An ice cream maker does two things: It spins and it freezes. Spinning is what creates that soft, creamy texture. By rotating the bowl or dash (the technical term for the paddle that stirs the ice cream), ice cream makers scrape the frozen material off the walls of the bowl and evenly and slowly add it back to the water base. This process also blows air into the mixture, until the whole mass is frozen to work in harmony (to make it more solid, you will need to transfer it to the fridge).
We choose machines that turn using an engine. We’ve reviewed hand-crank models in the past, and they’re a lot of work. Motorized ice cream makers also spin faster than hand-crank models, resulting in finer ice crystals and a smoother texture.
A sealed container or compressor is too cold. Our top pick freezes your ice cream in a sealed container filled with cooling liquid. Before using the container, you need to freeze it for 16 to 24 hours (or until the liquid inside is solid). The Whynter models we recommend freeze using a built-in compressor, similar to the method used in refrigerators and air heaters.
Both methods of freezing have their merits. Bottling machines are simple, small, and affordable; Pressing machines can produce smoother, fluffier clusters, successively, without a person having to set up the bowl.
In the past, we’ve tested freezing machines using old fashioned ice and salt, but found them messy and cumbersome.
While researching and testing ice cream makers, we focused on the following trends:
Freezing speed: The faster the ice, the less time it takes for large ice crystals to form. In addition, we think more people will use a machine that works faster, since there are waiting times baked into the ice cream making process. Our picks stand to work a soft consistency in 18 to 40 minutes.
Switching speed: The faster the dasher spins, the more filling (or more air) the ice cream maker can whip into the ice cream base, to create something with a light, creamy texture, rather than a very dense and hard ice cream. Faster rolling also means there is less time for ice crystals to form on the walls of the maker’s bowl.
Ease of use: We like ice cream makers with easy connections and little room for error. Using all of our selections can be as easy as dropping in your base and turning on the machine.
We also looked for machines that were easy to assemble, with wide ports for sampling your creations or adding mix-ins. Thankfully the compressor models offer an extra layer of convenience – with no pre-planning or pre-cooling required.
Easy cleaning: We noted any tricky features in cleaning each machine, and chose machines with removable, hand-washable parts.
Size: We considered how big each machine was and how many freezer containers were taken from the freezer.
Guarantee: Large ice cream makers can be expensive. Our selection has a guarantee of at least one year.
To test the ice cream makers, in each machine we made a vanilla custard base and a vegan coconut milk base. For each batch, we noted the ripening time and calculated the excess, which is a measure of how much air is added to the ice cream base during freezing and churning. Ice cream with a high overrun tends to be fluffier, while ice cream with a low overrun tends to be denser.
We tasted each batch right in the machine and then the next day, after each pint had hardened (or “ripened”) in the fridge. We took note of each individual’s taste and texture, checking for any visible ice crystals or textural inconsistencies. We added Oreos as mix-ins, noting how many cookies the machine could mix before stopping.
In past experiments, we’ve made chocolate custard, lemon sorbet, Philly-style eggless ice cream, and a coconut-based vegan dessert. We also used sprinkles, chocolate chips, and Oreos as mix-ins. Over the years, we’ve learned that fat content is important when making smooth frozen desserts. If you plan to make mainly vegan ice cream or sorbet, expect at least a little sweetness, even in the best machines.