Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker Review

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Cuisinart has taken the ICE-50BC and improved upon it's design shortcomings. the biggest improvement is moving the drive system from the overhead arm to underneath the bowl. This system now resembles the much more expensive Lello unit but with a removable bowl. This unit also has a newly redesigned Ice Cream Paddle and includes a Gelato Paddle as well. That's two machines in one. the small door on the top of the lid for adding nuts, candy pieces, etc it easy to open and close although it's a tad narrow.

One thing I noticed the first time I ran mine. after about 20 minutes, there was a squeaking sound. after pausing it and making sure the paddle and the bowl were seated properly, it was ok for a few more minutes but started squeaking again. I tracked the squeak down to the plastic stabilizer atop the paddle that fits in to a poly-lined-slot in the center of the lid. I used a tiny bit of butter on a qtip to coat the inside of the poly ring and it hasn't squeaked since.

I tried the basic recipe and I tried the vanilla custard recipe in the book. the custard recipe base actually ends up coming out to more than 4 cups. the manual is very clear about not going over 4 cups of liquid in the machine. they mean it. Although I did dump the whole amount in, I should have definitely stuck to exactly 4 cups. It did not run over the top of the bowl, but it nearly did. I would have liked to allow it to run a little longer than 40 minutes as the custard base was not as cold as it should have been before putting it in to the bowl. if I had, it would have run over the top. the refrigeration unit get very cold and quickly. the final ice cream result was not quite as smooth as I'd like. I will mess around with recipes. Another Friend suggested I pre chill the bowl in the unit for 5-10 minutes before adding the base. you can do that in this machine as you can pause the motor while the refrigeration unit is still running. I like that feature. The pausing feature also comes in handy for adding nuts, candy bits, etc a few minutes before you shut the machine off and transfer your creation to a container for a final 2 hour sit in the freezer.

The final product coming out of this machine resembles softserve ice cream. This is normal for an ice cream maker. if it were much thicker, you'd have to dig the mixing paddle out of the bowl. I've seen several reviews on various machines from people thinking ice cream makers will do more than they're designed to.

I'd like to note this machine is LOUD.. the compressor is whisper quiet, the motor for the paddle is not. It sounds like a rather loud electric can opener. This bothers people, but it does not bother me.

I have not tried a gelato recipe or a sorbet recipe yet. I'm looking forward to it. I wanted to get a review up on this ASAP since it's a brand new machine and prior to finding this model I was considering a Lello but could not justify the price.

Clean up is easy with soap and water. the bowl is easily removed from the unit. there is a bit of a trick to getting the paddle out of the bowl without slopping ice cream all over the counter but after a few tries I there was a lot less mess on the counter.

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My ancient and well-used Cuisinart ice cream maker with the pre-freeze insert died in May, and I had every intention of replacing it with the same machine. When I saw the relatively reasonable price on this built-in compressor model however, I decided to buy it instead. I'm glad I went with this model.

Pros:

--Some say it's noisy, but it's far quieter than my old Cuisinart ICE-20. We can have a conversation in our smallish kitchen when it's on without problem.

--It's convenient to make two (or more) batches in a row.

--It produces consistently good ice cream and it's easy to get all of it out of the container.

--It comes with two types of paddles. The gelato paddle does seem to make for a smoother, silkier dessert.

--If you don't have much freezer space, it's nice to not have to dedicate a spot to a pre-freeze insert.

--The stainless finish looks great if that fits your aesthetic. I keep the machine out on the counter top and it fits right in with my other appliances.

The con:

--It's on the large side, so if you don't have much storage or counter space, keep that in mind.

P.S. I thought it might be helpful to add a note about recipes. We've made around 2 batches of ice cream/frozen yogurt/sorbet a week since May and are enjoying the ease of using this machine. I've been using recipes from David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop" and Jeni Britton Bauer's "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home." Bauer and Lebovitz have very different approaches to ice cream but my family happens to like both styles. Each book is full of winners and you can easily find recipes from both authors online to try before committing to a book purchase. If you're an ice cream fan like me, you'll have fun experimenting and seeing how the textures and flavors can vary.

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We have been using the Cuisinart Ice-20 for the past 5 years to make small (1.5 quarts) batches of ice cream in a variety of flavors. I was looking for a batch freezer so that I could make multiple batches without having to refreeze the bowl for 24 hours. After looking around at several units, I decided on the Ice-100.

The unit is much smaller than I had expected, but not quite a easy to store as the Ice-20. A lot of people comment on the noise level of the batch freezers, but I find the Ice-100 to be at a level at or below that of the Ice-20. With just the mixing blade turning instead of the entire bowl like the Ice-20, it seems to have lowered the noise level a little bit. It is no louder than the electric motor on our large (6 quart) traditional ice cream maker (but a lot less mess than dealing with ice and rock salt).

The removable bowl makes getting the batch of ice cream out and the mess cleaned up a lot easier. I will warn people to follow the directions carefully on the amount of mixture that you put into the machine. I have found that it holds 4 cups of mix easily so that it does not overflow as the ice cream sets. We have also found that the ice cream from the Ice-100 stays a lot softer in the freezer (if you do not eat it all right away) than the ice cream from the Ice-20. This is probably do to the temperature of the unit staying colder, and producing a product that is firmer than what comes from the Ice-20.

Overall I feel this is a very good unit for anyone that is interested in stepping up to an ice cream maker with a built in compressor at this price point.

Honest reviews on Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker

From some of the other reviews of this product I was almost reluctant to purchase it, and did in fact wait for several months before placing the order. I looked at a lot of other models from other manufacturers and even much higher priced models, but kept coming back to this one.

When I received the shipping notice, I prepared a cooked custard ice cream base, so that it would be chilled and ready to use when the freezer was delivered to the door. After reading the instructions and the warning about not turning the freezer upside down, my husband cautioned me to wait for 24 hours before using it, to allow the freezer gases to settle, if there inadvertently had been any mishandling during shipping (one would never know if it had been tipped on its side or turned upside down). I impatiently complied.

When I finally got to try it, all I can say is: This unit makes wonderful ice cream!! Absolutely smooth and creamy.

The first batch was a cooked custard base into which I melted 4 oz of chocolate. It was only about 3 cups, and froze in 22 minutes. The second batch was a full 5 cups of cooked and chilled custard base, and froze in 42 minutes. Longer running time will only incorporate more air, which makes the ice cream rise higher in the freezer bucket. This could cause the ice cream to overflow the bucket, which in turn will make it difficult to remove the bucket from the machine, because the overflow will freeze to the unit's wall.

Even though the instructions say that you can use a maximum of 5 cups of base, next time, I will only use 4 cups, just to stay safe and avoid overrun problems. With the 5 cups, it was all the way to the top of the lid by the time it completed its cycle.

Right out of the machine, the ice cream is soft-serve consistency, which some people complained about. I've made ice cream in many different types of freezers, even the old fashioned hand crank with rock salt and ice. I've never gotten any thing other than soft-serve consistency from any machine. That's just the nature of the beast. After two hours in the refrigerator freezer, what we made today is firm but not rock hard.

Do be cautious about drying the bucket THOROUGHLY between use, when making batches one after another. If the outside of the bucket has any moisture on it, it will freeze to the wall of the freezer chamber.

This machine is not nearly as noisy as some people stated. I didn't find it to be any more noisy than the Cuisinart model with the canister that you keep in the freezer. It was not noisy enough to make us feel like we wanted to cover our ears, and neither did we need to raise our voices to be heard over it.

The unit is sleek and easy to clean. The electronic buttons work simply, and I like the fact that they are smooth and even with the rest of the surface of the machine. Makes it easy to just wipe it off.

The lid is easy to put into place--just takes a quarter twist--and the lid opening is large enough to make it easy to add chips, nuts, or candy at the end of the freezing cycle. The machine's rim for the lid has a rubber (silicone?) O-ring that seals the freezer chamber, so it fits snugly in place.

The only thing I regret about this purchase is that I waited so long to make it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker

I have been looking for a good ice cream machine for a while. I ultimately decided on the ICE-100 based on my research. It will hold up to 1.5 quarts which allows you to actually make full quarts of ice cream without overflowing the mixing bowl. From what I was able to determine it is good quality, freezes relatively quickly and allows for continually making batches if so desired.

Pro's:

Quick

Easy to use

Easy to clean

Just simply works

Con's:

While I find it well worth the cost, it is costly.

Noise While the noise isn't horrible it's about like running a dishwasher. Not an annoying noise like a blender, but loud enough that you wouldn't want to gather around the ice cream maker and chat if you could help it.

Overall I found this to be a great product that is cranking away while I'm writing this review. While it is a new purchase for me I can't say anything about longevity other than to state that it looks and feels like it will last a long time. My first batch of ice cream came out great, I set the timer for 60 minutes, but checked it at 40 minutes and it was already solid, so it may well be freezing around 30 minutes.

I am still doing some testing with recipes, but I am happy with the purchase so far, it works great and cleanup is a snap. Would highly recommend this product if you are looking for a good ice cream machine.

I took a star away for noise. While noise has to be expected for a machine like this, it sure would be nice if they could tone it down a bit. Again the noise isn't a critical issue for me, but it is the only really noticeable issue I have with this machine.

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Update 5/26/2013:

I have done well over half a dozen quarts of ice cream now without any issues, most of them back to back. Works exactly as described typically taking between 25-35 minutes to freeze depending on the fat content.

I have found so far that I enjoy the lower fat content ice creams better, but they tend to have more of an issue with ice crystals. For those that haven't messed with Xanthan Gum I would suggest checking it out. It makes a significant difference in the texture of the ice cream and at the very least is worth experimenting with.

Very Simple Vanilla Recipe:

4 cups milk (2%)

1 can (14oz) Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 teaspoons Vanilla Paste (or extract)

This is one of the most simple recipes as most people have milk on hand, and the canned condensed milk and vanilla can store for a very long time, but as it has a low fat content it has some ice crystals. But throw 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum in there, and it significantly changes the texture making it fluffier and airier but also smoother with fewer (or smaller) ice crystals. You can also easily change the fat content by changing the milk mixture to half and half, or by swapping out some of the milk for heavy whipping cream, but most people don't have this on hand.

Another thing I like to do is simply pour juice or another drink (like a sprite for example) into the mixer and let it create a slushee for me in about 10 minutes. A great refreshing drink that can be made out of healthy juice, or easy canned drinks, etc... Since you just want a slushee consistency it's fairly quick at only roughly 10 minutes.