On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 15:38:16 +0000, Bob Westcott wrote:

> I'll cast another vote for the Cuisinart. Simple to use and you can get
> a pretty good consistency out of it. As posted, advance prep and lots
> of cooling make for a superior end result.

I have a Cuisinart and have done magic with it, however there are limits
to its usefulness. Any recipe that creates more than 1.25L (about five
cups) will run the chance of not freezing far enough. Its 1.5L capacity is
only good for frozen Margaritas, since the bowl will melt at normal room
temps before you can get enough crystals and air into the mix for a
resonable ice cream state.

Also, it's impossible to heat clean the bowl, so you have to use solvents
to remove any bacterial growth. This, for me, is a bottle of Everclear.
Remember that milk is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and all it
takes is a small infection in your primate or mix to ruin a batch. Heat
clean the plastic parts and disinfect the bowl after every use.

Finally, the biggest complaint is that after a week of 48-hour
turnarounds, the bowl needs to be brought back to room temp and re-frozen.
Continuing to use it at this break-neck of a pace leads to a weaker freeze
in the cold pack.

So I'm continuing to use my Cuisinart over the winter, but will probably
get a self-contained unit in the spring.

(caveat: I've used mine a LOT. If you're just making ice cream casually, a
Cuisinart or its close relatives will probably work just fine.)

> bob

--
-Brian James Macke
"In order to get that which you wish for, you must first get that which
builds it." -- Unknown