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I purchased this after much debate about whether or not I needed a two quart ice cream maker or just go with the original Cuisinart $49.95 one. I am so glad i bought this one. It is so great. Easy to use, makes alot of ice cream,so sleek looking.

I have a tiny kicthen and everytime I turn around I am buying something that will clutter my counterspace, but I have to say this I don't mind. It is square, not to bulky and the cord fits nicely up inside the machine. It doesn't dangle or anything. It's right next to my KitchenAid.

I have made two recipes out of the manual that comes with the machine. I usually don't like "manual recipes" however, these are fantastic. The Mango Gelato was a huge hit with family and friends. One girl who doesn't like ice cream, liked it. The simple ice creams that dont require making a custard, you just mix all the ingredients together and freeze, I was thinking it would be terrible. It wasn't, so you can make ice cream in 30minutes from start to finish with those recipes.

I do keep the bowl in the freezer like others suggested with the smaller ice cream maker. It has been very useful to have it already frozen when I am ready to make ice cream.

As far as noise, it is not as quiet as I thought, but don't let that scare you. It's not like turning on a blender and leaving it running for 25 minutes. It's not an annoying noise. Not like the old ice cream makers with the ice and stuff. It is fun to watch it churn too. So the noise just fades to the background.

It's very interactive and a great thing to do with kids and company.

I really can't say enough good. One of the best appliance investments I have mad yet.

I used this to make a custard based ice cream (recipe below) and it came out WONDERFULLY! The ice cream was done in 20 minutes and the consistency was fluffy. The recipe I made before (non custard) didn't thicken as nice, but I believe it was because it was not made with the custard base. I have uploaded a customer image of the maker in action near the end of the cycle.

*TIP* Make sure the bowl is completely frozen and do not pull it out until you are ready to pour the ingredients in.

Custard Base Recipe:

Ingredients for base - 4 egg yolks, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar.
For Ice cream - base, 1 cup fresh heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Directions - In a double boiler slowly bring milk to a boil. In a glass bowl mix together egg yolks and sugar until thickened. Slowly pour in the milk stirring constantly. Return to double boiler and slowly heat until thickened. (Mixture will stick to back of the spoon. DO NOT BOIL! Remove from heat and allow to cool. (I recommend putting it in the freezer for about 2 hours before using.) When the mixture is cooled mix in the heavy cream and vanilla. According to maker directions, turn on machine and slowly pour mixture in. If you want to add chips, fruit or anything else to the ice cream, do it about 5 minutes before the end of the cycle. Enjoy!

If you like frozen treats and you like them easily made with very little mess and fuss...for goodness sake get this appliance BUT don't use the recipes in the machine's guide...also pick up Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. We bought this frozen treat maker based on the reviews here and it exceeded our expectations...we've made a number of the recipes in Ben and Jerry's book but I'll describe our first effort because it's representative of all our efforts...here it goes...I threw together some sugar, milk, eggs, and cream for about 5 minutes...placed it in the machine, turned it on, did some chores for 23 quick minutes...two minutes before stopping the machine I added crushed Oreos...I stopped the machine and we enjoyed absolutely GREAT ice cream...clean up was a breeze...that's it! One warning...Ben and Jerry's recipes say a "generous one quart"...that means close to two quarts. I have to say the "problem" mentioned by some of having to keep the freezing bowl in the freezer wasn't an issue...in fact, I'll probably get another bowl and keep it in the freezer as well...they take up VERY little space. Get this machine and enjoy...it's a no-brainer folks!!!

The Cuisinart ICE-30BC works wonderfully. It is easy to use -- just one switch which says "on" and "off". In addition, it has a handsome design and is easy to store.

If you like to experiment with foods, this is a great purchase.

I had not previously owned an ice cream maker -- if you're in the same position, here's some things to expect:

* Don't buy one if you're simply trying to save money on ice cream for the family. The maker is costly, as are good ingredients.

* Good, rich ice cream requires cooking a custard-like mixture. Meaning double boiler on the stove, then a lengthy cooling process. Although you could avoid cooking and make a simple ice cream with the ice cream maker alone -- the results are not the same.

* The canister part of the 2 quart Cuisinart maker must be placed in the freezer for about 24 hours before each use. Keep this in mind if you have a packed freezer and/or tend to like instead gratification.

* The machine is noisy. A bit noisier that most blenders. And it needs to run for about a half hour.

This product started to malfunction a little more than a year into its life.

At first, it made great ice cream. Now, the unit generates so much heat while it is turning that the bowl unfreezes and I end up with a pultaceous mess that isn't remotely close to ice cream.

Avoid this.

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UPDATE: Cuisinart replaced my defective product. For a $10 shipping charge, they shipped a new unit to me the same day I called. It shipped from New Jersey via UPS and I had it two days later. They require that you ship the defective unit to them in New Jersey at your own expense, but they will ship your replacement without first having the defective unit. My total out of pocket expense was $20. I'm very happy with the customer service.

No crushed ice and rock salt. It uses a double-walled container/bowl that needs to be in the freezer for about 24 hours for best results. Of course it will depend on your freezer settings and how much time it is out of the freezer. Your mileage may vary. I have "gotten away" with 12 hours, but the final product is very soft and it takes longer to make. If after 45 minutes the ice cream isn't ready, then the bowl probably didn't freeze long enough. Put it in the freezer for an hour or two. It will be just as delicious, but will be more dense. It's best to transfer the ice cream to a plastic container with a lid so it won't absorb freezer odors. Ours never lasts long enough for this to be an issue. Store the bowl in the freezer so it's ready for next time.

While it is larger than the ICE-20, it's still only 2 quarts. I've found this to be ideal for spur-of-the-moment ice cream fun for just my family. However, don't throw away your larger churn just yet. You'll need it for parties. But because it is small, I find that I'm more willing to experiment with flavors since I won't be "wasting" it if it doesn't turn out right. But the only time that happened is when I used 100% Splenda. (If you want to save calories/carbs, experiment with one of the sugar alcohols like Erythritol or Xylitol. They yield a better tasting product with better texture.)

Overall, I am very pleased with this product. It couldn't be any easier to use. Simply freeze the bowl, put in the mixed ingredients and 20-30 minutes later you have great tasting ice cream.

We bought this to make low fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet.

We keep the bowl in the freezer, along with the bowls we use to store the ice cream. So far we've done a not-so-low-fat chocolate that turned out like a creamy chocolate mousse (a big hit with co-workers and the volleyball team), a lemon sorbet, and right now I have a low fat vanilla in the machine.

It's very fast and makes creamy ice cream but is much louder than I expected. We have an open floorplan so we hide it away in the laundry room with the door closed so we can watch tv at the same time. It's not a high whine or anything truly annoying - it's just a bit too loud to hang out in the same room for 25 min at a time. I think the noise is worth it to have control over the ingredients and large batches of ice cream at a time.

Make sure you set a timer because if you leave it too long ice cream will start to come out the top of the machine when the last thing you want to do is waste it.

I highly recommend this machine.

This machine makes great homemade ice cream easy! For those of you who complain about the machine being loud or messy, you must've never used one where you need ice and salt to freeze the cream. Yes, it does make some noise, but it's tollerable and it's only for 30 minutes.

The ice cream does come out with more of a soft serve consistancy, but this is not unusual and you need to put it in the freezer for a firmer ice cream. Just being able to make fresh ice cream on your kitchen counter is worth it.

If ice cream makers conjure memories of rock salt and ice all over your kitchen counter; a noisy churn going for an hour or more, well forget all that now!

This is the one you want! Freeze the bowl before you use it and you have no mess. Just get it out of the freezer, drop it onto the base, turn it on then add your ingredients. 20-30 minutes later you have ice cream. Want it a little harder, freeze if for an hour or two.

Clean up is very easy.

Four stars because the churn is a little noisy.

One word of caution. This may add inches to your waistline!

Great unit, great price.

This is my first ice cream maker. I find it very simple to operate and have made excellent batches of ice cream to date. Instructions are clear, concise and easy to understand. Once you understand the principle involved, you can deviate and make all kinds of unique and interesting flavors. I suggest that you invest in "Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Dessert Book". It provides recipes to make the 3 "Sweet Cream Bases" that most all ice cream is made from. Enjoy this product. Thanks, Jim W from Little Compton, RI