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Kathryn Price |
Date: 2010-07-18
As this product had not been reviewed yet, I read several reviews for the Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker before making my decision to purchase this product. Many comments about the ICE-20 mentioned that the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve; some reviewers said it was too soft. I did not find that issue with the ice cream I made with this ice cream maker. I turned my freezer to the coldest setting and froze the bowl for 7 hours. I could not hear any liquid moving in the bowl at that point, so I assumed it was solidly frozen. I made the Simple Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from the booklet that came with the machine. After about 20 minutes, the ice cream was nicely textured and creamy. It wasn't as hard as the packed ice cream you purchase at the store, so I guess you might say the consistency was somewhere between soft serve and store-bought: firmer than soft serve, but not as firm as hard pack. As reviewers of the ICE-20 pointed out, if the ice cream was frozen as solidly as hard pack in the machine, it would be difficult to remove it from the container.
The ice cream is simply wonderful. It has a fresh, pure taste that outshines anything I could purchase from the store. I bought it mainly because I wanted to have control of my ingredients. I want to use organic products as much as possible and I want to experiment with soy ice creams; I have thought I might want to get away from dairy products altogether.
This product was listed as the newest version of the ICE-20 and as an upgrade that improves upon the ICE-20 while still keeping its popular features. I don't know what the upgrade consists of, but I can say that in 20-25 minutes, I had really excellent ice cream that I thought was the perfect consistency. After freezing it for a couple of hours it was firmer and I liked it at that consistency, too. I was thinking about how great this ice cream would be with warm apple pie, because tasting it really is like tasting fresh vanilla cream. But we're a couple of months away from apple pie season! This product couldn't be simpler to use, and I think it will pay for itself fairly quickly in savings over the cost of premium purchased ice cream. And it just tastes better.
Banshee |
Date: 2010-07-20
I bought the new ICE-21 ice cream maker from Cuisinart and just made my first batch of strawberry ice cream. I was a little worried that it would not freeze well based on the reviews of the ICE-20, also sold on Chocolate Fondue Set, but in literally 10 minutes after pouring the chilled ingredients in, I had perfectly textured ice cream. The unit is very easy to clean, not terribly loud, and as long as if doesn't break on me after a few months (and I will update this if it does), I will say this is a great purchase. Now I can make whatever flavor ice cream I desire! Mwhahaha!
ebe |
Date: 2010-08-11
I decided to purchase this ice cream maker based on reviews from America's Test Kitchen which they rated as recommended to buy and best value. For the price this machine does a great job. Fresh made ice cream is so much better than store bought. The ICE-21 is the newer version of the ICE-20. It's so easy to use; the only thing you have to be careful of is portion control. If you pour too much of the ice cream mixture it can overflow easily. I say this because you have to be careful when adding extra ingredients such as fresh fruit and chocolate chips. Some people complain that the consistency is not hard enough, but if you place the finished product in your freezer for at least 2 more hours the ice-cream gradually hardens. I discovered that a day after the ice-cream is made it gets as hard as store bought, so it's all a matter of time. I use the recipes from the booklet that comes with the ice cream maker and find them to be delicious. It is also easy to clean with mild soap, warm water and a soft sponge. The machine is also pretty quiet so it's not an annoyance. The manual says it makes ice cream in 20 minutes or less and it is true to its claim. Overall I am very happy with this product and don't regret purchasing it.
S. Hall |
Date: 2010-08-14
This ice cream maker has a good design. It freezes very fast and is easy to clean. I like to dump a quart of flavored nonfat yogurt into it, and presto, a low calorie desert. I can also make less-sweet frozen deserts than are available commercially. Other reviewers noted that the resulting frozen desert is very soft -- but this is true of all ice cream makers (I have owned a Donvier, and also used the old fashioned salt-and-ice bucket type when I was a kid). The ice cream has to be put in the freezer for it to fully firm up. One thing I like about this model is that, once the frozen desert is firmed up so that it all clings to the beater inside, the design of the beater helps you lift it out and into a container. Very little is left inside the machine to scoop out.
Linctic |
Date: 2010-08-15
This machine is amazing. Ice cream is ready in 20 minutes. The ice cream texture is perfect. I always make sure my ice cream mixture is cold before putting it into the ice cream maker bowl.
