Features:

  • This year, Cuisinart is donating $32,500, regardless of sales, to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
  • Powerful 200-watt motor handles more blending tasks; 2-speeds for all your blending tasks
  • Stick design reaches into pots, pitchers and bowls to extend blending options
  • Ergonomically designed grip offers comfortable hold and more control while blending
  • Operates with a one-touch control for easy, one-touch blending
  • Dishwasher-safe blending shaft and beaker make cleanup effortless
I'm in love and keep kicking myself for not buying one sooner!

Saw this recommended by Cooks Illustrated. Then saw there was a new version when I looked into it here. Back to Cooks Illustrated - it says stick with the old one. The new one works exactly the same but has a larger exterior size - not good for most of us. And, this is less than half the price! Buy now before it goes away. Super easy to use. Any work you need to do is in prepping ingredients and depending on what you make it may not take more prep that just refrigerating (vs ice cream made with eggs, for example, where you will have to pre-cook and cool the ingredients). Once you're set, you just turn it on, dump in the ingredients and have ice cream in 20 minutes. You do need to watch the quantity of ingredients - my first batch ran over, but it was much less messy than I would expect, easy enough to clean up, and not wasteful - you can still scoop up whatever falls off the sides. Be sure to buy some ice cream storage containers because you'll want to keep making more and more (I bought 3 of these Tovolo Sweet Treats Tub, Raspberry - see pic). I started with fresh peach (pics) did a dark, dark chocolate with hazelnuts and am about to make coconut. It's just that easy. Note: this is not huge - makes just over 1 quart max. For me, that's a positive - more opportunity to make new ice cream ;)

Having this machine is wonderful because you have full control over the ingredients and can make ice cream the way you want.

I read the reviews carefully before selecting this machine. My machine arrived in perfect condition and sooner than expected. I cleaned the drum and put it in the freezer 24 hours. It was frozen solid when I used it and my ice cream came out perfect. My husband couldn't quit raving about it and how much better it tasted than store bought! It was rated highly but there were some one star ratings that said it wasn't powerful enough to thicken the ice cream and because the drum did not get cold enough to freeze the ice cream. Churning Issues I believe that people complaining that it is not powerful enough to churn the ice cream should revisit their recipe. I found that when I put too much heavy whipping cream into the mix, it thickens really quickly and machine seems to be straining. When I used the proper mix of heavy whipping cream and milk, I didn't have that problem and the ice cream came out nice and smooth. Also, every ice cream maker creates a soft serve type consistency. If you want it to firm up, you need to dip it out of the drum and put it in the freezer for an hour or so. Also don't put bits of fruit or nuts into the churning mixture. Wait until after the ice cream is finished then fold that in my hand after you empty it into a bowl. The chunks will get caught between the paddle and drum and cause problems if you add them during the churn. Chunks are meant to be added later. Drum Problems You cannot submerge the drum in water. I clearly says so in the manual. If you can't read the small print, Google Cuisinart ICE-21 Manual and download the pdf for this unit. I did that and it was way easier to read. I put mine in the freezer in the upright position for 24 hours before using it the first time. After you churn ice cream you will a medium to thick layer of ice cream welded to the interior of the drum. DO NOT scrape it out with metal utensils. I just cover mine with a paper towel and after about 15-20 minutes I scrape the sides with a soft pliable spatula. Do not scratch the interior, it will cause problems later. Also do not put the drum back into the freezer until it thaws completely out. After waiting the 15-20 and scrapping the inside, I take my drum to the sink and spray it out with warm water, being careful not to submerge it or scratch it. I dry it out with a paper towel and sit it on my counter in the upright position to finish thawing out. Then I wipe off the excess condensation from the inside and outside and put it back in the freezer in the upright position.

Better than expected

The only negative comments that I found to be true with my item was that the lid was a little hard to get in place. Otherwise, the ice cream maker was great. I left the containter in the freezer for about 24 hours and also placed the mixture in the refrigerator overnight. The ice cream was perfect in about 15 minutes. I did place a folded towel over the top opening as someone suggested but not sure that was necessary. Some of the comments said the ice cream was not hard. I have used freezers for years going back to the old hand crank style and none of them produced ice cream as hard as this unit. Could be that some of the commenters were not used to home made ice cream. Home made ice cream is NOT supposed to be hard. I found this item to be perfect except for the tricky lid, but that could just be me. One suggestion. Do not fill all the way to the top. Leave a few inches or it will run over. I have only used this one time but so far------ a very good product.

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?

Bought the Model 21 in time for homemade peach ice cream. Had gone back and forth whether to purchase a newer, more expensive version but after reading someone else’s recommendation that the older, simpler model worked just fine, decided to follow their advice and after having made nine batches of various flavors, agree that the “21” couldn’t be any better. No bells and whistles are really necessary other than the on/off switch, and it’s overly pricey to upgrade. The machine does make some noise, but not like a revved-up Harley or anything. I continue putzing around in the kitchen while the ice cream churns, and the high-pitched hum is not overly annoying. The slightly smaller capacity (1-1/2 qt) is advantageous since we can polish off a batch and go on to the next “experiment” without much delay. Finally, the smaller canister is easier to fit in a small refrigerator-freezer for the necessary pre-chilling. I haven’t found a second canister to be necessary for a small family, but if you have the freezer space and need to make larger quantities more often, it could be the ticket. This little gadget has been fun to use and it’s so easy, almost foolproof, to have great-tasting ice cream without the mess of an old-fashioned salt-and-ice freezer. After trying one of the Cuisinarts I ordered another as a gift, along with a 1-1/2 qt oblong storage container (have tried both Tovolo and Sumo—they seem practically identical). After the initial experiments with various “rich” recipes and flavors, we will probably try some of the lower cal versions such as sorbets and ices, but for now, it’s full bore with the creamy goodness. Life is now measured “before homemade ice cream” and after! Observations/methodology: Have tried various recipes—with eggs, cooked custard; with eggs, uncooked; no eggs, adding some instant vanilla pudding powder for extra thickness and body, and using fruits--peaches, cherries, strawberries, as well as butter pecan. (B.C. was hands-down fave!—toasted the chopped nuts in the oven first, with melted butter, a little sugar, and a sprinkling of kosher salt. In the custard, used dark brown sugar, maple syrup and Jack Daniels for flavoring—yummilicious!) Finally decided to stick with the cooked custard approach, adding a small amount of vanilla bean instant pudding powder, say 1-2 TB, to the cooled custard just prior to freezing. (I feel uneasy about using raw, uncooked eggs.) Have had excellent results using a Thermapen to measure the temp, whisking constantly while cooking in a heavy pot. It doesn’t take long to come to temp and thicken, but does need to be cooled prior to freezing, so if in a hurry you may prefer the easy-no-eggs-instant pudding type of recipe, readily available online. Not one batch so far has been a “failure”—in fact, they’re all so good that we’ve become addicted and eat ice cream three times a day. It should come with a warning label! We prefer a rich version, with a combination of heavy cream, evaporated milk, condensed milk and regular milk for a vanilla base resulting in that “from my childhood” taste. It can be modified with add-ins as you please. Be sure to write down what you do as you go, in case tweaking is needed next time or in case you pronounce the latest batch a sure winner. Have plenty of tasting spoons at the ready while churning, and several rubber spatulas will come in handy. As many have noted, it’s key to have the canister frozen rock-solid prior to churning. We keep it in the freezer between uses and even put the plastic shell (aka “lid”) in there while prepping the custard. There’s no actual lid as you might imagine. I wring out a wet dish towel and lay it on top across the open hole, and put some ice cubes atop that to help insulate. May not be necessary, but every bit helps. So far the “21” has worked great and we make a batch every other day. The most challenging part is transferring the just-frozen custard to a storage container for additional hardening. Take out the paddle first and scrape it off (another opportunity for tasting). The filled canister is heavy and to hold it with one hand while scraping out the soft ice cream is a bit unwieldy. A very firm plastic spatula works best (rather than a flexible one) to get all the ice cream out. Never use metal, anywhere, anytime! Wash and dry the canister when empty and return to your freezer pronto. You WILL want more ice cream soon and it’ll be ready to go, so keep a spot empty for it. It’ll be worth it. (I scream for green beans? Not so much….) Some have complained about the freezer not working for long, but being a new owner, I can’t say.. It seems like if you treat the parts gently it would last “forever,” but maybe that’s just like the honeymoon phase with a new lover. Time will tell but we’re very happy for now—even obsessed. Be cautious of OVER-filling the container which can cause an overflow mess since the mixture expands while freezing. Err on being conservative with the amount of custard mix. I use 2 eggs per 3 to 3-1/2 cups of liquid per batch and add the mixings the last few minutes to help ensure they don’t add too much volume. Keep an eye on it from time to time during the freezing process to make sure it isn’t about to overflow. You can always remove some of the mixture if it seems necessary. In the case of the toasted buttered pecans, I folded most of them into the mixture AFTER pouring it into the storage container because instructions say not to add anything larger than a chocolate chip, and I wanted some to be larger chunks. This delayed-addition technique works well for other fixings, too. On one hand, adding pureed fruits at the outset is good, for overall flavor intensity, but adding extra cut-up fruit later may be to your liking. Be aware that too-large chunks will likely get icy in the long run and be hard to scoop up, so there’s a fine line. The other “misteake” was making a double portion of custard in order to have back-to-back batches of half vanilla, intending to make another flavor with the remaining half of the mixture. Apparently the second half of the custard wasn’t chilled enough to overcome the freezing canister having gotten warmer on the first run. Although most batches froze in 15 to 30 minutes max, after a longer time it was obvious this batch refused to set up, so I returned the chilled custard in a bowl in the refrigerator, returned the canister to the freezer and decided to try again later. About five hours worked. Lesson learned—be patient. OK to double the batch, but chill it all thoroughly prior to churning. If pondering whether to get a countertop ice cream freezer, go for it. It’s fun and easy to use. You’ll be a proud as a brand-new parent after you make the first batch.

Lactose intolerant daughter is thrilled!!!

Oh my gosh. This far exceeded my expectations! My daughter is severely lactose intolerant so I bought this for her to have more ice cream options. So impressed with this ice cream maker! Super easy to make and ice cream tastes delicious! Definitely recommend getting the Ben and Jerry's recipe book and containers to go along with your purchase.

pretty much all my batches are finished by around the ...

An ice cream maker has been on my wish list for a long time, and I finally got this one after looking at reviews for many different models. The first thing I noticed was that it was much quieter than I thought it would be, and although the manual says it takes about 20 minutes, pretty much all my batches are finished by around the 10 minute mark. I can tell when it's about done when the machine starts to get louder as it struggles to turn the thicker mixture. The texture is like a soft serve, so if I'm not serving it immediately I put the ice cream into the freezer to firm up for a bit. I also make sure to refrigerate the mixture thoroughly beforehand as the instructions state, and have gotten excellent results. The recipes in the manual are spot on, which is not always the case (i.e. my Cuisinart bread maker). The raspberry sorbet was surprisingly good, considering it's basically 3 ingredients. I have not had a lot of success with substituting those recipes, & I have read that unlike with most recipes, ice cream is an exact science as the water content in each ingredient (strawberries vs. blueberries, etc) can cause a very different outcome. I've successfully reduced the amount of sugar or substituted organic ingredients, & there are many tried and proven recipes online if you want to change the fruit or make it low fat. My family has been raving about the quality of our homemade ice cream, and this machine is really easy to use. I just store the freezing bowl in my freezer so it's always ready to go, & it easily washes out after use. I couldn't be happier with this!

THE BEST THING SINCE MY FAVORITE NON-DAIRY STORE BOUGHT ICE CREM!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this ice cream maker. I never purchase store bought ice cream anymore. I make non-dairy ice cream. My children, husband and everyone who tastes it can't believe I made it. I suggest keeping the bowl in the freezer at all times so its always ready to use. After 20 minutes you'll have a soft serve consistency, if you want it scoopable, place ice cream in a shallow container, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, then close the lid and put it in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Be sure to place plastic wrap directly on top of ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming on all that deliciousness. I also highly suggest you order an additional freezer bowl. You can only make 1 batch at a time as the bowl MUST be completely frozen to work properly. So If you have a big family like mine (6), you have to be able to make 2 batches to not create a WAR!😁.

To be honest one of my best purchases here

To be honest one of my best purchases here. Love it and going to buy 2 more as gifts for my sister and friend! First I consider my self and wifey are ice-cream lover and addict sometimes! We did some flavors until now and we will try more Some comments before you buy it: Noisy? yes, but not to level that bothers me. Small for big family? maybe! for two of us we make one bowl every week (depend on feel and desire). you can buy second bowl ( I have it but never use it) Easy to use? yes, using it easy. The tricky part is what you put in it! ( more explain will come) Useful tips we did and worked for us: 1- If you love ice-cream heavy, hard, and texture smooth (like I do), You need to use heavy cream with your regular milk. If you are ok with light soft serve, milk with half and half will do the trick. 2- Do not over load the bowl with a lot of addetive ingredients. Its going to be difficult to freeze and unit as one texture. like adding a lot of chocolate ships or a lot of shredded coconut, that is no no. 3- 20 -25 min is proper time, Slightly less than is ok if you put less total ice-cream mix. I don't recommend going more than 30min! why? because the frozen bowl will not stay cold all time and your ice-cream will probably melt down after long time keeping it in machine. 4- Make sure your bowl is totally frozen before you start, shake it to make sure! I usually store it in freezer until I use it again, wash it an back again to freezer. 5- Avoid filling the bowl to the top, ice-cream grow bigger when set and will over flow and will make a miss and hard to clean. 6- *** I noticed that I can increase the hardness of my ice-cream by manually spreading the ice-cream mix to touch all inside surfaces of the bowl while still on by using rubber spatula. I do that in the last 2-3min before I turn off the machine. The ice-cream when start to freeze tend to stop moving or just touch one area inside the bowl and by spreading it you make it set faster. 7- I put in fridge for at least 2 hours before I use it! my wife like it soft and eat it immediately! :( 8- Did I say this? put your ice-cream mix in fridge or freezer for 30-60 min. before you start! the colder your mix the faster and easy to set and freeze inside the bowl 9- Price of ingredients to make a nice ice-cream? will I say fair to ok. As I mentioned, I use heavy-cream for hard serve ice-cream and I buy 1 quart around $6 (and I use it 2 times or two bowls, 2 cups each). you also add the price of regular milk and other flavors and ingredients as preferred. I hope I didn't miss things. I waited sometimes to review this and try to be helpful! all above mentioned for the ice-cream and still enjoying my ice-cream making for now. I will move to frozen yogurt and I will add more tips to my review. Thanks my wife helped me with this and added some pictures! our ice-cream getting better as you see from pictures lol

Love it!

So, after comparing products and reading reviews, I bought this one. Here's the drill: the bowl stays in the freezer, the stand alone freezer. Thursday we make our mix, so far from Peggy Fallon's The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever. It gets stashed in the fridge overnight. Friday morning, the bowl comes out of the deep freeze, the mixture goes into the ice cream maker. When it's done in the ice cream maker it goes into the freezer. Friday night dessert? Home made ice cream. This machine is great. Just the right size for the 2 of us, works well, does the job. No messing around with ice and salt. Depending on the recipe it makes the same amount as 1 regular box of ice cream from the store. Did I get the warranty for 2 years, sure I did. Have I learned a lot about ice cream, you bet. Tips: if you've sprung for this ice cream maker, spring for fresh ingredients. Made a rocky road with walnuts from the back of the cupboard, we could tell. Be patient. If your want ice cream right now: go buy some. This machine is about enjoying the creation, not instant gratification. Does the ice cream bury store bought? No question. Has the machine performed as advertised? Sure has. Definitely has been a joy.

A great general purpose ice cream maker!

I recently went Keto and wanted to be able to make my own ice cream with eyrithritol (sp?) instead of sugar. I have never made ice cream before. I did some research before purchasing and this model had great reviews from trusted sources so I took the leap. I am so glad that I did! This makes it incredibly easy to have a frozen dessert just the way that you want it. The instruction is clear and concise. Recipes are included. You do have to wait 24 hours for the bowl to freeze (I just keep it clean and in the spare freezer so it's always ready). The machine appears to be solidly built. Note: the bowl needs to be upright and in the back of the freezer for best results-it does take up a good bit of space. It takes up about the same amount of space as a store bought ice-cream carton, so keep this in mind before purchasing. Once this is done you can have soft serve ice cream in as little as 15 minutes! I love that this came in red, it even looks cute when in use. I feel quite comfortable recommending this item.

Full Reviews