Choosing an ice cream maker for home needs

Cream and chocolate, fruit or ice cream with other additives is one of the most favorite delicacies of not only the little sweet teeth, but also of the older generation. It is doubly pleasant if it becomes possible to make it at any time and in any quantities right at home - in your own real ice cream maker. However, in order for such a dream to become a reality, and the cooking process itself does not cause inconvenience, you need to study in detail how to choose an ice cream maker for the house, and then acquire the most suitable, high-quality and reliable machine.

A household ice cream maker is a device that in half an hour will be able to cook half a kilogram and more ice cream, which, with its excellent taste, will fully meet the requirements of ecology and safety. Unlike the store counterpart, it will consist of only necessary and useful products without the “chemistry” - dyes, flavors and preservatives, which is especially important for children, allergies and people with a number of other diseases.

Principle and working procedure

The usual freezing of sweet mixtures gives the crystallization of the liquid product, which is only suitable for creating fruit ice. Real ice cream can only be obtained by gradually cooling the mass evenly whipped. Of course, you can “in the old way” diligently knead the contents of a dish placed in a basin with ice with a spoon, but this is too long, tedious and requires ice or snow.

Ice cream makers repeat the manual method, fully automating it:

• The cooling tank is filled with the product - a mixture of milk, cream, fruit, chocolate, etc. ingredients according to the selected recipe,
• The filled bowl is connected to the part of the apparatus, equipped with a working blade,
• Turning on the device starts the rotational motion of the blades with simultaneous cooling of the sweet mass,
• Approximately in 25-35 minutes, the finished ice cream can be laid out from the bowl for portions, additionally decorated and served to the table.

In addition to making traditional delicacies, the ice cream maker is capable of preparing frozen yogurt, various chilled cocktails, sorbet, the same fruit (or milk) ice, and also used as a storage of ice cubes.

Types of ice cream makers - what they are

To choose the right ice cream maker, you need to determine in advance your needs and become familiar with the existing types of these devices. The classification of the need for their work electric current is already a thing of the past - mechanical devices have become very rare, although sometimes they are found. Their main difference from electrical models lies in the need for manual actuation of a mixing tool - blades (or whorls). On the one hand, this greatly complicates the work, and on the other hand, it makes the device economical and independent of the presence of a current source.

Semi-automatic and automatic ice cream makers

Electrical samples can be divided into 2 groups according to the degree of automation of actions:

1. Semiautomatic machines are appliances with a removable bowl, which before work should be frozen in the freezer for at least 12-15 hours at a temperature of -16-18 ° C.

They are characterized by:

• Low price,
• The possibility of making only one portion of ice cream (how many will fit in the bowl), after which the container again needs to be cooled for a long time,
• Almost constant presence in the refrigerator, which will require a certain place.

2. Automatic ice cream makers (or compressor) are mini-freezers, as they have an integrated refrigerating device and are able to cool the contents of the bowl themselves.

Working with her involves:

• Initial switching on of the device for 5-10 minutes for a slight cooling,
• The ability to fill the bowl several times in a row,
• Energy waste is greater than for semi-automatic models,
• Higher price.

Mechanical devices, in addition to the need to rotate the whorls manually, have another feature - to cool the main bowl with the product, a mixture of ice and salt is used, which fills the outer container.

Options for choosing an ice cream maker for home

Once you have decided which ice-cream to buy - manual, automatic or semi-automatic, be sure to pay attention to a number of nuances concerning the design and technical characteristics.

Design differences

Regarding the shape, size and design of individual parts, the following parameters may affect your choice:

• Materials of which the bowl and the device case are made. This can be stainless steel or plastic, giving differences in strength and hygienic nature, as well as affecting the fact how much the ice cream maker will cost.
• Bowl sizes, the most acceptable of which can vary from 0.5 to 2 liters. The amount of ice cream produced in one cycle depends on this, as well as the overall compactness of the device.
• The height of the tank for mixing products is most important for semi-automatic machines. This value can reach 20 cm, increasing the volume of the bowl. But there may appear another problem - the need for the ice maker to take the place in the freezer of the refrigerator, which does not always fit its large size.

Technical capabilities

The main technical characteristic of the ice cream maker is its power, the variants of which for mechanical models disappear by themselves, and for electric ones they can be:

• For semi-automatic - from 4 to 35 watts, sufficient for rotation of the whorl and insignificant when calculating the cost of electricity,
• For automatic units with a compressor - from 150 to 200 W, which is also relatively few. In this case, more powerful devices designed for large volumes and high speed.

There are models with the possibility of action from the batteries, which you can put in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for the time being, thereby saving electricity and not allowing the ice cream to keep warm.

Also for fully automatic models, there are often several modes that are focused on the preparation of different dishes - regular ice cream or sorbet, cocktail, frozen yogurt, etc.

Necessary additions

• Pleasant, though optional, additions to the basic configuration of the ice cream maker can be:
• The second bowl for the compressor apparatus, which remains free after the first portion is prepared - it is possible to carry out a cycle in it with a new volume of ice cream prepared according to another recipe,
• Portion cups, which are usually 2-4 to eliminate the need for selecting a container for shifting the finished product,
• Helpfully informing you about the end of work timer,
• Availability of a compartment for compact storage of the power cable,
• Viewing window, which allows periodically to observe the process of converting the liquid mass into ice cream.

Parade of models

Manufacture of devices for the manufacture of homemade ice cream established by many manufacturers of household appliances. The most popular of them are the world-famous brands Bork, Kenwood, Supra, Tefal, Panasonic, Nemox, Moulinex, Smile, Montiss and others. Their difference is their own design and production bases, a free number of components and a desire to remain at a high level of the market, giving high quality products, trouble-free operation and durability of products.

In accordance with the above list, the rating of the best ice cream makers, combining high quality and the corresponding price, looks like this:

1. Tefal IG 3005 is semi-automatic, includes 4 glasses of 100 g each with a coolant in their walls and 4 paddles of kneading, has a bright original design,

2. Moulinex IG 3001 - a similar 22-watt mini-unit, has 4 glasses of 100 g each and an integrated cable compartment

3. Panasonic BH-941P - semi-automatic on batteries with a bowl capacity of 1.5 liters, prepares up to 800 g of ice cream right in the freezer,

4. Kenwood IM 250 - 1-liter semiautomatic device with a capacity of 6 W,

5. Nemox Gelato Chet 2200 - an automatic device with a bowl capacity of 1.5 liters, has a removable bucket,

6. Bork E801 is a 200-watt automat with 4 operating modes, bowl volume 1.35 l, switch-off sound signal, child lock.

And this is not a complete list of models owned by these firms. Their cost for the cheapest copies can fit within 3 thousand rubles, and the most expensive - fully automatic with a wide range of options - cost more than 25 - 35 thousand. What is the best ice cream maker for your home needs - you decide, based on the needs and the number of funds that you are willing to spend on their small weaknesses.