We All Scream...

There’s an expression of sheer glee that flashes across a person’s face, regardless of age, when handed a scoop of ice cream. While growing older may swirl a ribbon of guilt into that experience, there’s no denying that a good cone can still make our day.

Enjoying ice cream at home has only been possible since the mid-20th century, when household freezers became common. Before that, the treat had to be purchased from a confectioner and eaten at once or churned laboriously with a hand-crank. Today, grabbing a pint at the market and saving it for weeks is routine (if you have that sort of self-restraint), but it’s almost as easy to make your own batch in a kitchen-ready electric machine.

This month we review a collection of home ice-cream makers, from the low-cost starter model to a high-end Italian gelato machine. To help us judge, we asked ice-cream-shop proprietor and flavor inventor Jake Godby to give the machines a whirl.
 

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  4070 Gelato

  • Price: $199.00

  The lid on this machine has the blade attached, which lowers the risk of misplaced parts, but it also makes for a messy process if you must pull the lid off a few times as you fit the bowl to the base. We also like the convenient cleanup with the removable bowl and found the texture to be satisfactory, but for the size and cost, this one didn’t blow us away.
   

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  Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment

  • Made by: KitchenAid
  • Price: $99.99

  If you are lucky enough to own a candy-colored KitchenAid countertop mixer, this attachment could be a good choice. The size of the bowl is definitely an issue if you have a small or overstuffed freezer, but once the freezing stage is complete, the bowl attaches securely and operates easily. The ice cream comes out a bit like whipped marshmallow, but after a night of freezing it gains some solidity.
   

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  Supreme Commercial Quality Ice Cream

  • Made by: Cuisinart
  • Price: $299.00

  This Cuisinart model certainly looks like it should outshine its baby brother, with its steel exterior, significant weight, and built-in freezing mechanism. However, it was a disappointment all around. The recommended time was not enough, yet the motor stopped with the timer, meaning you can’t leave this thing alone and expect it to churn to perfection in your absence. We agree with Godby that the worst part is the noise.

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  Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker

  • Made by: Industrial Revolution Inc.
  • Price: $30.34

  As an activity for kids, this concept is pretty brilliant. They forget that they’re waiting for dessert, they get a little exercise, and when the ice cream is done, they have the satisfaction of knowing they’ve made it themselves. Plus the color options are great and storage is easy. As the only nonelectric model we reviewed, this won very high marks. We’d definitely take it on a picnic.
   

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  Automatic Frozen Yogurt–Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

  • Made by: Cuisinart
  • Price: $49.95

  Let this machine be a lesson that the most expensive option is not always the best. We were delighted to discover how well this model stood up to its costlier competitors. The motor is quiet and the machine is lightweight. Our main complaint is that the walls of the bowl become very icy as it spins, which makes it hard to get all of the ice cream out and means you can’t clean it until the buildup has melted.