
Eagerly waiting for your reply
Hi again Radhika!
Are you using a freezer bag to age your mix in your fridge overnight? I suspect that some of the mix is left over in the bag, the freezer bowl and dasher after churning, and possibly the spoon you are using to empty the freezer bowl. You will always get some wastage during the production process.
I hope that helps.
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Yes, I do age my mix in a freezer bag overnight.
I made a batch weighing 1256 ml (ice cream base) and churned it for about 45 minutes. The output was 1250 ml of ice cream.
I agree that there is a certain amount of wastage, but if the cuisinart is supposed to give a 15-20% overrun, which comes up to 200-250ml, I can be sure that the wastage was not worth 200-250ml. I’m very surprised that my ice cream volume doesn’t increase by even 1 percent. How is that possible?
I do try to get maximum ice cream in, but I will take your suggestion to get it in fast so that I can reduce the ice crystal size.
Thanks,
Radhika
Hi again Radhika!
If your ICE-100 isn’t whipping any air into your mix during freezing, it may be because of the mix and not the machine. What recipe are you using? You need to ensure that sufficient partial coalescence of the fat globules takes place during whipping to produce a voluminous foam. I’d recommend having a read through my post on partial coalescence. I’d also recommend trying my vanilla ice cream recipe to see if you get the same problem with a low overrun.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Radhika!
Thanks for getting in touch and apologies for the delay in getting back to you!
Yes you will always get some ice cream that sticks to both the freezer bowl and the dasher, and some left-over mix in the pan or freezer bag, resulting in some wastage. I think it’s much better though to quickly empty the freezer bowl and get your churned ice cream into the freezer as quickly as possible to harden, even if this result in a bit of wastage. This is much better than spending more time making sure that you scrape off every last bit of ice cream from the dasher and bowl during the extraction stage. This is because the longer your ice cream spends at a relatively warm room temperature, the more melting will occur and the larger the ice crystals will grow, which is detrimental to texture.
I’d also recommend doubling your 200ml mix as this small amount seems like it would get stuck to the dasher as it churns and not make contact with the side of the bowl, probably resulting in a longer freezing time and less incorporated air. Does your 200ml mix stick the dasher as it hardens?
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck with selling ice cream in your shop! I think this is a great idea!
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Thanks for your prompt reply.
I immediately tried another batch with keeping the machine on for 15 minutes before churning. It’s been 50 minutes right now and it’s nowhere close to the soft serve consistency I get with the German Pool machine. Right now, I’ve been trying recipes from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at home, which need about 3-4 Tablespoons of Karo and 3/4th of a cup of sugar in 1 quart on an average and are eggless. I have an egg allergy and so have been looking for eggless recipes.
I have another question (or hypothesis), this cuisinart machine does not have an air pocket/ flap on the top lid. The German Pool machine had a small window on the top which would remain open during the churning process (through which I could even add the mix ins). Is that playing a role in why its taking this long in the Cuisinart (there not being any source of air entering from the outside)? I’m wondering though why this does not have the flap, as the pictures of the models online clearly show a flap on the lid to pour mix ins.
I hope something’s not wrong with the machine 🙁
Elly
Does the climate of the room you make the ice cream in affect it in any way? It’s pretty hot here (about 36-38 degrees Celcius). Should I make the ice cream in a chilled room?
Hi again Elly!
Yes hotter rooms will generally mean that the freezer bowl on domestic machines doesn’t get as cold and the mix takes longer to freeze. I don’t know whether 36-38°C has a significant effect though. Have a go at making ice cream in a colder room if you can and compare the freezing times.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Ruben 🙂
Hi again Elly!
I think the Karo you’re using might be the problem. Corn syrup of either 42 or 63 dextrose equivalents (DE) lowers the freezing point of an ice cream mix more than sucrose. This means that the temperature will need to be lower before the water starts to freeze and that less water is frozen at a given temperature. The result is a softer, or more slushy, ice cream. You might find my post on sugar in ice cream useful. I’d recommend trying an egg-less recipe without the use of corn syrup. I don’t know what the DE value of your Karo is though.
No I don’t think the lack of a small window on the lid makes any difference. I use both a Cuisinart ICE-30 (huge hole in the lid) and the ICE-100 (no hole) and both produce ice cream with the exact same smooth and creamy consistency.
If you suspect there is something wrong with your machine, I’d recommend getting a cheap infra-red thermometer and measuring the temperature of the freezer bowl with the machine switched on; it should be around -30°C (-22°F) after 15 minutes. The first thing I would do though is try an egg-less recipe that doesn’t call for corn syrup.
I hope that helps. Let me know how you get on and if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben 🙂
Hi there!
I just bought the ICE-100. I had a German Pool Ice Cream maker (with an inbuilt compressor) before this. One thing I am worried about is that the German Pool took only about 35-45 minutes to churn a batch of ice cream, which came out firm. However, the ICE-100 takes very long (my chocolate took about 1.5 hours, even after which it was not a soft serve consistency). Is there something I’m doing wrong or missing? The ice creams in this machine seem runnier when they’re right out of the machine as compared to the other one which brings out nice firm consistency.
Great site btw 🙂
Hi there Elly!
Thanks for getting in touch! Wow, 1.5 hours for a batch of ice cream is a very long time indeed! 🙂 My guess is that you are using too much sugar in your recipe, which is depressing the freezing point (lowering the temperature at which the water starts to freeze), causing less water to freeze at a given temperature. What recipe and quantities are you using? Are you using any flavour extracts or salt? Both of these will also depress the freezing point.
I’d recommend switching your ICE-100 on and leaving it running for 15 minutes before you add your mix. This will get the freezer bowl as cold as possible before the mix is added, which should decrease the freezing time. You could try one of my recipes to see if you have the same problem.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Thanks for your prompt reply.
I immediately tried another batch with keeping the machine on for 15 minutes before churning. It’s been 50 minutes right now and it’s nowhere close to the soft serve consistency I get with the German Pool machine. Right now, I’ve been trying recipes from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at home, which need about 3-4 Tablespoons of Karo and 3/4th of a cup of sugar in 1 quart on an average and are eggless. I have an egg allergy and so have been looking for eggless recipes.
I have another question (or hypothesis), this cuisinart machine does not have an air pocket/ flap on the top lid. The German Pool machine had a small window on the top which would remain open during the churning process (through which I could even add the mix ins). Is that playing a role in why its taking this long in the Cuisinart (there not being any source of air entering from the outside)? I’m wondering though why this does not have the flap, as the pictures of the models online clearly show a flap on the lid to pour mix ins.
I hope something’s not wrong with the machine 🙁
Elly
hello…I wanted to ask how many times in a day can we use this machine and with what time intervals? thank you
Hi there Umber!
Thanks for getting in touch! You can freeze one batch right after the next but I would recommend cleaning the freezer bowl with water first to remove any leftover ice cream. The most batches I’ve frozen in a day with the ICE-100 is about 4 but I don’t know what the long-term effect of sustained use is on the motor. So far so good.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Thank you so much Ruben..was anxiously waiting for your reply! I have so far made max of 3 batches in 24 hrs.
🙂
Hi (again) Ruben,
Do you know how much air gets incorporated with this machine ?
Was deciding on purchasing a Breville smart scoop or Cuisinart 100 BC and comparing the two. which do you think is a better buy for starting up a small homemade ice cream business?
regards
Kshama
Hi Kshama!
I haven’t yet measured how much air is incorporated using the ICE-100, sorry. The ice cream dasher that comes with ICE-100 does incorporate slightly more air than the gelato dasher.
Both the ICE-100 and the BCI600XL make excellent ice cream. I would probably go with the ICE-100 over the Breville because 1. it’s cheaper, and 2. it has a 1000g maximum capacity, compared to the Breville’s 800g or so.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Merry Christmas to you!
All the best,
Ruben
Thanks for the excellent detail of your review and the inclusion of citations which linked to very informative articles. You get 5 stars.
Hi there Jo!
I hope the review helps! 🙂
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Wonderful review of the ICE-100 and I’m planning to go ahead with the Purchase of and Ice Cream maker in the next 2 hours. Money is no issue here but I’m torn between the ICE-30BC and this ICE-100. I’m a first timer and I know you highly recommended both machines. However my concern is that with the ICE-30BC I’ll need to pre freeze the Bowl while with this one it’s ready to be used if I start the compressor for just 10 minutes before mixing.
Appreciate your recommendation as I’m buying one of these two shortly. I work outside the UK in one of the hot countries but cooling is no issue and AC is all around the house and my siemens freezer has a super freezing button.
Help please.
Thanks
Ihab
Hi Ihab!
Thanks for getting in touch. Both the ICE-30 and the 100 make excellent ice cream. I prefer the 30 because of the larger capacity – around 1300g maximum capacity compared to just under 1000g using the ice cream dasher on the ICE-100 – and the shorter churning time. I also think that it makes slightly smoother and denser ice cream. To get he best out of the ICE-30 though, I strongly recommend freezing the bowl at around -25°C as this has a considerable effect on churning time.
If you’re after convenience and money isn’t an issue, go for the ICE-100. If you’re happy pre-freezing the bowl in an extremely cold freezer, go for the ICE-30. The 30 is also a fair bit louder than the ICE-100, which I know puts some people off; not an issue for me though.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions and enjoy which ever machine you go for!
All the best,
Ruben
Thank Ruben for your prompt reply, I feel by signing in to following you blog, I’ll have a heavenly experience of enjoying Ice Creams and Gelatos.
I read both of your great reviews on these two Ice makers and I have few more thoughts and inquiries to share with you.
1- In your review of the ICE-30 you mention only the Ice cream, nothing on the gelato side, is it because it has only one dasher for Ice cream? Therefore it doesn’t make gelato. Gelato is something I really like.
2- On Amazon they advertise the ICE-30 as “Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker” does this mean that the ICE-100 cannot do Frozen Yogurt and Sorbet.
3- Why do Amazon mention that the ICE-30 is Automatic Ice Cream Maker while it is not, it does not have a compressor like the Automatic ICE-100
4- My Freezer is the one with the drawers type and the only place to put the ICE-30 Bowl for pre freezing is on the fourth drawer. The rest are medium-small drawers.
It is disappointing the the ICE-100 has a smaller capacity though it is much more expensive than it’s smaller counterpart. Anyhow I don’t think it’s an issue because it’s me and my wife alone. No kids and very few visitors.
5- Though you highly recommended both units but I sense that you tend to lean more towards the ICE-30 and this is a concern for me because you’re an expert and your opinion and input matters to a novice like myself. Something inside you tells me go for the ICE-30 as it is an overall better unit.
Again many thanks for your advice and prompt reply.
Ihab
Hi again Ihab!
The ICE-30 can make gelato, ice cream, and sorbet. You don’t need a special machine or dasher to make gelato at home. Gelato differs from ice cream in that it has less fat and air. Air content is pretty difficult to control on domestic ice cream makers so I don’t think it is worth using a ‘gelato dasher’.
The ICE-100 can also make frozen yogurt and sorbet.
I guess Amazon lists the ICE-30 as automatic because it rotates the bowl and you don’t have to manually do this as you once had to on older machines.
I do lean more towards the ICE-30 because this was the first machine that I ever bought and the one I started my business with. I do think it makes slightly better ice cream than the ICE-100 but takes a bit more work because you need an extremely cold freezer (around -25°C) to get the best out of it. I would say that the ICE-100 still makes excellent ice cream and is more convenient than the 30.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
I got the ICE-100 few days ago and I would like to thank you for your advice and help in making me choose. It’s a wonderful piece of equipment. The first thing I did was do the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream based on your recipe and it was fantastic and we really enjoyed it.The roasted banana was excellent as well.
We are looking for a Lime Ice Cream/Gelato Recipe but I can’t find anything interesting. I might as well try your Homemade Lemon Curd Ice Cream Recipe.
For Sorbet and Frozen Yogurt, do you recommend to use the Ice Cream or Gelato dasher.
Finally I look forward to see more of your great recipes.
Regards
Ihab
Hi Ruben,
Did you get my reply with the questions because I can’t seem to find it.
Regards
Ihab
I bought this same machine and am using it for the first time today. I made sweet cream vanilla ice cream and put that into the freezer and then started the batch of lemon sorbet. The machine is squeaking so loudly at this very moment (and it has been doing so for about 40 minutes so far) that you can hear it all through the house and it woke up our kids. It isn’t the lid; it is clearly the machine itself. It is extremely annoying and should not happen in such an expensive machine. I am thinking of returning it. It it a dud? I believe so. Extremely disappointed in this machine.
Hi there Becky!
Sorry to hear you have a loud ICE-100. Does it make the noise as soon as you pour in the mix? Mine makes a very slight noise but only after about 40 minutes when the ice cream is stiff. If the squeaking starts as soon as you switch it on, I would recommend returning it and trying a second ICE-100. I haven’t had an issue with a loud squeaking noise on mine.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Great forum and even better articles.
My dilemma is Cuisinart ICE-100 or GAGGIA Gelatiera. I do know you tested just first one, but wonder if you have some information, maybe…
When it comes to ever present problem of “dasher doesn’t reach the sides of the bowl”. Wonder if 3D printing can help here. I believe this could be nice solution, but not sure about materials that would be used as we intend to eat what we prepare with new edited dashers.
Best regards from sunny Croatia!
Hi there Max!
Sunny Croatia sounds a lot better than rainy England!
I’ve never tried the Gaggia Gelatiera so can’t give you any feedback on that. The ICE-100 is an excellent machine and I would certainly recommend it.
I think 3D printing a dasher sounds like an excellent idea. It could certainly solve the problem of the dasher not touching the side of the bowl, as long as food-grade material is used. The only issue I can think of is an updated dasher putting extra strain on the motor, depending on the machine. Do you have any experience with designing and printing 3D objects? I would be interested in exploring this if you have access to a 3D printer.
All the best,
Ruben
hola he utilizado la maquina hoy por primera vez e hecho dos de ttutti fruti y nata y el otro de leche merengada pero al final termina quedando un poco grumoso me gustaría que me dijerais que es lo que hago mal el helado esta buenísimo pero como si estuviera cortado pues igual pero no lo esta gracias,ustedes por lo que veo son mas expertos que yo con esta maquina
Hi Ruben
I have tried to make gelato with this machine but its always messed up,too much ice crystals and not smooth as i expected. I always tried to figure out but i never found the answer to this problem, I hope you can help me Ruben
Regards 🙂
Hi Dafi!
Thanks for getting in touch! I’ve just published a recipe for Lemon Curd Ice Cream. Give it a go in your ICE-100 to see what the texture is like. If you don’t like lemon, leave out the lemon curd to make sweet cream ice cream.
Let me know how you get on if you give the recipe a go.
All the best,
Ruben
Also, don’t use the gelato dasher and go for the ice cream dasher instead if you give the lemon curd ice cream recipe a go.
Hello Ruben,
I just purchased the ICE-100 via Amazon.com. I’m super excited to say the least. And it was all due to your write up here. So thank you very much for that.
I do have one question that you may not know. You speak about the maximum amount of ice cream you’d try to make with each dasher. But is there a minimum amount? I’m wondering if I could make single or double servings without having to have leftovers (and without pigging out!).
Many thanks,
Brian
Hi Brian!
Thank you for the kind words! I hope the review helped.
How much are you looking to churn per batch? I don’t think you should have too much trouble halving a batch and churning 400-500g but I do think that if you churn a really small batch, you will likely end up with a clump of ice cream that sticks to the dasher and doesn’t reach the side of the bowl. This will probably take longer to freeze and I suspect will be quite dense as it won’t get a lot of air whipped into it. I’m not sure what the texture will be like. I’m sure I’ve had this problem before with the Cuisinart ICE-30 as I remember having to use a spoon to push the small clump of ice cream to keep it moving around the bowl.
Hope that helps. Do let me know how you get on if you decide to churn a small batch.
All the best,
Ruben
Hello
Thank you for your beneficial review.. But in comparison between cuisinart ice 100 or breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop ice cream makers which is best for small ice shop.
Thank you
Hi Fatema!
Thanks for getting in touch. Both the ICE-100 and the BCI600XL make excellent ice cream. I would probably go with the Cuisinart ICE-100 simply because it is cheaper and a bit easier to empty the ice cream from the freezer bowl.
Both machines are good.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi there, your writing is an inspiration. I want to start up a homemade ice cream business and i would like to ask you, Which ice cream machine should i use? Is cuisinart ice100 is enough? Or should i use a bigger capacity machine?
Hi Daisy!
Thanks for getting in touch and apologies for the late reply.
Great to hear you are thinking of starting a homemade ice cream business! 🙂 The Cuisinart ICE-100 is certainly an excellent way to start as it is relatively cheap and makes great ice cream. You will be limited in terms of the amount of ice cream you can make but this is still an excellent way to try some flavours and just get your ice cream out there. Once you are established and have some interest in your business, you can then upgrade to a commercial machine and blast freezer. You will also need a small freezer and possibly something like a car battery to transport your ice cream and a larger freezer to store it.
I wouldn’t recommend buying a commercial batch ice cream freezer as your first machine.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck with your business!
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Thanks for your helpful reviews. I’m contemplating whether to purchase the ICE-100 or the ICE-30 and have some other questions.
(1) Do you know whether there are any differences between how long the two models are expected to last? Are there any differences in how the models are manufactured that might impact the life of the machine?
(2)You also mentioned in your youtube video that the ice cream paddle in the ICE-30 does not reach the sides of the bowl. Is this a similar problem for the ICE-100?
(3) I live in Australia where the temperatures are going to reach over 30’C in summer. Which machine would be better in this climate? I read that you suggest recommend running the ICE-100 before use but could I also pre-freeze this bowl overnight or for a few hours before use (to save on energy consumption)?
(4) Are you aware of the differences in running costs (i.e. energy consumption) between the two models given that the ICE-100 has the in-built compressor?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Cari!
Many thanks for getting in touch. I hope the reviews help. I’m not too sure how long the ICE-100 is expected to last but I have had my ICE-30 for nearly 6 years and after extensive use, it is still going strong. My guess is that the 30 would last longer than the 100 because of the compressor in the 100.
Yes you have the same problem on the 100 where the dasher doesn’t reach the sides of the bowl. You can work around this on the 30 by using your thumb but you can’t do this on the 100. I have made plenty of excellent batches without using the thumb trick so I don’t think you should worry too much about the dasher not reaching the side of the bowl.
You could certainly pre-freeze the bowl on the 100 to save on energy consumption. I’m not sure which machine would be better in a warm climate as we don’t often get into the 30s here in the U.K!
Yes there are differences in running costs: the 100 uses more electricity because of the compressor.
They both make excellent ice cream. If you are buying your first machine, don’t mind freezing the bowl overnight before you make a batch, and don’t intend on making more than 1.5 litres per day, then I would strongly recommend the ICE-30 over the 100 because it is a lot cheaper and the ice cream is just as good as that made in the 100.
Hope that helps.
All the best,
Ruben
Mine just stopped rotating 🙁 I, too, love the ICE-30 and this was my first compressor machine. They have great customer service and will fix it for $10, but I am in Central America, so tryong to find info on how to fix the motor. Any ideas? The compressor cools. The gears are squeaky clean. They just don’t work 80% of the time anymore. I am so disappointed as I’ve only had it 2 months. Any info appreciated (though I don’t expect you to know and really I just wanted to say nice website & good info 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Aggie!
Thanks for getting in touch. Strange that your ICE-30 has stopped working after only 2 months! I’m not sure why the gears aren’t working, sorry. Have you tried contacting cuisinart as your machine is still under warranty and they should fix it free of charge.
Hope that helps.
Ruben
Just realised that you meant your ICE-100 isn’t working, not the ICE-30. Still, it should be under warranty and fixed free of charge!
I love your review most. The Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is the best. I agreed with you. I am also happy getting this since one year ago. So far it worked well.
Thanks for such a well-written and thorough review! I am purchasing the Ice-100 from
Your Amazon link. Have a great one!
Hope the review helps!