I just bought a Hamilton Beach 68320B from Walmart and it's fantastic. Under $25. Electric -- no cranking, no rock salt.

Does everything I want it to do and it's easy to clean.

Joe

Yes Clare, I recently bought one at Costco and really like it. I wanted to make my own flavors, and have tried Cinnamon, Meyer Lemon and French Vanilla. The next one will be Strawberry Cheesecake. What I'm finding is I prefer the bases which are not cooked as I think the texture is a bit better, although the cooked custards are good. I found Ben and Jerry's book at the Half Price store, and it's been very helpful. Here's a link to the one I bought; I keep the container in the freezer, so it's always ready to go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker

I have the Kitchenaid ice cream maker attatchment and I've been very happy with it. If you already have a kitchenaid stand mixer, it's great because there's no extra appliance to store, just the bowl which I keep in my deep freeze. I also have the Ben and Jerry's book and love it. I found it for next to nothing at half.com.

Tracey

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchenaid ice cream attatchment at Amazon

I've run the digression of ice cream makers from the hand-crank (with the "old crank" doing all the work), electric crank, until all we use now is a compact Deni Scoop Factory.

You place the "Speedee Freeze" canister in the freezer - no ice and salt required. We love it. This time of the year I keep the canister in the freezer so we can have "frozen delights" anytime and it takes 10-20-minutes to process (makes 1-1/2 quarts).

I like to either quick-freeze the mixture in a stainless steel bowl (until ice crystals are beginning to form around the bowl) for 20-30 minutes before adding to the freezer canister, or chill in the refrigerator for a few hours to make sure the mixture is nice and cold. The hardest part is deciding what to make (LOL).

-Grainlady

I have one (Cuisinart ICE) that does not need any freezer time. It was quite pricy but we use it a lot so I think it was worthwhile. Mine came from Williams-Sononma but I don't think they carry it anymore. I believe Lello (sp?) has a couple of models as well

From when you decide to make ice cream till it's ready to eat is about 1 hour including quick chill of the mixture before hand. I like to firm the ice cream up a little more in the freezer though as usually it is more like soft serve.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart I have on Amazon

I also have a cheap one $19. For how often I use it, I am satisfied with it.

I have yet another Cuisinart model, and I've been very happy with it. (I've also still got my little Donvier hand-crank model, in case of power outages!) As loves2 mentioned, I pack the finished ice cream in a container and stick it in the freezer for a few hours before eating it, to let it harden and bloom.

The only bad part is how easy it is to have great ice cream all the time.

Thanks everyone for all the information and input on the different ones. I will have to get over to B,B & B to check them out. I also want to try making frozen yogurt and gelato.
Clare

I got the one Maureen has for Christmas. I hope some recipes will be posted once you get going on your ice cream!

I thought about the KA attachment but my KA is so loud I think it'd drive us all bonkers to have it on long enough--my 4 year old is afraid of the thing (but the baby loves it).

Clare, I have the same Cuisinart that maureen has and I like it a lot. I just keep the canister in the freezer all the time so I can make ice cream whenever the mood hits me.

I made some meyer lemon sorbet that was very nice, some lime mango sorbet for Easter that everyone loved and some Prickly Pear Cactus sorbet from Sol's recipe. Very nice, all of them.

Oh, I do make ice cream too, including a sugar free butter pecan at Christmas that Elery loved.

Annie

I have the one Claire has from Costco too..

We have a Gelato Pro ($350) and love it. Here is some info on it:

lello Gelato Pro Ice Cream Maker

Newly designed motor drive which shuts off to prevent damage if mixture freezes solid.
Electrical specifications: 110/120 Volts, 60Hz, 235-W (1/3 horse power).
Removable bowl for easy storage and cleaning.
Dimensions: 11-in. W x 15-in. L x 13-in. H.
Totally self-contained frozen dessert maker.
Makes 2 quarts in about 45 minutes.
Convenient built in audible timer.
One year limited warranty.
Capacity: 2.1-qt.
Weight: 39-lbs.

The Lello Gelato Pro Ice Cream Maker uses a self contained compressor just as your freezer. Making homemade ice cream has never been easier -- just add ingredients to the bowl and set the timer. Home made Vanilla ice cream or any choice of flavors is all possible. You can add your own cookies, pineapple tarts, or choc chips to your favorite ice cream. You can also make frozen daiquiris and piña coladas for your dinner party. You can make all kinds of gourmet specialties such as a tomato and basil sorbet, excellent as a first course on a hot summer day. Clean-up is easy due to the removable mixing bowl.

I have a wolfgang puck ice cream maker that has a built in compressor. I love it. I bought if off of ebay and it was cheaper than buying the cuisinart model that had the compressor. One word of caution. They are quite heavy and really shouldn't be moved around very much, especially not tipped or tilted. If that happens you have to wait a day or two, for the machine to stabilize before using.

Other than that it works great, and you can continuously make ice cream in it.

Claire de luna, I found this article online and saved it. The poster claims that it's not the cooking process but the eggs that affect the ice cream. The woman's ice creams are supposed to be amazing. I am going to try this the next time I make ice cream.

I am making an olive oil basil ice cream for work with a strawberry balsamic glaze for the topping. (its a contest we have monthly).

Anyways here's the post I saved.

"We followed the recipe for her vanilla bean ice cream, adding some chopped flakes of dark chocolate while churning. Here are our thoughts:

The texture of this ice cream was amazing!! It was soft, rich, and creamy. Where our eggless ice creams are usually icy and hard, this was incredibly soft and velvety.

The process of simmering down the cream and whisking in a little cornstarch was much easier and faster than our usual custard process.

We did overcook the cornstarch a bit; you can see how thick our "pudding" was. This gave the ice cream a little too much flavor of cornstarch. But this wasn't too noticeable; our taste testers raved over it.

The addition of cream cheese for scoopability and softness is brilliant; it gives the ice cream just a slight tang, but not a noticeable flavor. It does seem to affect softness a lot.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Recipe by Jeni Britton

This exceptionally creamy ice cream relies on two unexpected ingredients: cornstarch (to help thicken it) and cream cheese (to make it more scoopable).

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.
In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves and the vanilla flavors the milk, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.
Strain the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers instructions. Pack the ice cream into a plastic container.
Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the vanilla ice cream until firm, about 4 hours. "

Shelley S.

All this talk of ice cream is making me want to get it sooner then wait till Father's Day.

ssommerville - that recipe sounds interesting. I will have to try it someday.

Any other recipes for frozen yogurt, gelato or sorbert?
Clare

Annie1992, I have homegrown meyer lemons that I freeze the juice in bags and use them throughout the years. Meyer lemon is the only lemon/lime that I can consume. All the others upset my stomach too much due to their high acidity. I'd love to make some Meyer Lemon Sorbet if you don't mind sharing the recipe. Would you please?

Ntt

I have the 1 1/2 qt. Cuisinart model as well. It works just fine. I haven't used it as much as I'd like, but it is really nice to make special ice cream when we have company.

Last year I made a sour cream ice cream to accompany a pear tart I made, and it was so good!

I've also used it to make different color/flavored ice cream to layer in a loaf pan. It looks really nice when sliced up and plated with some raspberry coulis, or chocolate drizzle.

ntt, this recipe came from "Simply Recipes", and it sure was easy The site says it's "lemonade that's taken a trip through the ice cream freezer". Be aware that there is no dairy to keep the stuff creamy, it freezes pretty hard but has the most wonderful lemon flavor. Alton Brown says if you add a tablespoon of vodka, it keeps the sorbet more "scoopable" without discernible alcoholic flavor. I've got to try that.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup freshly squeezed juice from meyer lemons (about 3-4 lemons)
2 teaspoons fine lemon zest

In a small saucepan on medium high heat, make a simple syrup by heating sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Chill, either in the refrigerator, or by placing in a metal bowl over an ice bath.

Once the mixture has thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze in your freezer until semi-solid. Then take a fork and fluff it up, returning it the the freezer to freeze firm. Then put in a food-processor or blender to process until smooth.

Place sorbet in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve. Scoop out. Garnish with mint.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

I also have this recipe, which I want to try. It's from Sara Moulton:

Pineapple-Lemon Sorbet

3 Meyer, Eureka, or Lisbon lemons
1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 cup sugar

Grate 2 tablespoons lemon zest and reserve. Juice the lemons and reserve the juice separately. Place the lemon juice and the pineapple chunks in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup. Add the reserved zest and stir together. You should have about 4 cups of puree. For each 4 cups of puree, measure 1 cup sugar.

Place approximately 1/4 of the puree in a saucepan. Add the sugar and stir over medium heat until the mixture is simmering and the sugar has melted. Add this to the remaining puree and stir together. Place in the refrigerator and chill until cold.

Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.

If it gets hot here, I know what I'm making, but right now it's only 67F, we're on record as the coldest July ever here in Michigan. Fine with me, I normally hate summer and haven't had a single night that was too hot to sleep, high nighttime temperature is still in the 50s!

Annie

Annie - Thanks for the recipes. I would love the Lemon Sorbet one. I think I will have to try a berry or peach one since they are in season.
Clare

**Any one have an automatic ice cream maker?**

Yeah, my husband! :D

Annie, thank you so much! You're a sweetheart =o)

Cuisinart Icecream makers on sale at Kohl's for $15 plus $6.95 shipping