In this post, I’ll cover the two main categories of ice cream maker available to the home cook, namely those with an in-built refrigeration unit (commonly referred to as ‘compressor’ ice cream makers) and those without, the benefits and drawbacks of each, some tips, and which ice cream makers I recommend.
Key points
- The non-compressor machine that I recommend to most home cooks is the Cuisinart ICE-30BC*. It’s relatively inexpensive and makes good ice cream.
- If cost isn’t an issue, then I recommend the updated Cuisinart ICE-70*. This has a better dasher design and makes ice cream that is slightly creamier, but, at the time of writing, is nearly twice the price.
- The compressor ice cream maker that I recommend to most home cooks is the Cuisinart ICE-100*. It’s a relatively inexpensive machine and makes great ice cream.
- If you have the budget, I recommend the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino*. It’s a compressor ice cream maker that makes excellent ice cream that is smoother and creamier than that produced by the ICE-100, although it’s considerably more expensive.
- For restaurants or small ice cream start ups, I recommend the larger Lello Musso Pola 5030*. It’s a compressor machine with a larger capacity than the 4080, and makes excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth, thick, and creamy. It is, however, an expensive bit of kit.
Table of Contents
1. Non-compressor machines
There are two main categories of ice cream maker, namely those with an in-built refrigeration unit (compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator), and those without. Most ice cream makers in the latter category have a removable insulated bowl that contains a sealed refrigerant liquid. Much like cooler ice packs, this bowl has to be left in the freezer overnight for the refrigerant liquid to freeze.
The main benefit of ice cream makers without an in-built refrigeration unit is cost: they tend to be cheaper than those with an in-built refrigeration unit. The main drawback is that unless you purchase a second bowl, you can’t make several batches or different flavours back-to-back; you’re limited to making just one batch of ice cream/gelato/sorbet per day and then have to clean and freeze the bowl overnight before you can make a second batch (I’ll discuss this drawback in more detail below). Ice cream makers without an in-built refrigeration unit also tend to make ice cream and gelato that isn’t quite as smooth and creamy as that made in an ice cream maker with an in-built refrigeration unit.
Ice cream makers that use salt and ice, rather than a sealed refrigerant, to freeze ice cream also fall under this category, although I haven’t tested this type of machine and so won’t be covering it in this guide. Readers are referred to reviews of the Immergood Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker* on amazon.
1.1 What is the best non-compressor ice cream maker?
The non-compressor ice cream maker that I would recommend is the Cuisinart ICE-30BC*. It’s the first machine that I bought back in 2010 to make ice cream to sell at my first farmers market, and is still going strong after 10 years of use. It has a large 1.89 litre (2 quart) bowl made from aluminium coated with xylan (polypropylene) that has an optimum capacity of 900 ml (0.95 quart) of ice cream mix, producing about 1100ml (1.16 quart) of finished ice cream with about 22% overrun (the air that’s whipped into the mix) in about 31 minutes. There is an update to this model, the Cuisinart ICE-70*, but primarily because of price, I still recommend the older ICE-30 (more on this below).
1.1.1 Benefits
This biggest benefit of the ICE-30BC is that it’s a relatively inexpensive way for people to start making good ice cream at home. That’s it. Inexpensive and good quality ice cream. That’s why I recommend it for most people over the updated ICE-70, which, at the time of writing, is nearly twice the price but, although it does produce ice cream that is slightly smoother and creamier, it doesn’t produce ice cream that is nearly twice as smooth and creamy. If price isn’t an issue for you, then yes I’d recommend going for the updated Cuisinart ICE-70* because of the slightly smoother and creamier ice cream and the improved dasher (more on this below).
The second most significant benefit, which also applies to the updated ICE-70, is that the gear system and motor are strong enough to continue rotating the bowl until the ice cream freezes to a low draw temperature (the temperature at which ice cream is extracted from the bowl) of between -10°C and -12.8°C (14°F and 9 °F). This is important because the lower the draw temperature, the smaller and more numerous the ice crystals and, consequently, the smoother and creamier the texture will be (1 2 3). On some machines I’ve tested, most notably the Breville BCI-600XL*, the motor isn’t strong enough to continue mixing the ice cream below -9°C (15.8°F), resulting in fewer and larger ice crystals and, consequently, grainier texture.
When you extract the ice cream at between -10°C and -12.8°C (14°F and 9 °F), it will be at a consistency similar to soft-serve ice cream. You’ll need to quickly transfer it to a container and place it in your freezer for an hour or two to get it down to around -15°C (5°F), the temperature at which ice cream is typically served. You can serve your ice cream straight out of the bowl at between -10°C and -12.8°C if you really want to, but it will just melt quite quickly.
1.1.2 Drawbacks
The ICE-30 does have a few drawbacks. The first is that the large (19.7cm (7.75”) in diameter and 16.5cm (6.5”) in height) 1.89 litre (2 quart) bowl takes up quite a bit of freezer space, which may be an issue if you’re already short on space.
The second is that unlike machines with an in-built refrigeration unit, you can’t freeze more than one batch of ice cream/gelato/sorbet per day. This is because the liquid refrigerant that is sealed inside the bowl doesn’t stay cold long enough to freeze consecutive batches; you’ll just end up with a cold slurry, instead of ice cream, if you try and freeze a second batch right after the first. This drawback may not actually be an issue for you though as the large 1.89 litre (2 quart) bowl does allow you to freeze an optimum of 900 ml (0.95 quart) of ice cream mix, which produces about 1100ml (1.16 quart) of finished ice cream. You can also buy a second bowl*, although just bear in mind the space that two bowls will take up in your freezer.
The third drawback is the dasher design. The dasher is the mixing device that sits inside the bowl and is designed to scrape off the ice that forms at the cold bowl wall as it rotates. The issue is that when inserted into the bowl, the dasher leaves a gap of between 2 mm and 3 mm between the vertical scraping arm and the side of the wall. Researchers have found that when the gap between the dasher and the bowl wall is big enough (3 mm), a relatively thick layer of ice builds up on the bowl wall, which lowers the rate of heat transfer (4). A high rate of heat transfer is important because it promotes the formation of many small ice crystals and, consequently, smooth and creamy texture. When the gap is 1 mm, the ice layer is not strong enough and is periodically removed from the wall. Cuisinart have improved the dasher design in the upgraded Cuisinart ICE-70, which leaves a smaller gap of just 1 mm between the vertical arm and the bowl wall.
1.1.3 How to get the best out of the ICE-30 and THE ICE-70
TIP #1 – Freezer temperature
For the liquid refrigerant sealed inside the bowl to work properly, it’s imperative, IM-PE-RA-TIVE!, that your freezer is set to at least -18°C (-0.4°F), preferably colder. If your freezer is warmer than -18°C (-0.4°F), the liquid refrigerant won’t be cold enough to adequately freeze the ice cream mix and you’ll likely end up with a cold slurry instead of frozen ice cream. I’ve found that I get significantly smoother and creamier results when I freeze the bowl overnight at -26°C (-14.8°F) in my commercial freezer than when I freeze it at -18°C (0.4°F). You don’t have to get your freezer as cold as -26°C (-14.8°F), the point is that the colder you can get your freezer, the better quality ice cream you’ll produce. This is because lower bowl temperatures promote the formation of smaller ice crystals and, subsequently, smoother and creamier ice cream (1 5 6).
A good way to check whether the refrigerant is cold enough is to shake the bowl after you’ve left it in your freezer overnight. If you can hear a gushing sound as you shake it, the refrigerant isn’t cold enough, which will be due to either your freezer temperature being too high, or you not leaving the bowl in the freezer long enough. You can also use a cheap infra-red thermometer* to check the temperature of the bowl wall.
TIP #2 – Cling film
When you freeze your bowl overnight, cover the top with cling film to stop vapour inside your freezer from condensing on the inside of the bowl.
TIP #3 – Keep the ice cream mix moving
Both the ICE-30BC and the ICE-70 have a horizontal arm in the centre of the dasher. After about 8 minutes, I’ve noticed that ice cream starts to clump on top of this horizontal arm. If you see this, use a spoon to push these clumps off the arm and back into the rest of the mix. The idea is to keep static lumps of ice cream moving to ensure that they make contact with the side of the cold bowl wall. The longer these static clumps stick to the top of the relatively warm arm and stay away from the cold bowl wall, the larger the ice crystals in these clumps will grow and the grainier the texture is likely to be.
TIP #4 – The bowl is not dishwasher safe
The bowl for both the ICE-30BC and for the ICE-70 is made of aluminium coated with xylan (polypropylene). You’ll need to clean it with good old-fashioned elbow grease as it’s not dishwasher safe. You also can’t use an abrasive sponge in case you scratch off the xylan (polypropylene) coating.
2. Compressor machines
Ice cream makers in this category have an in-built refrigeration unit that freezes the bowl. The main benefits over non-compressor machines are that you don’t need to leave the bowl in the freezer overnight before it can be used, and you can make several batches, or different flavours, in the same day; you just clean the dasher and bowl after the first batch, place them back in the machine, and you’re ready to freeze the next batch. Ice cream makers with an in-built refrigeration unit do, however, tend to be more expensive.
2.1 What is the best compressor ice cream maker?
The compressor ice cream maker that I would recommend to most home cooks is the Cuisinart ICE-100*. It’s a relatively inexpensive machine that produces great ice cream and gelato with smooth, creamy, and dense texture, beating both the Whynter ICM-200LS* and the Breville BCI600XL* in my comparison tests. I’ve also found that it produces ice cream that is slightly smoother and creamier than that produced by the Cuisinart ICE-30BC and by the Cuisinart ICE-70.
It has a removable 1.4 litre (1.5 quart) aluminium bowl with an optimum capacity of 800 ml (0.85 quart) of ice cream mix, producing about 1000 ml (1.06 quart) of ice cream with about 25% overrun in 25 minutes.
2.1.1 Benefits
The main benefit of this machine is its strong motor that is able to continue spinning the dasher until the ice cream reaches a draw temperature of -10°C (14°F). This is important because, as I mentioned above, the lower the draw temperature, the smaller the ice crystals and, consequently, the smoother and creamier the ice cream is likely to be. I’ve found the motor in the Whynter ICM-200LS to be slightly weaker, with its dasher stopping at temperatures between -9°C and -10°C (15.8°F and 14°F), and the Breville BCI 600XL weaker still, with its dasher stopping at -9°C (15.8°F).
A second benefit is the design of its two dashers; it comes with two plastic dashers, one for ice cream and the other for gelato. Both dashers have two vertical plastic scraper arms that scrape the ice that forms at the freezer bowl wall. When fitted onto the central pin inside the bowl, both dashers leave a gap of 1 mm between the scraper arms and the bowl wall. This results in a 1 mm layer of ice that freezes to the bowl wall during freezing, which isn’t thick enough to lower the rate of heat transfer.
2.1.2 Drawbacks
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. If not properly cleaned, this diluted mix can then solidify over time and impart a mouldy smell. Diluted mix may also 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, but it does mean that you’ll need to take greater care when cleaning the bowl. I also now regularly unscrew the plastic seal on the underside of the bowl and pour boiling water over the seal and gear to sterilise both. I then make sure that both are dry before I screw the seal back on.
2.1.3 How to get the best out of the ICE-100
TIP #1
Switch the machine on and leave it running for 15 minutes before you add your mix. This ensures that the bowl is as cold as possible when the mix is added, which promotes the formation of more and smaller ice crystals and reduces the time it takes to freeze the mix, both of which contribute to smoother and creamier texture. I recommend this step for all of the ice compressor ice cream makers in this guide.
2.2 The best compressor ice cream maker if you have the budget
For those with a higher budget, I’d highly recommend the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino*. This machine produces excellent ice cream that is substantially smoother and creamier than that produced in the ICE-100. It has a non-removable stainless steel bowl (very easy to clean) that has an optimum capacity of 700 ml (0.74 quart) of mix, producing about 900 ml (0.95 quart) of ice cream with about 29% air in an average time of 17 minutes and 30 seconds.
2.2.1 Benefits
The first benefit of this ice cream maker is its heavy stainless steel dasher, which has 2 protruding stainless steel arms, one longer than the other. Only the long, curved arm scrapes the ice that forms at the bowl wall and on the bowl floor. I’ve found that when fitted onto the central pin inside the bowl, the long arm leaves a gap of just 1 mm at its closest point to the wall, where it starts to curve upwards, increasing to 2 mm just over half of the way up the arm where it curves slightly away from the wall, and a gap of just 1 mm at the bowl floor. This results in a 1-2 mm layer of ice freezing to the bowl wall and floor during freezing, which isn’t thick enough to significantly lower the rate of heat transfer. As I mentioned above, a high rate of heat transfer is important because it promotes the formation of many small ice crystals and, consequently, smooth and creamy texture.
The second is that the the dasher motor is able to produce sufficient torque to continue mixing the ice cream until it reaches an optimum draw temperature of -10°C (14°F). As I mentioned above, the lower the draw temperature, the smaller and more numerous the ice crystals and, consequently, the smoother and creamier the texture will be.
2.2.2 Drawbacks
The only drawback of this machine is the gap between the central pin that rotates the dasher and surrounding plastic, which, if you’re not careful, can let in ice cream when you’re cleaning or extracting the finished ice cream from the machine. Over time, the build up of hardened ice cream can not only start to smell a bit cheesy, but can also increase the friction between the rotating central pin and surrounding plastic, placing more stress on the drive system, which will wear out the gears faster. My advice is to be extra careful when extracting the ice cream and cleaning the bowl so you don’t get any on the central pin. If some does happen to fall on the pin, quickly wipe it off, spray it with some antibacterial surface spray, and dry with a disposable kitchen towel.
2.3. The best compressor ice cream maker for restaurants or small ice cream start ups
If you own a small restaurant or are starting a small ice cream or gelato business, I’d highly recommend the Lello Musso Pola 5030*; this was the ice cream maker that I used to produce ice cream to sell at my first food market here in Manchester.
2.3.1 Benefits
The first benefit is that it has a larger non-removable stainless steel bowl (again, very easy to clean) than the 4080. This bowl has a maximum capacity of 1500 ml (1.59 quart) of ice cream mix, although I’ve found an optimum capacity of 1100 ml (1.16 quart) of mix, which produces about 1300 ml (1.37 quart) of extremely smooth, dense, and creamy ice cream with about 18% overrun in 11 minutes 55 seconds. I’ve run the 5030 pretty much continuously for 3.5 hours to produce 13.5 litres (14.27 quart) of ice cream and didn’t have any overheating issues.
The second is, like the 4080, the heavy stainless steel dasher leaves a gap of just 1 mm at its closest point to the wall, where it starts to curve upwards, increasing to 2 mm just over half of the way up the arm where it curves slightly away from the wall, and a gap of just 1 mm at the bowl floor. This results in a 1-2 mm layer of ice freezing to the bowl wall and floor during freezing, which isn’t thick enough to significantly lower the rate of heat transfer.
The third benefit is that the dasher motor is able to produce sufficient torque to continue mixing the ice cream until it reaches an optimum draw temperature of -11°C (12.2°F). Below -11°C (12.2°F), the dasher slows and comes to a stop. I wouldn’t recommend running the dasher below -11°C (12.2°F), or until it stops, as this will very likely cause the plastic gear wheels connecting the dasher motor to the drive shaft to quickly wear. On the few occasions that I have let my ice cream get below -11°C (12.2°F) with the dasher still running, I’ve noticed a very slight smell of warm plastic coming from the front of the machine, which I’m guessing is the smell of the two plastic gear wheels wearing.
2.3.2 Drawbacks
Like the 4080, you need to be careful not to get any ice cream on the central pin during extraction and cleaning as this will likely get in the gap between the central pin and surrounding plastic. This will then dry, give off a not-so-pleasant cheesy smell, and may add stress to the drive system that spins the dasher.
3. Summary
If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive ice cream maker, I’d recommend the Cuisinart ICE-30BC*. It makes good ice cream but you need to freeze the bowl overnight at at least -18°C (-0.4°F), or preferably colder, before it can be used. The bowl takes up quite a bit of space in your freezer and you can’t freeze more than one batch of ice cream/gelato/sorbet per day. If cost isn’t an issue, I’d recommend going with the updated Cuisinart ICE-70*. This uses the same bowl as the ICE-30BC but has an improved dasher and makes ice cream that is slightly creamier.
If you don’t want to have to freeze the bowl overnight before you can make your ice cream, or are looking to make several batches or different flavours in the same day, I’d recommend the Cuisinart ICE-100*. This ice cream maker has an in-built refrigeration unit and makes great ice cream, but you may need to periodically take the bottom of the bowl apart with a screwdriver to give it a thorough clean. If you have the budget, I’d highly recommend the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino*. This too has an in-built refrigeration unit, makes excellent ice cream and gelato that is smoother and creamier than that produced in the ICE-100, but is nearly four times the price. You also need to be careful not to get any ice cream on the central pin during extraction or cleaning.
If you’re looking for an ice cream maker for your restaurant or are starting a small ice cream or gelato business, I’d highly recommend the Lello Musso Pola 5030*; this was the ice cream maker that I used for my first food market here in Manchester. It has an in-built refrigeration unit, a larger bowl than the 4080, and makes excellent ice cream and gelato that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy. Like the 4080, you need to be careful not to get any ice cream on the central pin during extraction and cleaning.
4. What the * means
Transparency is key. On that note, I haven’t been paid to write this guide, nor was I given any of these machines for free. I paid for these bad boys with my own money and have written this guide in my own time. 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, ever.
5. References
1. Drewett, E. M., and Hartel, R. W., 2007. Ice crystallisation in a scraped surface freezer. Journal of Food Engineering. 78(3).
2. Goff, H. D., and Hartel, R., W., 2013. Ice Cream. 7th ed. New York: Springer
3. Eisner, M. D., Wildmoser, H., and Windhab, E. J., 2005. Air cell microstructuring in a high-viscous ice cream matrix. Colloids Surf A. 263(1–3). 390–9.
4. Ben Lakhdar, M., Cerecero, R., Alvarez, G., Guilpart, J., Flick, D., and Lallemand, A., 2005. Heat transfer with freezing in a scraped surface heat exchanger. Applied Thermal Engineering. 25(1), 45–60.
5. 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.
6. 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).
Related Posts
Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker – A Comprehensive Review
Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker – A Comprehensive Review
Cuisinart ICE-100 vs Breville BCI600XL vs Whynter ICM-200LS
Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream – Recipe
Vegan Ice Cream: selecting a non-dairy fat
Selling Ice Cream at Oxford Brookes University!
RECOMMENDED READING
How to calculate an ice cream mix
Any thoughts about the cuisinart ICE31GE VS the ICE-30? I don’t really need the higher capacity of the 31 but right now it’s cheaper in my country and amazon in europe doesn’t seem to sell yet the ice-70 :\
Hi, anyone has any experience with Unold machines? The brand is mostly common in Germany but I can’t find any good source of reviews for their 48880. The musso is quite expensive and according to replays here, also lack of customers service which is no bid for me
Sorry, I realise this is a slightly old post now but have you ever tested a Magimix 11680 Gelato Expert? Seems like a higher end home machine?
Great article either way!
Any thoughts on the upgrade version of the Musso Pola 5030, the Chef. It says they upgraded the transmission for heavy duty use and it has a safety device, which I’m not sure what it does. https://www.lagondola.it/product.php~idx~~~894~~Musso+Pola+Stella+CHEF~.html
Hello ruben..
I was very worried as to how to make ice cream maker using ice cream maker machine. But your enough information to make my shopping process much easier. I am very glad about my new ice cream maker machine working properly. Thank you for this post.
I’m replaying from the USA. What do you think about the CB -200 emery Thompson batch freezer? Quality wise and rest? Thank you!
Hey Julio,
The CB-200 is a good and well-built little machine. It’s a good machine to start with but I have already grown out of mine and am looking for something bigger. It also whips in a bit too much air my liking, around 60%.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
great blog! I’ve really enjoyed it over the years. Do you have any thoughts or resources on ice cream and the pacojet?
I know it’s not a “true” ice cream maker but I recently lucked out and was able to get one for cheap. It’s been lots of fun but I’m having trouble adopting normal ice cream recipes for the pacojet and was curious if you’ve came across any good resources on adopting more traditional recipes or the general science of stabilizers and such in the case of a glorified ice shaver
Hey D,
Thanks for getting in touch. Yes I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a pacojet for a long time and came close to purchasing one a few months ago but still haven’t tested one. Modernist Cuisine is a good resource; it has a brief review/introduction on the pacojet and at least one pistachio gelato recipe, although you can also find this recipe on youtube. It’s also a pricey book.
Yes I’ve been told that you need to significantly reduce the fat content when using a pacojet or your mix will churn, this might be a good starting point for you.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
Great review, however, why is the Nemox 5k Crea not mentioned in relation to the other Ice cream makers despite being highly rated by you earlier? Do you prefer the Musso 5030 or the Nemox 5k Crea and for what reason? I’m after a large capacity machine and considering whether the Musso Club is necessary or if the Nemox 5k sc would suffice having a smaller bowl size but seemingly faster freeze rate. They are nearly the same price.
I’m in the same boat here! Have you closed in on a decision?
I’ve just ordened the Musso Zara club
We ended up getting the Musso Pola after seeing your previous glowing review of it. We loved it for about..3 batches. Afterwards, we noticed that the bottom blade was scraping the bottom of the bowl to such an extent that it was putting metal shavings into our gelato. We used straight edges to verify that indeed the dasher was not properly mounted in the machine and is at an extreme angle. We contacted the company and they never responded to our concerns (this was at least 2 months ago, and they previously replied when I inquired about purchasing..).
All in all we’re terribly dissapointed in the machine, especially for the amount of money it costs, and now we’re out of a machine for our startup.
Hey Ali,
Thanks for getting in touch. Sorry to hear that you’ve had a negative experience so far with Musso and your 5030. When and where did you buy it? If you bought it recently, can you not return the machine and either swap it for a new one or get your money back? If you purchased it from amazon, I’d highly recommend returning it even if you have had it longer than 30 days. If you are not able to return it, have you tried looking for a spare dasher? I’m not sure how easy it is to get spare parts where you are but we have a company here in the UK called Robot Coupe that usually have a good range of spare parts in stock. I know you shouldn’t have to pay for a replacement and of course musso should send you one for free but if they’re not replying to your messages, the quickest way to sort your problem might be to order a spare dasher off their website. You could then always return the old one in place of the new one and get a refund on your dasher replacement cost.
I hope that helps. I’ll try and update my review of the 5030 to include something about Musso’s poor customer service when I get the time. Where in this world of ours are you based?
All the best,
Ruben
Hi Ruben,
I posted a reply that apparently didn’t actually post..
We bought the machine via Amazon in late May 2020, we’re located in Connecticut USA. Since the issues became impossible to ignore before the 30 day return amazon has, we were able to send it back. However, for folks looking to purchase a large piece of equipment via amazon (which in this case was the only option we had), it takes a long time and a lot of badgering of customer support to get your refund issued to your account.
We don’t have any spare parts companies or anything like that around here, America hates you being able to fix your things. Also, the part that was messed up wasn’t the detachable part, but the pokey outty metal rod that appears attached to the bowl. Not sure how we would have been able to get that serviced without sending out the whole machine (also fyi, shipping something that heavy is EXPENSIVE).
we’re looking to buy it again… someone else on reddit said they bought one around the same time we did, and that they’re also seeing the same issues. we’re wondering if it’s less quality control due to covid.
Other machines are either cost prohibitive, or i don’t know enough about them to blow my money on them. And the Pola really did make such exquisite gelato…
Love the, “America hates you being able to fix your things.” That is so, so true. My take is that for the cost an ICE-30 works just fine. I have one and then bought an ICE-100 since from all the reviews I read it was the best choice for the money and provided convenience canister based machine can’t.
From my research my gut told me the Musso Pola was going to have quality issues. Your post confirms that in a big, big way!
Hi Ali – I am writing from Italy and have a Musso Mini (Lussino) which I bought directly from the factory – I know it maybe too late, but do you want me to bring this issue up with the factory? It’s a really small company, family-owned and I know they curse having become so popular because at times, especially during the Summer, they struggle to keep up with orders and keeping in touch with customers. At least I can explain the problem, which may be important for them in any case. Let me know how you feel about it.
Sorry the Anonymous who offered to contact Muss was me – not sure why it did not load my details.
OK – just out of curiosity I contacted Musso directly. The owner told me that this is a problem with amazon – they do not put the machine on individual pallets and the whole assembly may suffer during delivery. When buying directly from the factory, each machine has its own individual pallet so transportation is usually not an issue.
Chiara thank you so much for locking into this, sorry to have missed your earlier comment! I wish i could buy directly from Musso, we were absolutely in love with our machine when we first received it. It makes sense that having them all crushed together would cause the issue we’re seeing.
-Ali
I was just in contact with the Company and they suggest to order from Amazon as they only ship to private customers in Italy.
Thank you all for this informative thread. I purchased a Lello Musso Pola 5030 from Amazon early May 2020. This unit is for personal home use. I had heard scraping and noted etching within the bowl 3 months after purchase. Your posts primed me for this discovery. I discovered metal shavings in my ice cream last evening, so now this malfunction has been confirmed in my unit. In my assessment, based on my experience as an engineer in pharmaceutical manufacturing, there are several vulnerabilities. The first is the selection of metal for the sleeve/paddle attachment. It does not appear food grade, based on the dull appearance and flexibility upon applying minimal force. Second is the small contact area between the fixed pin and the overlying sleeve. For stability, this should be longer, affording greater area and stability (i.e. less movement). Third is the tolerance between the pin and the sleeve approximation. There is an irregular gap on all four sides of contact. I marked the post and sleeve to ensure consistent alignment during assembly, but the movement yields this ineffective. I suspect the movement, and subsequent production of metal shavings, is due to all three of these factors multiplied. This is all compounded by the stress of the slurry creating a gradually increasing resistance as freezing takes place. The machine should be able to accommodate this by design, so I do not consider this a variable. None of these features are impacted by shipping. At this point, I do not expect much from Amazon, but will pursue contact with the manufacturer by means of my sister, who is also an engineer and fluent in Italian having worked in Italy (and married to an Italian engineer!). Commercial food grade equipment producing metal shavings and contaminating food is not acceptable. I will post an update if we succeed in making contact with the manufacturer. In the meantime, “buyer beware”.
Thanks for that detailed post. I’ll start by saying that I received my Musso from Amazon in May 2020 and have not had any problems. A few comments:
– I don’t think the dull color indicates that the stainless steel is not food grade. I think it is just the material finish
– I am curious: did you take the thing apart? You mention assembly which could imply a disassembly. If you have photos of the thing apart I’d love to see them.
– I don’t think it is intended that the central bowl sleeve be a bearing surface for the driven stainless rod (I think a simple clearance is intended), but I don’t know what _is_ supposed to play that role — I would have thought/hoped that there is a ball bearing or at least a sleeve bearing under the bowl that would define a sufficiently rigid axis for the rod’s rotation, but it is sounds like at least in some units that resistance is insufficient, and something can cause the rod axis to drift leading to friction between the ‘paddle’ or dasher and the bowl. By any chance did you have hard ingredients — nuts, or a sugar, or something in the slurry that could have become trapped between the dasher and the bowl? I’ll be careful about anything that could asymmetrize the forces on the dasher given the experience that you, and others, have had. Evidently, the machine should be designed to resist those forces or gracefully stall.
thanks again for the detailed post!
David
I was looking at upgrading my Cuisinart ICE-100 to the 5030 and have been looking for a “deal” but after your engineering analysis will discontinue my search.
However, after reading posts on my gelato gelato facebook page I bought a Gaggia Geliteria from the 1990’s.
Supposedly never used, so for $186 (including taxes and shipping) I’m hoping this old design will serve me well.
Wow…such an amazing post. Very useful for anybody.
Thanks for these informative reviews! I have a similar question to some other posters: is the capacity of the Musso Mini too small for most standard ice cream recipes? I have a couple (American) ice cream cookbooks with recipes that seem to generally produce, according to the recipes, between 1 and 1.5 quarts (about 950-1400 mL) of ice cream, which seems to be about 3 to 3.75 cups (700-900 mL) of the base liquid. Would this cause the Musso Mini to overflow?
Another question: Musso’s website shows that both the Mini and the Pola (aka Stella, the larger one) run on 110/60 and 230/50 electricity. This would be fantastic for me, since I’m currently located in Switzerland but may move back to the United States at some point and I’d love to get a machine that works with both types of electricity. Can you confirm that this is true (if it says it somewhere on the machines themselves)?
Thank you!
Any review on h.Koenig HF180?
Hello Ruben, thanks for such informative reviews. We are thinking about getting a small ice cream machine for our cafe. The Musso machine looks good. We are also considering the Nemox 5k. Nemox has an official US presence which makes me think (not always the case) that service would be better. Any recommendation between the two machines?
I have the exact same question. Hoping there are at least two of whichever he recommends so we can both make a purchase!
Love the 4080 but wish I had gone with the 5030 from the start. I rage if even a molecule of mix comes close to that central pin!
😃
I have the ICE-30 and the ICE-100.
I upgraded the ICE-30 by buying the ICE-70 dasher. That cost $7 (ebay) and resolved the dasher gap issue.
I bought the ICE-100 from a want not a need; the ICE-30 will do for my homemade ice cream.
The two issues I have with the ICE-100 are you can’t, as Ruben wrote, fill it’s canister with more than .85 quarts of ice cream mix other wise it’s going to overflow. The ice cream recipes I use typically make 1.5 quarts. If I keep the ice cream to .85 quarts I waste 10 to 15%% of the mix. This makes me sad.
The second issue is Ruben has written you should stop churning ice cram when it reaches 14 degrees F. Although I can get to that temp with the ICE-30 I can’t with the ICE-100. With the ICE-100 I stop at around 21F.
So if I have the freezer space and time I use the ICE-30, otherwise I use the ICE-100. Overall the difference in ice cream quality is minute.
Something to think about!
Upgrading to the ICE-70’s dasher, instead of buying the whole unit, is a very good idea.
Honestly despite they do look neat, I never found Musso gelato makers worth even half the price. I had tens of different ice cream makers and the quality of gelato made with Musso it’s not even close to the one made with the old Nemox or Gaggia, or the new Nemox. Yes they are all metal and no plastic, but the structure of gelato is still better in the cheaper machines with plastic parts (Nemox and Gaggia). One more point is that Musso are a real pain to clean.
Although Gaggia is not being produced any longer. Nemox is very expensive so for those that want a very good machine what others do you recommend?
Hi, thank you for the post.
Hi Ruben – thanks for this. I have a Musso Mini (the 4080) and I found that the ice cream rises up the barrel only if I overfill the machine or if I use a oat based vegan ice cream, which is more viscous. With my usual recipes (vegan in general) I neve have a problem, even if I load the machine with almost a chilogrammi of mix, which is way abode the recommended about (700g)