The best ice cream maker, just in time for summer

Years in the past, certainly one of my greatest mates gave me The Good Scoop by David Lebovitz for my birthday (with the strict stipulation that I make her an ice cream cake yearly for her birthday). It was the very best reward, with the sweetest inscription, and I’ve made many recipes from these dairy-stained pages. That treasured guide is at present on the shelf above my desk, simply exterior the Check Kitchen right here at King Arthur, and on days once I’m feeling significantly caught on a improvement mission, I discover inspiration in my bestie’s inscription: her confidence that I can do something and her Friday Evening Lights reference that all the time makes me smile.

I may hardly wait to make my first ice cream recipe from that guide … however there was only one downside. After eagerly cooking my custard base and patiently chilling it, I noticed I’d forgotten to freeze the insert for my ice cream maker. My ice cream desires had been instantly placed on pause whereas I waited — a full 24 hours! — for it to freeze stable.

I’ve all the time felt that the largest barrier to creating your personal ice cream is the necessity to plan forward and pre-freeze the bowl. What in case you have a right away ice cream craving or a sudden strike of inspiration?

Effectively, seems I haven’t got to attend anymore. The Cuisinart Ice Cream & Gelato Maker is an entire game-changer with regards to do-it-yourself ice cream as a result of there is no such thing as a pre-freezing required. I repeat, there is no such thing as a pre-freezing required.

Images and meals styling by Liz Neily

With a simplified course of and high-quality outcomes, this machine takes your ice cream desires to the subsequent stage. Since you don’t need to freeze the bowl earlier than churning, you possibly can resolve to make ice cream on a whim, whip up your base, and begin churning as quickly as the bottom has correctly chilled within the fridge, normally for not more than an hour or two. One other scrumptious good thing about not having to pre-freeze a bowl is that there’s much more room in your freezer for churned ice cream. And whereas having to pre-freeze your ice cream bowl means you sometimes have to attend 24 hours between batches, with this equipment, you can also make batch after batch of various ice cream flavors directly.

The machine is simple to make use of, too. It has precisely three buttons: energy, timer, and begin/cease. Pour your ice cream base into the aluminum mixing bowl, lock the lid in place, set your timer, and hit begin. That’s it. Included are two paddles: one for ice cream and one for gelato. The gelato paddle is barely smaller, meant to make sure a slower churning course of that includes much less air into the combination and creates a richly textured gelato.

One in every of my favourite options is a gap within the lid so you possibly can add your mix-ins of alternative with out interrupting the freezing cycle — good for including cookies to your Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, or a ribbon of marshmallow swirl in your vanilla custard. There’s additionally a “Hold Cool” characteristic that may maintain your ice cream (you guessed it) cool for 10 minutes after churning is full. Freshly churned mushy serve, anybody? 

Images and meals styling by Liz Neily

Whether or not you need to make sorbet, frozen yogurt, or a conventional custard-based ice cream, this machine churns all of it and persistently delivers the creamiest ice cream I’ve ever been in a position to make at residence. As a result of you do not have to fret in regards to the frozen bowl thawing earlier than the ice cream is totally churned, there’s much less melting and re-freezing of ice crystals — which implies your ice cream could have a extra constant, even freeze, with a silky-smooth texture. Darkish Chocolate Sorbet with a spoonful of tart cherry pie filling is a decadent, dairy-free deal with. Blackberry and Raspberry Frozen Yogurt topped with sprinkles is nice for a day crammed with sunshine. Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Sizzling Fudge Sauce or a drizzle of olive oil is the spectacular do-it-yourself dessert you want in your subsequent banquet.

The machine comprises a commercial-quality compressor freezer, which is only a fancy method of claiming that it’s all the time able to make ice cream. Regardless of being a compression mannequin machine, this ice cream maker isn’t noisy. I’d describe it as extra of a gentle hum, and cleanup is a breeze. The blending paddles and lid are top-shelf dishwasher secure, and the blending bowl will be washed in heat, soapy water. Taking over the identical quantity of countertop house as a stand mixer and weighing in at slightly below 30 kilos, I admit that this can be a hefty countertop equipment. However when recent ice cream is the reward, this machine earns its spot on my counter, not solely in the summertime months, however all yr lengthy.

Gone are the times of constructing house in your freezer in your ice cream maker bowl days upfront of churning. Now, the one house you’ll have to make is in your many containers of luscious, made-with-love ice cream.

Prepared to begin your summer season ice cream journey? The Cuisinart Ice Cream & Gelato Maker at present has free delivery!

Cowl picture and meals styling by Liz Neily.