what are your preferences? It certainly doesn't have to be the cheapest
model; I prefer longevity, ease of use, and of course quality of result.

On Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:36:14 GMT, "Gil Faver" > wrote:

>what are your preferences? It certainly doesn't have to be the cheapest
>model; I prefer longevity, ease of use, and of course quality of result.

I still haven't found anything to beat the Lellos.

From 2006:

>I'd like to know people's opinions about ice-cream makers with
>compressors. Here are the ones mentioned in a recent New York Times
>article:
>
>Cuisinart Supreme Commercial Quality Ice Cream Maker
>Deni Compressor Ice Cream Maker
>One-quart Gelato by Lello
>Salton's Big Chill Ice Cream Maker
>
>I'm particularly interested in the Salton because the freezing and
>churning operate independently, but I can't find any reviews online.
>Has anyone used any of these?

I was pretty disappointed with that article. He dwelt much more on
noise and convenience than he did performance.

We've had the 1 qt Lello for about a year and a half, replacing a
freezer-insert type, and it's great. We paid $99 for it on sale.

He dismissed the Lello out-of-hand because its lid is fastened to the
motor unit with two screws, which he said made it difficult to clean.
I've handled that two ways: either rinsing it (which is all it needs,
since it shouldn't ever come in contact with food), or simply removing
the two screws and leaving the cover loose. It comes off with the
motor anyway, since it can't slip over the paddle.

Anyway, it makes great ice cream, and its timer is variable up to 99
minutes. The variable timer is much more important to me than any
minor inconvenience in cleaning the lid.

I just made nectarine ice cream this weekend with some beautiful,
fresh fruit, using a purported Ben and Jerry's no-cook recipe from the
Web, and it's terrific. We'll be serving it to guests this weekend.
The only caveat is that recipes like this almost double in volume
during freezing, so you don't want to fill the container over
half-way.

The Lello makes a batch in 25 to 45 minutes, depending on the density
of the mixture and how cold it is when you start.

Independent freezing and churning seems of no use at all to me. These
things don't have enough cooling to be really effective in the
freeze-only mode, IMO. And a freeze-only mode ties up the machine. If
your machine comes with two containers, as my Lello did, you can't
make a second batch if the machine is tied up. Come to think of it, I
don't think I've ever made just a single batch -- most recipes make
enough mix for several so I often vary each container slightly with
different fruit or other add-ins. Also, it's very simple to just
transfer the container to your freezer, or simply turn the ice cream
out into another cold container for freezing. I generally freeze my
ice creams overnight anyway.

The only thing that tempts me is moving up to a 1.5 qt. machine. I was
considering the Cuisinart until reading that article -- now I'd have
to see and hear one in operation before I'd consider it. I will
probably move up to the 1.5 qt Lello Super instead.

A friend has the Salton, and he's not happy with it. It's much slower
freezing than my Lello, besides the timer limitations mentioned in the
article.

HTH -- Larry

On Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:52:06 -0400, wrote:

>On Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:36:14 GMT, "Gil Faver" > wrote:
>
>>what are your preferences? It certainly doesn't have to be the cheapest
>>model; I prefer longevity, ease of use, and of course quality of result.
>
>I still haven't found anything to beat the Lellos.

Go back to the original home units - find a older Simac Il Gelataio on
eBay. I got mine 5 years ago from there and it was likely at least 5
years old or older when I got it. It still works flawlessly.

Boron

On Mon 20 Apr 2009 04:36:14p, Gil Faver told us...

> what are your preferences? It certainly doesn't have to be the cheapest
> model; I prefer longevity, ease of use, and of course quality of result.

If cost isn't a major factor, buy one with a self-contained refrigeration
unit. You'll never regret it.

--
Wayne Boatwright
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In terms of fast food and deep understanding of the culture of fast
food, I'm your man. ~Bill Gates

"Gil Faver" > wrote in message
...
> what are your preferences? It certainly doesn't have to be the cheapest
> model; I prefer longevity, ease of use, and of course quality of result.
>

thanks for the replies.

I am stuck between the Lello 4080 and the Lello 4090. Any thoughts?

In article >,
"Gil Faver" > wrote:

> "Gil Faver" > wrote in message
> ...
> > what are your preferences? It certainly doesn't have to be the cheapest
> > model; I prefer longevity, ease of use, and of course quality of result.
> >
>
> thanks for the replies.
>
> I am stuck between the Lello 4080 and the Lello 4090. Any thoughts?

First, I'd have to win the lottery to get one of those (or find one at a
garage sale underpriced by a seller who doesn't realize what he has,
like my $1 vitamix).

Second, I don't know either, but I'd say it looks like they are both
quite similar, and given that, I would go with the lesser price of the
4090. If the difference is in the capacity per hour or batch size, then
it is a factor of how much ice cream you would need at once. For the
family, smaller. Parties of a sizable number of guests, then perhaps
the greater.

jt