Recommends for an icecream maker?

[Cathpot]

I’d like to get my teenagers an ice cream maker for Christmas. They both like cooking and I think they would fun with it. There seem to be lots of diffe

[Cathpot]

different types and I’m not sure how practical they are. Would budget up to £100 if it was something that would really last but there doesn’t seem to be much in between £30 and £300. I’ve got a decent sized freezer

[ivfbeenbusy]

If you have a kitchen aid mixer you can buy an ice cream maker attachment and it's great

[Cathpot]

Thanks, I’ve got a kenwood and I’ve just checked and they do one too so I’m off to google about that!

[Cathpot]

Very mixed reviews about the quality of the kenwood one

[Tavannach]

There's this from Lakeland. It only makes 0.5 litres but that could mean more experimenting with flavours.

[SenorFrog]

I have a Kitchen Aid and have the ice cream maker attachment, it's great.

[SenorFrog]

That one from Lakeland is waaaay cheaper than my KA attachment. I got it as a gift, thankfully.

[Squiffy01]

@SenorFrog is the kitchen aid one good? I looked at getting it a year or two ago with vouchers but the reviews were so bad, so many people said it broke after first use that I never got it.

[Cathpot]

Have you got a Lakeland one tavannach? I’m trying to work out of price = quality . It seems a bit random. I’d like a 1 litre one I think ideally

[karmakameleon]

I have a Lakeland one that’s been going for years. It’s a basic model but I’d happily recommend it.

[Tavannach]

I haven't got one - thought about it in the summer and then just didn't. It appeals partly because I have a smallish freezer.

[ShrikeAttack]

I've got a Cuisinart one which is one of the more expensive ones with the built-in refrigeration unit.

I've had the ones where you freeze the bowl before but the bowl would always take up too much space in the freezer so I'd have to be much more organised when I fancied making icecream. I use this one much more so it's a better buy in the long term.

[Cathpot]

Thanks I’ll have a look at that

[SenorFrog]

@Squiffy01 it works well and I've had quite a few good recipes but it's quite big to store or takes up a lot of room in your freezer. I think that's true of all of them though. It's very expensive too so unless you're going to use it a lot then I'd not bother and just buy Haagen Daz, lol

[BlueChampagne]

I have the Von Shef one which has a built in condenser, for the same reason as ShrikeAttack. I like knowing exactly what's gone into my ice cream, and it not being too sweet.

[Cathpot]

I bought the cuisart one in the end. Then I looked for a recipe book but couldn’t find one that didn’t have alarmingly mixed reviews. Is it better to just look for recipes online?

[ShrikeAttack]

I tend to just use recipes online, having said that, once you've found a basic formula for ice-cream and sorbet that you're happy with you can experiment to your heart's content!

[Cathpot]

Ok, thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with!

[canihaveacoffeeplease]

This is a little bit more than you want to spend but a bloody good machine. It's quite big, but the one where it has a built in freezer, you don't have to pre freeze the bowl. It's made for small commercial kitchens, and is what we used in ours. Makes a brilliant quality ice cream, lovely and smooth. We still have it now, it's been going 8 years. We now have a gelato shop so have a much bigger one for work, this is the one we keep at home. Really do recommend it!

www.nisbets.co.uk/buffalo-ice-cream-maker/dm067

[canihaveacoffeeplease]

Gah just missed that you already bought one, sorry!

[NewToRenting]

The OP has already bought one, but for anyone else researching ice cream makers, I would strongly discourage the small Lakeland one. I bought it recently, and it is really not much more than a toy. It doesn't help that I live in a hot country, but all I have managed to get is a very runny soft serve.

[Cathpot]

Oh no canihaveacoffeeplease that one looks great! I’ll make a note in case we ever want to upgrade.

[WilmaPantry]

I'm about to put this book on my Christmas list is:
Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide by Robin and Caroline Weir.
from Waterstones . I thought of you when I saw it. Apparently it is the Bible of ice cream making.

PS I've recently upgraded from a Cuisinart ice cream maker (with a bowl that went in the freezer) to a Magimix Gelato Chef that has an integral freezer compartment. It is so much quicker and easier and I love it!

[bearlyactive]

I have one from Lakeland, it was £50 and makes AMAZING ice cream!

[Cathpot]

Thanks wilma I’ll look at that now