Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker, Black Stainless

I had always wanted an ice cream maker with a compressor as we make a lot of ice cream but only can do so through the hot summer months. Neither of us likes store bought ice cream and, too, it's gotten so expensive. Upon much research and also watching Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) use this model, I decided to gift myself with it. Best decision I could have made! I read the instructions twice just to make sure of what I was doing and mixed up my first batch of ice cream from the included booklet. My husband wanted fresh raspberry so this is the one I made first. It was delicious. The only thing I could have done any better was to really crush up the raspberries better. I only mashed them a little thinking they would break up on their own as raspberries are so fragile. They didn't break apart in the mixer enough but it was really good anyway. The bowl and paddle are very simple to get ready and the lid is easy to lock in. It even has a little door that can be opened to add nuts, etc. in the last five minutes of freezing. The really BIG rule is to not put in too much mix. If you do, as it freezes, it will go over the rim of the basket and then you will really have a mess. But the nice thing about the maker is that after a batch is done, wait 10 minutes and then you can make another batch. This you can do all day long if you choose. A recipe from the booklet makes just the right amount for the freezer. But in saying that, if you are a big ice cream eater or have very many people to serve then you will need to make more than one batch. As there are only two of us, this is the perfect amount to make as it last several days, depending how big a bowl my husband gets. I've made several ice creams, vanilla, chocolate (delicious) black walnut, butter pecan and several vanillas with the addition of items toward the end. One of my really favorite things to make are the sorbets. If the fruit is really ripe and sweet, much less sugar can be used in the recipe. Strawberry sorbet is my favorite. Unbelievably fresh tasting. And frozen fruit can be purchased all year around which are much better than the insipid fruits I'm able to purchase out of season. The machine freezes the contents pretty firmly and even has a 10 minute cycle at the end of the churning cycle to keep on chilling. The machine will shut off the churn cycle when it can go no further and then go to the chill cycle, beeping to tell you what is happening. Cuisinart has thought of everything in their design and produced a superior product here. A few hints: always have your mix well chilled before putting into the machine. I even set the mixing bowl in the freezer for twenty minutes before putting in the machine. Thoroughly chill the storage container to have it ready to put the finished ice cream. There's not much melting doing it this way. Have a small silicone spatula handy to scrape out the finished ice cream from the machine bowl. This gets all the ice cream out and the silicone is non scratch. You do not want to scratch the machine's bowl because it would damage the Teflon coating. And last but not least, just take an extra minute and hand wash the bowl, paddles and lid. So much gentler on everything. I found out that the Cuisinart does not churn in as much air as a White Mountain or similar out door maker does which makes the frozen product freeze harder. No problem though, just let it sit out of the freezer for a minute or two or microwave the container for 7 or 8 seconds to thaw it up a bit. Also, I noticed that several reviewers complained about how loud the machine is when churning. We haven't been bothered by it as it's quieter than our dishwasher...hmm...maybe I need a new dishwasher????? Well, now on to many trials and experiments with different recipes...can't wait.

I absolutely love it ! It allows me to be creative and spontaneous and make several batches of ice cream in one day. I have nothing negative to say about it.

I've been extremely happy with my Cuisinart ice cream maker. The motor is powerful, easy to use, and consistently delivers smooth, creamy ice cream with excellent texture. It handles thick mixtures without any issues and produces professional-quality results at home. I've made ice cream, gelato, and sorbet in it, and every batch has turned out great. The machine is reliable, well-built, and makes the whole process simple and enjoyable. If you love homemade frozen desserts, this machine is absolutely worth it. Highly recommended! 🍨 Cuisinart ice cream makers are widely praised for producing creamy ice cream and being easy to use, which matches my experience perfectly

Machine works as promised. Make great gelato - I have tried a few recipies from the internet. Definitely better than the ones that dont come with a compressor since slow churning is the key. The only negative is that is quite loud when in operation. This is my 3rd Cuisinart machine so I know its backed by an awesome warranty and quality.

After much research, we decided to purchase this Cuisinart ICE-100 1.5 quart Ice cream and gelato maker. We are so pleased with it. It is simple to use, churns and chills and another batch can go in right after one is finished as the churning bowl gets a brief 15 minutes in the freezer to offset the room temperature and begin freezing quickly. The first recipe in the manual is for a simple vanilla ice cream. We found the recipe to be easy but too much sugar, so the second batch we cut it by 1/4 cup and now it is perfect. I recommend using caster, or baking sugar, as it is a finer granule and dissolves more quickly. We really appreciated the review on Amazon by KC Pup for the recommended book, "The Perfect Scoop". We've tried several recipes from this book and they are spot on! The machine is large, but since we are using it so much we have it on our counter just out of the way. It seems loud at first, but knowing that great ice cream without stabilizers or other preservative ingredients is coming, the loudness fades into the background after a while. We've had well chilled mixture finish in 20 minutes, but other recipes take 40-60 minutes. Part of that depends on the volume and the temperature of the mixture. Do chill overnight if you can, it makes for a better blending of the ingredients and a 'marrying' of the flavors. Do measure your final mix and do not overload the bucket or you will have it running out with every sweep of the churn as it progresses in its freezing process. We have enjoyed the initial soft serve right from the machine, and we also purchased some Tovolo ice cream containers to hard freeze and reserve some for later. Ice Cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt and granitas are all well done in this machine. We have no regrets and have had no issues with this machine. And hubby is enjoying more ice cream than ever - which is a good thing because none of us are getting any younger!

Initially, I was apprehensive spending so much money on a food toy. However, after trying a number of recipes of ice cream and gelato, I am thoroughly impressed. Construction is robust and I'm sure in future years even my grandchildren will be using such a fine piece of equipment. The results were excellent.

We have tried out a few different recipes, so far, and have loved each result! This maker turns out soft serve at a consistency I like. It's easy to use, easy to clean, and we have the perfect counter spot for it. :)

Easiest ice cream machine I've ever used. It's also not as loud as most machines and chills the ice cream base in less than 20 min. I'll be using this more often than my former ice cream maker.

The quality of the ice cream consistency...firmness, solidity....is significantly better compared with that produced using an ice cream maker that requires pre-chilling a container. The motor that turns the paddle is a bit loud but tolerable. The creaminess of the ice cream, after removal from the ice cream maker, placed in a receptacle and kept in a freezer, is not different from that produced with my ice cream maker requiring pre-chilling the container as far as I can tell given the ice cream base I prepare. Would like to be able to set the timer at a time I choose rather than being restricted to 60 min and be able to independently set the timer and turn on/off the compressor. In any case, I am pleased with the ice cream produced AND the ability to make multiple batches without having to wait 24 hours while a container is pre-chilling or to have multiple containers pre-chilling.

I'm loving this ice cream maker. If all your ingredients are chilled you have ice cream or sorbet in less than an hour. I have found I need to cut back on the maximum quantity a little as the 2nd time I used it will 900mls of ingredients it overflowed and went between the bowl and the unit and froze solid so I couldn't get the bowl out until it had defrosted. I had to scoop all the ice cream out in situ. You definitely get a better final product with a custard base and you can add a couple of tablespoons of vodka to achieve a softer set when it's been in the freezer. The vodka doesn't affect the taste at all.