Three Common Choices For Ice Cream Makers

When buying an ice cream maker, there are a few questions that need to be answered before jumping in with both feet; how much ice cream needs to be made at a time, is the time needed to make it an issue, is the ice cream maker something that needs to be put away after every use or can space be made for it on the countertop. The answers to these questions may not be apparent at first, but by looking at the types of ice cream makers available on the market today, the reasons for them will become clear.

• Large Bucket models – These are the traditional kinds of ice cream makers that most people remember from their youth. They use a large amount of ice and rock salt but in turn produce a large amount of ice cream, anywhere from 4-6 quarts. The old-school hand crank model is available still, but upgrading to an electric motor model will run about $50 extra. Although cheap compared to electric models, the melting ice and rock salt mix needs to be drained somewhere and can, on occasion, get into the ice cream itself if the operator is not careful. The motor on electric models can be noisy.
• Electric Countertop model: Pre-Freeze – These versions do a pretty good job of making quality ice cream, however the bowl the ice cream is made in needs to be put in the freezer from a few up to 24 hours. This allows the gel inside the bowl to freeze. Smaller than the self-cooling models because they don’t have the refrigeration equipment inside, the trade-off is time. Because the bowl needs to be pre-frozen, a little planning is required, or the bowl needs to be kept in the freezer at all times.
• Electric Self-cooling model - No pre-freezing, no bags of ice, just put the ingredients in, turn it on and go. What’s the catch? They are expensive and heavy, some up to 40 pounds or so. Countertop space needs to be set aside because they are not something to be put away quickly or easily. Top-of-the-line ice cream makers fall into this category with top-of-the-line prices, ranging up to $700, although lesser models can be had in the $300 range.

Family and friends getting together to make some ice cream is a time-honored tradition. These three types of ice cream makers are the three most commonly available on the market.