This review is from: KitchenAid KICA0WH 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment (Kitchen)
I own both the KitchenAid ice cream attachment and the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, two devices that work on the same principle of using a liquid filled freezer bowl and a machine-operated paddle to make homemade ice cream. I decided to compare the two using the same recipe for French vanilla ice cream (from the KitchenAid cookbook) to see which performed better.
The KitchenAid: The bowl has a greater capacity (about 5 cups of mix) than the Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White. Although it also takes up more room in the freezer, I liked this aspect. After all, if I’m going to make homemade ice cream, I want enough to make the effort worthwhile. The KitchenAid attachment added more air, which created a slightly grainier, more commercial texture but faster flavor delivery. Perhaps because it froze more mix, the KitchenAid was also slower to finish, taking eight minutes longer than the Cuisinart. Removing the frozen cream was easy except from the complex shape of the dasher. Although both machines were noisy, the KitchenAid was by far the quietest. Because you have to pour the mix into the bowl while the paddle is running and because the thick walls of the freezer bowl make it difficult to access, I recommend resting the pouring shield on the edge of the bowl — it doesn’t fit completely, but it’s good enough to minimize spillage. Also, if you expect to add nuts, chips, cookies, or other harder items near the end of the cycle, decrease the mix by the same amount. Five cups of batter plus a cup of nuts will overflow the bowl.
The Cuisinart: The ice cream was definitely denser and silkier, although in more limited quantity. The machine takes about 3 cups of mix, and, unlike the KitchenAid, some of it was wasted when it froze solid to the walls of the bowl. The KitchenAid, on the other hand, had little or no waste.
My husband preferred the ice cream from the KitchenAid attachment; he claimed that it tasted much better. I preferred the denser texture from the Cuisinart, although the ice cream was much more difficult to scoop after a day or so of ripening in the freezer. Both tasted much better than anything I can buy in the supermarket.
Despite my preference for the Cuisinart texture, I’m giving this attachment five stars because it still yields great tasting ice cream with minimal work. You do have to plan ahead, however: the bowl must be frozen for at least 15 hours, and the mix must be chilled a full day in advance. Since many ice cream recipes call for a cooked custard (with egg yolks), this means cooking a day or more before you want to make it. If you have the room in your freezer, you might want to store the bowl there. I recommend wrapping it in a plastic bag to keep ice crystals and freezer-taste out.
The decision to choose between this attachment and a special purpose machine depends in part on how many people you want to feed and whether you have the freezer space for a bowl that measures 7 ” high x 12″ wide x 9″ deep (it’s not symmetrical because of the outside pieces that allow attachment to the lift mixer). The Cuisinart bowl is only 5.5″ tall, with a 7″ diameter. Another point to consider is longevity. I expect a KitchenAid mixer motor to far outlive anything on a special purpose machine.
This makes a great gift for people who already own a KitchenAid since most of us are also attachment junkies. I highly recommend this ice cream bowl, although I strongly suggest some comparison shopping to make sure this is right for you.
— Debbie Lee Wesselmann
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This review is from: KitchenAid KICA0WH 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment (Kitchen)
I think my wife is trying to murder me with this KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment! She bought this for me for Christmas along with the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Recipe book knowing full well that I would become obsessed with trying all of the recipes. I’m on the third batch (Cherry Garcia, Coffee Chip, Chocolate Chocolate Chip) and I can already feel my heart slowing down. I can hardly make it to the mailbox without becoming winded. Luckily I realized her dastardly plot before having an ice cream overdose induced myocardial infarction. She almost got away with it as nobody would have suspected her. The paramedics would have just thought I was another fat pig who overdosed on ice cream.
This is so easy to use you may also find yourself overstocked with fresh quarts of the best ice cream you ever tasted. Follow the recipes in Ben and Jerry’s book and carefully follow the directions that come with the churn and you’ll make great ice cream every time. As the other reviewers have mentioned, it is essential to allow the ice cream to “ripen” before serving. This is not a requirement that is unique to this churn by the way. This is necessary with other churns as well. So be patient, plan ahead, get creative, and enjoy.
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This review is from: KitchenAid KICA0WH 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment (Kitchen)
Even though I followed the usage instructions to the letter (letting the Freeze Bowl thaw out completely before cleaning, clean by hand, not in the dishwasher) a small pinhole has appeared in the pivot point at the bottom of the bowl where the dasher fits. I noticed a small puddle of the blue coolant pooled at the bottom of the bowl after taking it out of the freezer And I’ve only used this thing about 6 to 8 times since I purchased it in 2007. Considering it’s out of warranty now guess I’m stuck eating the $60+ dollars I paid for this thing. I certainly won’t be buying another one..
8/28/2012. A few days after writing this review I posted what had happened on KitchenAid’s FaceBook page and received an immediate reply asking me to forward my information to a customer service representative. The next day I received another reply from this representative stating that even though my Ice Cream Maker was out of warranty they would be sending me out a replacement. It arrived about 5 days later in the mail. Although I still feel the freeze bowl probably needs to be redesigned for better durability I really appreciate the fact KitchenAid cares about their customers and sent out the replacement at no cost to me.
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KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment v. Special Purpose Ice Cream Maker,
The KitchenAid: The bowl has a greater capacity (about 5 cups of mix) than the Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White. Although it also takes up more room in the freezer, I liked this aspect. After all, if I’m going to make homemade ice cream, I want enough to make the effort worthwhile. The KitchenAid attachment added more air, which created a slightly grainier, more commercial texture but faster flavor delivery. Perhaps because it froze more mix, the KitchenAid was also slower to finish, taking eight minutes longer than the Cuisinart. Removing the frozen cream was easy except from the complex shape of the dasher. Although both machines were noisy, the KitchenAid was by far the quietest. Because you have to pour the mix into the bowl while the paddle is running and because the thick walls of the freezer bowl make it difficult to access, I recommend resting the pouring shield on the edge of the bowl — it doesn’t fit completely, but it’s good enough to minimize spillage. Also, if you expect to add nuts, chips, cookies, or other harder items near the end of the cycle, decrease the mix by the same amount. Five cups of batter plus a cup of nuts will overflow the bowl.
The Cuisinart: The ice cream was definitely denser and silkier, although in more limited quantity. The machine takes about 3 cups of mix, and, unlike the KitchenAid, some of it was wasted when it froze solid to the walls of the bowl. The KitchenAid, on the other hand, had little or no waste.
My husband preferred the ice cream from the KitchenAid attachment; he claimed that it tasted much better. I preferred the denser texture from the Cuisinart, although the ice cream was much more difficult to scoop after a day or so of ripening in the freezer. Both tasted much better than anything I can buy in the supermarket.
Despite my preference for the Cuisinart texture, I’m giving this attachment five stars because it still yields great tasting ice cream with minimal work. You do have to plan ahead, however: the bowl must be frozen for at least 15 hours, and the mix must be chilled a full day in advance. Since many ice cream recipes call for a cooked custard (with egg yolks), this means cooking a day or more before you want to make it. If you have the room in your freezer, you might want to store the bowl there. I recommend wrapping it in a plastic bag to keep ice crystals and freezer-taste out.
The decision to choose between this attachment and a special purpose machine depends in part on how many people you want to feed and whether you have the freezer space for a bowl that measures 7 ” high x 12″ wide x 9″ deep (it’s not symmetrical because of the outside pieces that allow attachment to the lift mixer). The Cuisinart bowl is only 5.5″ tall, with a 7″ diameter. Another point to consider is longevity. I expect a KitchenAid mixer motor to far outlive anything on a special purpose machine.
This makes a great gift for people who already own a KitchenAid since most of us are also attachment junkies. I highly recommend this ice cream bowl, although I strongly suggest some comparison shopping to make sure this is right for you.
— Debbie Lee Wesselmann
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|My wife tried to murder me with this!,
This is so easy to use you may also find yourself overstocked with fresh quarts of the best ice cream you ever tasted. Follow the recipes in Ben and Jerry’s book and carefully follow the directions that come with the churn and you’ll make great ice cream every time. As the other reviewers have mentioned, it is essential to allow the ice cream to “ripen” before serving. This is not a requirement that is unique to this churn by the way. This is necessary with other churns as well. So be patient, plan ahead, get creative, and enjoy.
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|Poor quality,
8/28/2012. A few days after writing this review I posted what had happened on KitchenAid’s FaceBook page and received an immediate reply asking me to forward my information to a customer service representative. The next day I received another reply from this representative stating that even though my Ice Cream Maker was out of warranty they would be sending me out a replacement. It arrived about 5 days later in the mail. Although I still feel the freeze bowl probably needs to be redesigned for better durability I really appreciate the fact KitchenAid cares about their customers and sent out the replacement at no cost to me.
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|