HomeHousewareCuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 183 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
395 of 400 found the following review helpful:
 Great ice cream with little fuss Jul 20, 2005
By John Stagaman
Like another reviewer, I was happy to see a compressor machine available for a reasonable price. I'd owned a smaller machine with a bowl that was placed in the freezer, but the ice cream wasn't as creamy as I wanted and the results varied dramatically from batch to batch.
Armed with a gift certificate (plus quite a bit more), I ordered this machine. For the fourth of July, I made 3 flavors for a party (vanilla, chocolate, & stawberry--I went with the basics), making the bases for each the night before. The next morning, I froze all three ice creams in less than two hours. With a compressor machine, it's easy to make multiple batches one after the other. And the ice cream was a hit at the party, too.
Some tips:
1. The first batch I made was a simple recipe from the instructions which contained no eggs. While it turned out OK, it couldn't compare with custard-based ice creams that include egg yolks. The custard bases consistently result in smoother, creamier, and richer ice cream.
2. Try to make the ice cream base the night before you'll be freezing it (especially custard bases). It allows the flavors to blend and ensures the base is cold. A cold base will freeze more rapidly and is less likely to develop ice crystals.
3. When making chocolate ice cream, using quality chocolate rather than cocoa gives a richer flavor.
4. It's much easier to make ice cream when there's no need to have lots of ice and rock salt or remember to pre-freeze bowl wich may or may not fit in the freezer.
5. It also can freeze sorbets and sherberts and make slushies for the kids. I suppose you could make frozen drinks with it, but I'll stick to the blender for those.
I'm very happy with it so far. It seems well made, produces great ice cream, and has a larger capacity than many other compressor units. While I expect to usually make a half-batch at a time, the 1 1/2 quart capacity plus the ability to quickly freeze multiple batches is great for those times when you need lots of ice cream.
165 of 168 found the following review helpful:
 Easy setup, quick, no need to pre-freeze work bowl but loud Jan 30, 2006
By D. Brennan
The only ice cream maker I used prior to this was an italian gelato machine. That device required the work bowl to be frozen for several hours prior to making ice cream AND the use of alcohol to assist in the transfer of cold from the compressor to the work bowl.
This machine from Cuisinart eliminates the need for both. This is accomplished by finely manufacturing the components so that the work bowl fits VERY snugly in to the device. The result - much easier setup with less mess.
A batch usually takes 35-40 minutes, assuming you have allowed the mix to reach room temperature before adding it to the machine. Add 10 minutes if you are adding a warm mix.
You will still need to place the ice cream in your freezer for 20-30 minutes to get the right texture. That's common with most home machines so don't look at this as a fault of this machine.
Because you do not need to pre-freeze the bowl, you can make batch after batch of ice cream. We have made 5 consecutive batches (for a party) in under 5 hours without any problems.
One star is deducted for the amount of noise this machine generates. We have taken to putting it in our bedroom while it does its work. We were not able to speak with other people at a normal volume when this machine it in the same room.
The recipes in the included recipe book are ok - not great. I would recommend picking up a recipe book - perhaps Ben & Jerry's - when you buy this machine.
209 of 220 found the following review helpful:
 Pass on this one, very poor design Dec 30, 2009
By Jane Palmer
Let me begin by saying I have always been a fan of Cuisinart. But they really missed the ice cream boat on this one! I received this for Christmas this year, despite reading some of the negative reviews here on Amazon. I assured myself that I would love this product, so read the review with this in mind. I truly wanted to love this ice cream maker.
I make ice cream several times a month, using my tried and true Cuisinart Ice Cream maker that requires freezing of the insert. It has always worked perfectly, but I wanted to take it to the next level and make ice cream the commercial way. I was hoping for a very smooth end product, and didn't mind the noise.
I made one batch of ice cream (attempted really) in this machine, and realized immediately that this was not a well designed piece of equipment. The base is heavy and sturdy, and seemed well made. But the arm that drives the churn is plastic!! And there is no way to secure the churning device so that it stays in the bowl. Once the ice cream base begins to harden and the work of the churn blade increases, the plastic arm just can't meet the demand, and when the arm jumps up, the churn stops going. So now here we are, the refrigerator unit is freezing away, but no churning! Almost immediately, the ice cream at the perimeter of the bowl freezes so hard that it can't be churned, leaving the middle of the bowl a soupy mess. And that folks, is all she wrote!
I tried following the advice of others who had this same problem. A heavy book, a 5 pound hand weight, even me just standing there holding down the arm (can you say boring!!) didn't help. The churning blade always stopped.
So do yourself a favor. Stick with the fabulous and elegantly simple design of the freezer bowl Cuisinart ice cream maker. Or plan on spending a lot of money on a professional ice cream machine. This half hearted attempt by Cuisinart to meet me half way between simple and crazy expensive just left me cold. Oh, not my ice cream, just me!!!
76 of 77 found the following review helpful:
Works as advertised, wish it were more sturdily built Feb 10, 2007
By D. Pentecost
"davoice"
I'm pleased with my purchase of the ICE-50BC. It think the noise issue must be related to a certain run of machines. Mine is no more noisy than any other countertop appliance in my kitchen. It's certainly less noisy than a blender.
Based on reading through some of the other reviews, I think people have unrealistic expectations of a home ice cream freezer. The Cuisinart unit freezes just as hard as the hand crank buckets we used as a kid. And it works just like the 2 frozen tub units it replaced (the ones where you have to store the tub in the freezer before use).
If you're looking for ice cream that's as hard as what you get from the store, you'll have to take it out of your machine and store it in the freezer overnight... just like it sat in the freezer for a couple days at the store.
Don't forget to chill your ingredients BEFORE freezing them. I get perfectly textured soft-serve ice cream from chilled ingredients in 20 minutes from a completely room temperature machine.
And I break the usage rules by ignoring the filling instructions. I put the paddle in, then pour in my mix, then assemble the arm and lid, and only then connect the arm - which sets the lid at the same time. Set the timer to 20-30 minutes and walk away. Much easier than Cuisinart's own instructions.
BTW... my favorite use has nothing to do with ice cream. I take store bought limeaid (usually a brand called Simply Limeaid) or other juice product, add a little kick (wine, spirits, etc.) and let it freeze into a nice Friday night slushie. :) For that use alone, the machine pays for itself. Can anyone say "frozen margarita"?
I do wish the arm had a more positive attachment. It needs a more firm connection method than just general pressure. Cuisinart should have made some kind of positive locking mechanism for it like they have on their food processors. But... I understand the design. It's made to pop loose when the paddle can't turn. That helps prevent paddle breakage and motor burnout. Maybe a smart engineer will come up with a more sturdy after-market arm and paddle for those who want to freeze thick/dense mixtures.
49 of 49 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful machine Aug 11, 2006
By C. Ebeling
"ctlpareader"
Why this ice cream maker is worth the price tag: 1) No need to store quantities of salt in your pantry. 2) No need to store sacks of ice in your freezer. 3) No need to pre-chill a tub in your freezer. 4) Assembly is simple. 5) Parts have strength, do not seem flimsy. 6) Parts requiring washing are easily washed and popped back into the machine. 7) The manual is comprehendible and offers good recipes. 8) I've experimented with low-fat recipes only and they work beautifully.
Things worth knowing: after mixing the ingredients, it will take, on the average, 45 minutes to freeze in the machine, after which it will be more like soft serve. You will need to freeze it for an hour or so to get the harder texture. And, you will have to let it sit at room temperature 10 minutes if it's been in the freezer any longer than that. It makes noise, getting louder as it gets toward the end of the cycle and is pushing against the thickening mass; however, leave it behind a closed door and you don't hear it. Also, the generator has to be level for a while to work, so you can't use it immediately after unpackaging it. Perhaps let it sit a couple of days before attempting it.
See all 183 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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