Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Review by Lynn A. Allen "thundernlightning" : Who needs HagenDaz!?

This machine makes great homemade ice cream easy! For those of you who complain about the machine being loud or messy, you must've never used one where you need ice and salt to freeze the cream. Yes, it does make some noise, but it's tollerable and it's only for 30 minutes.

The ice cream does come out with more of a soft serve consistancy, but this is not unusual and you need to put it in the freezer for a firmer ice cream. Just being able to make fresh ice cream on your kitchen counter is worth it.

Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Review by H. Woolsey : Awesome and Easy!

I purchased this after much debate about whether or not I needed a two quart ice cream maker or just go with the original Cuisinart $49.95 one. I am so glad i bought this one. It is so great. Easy to use, makes alot of ice cream,so sleek looking.

I have a tiny kicthen and everytime I turn around I am buying something that will clutter my counterspace, but I have to say this I don't mind. It is square, not to bulky and the cord fits nicely up inside the machine. It doesn't dangle or anything. It's right next to my KitchenAid.

I have made two recipes out of the manual that comes with the machine. I usually don't like "manual recipes" however, these are fantastic. The Mango Gelato was a huge hit with family and friends. One girl who doesn't like ice cream, liked it. The simple ice creams that dont require making a custard, you just mix all the ingredients together and freeze, I was thinking it would be terrible. It wasn't, so you can make ice cream in 30minutes from start to finish with those recipes.

I do keep the bowl in the freezer like others suggested with the smaller ice cream maker. It has been very useful to have it already frozen when I am ready to make ice cream.

As far as noise, it is not as quiet as I thought, but don't let that scare you. It's not like turning on a blender and leaving it running for 25 minutes. It's not an annoying noise. Not like the old ice cream makers with the ice and stuff. It is fun to watch it churn too. So the noise just fades to the background.

It's very interactive and a great thing to do with kids and company.

I really can't say enough good. One of the best appliance investments I have mad yet.

Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Review by R. P. Poletti "Just a guy" : Easy and clean.

If ice cream makers conjure memories of rock salt and ice all over your kitchen counter; a noisy churn going for an hour or more, well forget all that now!

This is the one you want! Freeze the bowl before you use it and you have no mess. Just get it out of the freezer, drop it onto the base, turn it on then add your ingredients. 20-30 minutes later you have ice cream. Want it a little harder, freeze if for an hour or two.

Clean up is very easy.

Four stars because the churn is a little noisy.

One word of caution. This may add inches to your waistline!

Great unit, great price.

Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Review by Anthony Hubbard "svenska572" : It Does The Job...But Not Perfect

In order to make quality ice cream with a good consistency, you need good ingredients, a frozen apparatus, and a mechanism that properly turns and scrapes the sides of the container. That's a pretty basic view. This machine gives you a 2qt container/bowl that stays frozen pretty well throughout the ice cream making process. The scraper, on the other hand, does not adequately scrape the sides of the container. Can you still make good tasting stuff? Yes, but it could be much better.

If you don't care and just want something quick to eat, this machine should be fine. It is loud, for sure, but that is to be expected. It is a motor after all.

If you are particular about your ice cream like I am and have experience with the old-fashioned hand crank types, my recommendation is this: occasionally/frequently take a plastic device (spoon, spatula, etc) and scrape the sides (and bottom) of the container while it is turning. This will keep the most frozen parts from staying on the side. You want them to be intregrated into the rest of the mixture. This accomplishes two things: 1) your ice cream will freeze faster and 2) it will have a better/creamier consistency.

Also, don't forget to make sure your ingredients are cold BEFORE putting them into the container. I did not buy the extra bowl but it would be worth it for those who wish to make a lot of successive batches. Otherwise you'll be waiting for the bowl to refreeze.

Overall, I would buy this item again. It is reasonably priced and is easy to use.

Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Review by Carol Brearley "Pixie" : I love this machine!

I used this to make a custard based ice cream (recipe below) and it came out WONDERFULLY! The ice cream was done in 20 minutes and the consistency was fluffy. The recipe I made before (non custard) didn't thicken as nice, but I believe it was because it was not made with the custard base. I have uploaded a customer image of the maker in action near the end of the cycle.

*TIP* Make sure the bowl is completely frozen and do not pull it out until you are ready to pour the ingredients in.

Custard Base Recipe:

Ingredients for base - 4 egg yolks, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar.
For Ice cream - base, 1 cup fresh heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Directions - In a double boiler slowly bring milk to a boil. In a glass bowl mix together egg yolks and sugar until thickened. Slowly pour in the milk stirring constantly. Return to double boiler and slowly heat until thickened. (Mixture will stick to back of the spoon. DO NOT BOIL! Remove from heat and allow to cool. (I recommend putting it in the freezer for about 2 hours before using.) When the mixture is cooled mix in the heavy cream and vanilla. According to maker directions, turn on machine and slowly pour mixture in. If you want to add chips, fruit or anything else to the ice cream, do it about 5 minutes before the end of the cycle. Enjoy!