Cuisinart ICE30 ice cream maker

We received ours in the post yesterday and immediately cleaned and froze our canister so that we could make ice cream today. (We chose pistachio.) Not including the time it took to prepare the nuts- making what we think REALLY IS the best ice cream we've ever had was quite quick and easy. It took about 30 minutes from liquid to firm - then, into the freezer for an hour to firm up. We just scooped our very first serving and are thrilled with the results. My husband is very hard to please....
The components are easy to assemble, easy to clean and certainly sturdy.
There were no signs of the motor struggling, even when the ice cream was quite firm and there were a couple cups of mostly whole pistachios in it.
The ice cream froze quickly enough that there were no perceptible ice crystals. The result was incredibly smooth; Perfect in fact.
One note: Something that worried me at first- When the ice cream is nice and thick, like soft-serve- either serve IMMEDIATELY or transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer to firm up.
PLEASE NOTE: I was worried because the ice cream at the top and centre of the canister was very soft, whereas the ice cream up against the sides and bottom was as hard as the firmest ice cream you'll ever get from the grocery. I sort of quickly folded these varying textures together, hoped for the best and half expected hard lumps and re-frozen-tasting crystally bits. I need not have worried. After a couple of hours in the freezer, the texture all evens out and the whole batch really is consistent and lovely. I'd pay double for this machine. I just wish I had all the time in the world to try out all the recipes running through my mind!
BUY THIS ONE!

this ice cream machine is great if you want to make homemade ice cream without paying for expensive machines. its simple , practical ,easy to clean, very low maintenance. originally i wanted the 258 pound cuisinart ice cream machine but i just couldn't come to paying that kind of money for something i had not ever made before. this model came just in time!
just make sure you have a freezer with ample room for the bowl , it's quite big!
the ice cream is great , i have many fans ( family) that lick there lips when they come over hoping i've made a batch
one tip: when mixing ingredients and use eggs, beat them with a mixer rather than by hand , it makes the ice cream fluffier , less stiff after it has frozen! enjoy!!!

I've had mine now for a couple of weeks. This ice cream maker is superb. I had been considering the type with its own freezer but just couldn't convince myself to spend that much. I'm glad I didn't. This ice cream maker makes ice cream with such a beautiful smooth texture that I find it hard to believe that the expensive models can improve on it.

This maker uses a 'gel' filled bowl that has to be pre-frozen. My last one was the same, but I could not get the ice cream to freeze properly. The insulation on the bowl of the ICE30 is very thick and so it only warms up slowly. It also has a large capacity - 2 litres - so you can make a good amount in one go (and what will do a lot will do a little). However, it is a very large bowl so you need plenty of freezer space. I could not get it on either of the fast freeze shelves of my new freezer so it has to go in one of the drawers.

Unlike most machines of this kind, the blade is static and the bowl turns. I like this, its less noisy and means that there is a lovely big hole in the lid to pour stuff through. However, this means that the main unit is also big so you will need cupboard space for it. On the upside, it looks really smart so is looks fine if you have to leave it on the surface.

I've spent some time struggling to make ice cream with my old machine before it gave up the ghost so here is the benefit of my experiance:

1) THE most important thing is to have the bowl REALLY cold. Check your freezer. My old one was (as we discovered) on the way out so wasn't maintaining a low enough temperature. Ice cream freezes below 0 C so the bowl needs to be very cold. It must be at least -15. I now put my freezer on fast freeze for 4 -5 hours before I use the bowl. This lowers the freezer to -27. I should imagine that 'Super' (like my old freezer) would do the same.

2) Chill everything before hand (even if you've just mixed milk with cream stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours).

3) Sugar (and alcohol) lower the freezing point. That means it has to be even colder to freeze (or will take longer). Try reducing the amount in the recipe.

4) Try making a smaller quantity (it will take less time to freeze)

5) Leaving it churning beyond 40 mins is pointless. If it isn't frozen yet it wont.

6) Don't expect solid ice cream at the end. Its more like 'Mr Whippy'. Pour it into a box and freeze it for a few hours to make it hard.

Hope that helps