Pacojet in home environment

[Tuber magnatum]

Does anyone have experience with using a Pacojet in the home?  I may have access to one, and while I appreciate it would be very difficult to justify based on cost, I nevertheless am debating its practical value in a home environment cost aside.  Questions I have are:

Is its real value primarily as an icecream maker or are there other practical uses?

I have read various concerns re whether home freezers are cold enough to sufficiently freeze cannisters, particularly as regards ending up with "slushy" icecream. ( I have read a number of temperatures, but I think consensus is -22F is the recommended range while home freezers are typically -20F). Not so much of an issue if final product not to be served frozen.

Icecream recipes need to be modified?

Just how noisy?

Is Pacojet 2 worth the extra cost over version 1?

Aside from icecream and gelatos, I was thinking it would be useful to have frozen stock which then could be individually portioned for making pan sauces etc. with out having to have multiple small frozen containers or having to partially thaw larger portions.  Same for soups.  Interested in how others have made use of it at home.

Thanks in advance!

[pastrygirl]

I don't believe most home freezers are typically at -20F.  I share a kitchen with an ice cream maker who has an expensive ice cream hardening cabinet set at -20, other commercial freezers might be at -5 or -10.  Home freezers might be closer to 0. 

 

It's been a while since I used a pacojet, but you do want the food frozen solid.  Your sugar-free stocks or infused oils might be hard enough at 0, but ice cream could be problematic. 

[Tuber magnatum]

 

Thanks for noticing. I think I mistyped and meant Centigrade!  

 -20C = -4F

-22C = -7.6F

 

So if home freezer -18C / 0F, that would make Pacojet use in a home environment problematic if the temperatures I understand are required are correct.

 

 

[pastrygirl]

I had paco jets at two different restaurant jobs.  At one, our freezer didn't work very well so it was indeed problematic for ice cream.  And everything else!  I got so frustrated I bought  a small gelato machine with a compressor to spin ice cream the old-fashioned way.  At the second, IIRC we had a regular non-commercial freezer and it was fine. 

 

Do you know how cold your freezer is?  My home freezer wouldn't be cold enough, my vegetables stay frozen but ice cream is always soft.  If store-bought ice cream stays hard enough that it'll bend a spoon and you have to let it warm up a bit before scooping, it should work.

[Tuber magnatum]

2 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

... Do you know how cold your freezer is?  My home freezer wouldn't be cold enough, my vegetables stay frozen but ice cream is always soft.  If store-bought ice cream stays hard enough that it'll bend a spoon and you have to let it warm up a bit before scooping, it should work.

 

Just measured: Bottom of chest freezer exactly -20C / -4F