Cooking ice cream at home: TOP 5 popular ice cream parlors

DEX DCIM-10

A simple and practical model of an ice cream maker of a budget but well established brand . With its help, you can prepare not only classic creamy ice cream, but also soft sorbets based on fruits, berries, juices, as well as cool cocktails. The total capacity of the model is slightly larger than usual - 1.2 liters, and the power consumption, on the contrary, is only 9.5 watts.

The freezer consists of two parts: a bowl and a rotating blade with a lid. The base of the bowl has double walls made of aluminium, inside filled with a special refrigerant - it plays the main role in the preparation of ice cream. Before cooking, an empty bowl should be sent to cool in the freezer for at least 8 hours (and, according to customer reviews, it is better for the whole day). The temperature regime in the freezer should be -18 °С or lower, otherwise it is unlikely that you will be able to make ice cream using this device.

chilled mixture. The device will begin to evenly stir the “dough”, which will gradually cool and thicken.

The preparation of the product in the DEX DCIM-10 can be observed through the transparent cover of the device. If the mixture becomes too thick, the direction of rotation of the blades may change in the opposite direction to prevent overheating of the motor. In the event that the direction of rotation will change too often, it is recommended to stop the device and let the power supply cool down.

The freezer is controlled by a backlit LCD display and a timer running from 20 to 40 minutes - the manufacturer believes that this is how much time the device needs to fully freeze the product. However, many buyers claim that the stated time interval is often not enough to prepare the main types of ice cream: the mixture thickens only after 50–80 minutes. Therefore, after the timer runs out, the device has to be turned off and on again, setting additional time, which, of course, adds trouble.

Binatone ICM-50

A compact ice cream maker with a cute and unpretentious design that will undoubtedly appeal to the "main consumer" of ice cream - children. With Binatone ICM-50, you can prepare frozen yogurt, popsicles and all kinds of ice cream: from nut to cottage cheese.

The control of the product preparation process is entrusted to the user himself: you will not find it on the device case no digital display, no timer, just a standard on/off switch. Therefore, the freezing time of the mixture will have to be controlled independently.

According to the instructions, the manufacturer allocates 20–40 minutes for this technological process and, according to user reviews, this time limit should not be exceeded, otherwise the mixture may thicken greatly and plastic the blades of the appliance (which, unfortunately, look rather flimsy) may break due to excessive load, as there is no protection against engine overheating in this model.

The volume of the ice cream maker bowl is 1 liter. The power consumption of the device is 12 watts. The freezer lid has a special window for adding ingredients during preparation, which greatly simplifies the procedure for preparing ice cream with various fillings: fruits, nuts or chocolate.

The description of the freezer characteristics states that the device is suitable for making ice cream for people suffering from diabetes. Having studied the instructions for the device, we can conclude that this is only a marketing ploy and nothing more: the manufacturer only recommends using sugar substitutes instead of sugar when preparing the mixture for freezing. The situation is similar with the declared “environmentally friendly refrigerant inside the walls of the bowl” - we did not find a decoding of this concept in the accompanying documentation for the device. The Binatone ICM-50 package includes a silicone spatula, with which you can carefully remove the resulting mass from the bowl without damaging its fragile inner coating.

Kenwood IM250

The Kenwood IM250 is another modest but decent option for a semi-automatic ice cream maker. Its capabilities largely repeat the functionality of the previous participants in our review, with the difference that the freezer bowl is equipped with comfortable handles on both sides: this helps to avoid accidental frostbite of hands when removing it from the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. In addition, the inner surface of the container has a special coating that prevents ice cream from sticking. Although, as it turns out, this property has "two sides of the coin": some users note that over time, slight corrosion may appear on the walls of the ice cream maker bowl during storage. On the other hand, the case and cover of the device are made of durable food-grade plastic, and many buyers note the high quality of its assembly.

The total capacity of the ice cream maker bowl is 1 liter, and its power is 6 watts. There is a wide chute on the lid of the device, which makes it possible to add various ingredients while mixing ice cream. If the motor overheats, the Kenwood IM250 will lock out.

Freezer bowl filled with non-toxic refrigerant requires freezing for 24 hours. For best results, the manufacturer recommends placing it in a plastic bag before freezing, and freezing it in an upright position.

The manufacturer's demo video offers a recipe in which all the ingredients for the mixture are placed directly into the bowl, beaten and are frozen. However, experienced users argue that such instructions for action are misleading: the mixture must first be thoroughly beaten, cooled to a temperature close to 0 ° C, and only then poured into the bowl. Otherwise, you risk getting cold liquid, which will have to be additionally frozen in the refrigerator. The only significant drawback of this model, buyers call the too noisy operation of the device, however, this does not affect the quality of the product.

HILTON ICM 3853

The 12 watt two-bowl ice cream maker rounds out our review – a very good price/performance ratio. Each bowl has a volume of 1 liter, which means that the prepared ice cream is quite enough for the whole family or a small group of guests. In addition, you can simultaneously prepare ice cream of different flavors in it.

The design features of the Hilton ICM 3853 are practically no different from the other ice cream machines in our TOP-5, with the only difference being that in the pallet, uniting two bowls of the device, there are non-slip rubber feet, giving it additional stability during the cooking process. Also among the features of this freezer is the possibility of washing in a dishwasher - for most semi-automatic ice cream makers, this is more an exception than a rule.

Conveniently, in The lid of the device has a large opening for adding ingredients and protection against overheating of the motor is provided. And there is no timer in this model - the manufacturer imposes control over the time for preparing ice cream on the user. Based on customer feedback, in the allotted standard 20–40 minutes, the unit manages to cool and thicken the ice cream as it should.

According to the instructions, the time for freezing the bowls in the freezer at a temperature of -30 ° C is 8–9 hours, at a temperature of -25 ° С - 12–13 hours. By the way, most freezers have a minimum temperature of -24°C. The maximum volume of the mixture for one bowl should not exceed 500–700 ml, during freezing it, as a rule, increases to 1000 ml.