I have owned an ice cream maker before this one. It had a smaller capacity (0.5l) but the ice cream was ready to eat. The ice cream made in the Andrew James machine requires a spell in the freezer to gain a perfect consistency and because of this I have deducted one star. However everything else about the machine is great it has a large capacity, works quickly (about 15 mins), is easy to clean and not at all fiddly. The recipe book is a bonus and I would recommend the lemon ice not a sorbet as the name suggests but a simple ice cream.