Cuisinart ICE-21

Happy with purchase – I have been dreaming about an ice cream machine and this is my first one. I made the hazelnut gelato from the manual/booklet. It turned out really well. I'm excited to make more. Did not have trouble with mixture not getting thick and freezing. Only complaint is the bowl is definitely too small - only makes about 1L at a time, so feels like a lot of clean up for small amount of ice cream. Show details

Loved it – It made very good icecream. The only drawback was having to freeze the bowl 12 hrs between batches, ao I ended up buying one with a compressor Show details

Great product – Great little machine bowl alittle to small . And mixture has to be refrigerated overnight to maximise to icecream texture. Machine alittle noisey but that’s ok. Colours are a great addition to my kitchen. Priced range ok. Also makes great sorbet and youghurt good little product and easy recipe to follow.  Show details

Will not freeze! – I bought this after checking on-line reviews. I am very disappointed. The bowl was very difficult to freeze even with temperature checks to prove that my freezer was in the correct temperature range. Took 72 hours even though the freezer temp was at -18 deg (taken next to the bowl). Keeping the bowl in the freezer and chilling down the ice cream… Read more

or sorbet mix in the fridge as instructed, I cannot get either product to be more than a sloppy mix in 20 minutes churning. Lengthening the time does not help. This does not perform as promised in the booklet. I am about to return this product to the store. "If you want a firmer product then chill for 2 hours" - After two hours its is thickening to the consistency that I expected from the churn. Another two hours and its OK to serve. Very disappointed. The ice cream tastes very good, it is simply a sloppy cream texture.

Fantastic Ice-cream maker – With this particular older model it is necessary to freeze the churner, which just means being organised if you want to make ice-cream. Churns well and ice-cream is made in about 20 minutes. Love this product.

Waste of effort – I have used other ice cream makers for years, regularly making ice cream once a month. As my old machine died I was excited to receive a new lighter model for xmas. Freezing the bowl for over 48 hours and even after churning for 40 minutes there was no change to the liquid. I tried again and doubling checking that instructions were followed to… Read more

the letter - no difference. It is really worth buying a compressor mdel and definitely not buying this one.

not frozen yet – I was really pleased when I received this for Christmas last year. I have made some of the recipes from the booklet and they are delicious. Admittedly I have only used it four times. This time I had the bowl in the freezer even longer than usual and the freezing liquid had still not frozen after 24 hours. I tried making the ice-cream, but it… Read more

remained as a liquid after 15 minutes of mixing. The bowl is still not frozen after another 12 hours in the freezer. Disappointed.

Feb 2017

My recent uses of the product were more successful after I left the bowl in the freezer for several days before I wanted to make the ice cream. .I would recommend leaving it in the freezer permanently. Made a really refreshing lemon & basil sorbet from the recipe book.

Beautiful ice cream – I bought one recently on sale after checking the reviews on this site. I can't say I found it particularly noisy as others say. My other kitchen appliances can be just as noisy. Started with the basic vanilla ice cream and have to say it's the nicest I've ever had. You do have to freeze the inner bowl overnight in the freezer but my daughter… Read more

bought an ice cream maker that was three times the price and you still have to do that. It's not instantaneous but nothing you create of quality is. The ice cream came out with the consistency of soft serve but you can harden it up if you prefer it that way by putting it in the freezer for a short while. I can't wait to try out my other recipes and maybe create some myself.

Does the job, but noisily – This is the first ice-cream make I've ever owned so don't have anything to compare it to. It makes great ice cream but as others have said it can be a bit loose when in the bowl. I churn it for the full 20 minutes to make it a bit thicker. You have to get the ice cream out straight away or the stuff in contact with the bowl will set hard and be… Read more

difficult to remove without scratching the lining of the bowl. I also have not been able to get it to make a good sorbet, they tend to stay a bit slushy and wet, but that might be because of the room temperature or the sugar content of the mix. I need to play with the variables a bit more.

For a company that prides itself on making quiet appliances they seem to have missed on this one. For a gadget that is essentially an electric motor with a frozen bowl and a stirring attachment it is extraordinarily noisy. I measured it at 70db from 1 metre (I'm a science teacher).

Despite this it gets used at least a couple of times a month becuase we enjoy playing with ice cream recipes.

Disappointed ICE-21A – Twice I have tried making chocolate sorbet using the recipe in their book. My bowl on both occasions was in the freezer for at least a week and not taken out until the last minute. So I don't understand why after 30 minutes of turning my sorbet is still runny.

Very easy to use and versatile – This is very easy to use and you can add lots of different ingredients to it; the large size is relatively easy to clean as there are hardly any small crevices to get into. Apart from having to freeze the bowl for several hours - I would imagine you have to do that with most of them - it's hassle-free.

Disappointed – I purchased the ice cream maker a few months ago and tried several recipes from the booklet, but I am still underwhelmed. It is rather expensive for a simple tool. The content of the bowl stays soft in the middle and gets hard on the walls of the bowl. As I want to make ice cream at the spur of the moment, and not plan a day ahead, so I always… Read more

keep the bowl in the freezer - but it does take up a lot of space, particularly as it has to stand straight. My family also says that shop-bought ice cream is nicer, but I still use it, as at least I know what's in it when I make the ice cream myself. I keep searching for the right recipe, and maybe, with some practice, it will improve. I can control what goes into the ice cream as opposed to shop bought poor results, expensive for what it is

Lovely! – A friend served up the best chocolate ice cream I'd ever tasted and I asked where she got it. She told me she made it herself and showed me her icecream maker. That was enough for me! I found one online and just love it. The recipe/instruction booklet has some GREAT recipes and the machine makes a lovely smooth icecream. I am yet to use it… Read more

for yoghurts etc, but so far it's fabulous. easy to use, great recipe booklet, efficient. It can be noisy but that's ok... it makes ice-cream...I don't mind a little noise if it means ICECREAM!

Love it! – I bought this predominately for healthy frozen yoghurt - without the additives found in bought stuff. I expected some failures and learning but from the first try I knocked out delicious frozen yoghurt every time. They warn not to expect the same texture as store bought icecream and I suppose it is different especially the next day after being… Read more

frozen - the icecream/yoghurt a very hard and needs 15 min to soften. But what you loose in convienience you gain in taste and health.

The sound is very barable - less than expected.

I agree with a previous review, the whole unit doesn't feel very strong, and is a very plastic/cheap feeling appliance however, the plus side is its super light and easy to store out of the way to be pulled down off a high shelf.

I have a chest freezer and store the bowl in there permanently and have had excellent results.

Those looking to make frozen yoghurt: be aware the process isn't as simple as throwing it in the machine - look at recipes and instructions first to see if you're up for it!

I bought online, with free postage from house. Best price, fast delivery. Does what it claims, fast, perfect size and weight.

Great Ice-cream – I purchased this ice cream maker about a month ago. It makes beautiful ice cream and it is really easy to use! The ice cream produces smooth/ creamy ice cream and so much better then store bought!! You need to freeze the bowl well- at least a day. Easy to clean. I really love the machine but the only downside I have is that I think the machine is… Read more

of cheap quality, the motor at times sounds like it is struggling. Other than that I really do love this ice cream maker makes beautiful ice cream motor stuggles at times

Best Christmas gift I got last year – My sister got me one of these for Christmas, and it is one of the best gifts I have ever received. I have two little girls, and they love helping me make the icecream. The unit is easy to clean, pretty compact to store, and ours is a funky green colour. It makes beautiful icecream in about 15 to 20 minutes and we will never go back to generic… Read more

store bought. The included recipe book gives some great ideas to get started, but I have used other recipes from cookbooks and the internet with great success. My mother in law was so impressed after seeing it that she went home and bought her own. Only drawback is that you need to pre-freeze the inside bowl. I just keep mine in the back of the freezer so it is always ready, but this might not be practical for those short on freezer space. It also means that you can't run two batches through in quick succession. Not an issue for me though, and I have no complaints. Fast, great tasting ice-cream, so easy to use Need to pre-prepare by freezing the bowl

Easy and Fast!! – Easy to use, easy to clean, comes with recipe book but you can make any recipe you like using this machine. We can't go back to store bought ice cream. Only takes about 15 minutes. Bowl needs to freeze for a good 24 hours between uses but you can buy a second bowl. I have had the machine for about 6 months now and use it every week. Not an overly noisy motor either. Worth every penny.

Near excellent – Very easy to use, and happy with the results. Only drawback is that you need to freeze the tub for 24 hours before use, so you will always need to plan ahead before use. Very easy to clean. The expensive refrigerated units would be more convenient, yet I hear they are heavy and bulky to store. Reliable, works well