Making your own ice cream at home is not only fun but gives you the convenience of experimenting with a choice of flavors and colors. If you have special dietary needs, you may find it difficult to shop for ready to eat ice creams and an ice cream maker may be just what you need.
To make delicious ice creams, it is wise to invest in an ice cream maker. You could add the ingredients in a bowl and freeze it but the result is frozen milk without that special creamy ice cream texture.
Ice cream makers come with a rotating bowl with a paddle. The paddle churns the contents of the bowl to make smooth and free of ice crystals. If you like hard ice cream, you will need to buy it from the supermarket.
Ice cream makers churn the ingredients into a smooth and soft ice cream. Ice cream made at home is tastier than store-bought ice cream.
It is also healthier because you choose the ingredients that make the ice cream. You will use fresh ingredients and you will not use preservatives or chemicals to extend the life of the ice cream.
There is a bewildering range of ice cream makers in the market. Each ice cream maker has its pros and its cons. Some are self- contained with integrated freezing units while others come with a freezer bowl that needs to be frozen in the freezer before ingredients are poured in and churned.
You need to put layers of ice and salt in some ice cream makers while churning. Some ice cream makers come with a double layered insulated freezer bowl that does not require adding salt or ice.
Product | Details | Rating |
---|---|---|
OUR #1 RATED Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker | 4.5 out of 5 | |
Nostalgia Ice Cream Maker | 4.5 out of 5 | |
Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice-Cream Maker | 4 out of 5 | |
Cuisinart Electronic Ice Cream Maker | 4 out of 5 | |
Rival Frozen Delight Ice Cream Maker | 4 out of 5 |
By carefully shopping for the one that suits your needs you will enjoy making fresh and healthy ice cream for your family at home.
You should also look at online reviews before choosing an ice cream maker. This will help you make a short list and choose among the best ice cream makers in the market.
One of the main considerations that you should keep in mind is customer service. You must make sure that other customers who have had problems with the ice cream could easily contact the company’s customer service for a solution.
Below we've reviewed the top 10 best ice cream makers available on the market in 2021.
Aucma Ice Cream Maker
The Aucma Ice Cream Maker is an automatic ice cream maker. You can make a variety of treats including frozen yogurt, ice cream, and sorbets. The ice cream maker churns ice cream in about twenty minutes. The manufacturer’s warranty covers the ice cream maker for one year.
The machine has a 1.5-quart freeze bowl that needs to be kept in the freezer for ten hours or overnight. You need to place the frozen bowl in the ice cream maker, pour the ingredients and switch the motor on to start. One round of using this ice cream maker gives four servings of ice cream.
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BIMONK Ice Cream Maker
The BIMONK Ice Cream Maker is a machine with a large capacity. The freeze bowl has a capacity of 1.5 quarts. The machine churns ice cream in about thirty minutes. You can make sorbets, frozen yogurt, gelato and ice cream using the machine.
It has a large ingredient spout and you can add ingredients while the machine churns ice cream. The freezer bowl has double insulation. This ensures extra cooling and you don’t need to put ice and salt. You need to place the freeze bowl in the freezer for at least eight hours.
You can then put the frozen bowl in the machine set the automatic knob and start the machine. The automatic knob is handy because you can set the time and leave the machine to churn ice cream without having to check the machine.
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Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker
The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker is a fully automatic ice cream maker. It comes with a 1.5 freeze bowl. The machine has a self- refrigerating compressor. The removable bowl can be cooled in the machine.
It has 12 settings for hardness and you can choose from the settings if you want to make sorbets, frozen yogurt, ice cream or gelato. The product is covered by a two-year repair warranty.
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White Mountain Electric Ice Cream Maker
This ice cream maker is aesthetically designed with a wooden bucket tied with galvanized steel hoops. It takes about forty minutes to churn ice cream. It can churn up to six quarts of ice cream.
The product is covered by a five-year limited warranty. The machine has blades made of beech wood. The blades automatically adjust to uniformly churn ice cream and prevent the mixture from sticking to walls.
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Whynter Ice Cream Maker
This easy to use ice cream maker makes about two quarts of ice cream. There is no need for pre-freezing. The churning blades and freeze bowl are removable.
There is a built-in timer that has an easy to hear a sound. The machine has a function to protect the motor. If the mixture becomes solid, the motor shuts off. The ice cream maker is covered by a one-year limited warranty.
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Rival Frozen Delight Ice Cream Maker
This ice cream maker is made in China. It is easy to use and quiet ice cream maker. The machine makes four quarts of ice cream. You need to pre-freeze the mixture before churning it in the machine.
You will need to layer crushed ice and rock salt while the machine is churning the mixture. The ice cream maker takes about 30 minutes to churn ice cream.
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Cuisinart Electronic Ice Cream Maker
This ice cream maker comes with and without a countdown timer. You can churn two quarts of ice cream with the machine in about 20 minutes. It has an easy to use LCD control panel. You can choose three settings on the control panel with different speeds.
You can make sorbets, gelato and ice cream. You need to freeze the freezer bowl for 24 hours before placing it in the machine. The machine has an integrated spout and measuring cup. The machine is covered by a three-year limited warranty.
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Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice-Cream Maker
You can make four quarts of ice cream using the Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice Cream Maker. The machine takes 20 to 40 minutes to make ice cream. You can make sorbets, gelato and ice cream with the ice cream maker.
The ice cream maker is covered by a one-year limited warranty. You need to add ice and rock salt when the machine is churning the ingredients.
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Nostalgia Ice Cream Maker
This is an aesthetically designed ice cream maker with a wooden exterior. The electric motor keeps contents secure and locks into place. The see-through lid helps you keep an eye on ice cream while it is being churned.
You need to layer the machine with ice and salt as it churns. It makes about four quarts of ice cream in about 30 minutes. The plastic container is easy to clean. The machine is covered by a 90-day warranty.
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Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
This fully automatic ice cream maker makes about one and a half quarts of ice cream in about twenty minutes. It has a sturdy ice cream churning paddle. The freezer bowl is double insulated and you don’t have to add ice or salt. The lid is transparent and easy to lock.
The machine has a large spout and you can add ingredients while the ice cream is churning. You can make ice cream and sorbet using this ice cream maker. The freezer bowl must be frozen before it can churn ice cream. It is covered by a three-year limited warranty.
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Which Ice Cream Maker Should You Buy?
Ice cream makers are a good investment because they save you time and effort while making ice cream. Fully automatic electric ice cream makers do not require much effort once they start churning the ingredients.
Before buying an ice cream maker, you should check if the price is within your budget, the motor should be quiet and it should be easy to use and clean. I would recommend the Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker or the Whynter Ice Cream maker because they are relatively quiet machines.
The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker is ideal if you are looking for a slightly expensive but efficient ice cream maker. It is also easy to assemble, use and clean. The best ice cream maker is one that will suit your specific needs.
Lauren Gamble is an author, mompreneur, co-founder of Naturally Made Essentials. She is on a mission to help thousands of women across the world achieve a healthy, happy lifestyle through teaching natural health practices.