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What the ice-cream maker came with: base, freezer bowl, mixing arm, lid, and recipe book.




For my first attempt, I just stuck to the simplest recipe: vanilla ice-cream. All you need is milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.






After I mixed the ingredients together, I turned the machine on, poured in the mixture, and just stood there and watched the machine do its magic for 25 minutes.




After about 20 minutes in the machine, the slush started to resemble ice-cream!




For my second attempt, I added crushed Oreo cookies to the ice-cream mixture about 5 minutes before the ice-cream was done.




My Oreo ice-cream right before it was done.






Yummy Oreo ice-cream! It was a bit soft, but still delicious!






If you like firmer ice-cream, put the ice-cream in a freezer container after you take it out of the machine, and it'll look like this. Doesn't it look store bought?




My guinea pigs. I got their stamp of approval. This ice-cream maker is a keeper!




Below, you will find my list of pros and cons. Keep in mind that this is all from the point-of-view of someone who spends about an hour a week in the kitchen "cooking", and spaghetti is considered a "gourmet meal".

Pros:
- Very few parts: Machines are supposed to simplify our lives, so the fewer parts, the better.
- Easy maintenance: few parts mean fewer things to wash!
- Homemade ice-cream without too much work.
- Effortless to use: just turn the knob to ON or OFF!
- Stainless steel design makes this machine look sleek!
- The plastic lid is open on the top, so you can watch as the liquid ingredients turn into creamy ice-cream. Great for curious kids!
- No need for ice or rock salt, like some of the other ice-cream makers.
- The machine came with yummy and easy-to-follow recipes.
- Hidden cord storage: the electrical cord hides underneath the base, for easier storage.
- Healthier than buying from the grocery store: after learning what ingredients and how much of each ingredient goes into making ice-cream, I will be eating less. See, the ice-cream maker is actually a diet machine!

Cons:
- Not for immediate use: the package says in 25 minutes, you can have 2 quarts of ice-cream. Well, that does not take into account the 6-22 hours it takes to freeze the freezer bowl.
- The machine is a little big and chunky: more modern technology to take up counter/cabinet space.
- No freezer space for the 2 quart freezer bowl: I've got frozen pizzas, nuggets, chicken, etc in my freezer. Where am I going to find space to store a 2 quart bowl? Luckily, the eDivvy office has a nice, big freezer.
- The mixing arm does not move; it's the freezer bowl that actually rotates. Because of this, mixing is not thorough. Ice-cream on the side and bottom turns out better than on top and in the center.
- Noisy: It's not like a revving car engine loud, but it could be an irritating sound after awhile. Definitely not for use when the kids are asleep.
- The ice-cream did not come out firm enough: it was more soft-serve/milkshake consistency than ice-cream. But if you put it in the freezer for at least 2 hours, your homemade creation will resemble ice-cream.
- A cool feature to add would be a timer on the ice-cream maker: I know you can use the microwave timer or a kitchen timer, but it would make the machine even more functional if the timer was already built in to the ice-cream maker.

Bottom line: if you have extra money to spend on an ice-cream maker, then it's worth the money. It costs the same to make your own ice-cream as buying pre-made ice-cream from the grocery store, but making your own ice-cream is a lot more fun and healthier!

Now that you've decided to invest in an ice-cream maker, you might also need....


Zak Designs Ice Cream Tub, Pint Size for $11.99








Prepara Ice Cream Scoop, Power Tip & Water Well $19.99








The Ice Cream Ball Mega Size Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker $34.99








Bormioli Rocco Rock Bar Ice Cream Dish set of 6 $29.99