3 Responses to “Cuisinart ICE-50BC Ice Cream Maker”

1. John Stagaman says:

   July 20, 2005 at 2:56 pm

   Rating

   Like another reviewer, I was happy to see a compressor machine available for a reasonable price. I’d owned a smaller machine with a bowl that was placed in the freezer, but the ice cream wasn’t as creamy as I wanted and the results varied dramatically from batch to batch.

   Armed with a gift certificate (plus quite a bit more), I ordered this machine. For the fourth of July, I made 3 flavors for a party (vanilla, chocolate, & stawberry–I went with the basics), making the bases for each the night before. The next morning, I froze all three ice creams in less than two hours. With a compressor machine, it’s easy to make multiple batches one after the other. And the ice cream was a hit at the party, too.

   Some tips:
   
   1. The first batch I made was a simple recipe from the instructions which contained no eggs. While it turned out OK, it couldn’t compare with custard-based ice creams that include egg yolks. The custard bases consistently result in smoother, creamier, and richer ice cream.
   
   2. Try to make the ice cream base the night before you’ll be freezing it (especially custard bases). It allows the flavors to blend and ensures the base is cold. A cold base will freeze more rapidly and is less likely to develop ice crystals.
   
   3. When making chocolate ice cream, using quality chocolate rather than cocoa gives a richer flavor.
   
   4. It’s much easier to make ice cream when there’s no need to have lots of ice and rock salt or remember to pre-freeze bowl wich may or may not fit in the freezer.
   
   5. It also can freeze sorbets and sherberts and make slushies for the kids. I suppose you could make frozen drinks with it, but I’ll stick to the blender for those.

   I’m very happy with it so far. It seems well made, produces great ice cream, and has a larger capacity than many other compressor units. While I expect to usually make a half-batch at a time, the 1 1/2 quart capacity plus the ability to quickly freeze multiple batches is great for those times when you need lots of ice cream.
2. C. Ebeling says:

   August 11, 2006 at 6:33 am

   Rating

   Why this ice cream maker is worth the price tag: 1) No need to store quantities of salt in your pantry. 2) No need to store sacks of ice in your freezer. 3) No need to pre-chill a tub in your freezer. 4) Assembly is simple. 5) Parts have strength, do not seem flimsy. 6) Parts requiring washing are easily washed and popped back into the machine. 7) The manual is comprehendible and offers good recipes. I’ve experimented with low-fat recipes only and they work beautifully.

   Things worth knowing: after mixing the ingredients, it will take, on the average, 45 minutes to freeze in the machine, after which it will be more like soft serve. You will need to freeze it for an hour or so to get the harder texture. And, you will have to let it sit at room temperature 10 minutes if it’s been in the freezer any longer than that. It makes noise, getting louder as it gets toward the end of the cycle and is pushing against the thickening mass; however, leave it behind a closed door and you don’t hear it. Also, the generator has to be level for a while to work, so you can’t use it immediately after unpackaging it. Perhaps let it sit a couple of days before attempting it.
3. D. Pentecost says:

   February 10, 2007 at 1:54 am

   Rating

   I’m pleased with my purchase of the ICE-50BC. It think the noise issue must be related to a certain run of machines. Mine is no more noisy than any other countertop appliance in my kitchen. It’s certainly less noisy than a blender.

   Based on reading through some of the other reviews, I think people have unrealistic expectations of a home ice cream freezer. The Cuisinart unit freezes just as hard as the hand crank buckets we used as a kid. And it works just like the 2 frozen tub units it replaced (the ones where you have to store the tub in the freezer before use).

   If you’re looking for ice cream that’s as hard as what you get from the store, you’ll have to take it out of your machine and store it in the freezer overnight… just like it sat in the freezer for a couple days at the store.

   Don’t forget to chill your ingredients BEFORE freezing them. I get perfectly textured soft-serve ice cream from chilled ingredients in 20 minutes from a completely room temperature machine.

   And I break the usage rules by ignoring the filling instructions. I put the paddle in, then pour in my mix, then assemble the arm and lid, and only then connect the arm – which sets the lid at the same time. Set the timer to 20-30 minutes and walk away. Much easier than Cuisinart’s own instructions.

   BTW… my favorite use has nothing to do with ice cream. I take store bought limeaid (usually a brand called Simply Limeaid) or other juice product, add a little kick (wine, spirits, etc.) and let it freeze into a nice Friday night slushie. For that use alone, the machine pays for itself. Can anyone say “frozen margarita”?

   I do wish the arm had a more positive attachment. It needs a more firm connection method than just general pressure. Cuisinart should have made some kind of positive locking mechanism for it like they have on their food processors. But… I understand the design. It’s made to pop loose when the paddle can’t turn. That helps prevent paddle breakage and motor burnout. Maybe a smart engineer will come up with a more sturdy after-market arm and paddle for those who want to freeze thick/dense mixtures.