Cuisinart ICE-100 1.5-Quart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker, Fully Automatic with a Commercial Quality Compressor and 2-Paddles, 10-Minute Keep Cool Feature, Black and Stainless Steel

I've now had this machine for three months, and have used it about 25 times. This machine has exceeded my expectations each and every time. For a couple of decades, I used a low tech Donvier machine to make ice cream. The Donvier was the first widely-distributed machine that used the bucket that had to be kept in the freezer. It served me well, churning out hundreds of ice creams and sorbets over the years.But about six months ago, we adopted a low carb regimen. After a coupl of months I was hankering for ice cream. Both cream and eggs work very well on low carb, and I had done a lot of experimentation with natural sugar replacements, so I felt confident that I could come up with a viable recipe for a reasonably desirable alternative to the high carb stuff that's so ruinous to a healthy diet.However, the idea of intermittent churning on which the Donvier is based just didn't work with sugar free ice cream. Sugar is a highly structural component, especially in ice cream. Once you take it out, that changes every property of how ice cream is made. If you don't keep the sugar free mixture moving constantly, you'll end up with creamy soup with a few "icebergs" floating in it. And that's assuming you don't break your dasher trying to scrape the hard-frozen mixture off the sides. So I had two choices. I could have continued to buy one of the lower cost Cuisinart machines that churned electrically, but still required keeping a bucket in the freezer, or I could spend (much) more and buy a machine with its own compressor that eliminated the need for a freezer bucket, and which churned continuously.When I discovered that the second type allows multiple batches to be made in rapid succession, I was sold. With a freezer bucket, you can't do more than a batch each 24 hours, as the bucket has to be refrozen after each batch. My research led me to the Cuisinart ICE-100. Since my husband loves his ice cream, he agreed to let me spring for it.When it arrived, I quickly unpacked it, and discovered you must let it stay in place for 24 hours before its first use. The hubs, who is a professional engineer, told me this is true of all compressors. The compressor fluids circulate around during the shipping process, particularly if the box gets positioned with the top of the machine in any configuration than up. And for a compressor to work properly, the fluids have to return to the bottom, with the aid of gravity, meaning right side up. So I sat on my hands for 24 hours. So... hard...But it was well worth the wait. My first low carb ice cream was a classic vanilla. The texture when the machine had finished was like a Dairy Queen softserve! The taste, however, was much better than that. Think Haagen Dazs. Since then, I have added chocolate, strawberry, black raspberry, blueberry to the repertoire. All of them have been spectacular. And I'm happy to report that even with eating a lot of ice cream (the hubs puts away 2 bowls at a sitting) at we have still continued to lose weight! Diets don't get much better than this.The machine itself is incredibly easy to use. You put your well chilled mixture into the lightweight bucket, affix the lid so that it's locked in place, then plug in. You press the power button, set the timer (I find it easiest just to go with the 60 minute default) and press start. That's it! I usually check after 30 minutes, and usually, it's done by then. You can either opt to let it continue churning until either it becomes too stiff to continue, at which point it stops churning, or just press the stop button. The compressor will continue to chill without churning, for the remainder of the 60 minutes, at which point it will turn off.When it has reached a solid consistency, you can serve it. Or you can scrape it off the dasher and bucket into a container, cover it and set it in the freezer. If softserve isn't your thing, I'd suggest allowing it to "ripen" in the freezer for an hour before serving, in order for it to firm up. Wash your bucket and dasher, and you can then make another batch.The machine does make noise when it churns. We don't find the sound level to be objectionable, even though we have placed it on a counter between the kitchen and family room, where the TV is located. We can hear the TV just fine without adjusting the sound when we're in the family room, with the machine just 4-5' behind us.Another thing to be aware of is that if you opt to leave the mixture in the machine for the full 60 minutes, the bucket may well be frozen in place, making it impossible to remove it for scraping your ice cream out. I haven't found that to be a big problem, however. I just remove the dasher (which holds the majority of the ice cream) and scrape it, then use a silicone scraper to remove any ice cream that clings to the sides/bottom of the bucket. About 10 minutes after the machine is switched off, if the bucket had become too frozen to remove right away, it is then easily removed for cleaning. And speaking of cleaning, it's a simple matter. The bucket has only a small center spindle to hold the dasher, so some soapy water and a sponge makes fast work of it. And be sure to keep an old, sanitized toothbrush by your sink, which allows you to thoroughly clean the dasher in about 30 seconds flat. The plastic top is simple to clean, as well. The outside of the machine of burnished stainless is easily kept pristine with just a bit of Windex on a paper towel.Once you complete making your ice cream, unplug the machine, or a blue light on top will continue flashing until you do.All in all, this machine is a wonder of modern engineering. A quality machine, well made and simple to use. It's basically a mini version of what previously had been available only commercially to make smooth, velvety ice cream. The ICE-100 brings this capability into the home, with no salt, no ice, and perhaps best of all, no mess.

I bought this from Amazon in July 2016. Now 2023. I was curious if still manufactured etc, came to this listing and decided to write a review after all this time.So for those curious - I'm still thrilled with it and it works just as good now as it did on day 1.Once it's brought out - typically in June or early July - it is used minimum once a week. It goes back in the storage tub and into the basement in October. The machine is well used during those months.For instance, I have 4 different kinds of gelato/sorbet in our freezer right now. I made chocolate gelato for a party a few weeks ago and used it 4 times in one day to freeze the amount I prepared.This is a prosumer-grade, mass produced item. Some people will receive lemons. I didn't. Expect that there could be issues after purchase. Don't buy it until you'll use it frequently so you'll have the best chance find out if you have a lemon.Some recommendations:- Be aware of the needs of the compressor: leave plenty of room on the sides for the compressor to pull in air and push out the heat - like 4-5 inches at least on both sides. If the compressor fails from being too taxed, it's over. Treat it with care. I also find that if you have ceiling fans in the kitchen, run them keep air circulating and getting that warmer air away from the unit.- Don't put the unit in direct sunlight - you are working against the compressor and also will make freezing take longer for your ice cream and the results will suffer.- Prechill the empty freezing container and dasher IN THE UNIT for 15 minutes prior to pouring in your frozen treat. This will ensure that the compressor is running well and the container is about as cold as it will get. The faster your ice cream/gelato/sorbet freezes, the better the outcome.- Do not blame the ICE-100 for poor results if it is chilling and stirring properly. This is just a freezing machine - it is not a designer of recipes. Ice cream and other frozen treats are a lot of science. That said, if you prechill your ice cream base overnight, prechill the empty container and dasher in the unit and let it run for 15 minutes before pouring in your stuff, you'll get good results that taste good and you'll be happy to serve to others. We at home cannot freeze our recipes as quickly as the pros. To get pro-like results, you have to work at it because the temperatures achieved and the power of our equipment cannot match pro grade- we have to compensate in other ways.- Hand wash the aluminum freezing container immediately after use. Do NOT leave it soaking in water for long periods of time. Water can get caught in the bottom of the container between the plastic piece that holds the spindle for the dasher. Wash it with dish soap and scrub, rinse, and leave to dry. Once dry, hold the container up to bright light and look in the inside of the container. You'll see a triangle-like channel in the white plastic. That's where water can get in. If it does, you need to unscrew the bottom panel and let it dry out. Otherwise...ewww...it will mold. So, if you HAND WASH the container immediately and put it on the rack to dry, etc. You'll be ok. But if you make a mistake, or if water gets in there anyhow, you can see it when you hold the empty, clean container up to bright light. Shake it and see if you see any water. It will be obvious.- Please don't get frustrated this takes up so much space and is heavy...measure beforehand and see. It is a MONSTER, but if you like making frozen treats it is so wonderful to make something that same day. Especially sorbets with frozen fruit - with a good blender, frozen strawberry-lemon sorbet is done and in freezer to harden, start to finish, in less than an hour. You are making counter space and paying for that freedom and to make multiple batches in succession. Otherwise, get one of the frozen canister ones. I started with those and had the same one for years until I splurged for this one because I wanted to use the freezer space that the canister took up for the ice cream! The frozen canister ones are great, too.- Be prepared, this is kinda loud. It isn't a vacuum cleaner loud, not a blender on high power loud, but loud. That compressor is working hard to freeze your wonderful ice cream.- Invest in some good books with solid tested recipes. My favorites are "Hello My Name Is Ice Cream" and "The Perfect Scoop".I hope this help you decide if this is the right option for your frozen treat freezing. Our family and friends benefit from this bulky, loud, but highly functional machine!

This machine makes great ice cream, frozen yogurt or gelato. Very easy to use. Easy cleanup.You can make about a quart of ice cream. Anymore and it will run over. It takes about 25 to 45 minutes tochurn your ice cream.The unit is very heavy with now easy hold areas, so, lifting to a high shelf is very awkward and for manypeople impossible.I have had it only a few months: about 6 quarts of ice cream made. Don't know how long it will last but it appears well made