Ninja Creami NC301 Ice Cream Maker - A Comprehensive Review
The Ninja Creami NC301 is an ice cream maker for home cooks that is largely based on the Pacojet, a $7,000 commercial machine usually found in restaurants and hotel kitchens. I’ve been testing it in my kitchen now for 10 weeks and my overall impression is positive. Its convenience, both in terms of production and cleaning, is its biggest asset and I also like its relatively small footprint and light weight.
The best ice cream maker 2023 - A comprehensive guide
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.
Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker - A Comprehensive Review
The Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker was my recent upgrade from the smaller Lello 4080 Musso Lussino, which I'd been using for about a year. After close to a month of testing, I've found that it produces exceptional ice cream that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy. It 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 ice cream mix, producing about 1300 ml (1.37 quart) of extremely smooth, dense, and creamy ice cream with about 18% air in 11 minutes 55 seconds. I've also gotten great results with gelato: freezing 880 ml (0.93 quart) of gelato mix produces about 1000 ml (1.06 quart) of smooth, dense, and creamy gelato with about 14% air in 10 minutes 45 seconds. My only complaint is the gap between the central pin and the surrounding plastic, which can let in ice cream mix during extraction and cleaning if you’re not careful.
Cuisinart ICE-30 Ice Cream Maker - A Comprehensive Review
The Cuisinart ICE-30BCP1 is a domestic ice cream maker with a large 1.89 litre (2 quart) freezer bowl that needs to be frozen for at least 12 hours before it can be used. After nearly 7 years of use (this was the first ice cream machine I ever bought), I've found that it makes great ice cream that is smooth and creamy but does have just a few icy bits that are detectable in the mouth. It produces ice cream that isn't quite as smooth and creamy as the upgraded Cuisinart ICE-70P1. My only complaints are the noise this machine makes and the dasher, which could sit a bit closer to the bowl wall.
Cuisinart ICE-70 Ice Cream Maker - A Comprehensive Review
After a month of testing, I've found that the Cuisinart ICE-70P1 makes excellent ice cream that is smooth and creamy with very few coarse bits. I've found that it makes ice cream that is nearly comparable to that made in the more expensive Cuisinart ICE-100, which has an in-built freezing system, and slightly creamier than the older Cuisinart ICE-30BCP1. It has an optimum capacity of 900ml (0.95 quart) of ice cream mix, producing about 1090 ml (1.15 quart) of ice cream with about 22% air in 28 minutes and 30 seconds. To get the best out of this machine, I'd recommend freezing the large 1.89 litre (2 quart) removable bowl for 24 hours at around -26°C (-14.8°F). I've found that freezing the bowl at -18°C (0.4°F) produces ice cream with coarse texture.
Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker - A Comprehensive Review
The Lello 4080 Musso Lussino is an Italian-made domestic ice cream machine with an in-built freezing system. After 7 months of extensive use, which has included using this machine to make ice cream to sell at 5 food markets, I've found that it produces excellent ice cream that is extremely smooth, dense, and creamy. It 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. My only complaint is the gap between the central pin and the surrounding plastic, which can let in ice cream mix during extraction and cleaning if you're not careful.