Ice cream makers/machines

[chromedome]

45 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Interesting. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

 

...but only if said dog is willing to listen.

[weinoo]

Well, when the treats are ice cream...

[paulraphael]

That's great to know, Mitch. I'd be curious to hear your impressions of ice cream drawn at 11 minutes vs. 20, or whatever you were doing. 

 

It isn't guaranteed that the ice cream will be better if you draw it earlier. It's just highly likely that if your machine gets it to that temperature faster than some other machine, you'll see better texture with the fast machine. I think it's safe to say that -5C is a good maximum draw temperature. But I don't think there's harm churning a little longer, if it doesn't cause problems (like making butter!)  It's possible that whether you get better or worse results by going longer will depend on how cold your hardening cabinet is (average home freezer? Extra-cold home freezer? Blast chiller?)

 

One thing to consider: deciding on a consistent draw temperature helps you make your recipes more consistent ... you hope to see them with roughly the same consistency at that temperature. 

[weinoo]

I have a bottom drawer freezer - I don't know if that helps, but I do have it set to -3F...I still like to let the ice cream harden for a good 4 hours.

 

The actual harm I can see letting the machine run longer once the mix has turned to ice cream is literally burning out the motor.

 

This ice cream had some of the best texture of ice cream I've made - probably making only a pint helps the machine as well.

 

[paulraphael]

Making only a pint almost certainly let it freeze faster, too.

[ccp900]

15 hours ago, weinoo said:

I have a bottom drawer freezer - I don't know if that helps, but I do have it set to -3F...I still like to let the ice cream harden for a good 4 hours.

 

The actual harm I can see letting the machine run longer once the mix has turned to ice cream is literally burning out the motor.

 

This ice cream had some of the best texture of ice cream I've made - probably making only a pint helps the machine as well.

 

This would depend on the machine. I’ve actually drawn at -11C with the cuisinart ice 100 granted I only loaded around 600g of mix but the motor was strong enough that it didn’t harm the machine.  Your mileage may vary though so pls don’t take this as a recommendation to copy.  Formulation is also a big factor here, if you have a lot of freezing point depressing ingredients you can run it to -11C but if not then your motor can break because the ice cream will be very hard in higher temps.

 

i drew my last 2 batches at -7 to -8C. I wanted a little more overrun hence I let it go a couple more minutes. Is it a tad icier? Maybe but it wasn’t bad as to distract from the flavor and enjoyment so I am good with that.  It is a balance at the end of the day unless you spring for the big boys like emery Thompson or the Italian brands then you can have your cake and eat it too....in this case ice cream.....

Edited August 11, 2020 by ccp900 (log)

[ccp900]

I was looking at a nemox crea 3k and nemox crea 5k. These things are expensive little buggers!!!!!
 

i wanted to have a commercial level maker for very small batches.  The cost is almost prohibitive!!  Where I am at, the 3k touch is a whopping 4,600 USD while the 5k is at 7,000usd

 

theres a cheaper seller but they aren’t the official distributor....they’re selling around 800-1000 usd cheaper.  Even at that price it is quite expensive......I can buy it but I’m second guessing lol.

 

will it make better ice cream, yes I think so. Why do I want to buy it? Maybe I can sell a pint here and there but I am  not really pushing this to be a business but I do want to see how it fares in the open market.....

 

there is no seller of musso here otherwise I might have gone musso 5030 but with the import tax that thing will end up to be 2,000 to 3,000 usd I bet

 

i so envy you guys there in the US for Amazon stuff

Edited August 14, 2020 by ccp900 (log)

[paulraphael]

On 8/14/2020 at 3:58 AM, ccp900 said:

will it make better ice cream, yes I think so.

 

Maybe. That can be a tough question. With countertop commercial machines it's hard to know if the ice cream quality will really inch in the direction of the big dogs (full-size Carpigiani machines, etc.) or if you're mostly buying robustness. 

 

I've been curious about machines like this but haven't had much luck finding reliable reviews. I assume they're made for a niche market, like very small restaurants or cafés that want to make their own, but at a fairly low volume.

[ccp900]

12 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

Maybe. That can be a tough question. With countertop commercial machines it's hard to know if the ice cream quality will really inch in the direction of the big dogs (full-size Carpigiani machines, etc.) or if you're mostly buying robustness. 

 

I've been curious about machines like this but haven't had much luck finding reliable reviews. I assume they're made for a niche market, like very small restaurants or cafés that want to make their own, but at a fairly low volume.

Ruben has one in his site he was using the nemox crea 5k. Bigger brother of the 3k.

 

I want a Musso 4080:at least or better the 5030.  

[weinoo]

10 minutes ago, ccp900 said:

Ruben has one in his site he was using the nemox crea 5k. Bigger brother of the 3k.

 

I want a Musso 4080:at least or better the 5030.  

 

Since I've used a Lello forever, and since I think it's gonna croak at some point, my perusing of reviews has led me to want a Whynter. Have you had a gander at those machines at a much, much lower price point?

[ccp900]

On 8/19/2020 at 9:10 PM, weinoo said:

 

Since I've used a Lello forever, and since I think it's gonna croak at some point, my perusing of reviews has led me to want a Whynter. Have you had a gander at those machines at a much, much lower price point?

Also not available locally so unfortunate

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 minutes ago, ccp900 said:

Also not available locally so unfortunate

 

What are your ice cream maker choices locally?

 

[ccp900]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

What are your ice cream maker choices locally?

 

Cuisinart. Delonghi I think is here. Then it’s all the Italians carpigiani. Bravo and nemox. We also have the cheap ones like the vevor but unbranded.  The Clone or off brands don’t have the countertop versions like the musso 5030/4080

 

i think even bravo has started to pull out. I don’t see the old distributor carry them now

 

for me to get the ice100 I had to pay the price of a musso 4080 and that was discounted too

Edited August 21, 2020 by ccp900 (log)

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, ccp900 said:

 

for me to get the ice100 I had to pay the price of a musso 4080 and that was discounted too

 

 

Yeah, that's nuts.

[Lieuwe]

Two weeks ago, I bought an 18 year old Nemox Gelato 3000 pro. Although I still have to replace one part of the silicon scrapers, it already provides excellent ice cream. Therefore, can't wait for the package to come in on Tuesday: new scrapers and lid for the Nemox.

 

I bought it because it was clean, nothing was broken and the freezer and scrapers were still doing their job. What I've learned is that Nemox will still supply parts for this model for the next ten years. And, personally, I still expect it to work after that time. It took a while to find all documentation, but Nemox was happy to provide it, even though it was not present anymore on their site.

 

There is just one downfall: some parts are questionably expensive. For example, the 5mm wingnut on top would set me back $12. Ended up buying that one localy for 50c. Luckily, I didn't need to replace any expensive part. Expected the plastic lid to be expensive, but that one was the same price as the 5mm wingnut. Go figure...

 

 

 

[weinoo]

That’s awesome!

[Lieuwe]

On 12/28/2020 at 2:53 AM, Lieuwe said:

Two weeks ago, I bought an 18 year old Nemox Gelato 3000 pro. Although I still have to replace one part of the silicon scrapers, it already provides excellent ice cream. Therefore, can't wait for the package to come in on Tuesday: new scrapers and lid for the Nemox.

 

I bought it because it was clean, nothing was broken and the freezer and scrapers were still doing their job. What I've learned is that Nemox will still supply parts for this model for the next ten years. And, personally, I still expect it to work after that time. It took a while to find all documentation, but Nemox was happy to provide it, even though it was not present anymore on their site.

 

There is just one downfall: some parts are questionably expensive. For example, the 5mm wingnut on top would set me back $12. Ended up buying that one localy for 50c. Luckily, I didn't need to replace any expensive part. Expected the plastic lid to be expensive, but that one was the same price as the 5mm wingnut. Go figure...

 

 

 

 

As mentioned a few days ago, I was still waiting for a set of new scrapers. They arrived just this morning. I needed them, but looking at the price I paid: $30... Let's see how well they scan.

[Lieuwe]

20 minutes ago, Lieuwe said:

As mentioned a few days ago, I was still waiting for a set of new scrapers. They arrived just this morning. I needed them, but looking at the price I paid: $30... Let's see how well they scan.

And now installed.

[Sid Post]

I have seen various small-batch ice cream machines from companies like Ninja and Cuisinart.  Are these any good?  What models are best of breed without needing a home equity loan to purchase?  Which ones will make Italian ice cream varieties (Artisanal Gelato)?

 

Also, are there any good forums on this site or somewhere else that have good ice cream recipes?  I'm open to anything from plain old Vanilla to more advanced recipes like you see in Italian Gelatos.

 

TIA,

Sid

[blue_dolphin]

You might peruse this topic about the Ninja Creami.  Quite a few of us have one. 

And this topic on homemade ice cream may also be of interest.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2024 by blue_dolphin
Wrong link (log)

[blue_dolphin]

I'll go ahead and add my 2 cents on the the Ninja Creami.  You specified a batch size of 1 - 2 qts.  The Creami containers hold either 1 pint for the original or 1.5 pts for the newer machine.  Neither are going to make the batch size you specified although it's possible to prep and freeze multiple Creami containers (assuming you've purchased them) and spin them one after the other. 

 

If you want to learn about the art and science of ice cream making, a true ice cream machine is probably the better choice. There will likely be a learning curve. 

If you want to play around with lots of flavors, make quick sorbets or frozen yogurt from summer fruit, those small Creami containers are a plus.  You can spin as little as 1/3 of a pint.  You don't really need to learn a lot about ice cream to use the thing. 

You may need to put stuff back in the freezer to firm up if the spin cycle warmed your mix up too much or you might need a quick re-spin if your ice cream has gotten too hard sitting in the freezer but it's usually pretty edible once you've gotten that down. 

If you do get a Creami, I'd recommend skipping their recipes, unless they've improved them a lot.  I tend to use ice cream recipes from my cookbooks or that handy sorbet template that was shared here a while back. 

 

 

[Sid Post]

Those sizes/quantities of the Creami sound like they might be a good option for me to do smaller batches and test out recipes.  1~2 qt sizing was more for small settings for a guest or two or when I go to my friend's house.  A second ice cream container might make it a good solution for me.

 

I really appreciate those links too!

[Susanwusan]

Another thing to consider is do they make the ice-cream or do they break down the frozen block and make creamy the ice-cream you made and put in the freezer.  And then there's the method of how it is done.  I didn't like one I bought once that you had to put a sort of freezer pack type thing in to freeze, then put it in the machine, put a paddle type attachment in and pour in the chilled liquid ice-cream mix.  And that only worked to make a normal sort of ice-cream if you used certain proportions of sugar, cream and or egg yolk.  I don't know how others work.  I read some years ago about home ice-cream makers using salt in a need-to-churn-type bit of equipment.

[Sid Post]

2 hours ago, Susanwusan said:

Another thing to consider is do they make the ice-cream or do they break down the frozen block and make creamy the ice-cream you made and put in the freezer.  And then there's the method of how it is done.  I didn't like one I bought once that you had to put a sort of freezer pack type thing in to freeze, then put it in the machine, put a paddle type attachment in and pour in the chilled liquid ice-cream mix.  And that only worked to make a normal sort of ice-cream if you used certain proportions of sugar, cream and or egg yolk.  I don't know how others work.  I read some years ago about home ice-cream makers using salt in a need-to-churn-type bit of equipment.

 

Good comments there!  Yep, without a lot of cream or similar things to prevent large ice crystals, a frozen block won't come out like normal ice cream.

 

The newer Cremi from Ninja though looks like it be a winner since it also does lots of frozen drinks and similar things to slushies.  Being able to do frozen yogurts and slushies adds a lot utility to the ice cream maker.

 

That being said, I have been thinking about getting a classic ice cream maker that isn't the ~$200 cost of a Ninja Creami.

[weinoo]

I have this one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link):

 

 

And a Ninja Creami.

 

The Whynter, while it undoubtedly makes great ice cream, has pretty much been relegated to the pantry.  The Ninja, while it may not make true ice cream in the classic sense, is just so much more convenient, and as the dolphin who is blue mentions, one can have any number of pints prefrozen, ready to be spun at a moment's notice.

 

On 7/6/2024 at 12:11 PM, Sid Post said:

1~2 qt sizing was more for small settings for a guest or two

 

6 people happily shared a full pint of farmer's market strawberry sorbet on July 4th this week, garnished with fresh watermelon.  2 quarts sure seems like an awful lot for 2, 3, or even 4 people!

Edited July 7, 2024 by weinoo (log)