Ice Cream Maker Reviews - Best Ice Cream Makers

Before reading on the best ice cream makers, and making up your mind to buy one of them, get acquainted with the concept of an ice cream maker and the way it works.

An ice cream maker, as the name suggests, is an equipment used to make ice cream. An ice cream maker is also called as an ice cream freezer. The ingredients are stirred in the ice cream maker with the help of an electric motor or with the help of a hand-crank. The ice cream is chilled with the help of a freezing mixture either by cooling the ice cream maker in a freezer or sometimes the ice cream maker itself is equipped with an inbuilt refrigerator. In order to relish a creamy and a smooth ice cream, the ice cream maker prevents ice crystals from being formed by continuously stirring and churning the mixture. Here, aerating the mixture is also necessary to obtain a smooth ice cream.

Best Ice Cream Maker Reviews
Check out more options for the best ice cream makers and their reviews.

Hand Crank Ice Cream Maker
This ice cream maker falls under the category of manual machines. You can opt for this machine if you wish to enjoy homemade ice cream recipes. This machine is made up of two bowls, the outer and the inner one. The inner bowl is smaller than the outer one and is attached to a hand-cranked mechanism which has a paddle. This paddle helps to stir the mixture. The outer bowl consists of a freezing mixture of ice and salt. Here are the reviews and the product information about the hand crank ice cream maker.

• Rival Ice Cream Maker - It has two categories, one that can prepare ice cream up to 4 quarts and the other that can make up to 6. It is made up of a triple motion gear which enables proper mixing of the ingredients of the ice cream. The ice cream maker of 4 quart capacity would cost you about $130-$170 and the one with a 6 quart capacity would cost around $170-$190
• White Mountain Ice Cream Maker - Ice cream makers from this manufacturer also are available in the 4 quarts and the 6 quarts capacities. The 4 quart ice cream maker comes with a stainless steel can, triple motion gear drive made up of cast iron and would cost around $140. The 6 quarts capacity on the other hand is a machine with larger dimensions, with features almost same as the 4 quarts machine. The cost of this machine is around $200. This ice cream maker has received mixed reviews. Some consumers have found it out to be of good performance but noisy, while some have said the price is high. But a study of an overall review has resulted in the white mountain ice cream maker achieving a ranking of 3 out of 5.

Commercial Ice Cream Maker
Commercial ice cream makers are a faster and automated way of making ice cream. Commercial ice cream makers do not consist of any bowls nor do they involve any pre-chilling activity. The Cuisinart ice cream maker consists of a completely automatic timer of 60 minutes and has a capacity of about 1½ quart. The body of this ice cream maker is made up of stainless steel and has got a transparent lid. This ice cream maker would cost you around $300.

Electric Ice Cream Maker
Electric ice cream makers have an electric motor which drives the bowl, or in some makers, the paddle for stirring the mixture. There are many manufacturers who deal with electric ice cream makers.

• White Mountain Electric Ice Cream Maker - This ice cream maker can make about 4 quarts of ice cream. This model comes with a cream can made up of stainless steel, a powerful electric motor of about 12000 rpm. It is an easy to use machine. It comes with a ice cream maker recipes booklet and you can try out many ice cream recipes. This machine costs around $170-$240.
• Cuisinart Electric Ice Cream Maker - This is a fully automated machine and consists of a double insulated freezer bowl. The body is made up of stainless steel. It takes a very less time of about 25 minutes to prepare ice cream. This machine has a warranty period of 3 years. The cost of this ice cream maker is about $80. The reviews of this ice cream maker have been very good and has got an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5.
• Donvier Ice Cream Maker - This is a fast working machine and can prepare ice cream in a time of no more than 20 minutes. The capacity of this ice cream maker is 1 quart. Considering the consumer ratings and reviews, this has been the highest rated machine with a rating of 5 out of 5 and is one of the best ice cream makers available. This ice cream maker has also proved to be the least expensive costing around $15-$70.

Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker
Soft serve ice cream makers are fast ice cream making machines. The cuisinart soft serve ice cream maker can produce around 1 to 1.5 quarts of ice cream and prepare ice cream in just around 15-20 minutes. This machine would cost you around $80-$130 and is easy to use and a fast working machine.

Other ice cream makers available in the market are the gelato ice cream maker, that costs about $50 and is known for making ice creams very easily. It consists of a single bowl and varying speed levels. The capacity of the gelato ice cream maker is around 1 quart. Play and freeze ice cream maker is another option available for ice cream lovers. It makes ice cream in about half an hour. The benefits of this ice cream maker is that it prepares ice cream anywhere as it does not require electricity and is a durable machine. The cost is around $15-$40. Kitchenaid ice cream maker is yet another choice of ice cream makers and said to be the easiest-to-use ice cream maker of all. The benefit of this ice cream maker is that it does not require salt or ice to prepare ice cream and makes ice cream in about 25-30 minutes.

These were some of the best ice cream makers available. But before going to buy any of them, it is necessary to consider factors such as the frequency of usage, capacity and most importantly, the price. Studying the ice cream maker reviews would prove useful to select the ice cream maker that best suits your needs.