Customer reviews from cuisinart.com
Cuisinart - Ice Cream and Gelato Maker - Black/Stainless Steel
Average customer rating
4.7
(426 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 426 reviews
5 Stars
349
4 Stars
54
3 Stars
13
2 Stars
2
1 Star
8
95%of customers recommend this product.
(
333 out of
350)
Customer Reviews for Cuisinart - Ice Cream and Gelato Maker - Black/Stainless Steel
Posted by: DocSSN
from Austin, TX
Gender:Female
Verified Purchase:Yes
I am really enjoying this machine. I tried a less-expensive brand, but that was a disaster (it didn't work); the Cuisinart worked like a charm from the first batch of gelato. Yesterday, I made THREE different gelati in the space of 3 hours (after allowing ingredients to chill in the refrigerator overnight), and they were all a big hit with my company.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: stpaul
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I bought this to replace an old electric that uses ice and salt. Saying that, I can't be happier with how easy it is to make ice cream now - no ice, no salt, no mess, machine is quieter, and I can make batches continuously. What's not to like? Well, there are a few things that I will nitpick.
First of all, the machine is fast. I can churn a full quart of ice cream to 21-degrees F (my target temp for the smoothest ice cream) in about 40 minutes. I actually set the timer on the unit to 40 and almost always I hit my target a few minutes before it stops. That's great. In order to find out if I'm at 21 degrees, I have to put a probe in the ice cream. Not a huge deal but the comparable machine made by Whynter actually gives you the ice cream temperature as it is cooling so you don't have to turn off the machine and use a probe thermometer. That's a nice touch that I wish this Cuisinart had. Another thing that I don't like about this machine is the size of the bucket. I wish it was just a tiny bit larger. I have a lot of recipes that make "one quart" or "one generous quart" and I can't fit all my mix in this ice cream maker. The one time I did put it all in, the ice cream was pushing up against the lid before I got to 21 degrees. So I've had to modify my recipes to use fewer ingredients OR I need to churn in two batches. I realize this is a minor thing but I'm only over by about a half cup of mix. I just wish Cuisinart would have given a bit more room for the ice cream to expand.
One thing I'm on the fence on is the bucket design. Cuisinart's and Whynter's designs are completely different. The Whynter has a hole in the bucket where the paddle goes down through the middle so the bucket is just a bucket and has no parts that actually churn the ice cream. Cuisinart uses a bucket that has some sort of sealed mechanism. The outside of the bucket has a toothed coupler that slots into a toothed coupler in the bottom of the freezing chamber. The churning paddle sits on a hexagonal piece of metal that spins and churns the ice cream. The good thing about this design versus the Whynter design is that you have a LOT more room to scrape out the ice cream. The bad part of this design is that sealed unit on the bottom of the bucket. I have no idea how that will hold up and I already have concerns because after I have washed the bucket I have found water seeping out from around the gear. If water is getting in, then how long before it starts leaking ice cream? Time will tell. (I wouldn't say Whynter's design is better though. They give you a special shaped paddle so that you can get the ice cream out of the narrow channel in their bucket so they know it's a pain to work with. Nice that they don't have that sealed unit but there just isn't much room to work with the churned ice cream.)
The Cuisinart unit is pretty heavy and felt heavier to me than the Whynter unit. So it feels solid. As I said earlier, the unit is quiet and no more noisy than a mixer or other kitchen appliance. It comes with two paddles, one for ice cream and one for gelato which is a nice touch.
Finally, despite these small things I really like this ice cream maker and am glad I bought it. If it had a temperature sensor and had a slightly larger bucket for churning the ice cream, it would be perfect. I'm happy with it as is but would be even happier with these design changes. Even so, it's a solidly build unit and I highly recommend it. If you buy a lot of ice cream from the store and have thought about churning your own, buy this unit. You'll be happy you did.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: Strub20
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I purchased this guy to help speed up my ice cream making process. It definitely has helped on the wait time for the bowl in the freezer like I had to do on my ICE30.
Unfortunately the container on this one is much smaller and seems to make the bowl way to cold when making chocolate anything. The mixture hardens along the side of the bowl causing the machine to slow down and eventually lock up. The motor also slows down a bunch when adding small amounts of ingredients in the last 5 minutes. I find that when the ice cream is close to being done i remove the paddle, add my soild ingredients then mix it by hand quickly.
Dont get me wrong, it serves it's puropse but seems the added steps are a negative to me on a mechine that costs over double.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: FAIRFAX22030
from Fairfax VA
Gender:Female
Verified Purchase:Yes
I would give this machine a 5 if it wasn't so hard to get the device really clean. Having only used it 4x, I am still in the learning mode. My "learnings" so far... (1) follow the instructions and don't put more than 4 cups (1QT) of base in the machine, even less if you are adding in chips, nuts, etc. It'll overflow as it freezes and is a real mess to clean up. A small spray bottle with water can be used to "wash" away any ice cream that has made its way into the crevices around rim of the freezer compartment. Most online recipes seem to be for 2 QTS, so just make 2 batches or scale back the recipe. (2) Add any mix-ins before the ice cream gets too hard. It should be "rolling" in the machine. It if it too hard, the mix-ins just sit on the surface. (3) Find the sweet spot where the ice cream is frozen enough to not melt before you are done transferring it to your freezer container but not so hard that it is difficult to get off the dasher. Trial and error the only to do this.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: Skyl3r
from Bermuda Dunes, CA
Gender:Female
Verified Purchase:Yes
Never have to freeze an insert again - this machine lets you make multiple batches of ice cream, each freezing perfectly. And, as a bonus, it keeps it cold for later.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: peanut23343
from Fernley, NV
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
After the first ten or so uses the gears on the machine and the bottom of the hopper started popping and not grabbing.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from cuisinart.comBy Cuisinart, September 21, 2023
We are sorry to hear about your experience with your Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker. Cuisinart is committed to providing the highest quality products and consumer satisfaction. We would like to work with you to identify and resolve any potential issues. Please contact us at 1-800-726-0190 or via email to customerservice@cuisinart.com at your convenience so that we can get more information to help solve the problem. If you email us, please use the subject line ‘Cuisinart Review’.
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: Ron B-I
from New York, NY
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
Hard to clean the machine after churning. Even when filling the bowl with less the maximum amount the frozen product flaws out. There is a gap between the rubber seal and the body that can only be cleaned with a toothpick.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com
Posted by: notbennotjerry
from Martinsburg
Gender:Female
Verified Purchase:Yes
Makes fabulous ice cream. I've been sharing with family and neighbors. The only advice I have for those making this purchase, be sure to have spatulas of various sizes so you can remove the ice cream from the crevices in the paddle. There are several crevices and of different sizes. None of the how to videos show the part of removing the paddle. It will have a lot of ice cream stuck in those crevices. Also, do not fill the mixture to the top as it expands as it goes through the mixing, chilling process. Leave at least 2 inches for expansion. Tis better to run the second batch than have ice cream oozing out the top.. I have made coffee, butter pecan, mango, vanilla with mint chips and I highly recommend this unit and look forward to making many more flavors. Love this machine.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting cuisinart.com