Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Machine for Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, Gelato, Ice Cream & Frozen Drinks - Makes Treats in Minutes with Large Ingredient Spout for Mix ins, Stainless Steel/Red, 2 Quart, ICE-30R

I’ve used it now 4 times. There is a learning curve but once you find a recipe you like and figure what works best for you in terms of length of churning and the ice cream’s desired thickness, it becomes a well worth it task and a great purchase. Cleanup is not that bad but be sure to wait to clean the bucket after it has thawed. Wash by hand.People have complained about ice cream sticking to the inner wall of the bucket after churning. It happens but that’s ok because that means your bucket was properly frozen. I use a semi-soft large plastic spoon to scrape the sides to get the residual leftover ice cream. It’s really not that big of a deal. My hubby likes to eat that part anyway so we never waste anything.Seriously the ice cream this machine makes is so good and if you get the right recipe you won’t complain about any of the minor details or extra effort it takes. But finding the right recipe is KEY. And DO NOT over churn. That’s what creates the gross ice crystals. It should be soft-serve after churning (15-20 mins) and then let the containers do the rest in the freezer overnight. (Thaw out for 5 minutes before serving after it’s been in the freezer overnight.). To check if churning is done, take a small spoon and hold it sideways on the ice cream as it’s churning. If the ice cream mounds up nicely on the spoon then it’s done. Turn the machine off and fill your containers. If it’s liquidy and moves off the spoon then keep churning.Buy this machine. I watched ALL the videos and read everything I could from Cuisinart’s site as well as many others. And don’t get the cheapy model. Spend the extra dollars and get this one. It’s stronger and will work better and last longer. The noise is somewhat loud but so what. It’s over before you know it.Remember there is a learning curve! My first batch was messy and gross. My hubby ate it but I threw mine out. It was AWFUL! But I didn’t give up, did more research and tried a different recipe. I changed things up to my liking and we’ve had three great batches since!Oh and get those white containers with the red tops. They work perfect and are less expensive than the purple or green ones. I put Saran Wrap and then parchment paper and then the lid over the ice cream. Cuts down on ice crystals forming.Good luck!!

I love this thing! It is easy to use, easy to clean, and we have made some delicious ice cream with it! The simple vanilla and simple chocolate recipes in the included booklet are delicious and easy, as was a mint recipe I found online. Just mix ingredients in a bowl, turn it on, and pour it in! Haven't tried one that requires cooking on the stove first, seems like a lot of unnecessary work. It made a fun little activity for the grandkids, too!I don't find it to be loud, it's just a low whirring in the background. The bowl does need to be frozen overnight, so it might take planning if you have limited freezer space. I just store ours in our chest freezer so it is always ready to go. I don't think it's any cheaper than buying ice cream, but I guess that depends on what brand you buy, too.I try not to buy single purpose kitchen appliances that take up space and don't get used very often, but we eat a lot of ice cream around here so I think we will get some use out of this one. Oh, and you can use it to make frozen margaritas!

This Cuisinart ice cream maker is AWESOME! What an improvement over the old fashioned ice cream makers! No more salt or ice needed, and this thing can make soft-serve in about 20 minutes time! Because it's Cuisinart, I also know it's built to last. The one I bought is a beautiful, cherry red! And as beautiful as it is, it is even better at making ice cream! There is a base unit that plugs into an electrical socket. There are but two dial functions: off and on. There is a removable "bucket" / bowl where you place ingredients for making the ice cream. The bowl has liquid inside, that is between that hard plastic exterior of the bucket, and the stainless steel interior of the bucket. You MUST freeze the bucket for at least 24 hours prior to making ice cream. This is how the ice cream maker avoids having to use salt of ice, when making the ice cream! You simply prepare very simple, COLD ingredients (e.g. - milk, cream, sugar, some vanilla / other flavoring), remove the bowl from your freezer, add the cold ingredients, place the bowl into the main unit (when you turn the unit on, it turns the bowl of contents), add the stationary agitator to the bowl (the agitator has construction through which the ice cream ingredients pass, while the bowl turns. In essence, the stationary agitator "stirs" the ice cream, while to bowl turns), and then place the lid on the ice cream maker. The lid has a hole in it, whereby you can easily add ingredients (e.g. - crushed Oreos, pistachio nuts, chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc.). You can make soft-serve ice cream in 20 - 25 minutes. NOTE: do NOT go beyond 20 - 25 minutes churn time; the ice cream expands, and if you over-freeze it, it will overflow, and create a HUGE mess! It's never happened to me - I set a timer for 20 minutes, max - but my daughter wasn't so diligent, and wound-up with a huge, sticky mess, all over the outside of the ice cream maker! Honestly, this issue is simple to avoid - just set a timer! The resulting ice cream is delicious, but always comes out as soft-serve. No ice cream maker has a powerful enough motor to solid-freeze ice cream. To harden up the ice cream, place it in plastic storage containers, and place them in the freezer (you need to be able to store 2 quarts of ice cream). To serve, remove the containers of ice cream from the freezer for about 15 minutes - it will then be just soft enough to scoop out! Cleaning is easy (two parts to hand wash): the bowl and agitator must be HAND-WASHED. Neither of these should go in the dishwasher, especially the bowl (remember, the bowl has liquid inside, between the plastic outside, and the metallic inside). I assume a dishwasher would ruin the bowl / agitator. Anyway, this thing makes great ice cream, and in a very short time. My OLD ice cream maker can't even begin to compare. And no longer do I need to buy ice cream salt and ice, when I want to make ice cream! And the Cuisinart makes ice cream way faster than my old fashioned ice cream maker. And the resulting ice cream is delicious! One hint: regardless of the type of ice cream I'm making, I add almond extract. ALL the ice cream recipes call for vanilla extract, but only SOME call for almond extract. EVERYONE who has tried the ice cream I make LOVES the smell and flavor that almond extract adds. If you want to make ice cream, this Cuisinart ice cream maker is the way to go!

Easy to use and makes great ice cream. It’s a little noisy but tolerable