Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
Review by S. Hall : Great little ice cream maker

This ice cream maker has a good design. It freezes very fast and is easy to clean. I like to dump a quart of flavored nonfat yogurt into it, and presto, a low calorie desert. I can also make less-sweet frozen deserts than are available commercially. Other reviewers noted that the resulting frozen desert is very soft -- but this is true of all ice cream makers (I have owned a Donvier, and also used the old fashioned salt-and-ice bucket type when I was a kid). The ice cream has to be put in the freezer for it to fully firm up. One thing I like about this model is that, once the frozen desert is firmed up so that it all clings to the beater inside, the design of the beater helps you lift it out and into a container. Very little is left inside the machine to scoop out.

Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
Review by B. Miller "Small business owner" : Great ice cream maker indeed!

I have relied on my Rival ice cream maker for many years, churning out many, many batches of good ice cream...but after so many years, i got tired of the rock salt and ice ordeal so i went for this model. GLAD I DID! I've made half a dozen batches so far and i'm pleased to say this works better than the salt/ice machine. A few comments:

First, it's easier to do, and doesnt take any guessing on how much ice to salt than the traditional ice/salt machine. THer'es no messy clean up of salt and/or ice off the counter/floor, either.

Second, it's quicker than advertised. While eveything says 20-25 minutes, i have yet to have a batch take longer than 15 minutes.

Third, I did not have to turn my freezer down to the lowest setting either (i was concerned about wasting energy just for this!). I have it on a "5" out of "9" settings, and it's fine. I stuck the canister in the back, on the bottom shelf--which I assume is the coldest place. Just make sure the recipe you use is VERY cold before you throw it into the machine. (i often put it in the freezer for 30 min before i make ice cream). ANother tip: put the exterior clear casing into the freezer for a while before making the ice cream--it just helps insulate the canister all the more when it's turning.)

Fourth, it's the quietest ice cream machine i've heard. No, you cant hear a pin drop in the other room, but i use it in the kitchen and can comfortably watch TV in my adjacent family room without having to adjust the volume at all. I can hear the machine churing, but it doesnt get in the way of hearing the TV.

Fifth, so why 4 stars instead of 5? Her'es the only downside of the frozen canister v. salt/ice machines. Scooping the finished ice cream out of the heavy and awkward-to-handle canister and into a container for freezing, is challenging. The canister, understandably, is VERY cold. It seems off balance as you try to do this, too. And if you wait more than a moment, the ice cream quickly starts to freeze hard to the canister, so a rubber spatula (never use metal or you'll scratch the canister!), cant scrape the hardened ice cream off the sides very easily.

Overall, GREAT ice cream maker. THe quality of the ice cream is good, with a nice, smooth texture.

Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
Review by A. C. Marek : Well, yes, mixing heavy cream with sugar will probably taste good.

This is my first ice cream maker, so I hope you'll take my review with a grain of salt. I'll surely make a fool of myself, but if I can be told how to use it properly by way of a snarky comment underneath this review, I shall consider the passive-aggressive insult well worth the affront to my Internet reputation.

My problem is that the ice cream seems to get too thick and unmanageable, too quickly. First, I pre-froze the mixing bowl for what ended up being several days. That bad boy, it's safe to say, was as frozen as it was ever going to get. This may have been my downfall. When I turned on the motor and poured in my mix (I went with brown butter), the mixing paddle let out a big "click," then refused to budge, humming angrily at me instead. I called customer support. When I had to politely ask the customer service (the term is used quite loosely) agent to repeat herself several times because of her mumbling, I don't think I heard more exaggerated, verbal sighs in my life. Anyhow, this woman was under the impression that my bowl was *too* frozen, and that maybe I would be better off with just a six-hour freeze time.

That's what I did today. This time, the mix actually churned itself, which was great. But after 5-7 minutes, the bowl continued to move but the mix wasn't moving -- yet the ice cream still didn't look or feel done, especially since I've read that this process should take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. So I moved the mix around with a spoon. Turned the motor back on, and got the same click, same hum, same motionless bowl.

Either I've got a defective unit, or the unit has some sort of problem with my sugar-free recipe. Most Amazon reviews are unhelpful and meaningless, and I do feel bad trashing this thing when it's highly possible that I am the problem, but maybe if Cuisinart's support staff didn't treat its customers like recalcitrant special-needs students, this could have been avoided.

The mixer gets three stars for inspiring me to mix toasty brown butter, heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and sweetener. It may be ice-ish cream-ish, but it still tastes pretty darn good. It loses two stars for inadequate instructions (there was no troubleshooting section), and for being a big, stupid, stupidfacehead.

Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
Review by Linctic "Linctic" : Fabulous

This machine is amazing. Ice cream is ready in 20 minutes. The ice cream texture is perfect. I always make sure my ice cream mixture is cold before putting it into the ice cream maker bowl.

Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
Review by Raymond D. Berlin : Cuisinart ICE-21

Works perfectly! Easy to use. Detailed instructions. Easy to clean. Makes the absolute best fat-free sugar-free blue berry frozen yogurt on the planet! I use packaged frozen blue berries, strawberries, peaches or whatever suits me. I just grind them down to smaller size in a food processor before they thaw.

1 1/2 cups whole-frozen fruit of your choice (bags available at your local mega mart)
2 1/2 cups plain fat free yogurt
1/2 cup fat free half & half
1/2 cup Splenda

Just mix it up in a bowl and dump it into the machine. Don't walk away! Mine only takes 5 minutes.
Great value!

Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
Review by Michael : Ice Cream Maker Makes Good Ice Cream

This ice cream maker is my first. It does a nice job. I have made four batches in the month or so that I've had it. It is not very loud. The components fit together well, are easy to use and are easy to clean (There aren't a bunch of seams, nooks and crannies on the base, so it wipes down quickly and easily). The instructions are easy to understand and logically written. I do like the electrical cord stowage under the unit, so you don't have to fight with it when you put it away.

The hardest part is getting the agitator out of the container after churning is completed. I make sure I have my container ready, and I transfer the ice cream from the bowl to my container by the sink. You will get it on your hands, and it will drip a little bit.

My only caution is to make sure you turn it on before you start pouring your mixture into the bowl. The mixture freezes instantly on contact with the bowl's surface, and it jams the rotation of the bowl. Place the bowl on the base, place the agitator in the bowl, put the clear lid in place, turn on AND THEN add your mixture. You will have soft serve in less than 20 minutes, if you chilled your mixture thoroughly.

I wash out the bowl, dry it and put it right back in the freezer. That way, it's always ready. The amount is good. You don't end up with a ton of a certain flavor, and it stays fresher that way.

I would definitely recommend this machine, and I would buy it as a gift.