You’ve probably already heard of an ice cream maker. They’re similar to the ones you catch a glimpse of through your local ice cream van’s window, just a little more worktop — and budget — friendly.
In the main, there are two types of ice cream makers to choose from. Pre-freeze ice cream makers only churn the ice cream once it has been frozen in your freezer. Self-freeze machines do all of the work for you — simply add your ingredients and it’ll freeze and churn them into ice cream, fast.
I’ve been using this Cuisinart ice cream maker in my kitchen for the best part of a month now. I’ve used all of the 6 preset programs, from sorbet to frozen wine — yes, it’s seriously versatile! And here are my honest thoughts. Firstly, be sure to consider where it will live before you invest, as although it’s slim, it’s tall, so it needs some worktop space.
In a nutshell
If you want an ice cream maker that’s multi-purpose, this is your girl. It can make slushies, sorbet and ice cream. And it’s easy to clean afterwards, thanks to its self-clean cycle. While testing, we made one of each drink/dessert type, so 6 things in total, and I came to the conclusion that it manages to freeze drinks better than desserts (soft serve and sorbet), while the lower the alcohol content in those drinks, the more they froze.
The fastest the machine worked while testing was 14 minutes, and that was to make frappuccinos. We also noted that the serving sizes noted on the recipes in the manual were a little off — you can pretty much half the servings.
All in all, it’s intuitive, looks great on your kitchen worktop, and it’s a steal considering it can make much more than ice cream. It also keeps drinks frozen for up to 16 hours, and for ice cream, it can keep for 30 minutes.
Specifications
- Model number: ICE201U
- Pre-freeze or self-freeze: Self-freeze
- Accessories: Drip tray, star tip (for soft-serve)
- Functions: 6 – Soft Serve Ice Cream, Slushy, Sorbet, Frappe and Frosé
- Settings: 5 frozen levels (not applicable for ice cream or sorbet)
- Dimensions (cm): H45 x W18 x D47cm
- Bowl capacity: 1.6L
Unboxing the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker
While the box that this ice cream maker arrived in was sizable, it was easy enough for me to carry. It wasn’t too heavy, so I managed to pick it up and lift it onto my worktop without needing any help.
Upon opening the box, I was impressed with the lack of packaging. There were two cardboard inserts to keep the machine from rattling around; otherwise, the only other packaging was a plastic bag. This bag was recyclable (02 HDPE) and wrapped around the main unit.
The star tip comes separately and isn’t initially attached to the machine. You’ll find info in the manual for fitting it to the machine, but this part is only for use when in soft serve mode.
First of all, you need to wash all of its removable parts in soapy water and dry them before first use. Otherwise, all that’s needed to assemble the machine is to attach the removable drip tray, which is simple. Then you need to slide the auger inside the machine and fit the dispenser assembly and paddle onto the front of it. It’s clear how to do this as there are arrows and lock symbols to show where it needs to sit.
Other than that, you need to place the ingredient funnel tray and cover at the top of the machine. After this, you’re set to start mixing your ingredients.
Note: the machine must be placed in the spot you’ll be using it and left upright for 4 hours before use.
Using the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker
The only thing you need to do ahead of using this ice cream maker is to prepare your ingredients. Some recipes require your hob, others need a blender, so be sure to check ahead of time. Once your mixture is ready for use, you pour it into the machine via the ingredient funnel. Turn the machine on, and using the touch screen, you can select one of the preset modes. Press the bar button at the bottom of the screen to cycle through these 6 modes.
Then comes the choice of firmness — there are 5 options. Press the snowflake button to increase the firmness. Once chosen, press the play button. You cannot choose the firmness of soft-serve ice cream or sorbet. The machine will then get to work, and once ready, it will beep. After that, it will automatically go into its Keep Cool mode.
While there isn’t a timer countdown on the LCD control panel, you can check the status of your treat by looking at the firmness progress bar. The status it’s currently at will correlate to the bar that’s flashing. If it isn’t flashing, then it’s ready, and you may have missed the beeping noise.
Overall, it’s pretty intuitive to use, and I had zero issues with any of the programs.
Making soft serve ice cream
There are two recipes for soft serve in the manual — vanilla or chocolate —, and I decided to give vanilla a try. It requires only 5 ingredients and claims to serve 8. You need to attach the star tip to the machine before serving this ice cream so that it swirls.
I ended up having to make this 3 times, as the first time it took so long and never froze properly. After 1 hour, I was still waiting for it to beep. I concluded that the recipe must have exceeded the maximum capacity level for ice cream, as this is 900ml, whereas for frozen drinks it’s 1300ml.
The second time, I halved the recipe, and it was below the minimum fill line. I turned the machine on, and it did work as it bleeped to signal it was ready for serving, but it wasn’t super frozen. And it just about served 2 people.
The third time I made ice cream, I made the full recipe and poured it into the max ice cream line (900ml). It sat slightly below the line for maximum ice cream capacity.
The ice cream took around 30 minutes to be ready to serve. When served, with the star tip fitted to the machine, it was frozen but soft. It swirled great and tasted amazing. It served 5-6 people, which I was impressed with.
After 30 minutes, the machine bleeped to signal that the keep cool setting was ending. The ice cream had melted slightly by this point, but it was still swirling.
Making a wine slushy
A frosé on a summer’s day, is there truly anything better? The recipe in the booklet serves 12 and took 40 minutes to make. It was nice, but admittedly not my favourite drink ever. It’d be great for serving at a party, but again: it wouldn’t serve 12 — maybe 6 at a push.
This slushie definitely frose better than the margaritas, perhaps because the alcohol content was a lot lower, as it requires just 750ml of rose.
I did like it, but it’s not something I would drink every day. I love that the recipe contains fresh strawberries making it almost healthy for you. Also, the thickness was really great! Easy to slurp through a straw yet it didn’t melt very fast.
Making a frappucino
You can find two frozen coffee recipes in the manual. I decided to make the Frozen Sweet Latte. You need to balance the sugar with the other ingredients correctly, or the recipe won’t freeze. This one apparently made 8 servings, so I decided to half the measurements to prevent throwing any away.
The recipe asked for 4 teaspoons of sugar, 275ml of whole milk and a double espresso shot. Immediately, I didn’t think this was enough coffee to feed 4 — that’s half a shot of espresso in each drink.
I set it to the most frozen setting, and it took just 14 minutes to be ready, so I was impressed by its swiftness! However, this definitely was not 4 servings; it fed 2 of us. Arguably, this was the most frozen drink I made in this machine.
Making a slushy (no alcohol)
Choose from a pink lemonade slushy or a cherry cola slushy if you’re going from the manual. I used this machine for a pink lemonade, which was a hit with my nephews, and this drink definitely froze better than the 2 alcohol-based beverages, probably due to the lack of alcohol in its ingredients.
Using the entire recipe, I added the mixture to the machine, and it sat just above the ice cream’s maximum capacity line, which is 900ml. I switched it on, and after exactly 30 minutes, it was ready for serving.
The taste was really nice and subtle, not like a slushie you’d get for the kids in a soft play (thankfully!). It was frozen, but not in large chunks; it did melt very fast.
Making a frozen cocktail
I made Margaritas in this machine 3 times. Yes, we loved them that much. They’re also so easy to make, with a recipe included in the manual. It depends on how many servings you make, but having followed Cuisinart’s recipe for 10, it took just 25 minutes to freeze the ingredients to the highest setting.
This frozen cocktail tasted great; there’s no doubting that. But it wasn’t as frozen as the other drinks we’d made, plus it melts fast, and it definitely didn’t serve 10 — we got maybe 5 servings. At the end, I noticed there was still some liquid left in the machine, which just wouldn’t come out through the dispenser, making a messier cleaning job.
Making a sorbet
There are 2 sorbets to choose from in the manual: tangerine or mango. I chose mango, which, surprisingly enough, didn’t require many ingredients, but it did need some preparation — a blender to turn the mango chunks into a liquid. It claims to serve 8 and took just 16 minutes to beep and signal it was ready. This recipe did actually serve quite a few people, perhaps not 8 but definitely 5-6.
Consistency-wise, this sorbet was soft. It was essentially soft serve sorbet. I also found that it was very thick — when I poured it into the ingredient funnel, it struggled to strain into the machine. You cannot choose a thickness level for sorbets, BTW.
Undeniably, the taste of the sorbet was great. It wasn’t quite as frozen as I’d hoped it would be, though. So, if you want this machine mostly for making sorbets, then be prepared that you might need to play around with ingredients or branch away from the manual.
What’s it like to clean?
Handily enough, there’s a rinse setting on this machine for after use. It requires you to empty the machine of the liquid first, and then you need to add warm water via the ingredient funnel until the machine is at its max capacity.
Press the rinse setting button and press play. This setting takes roughly 5 mins. After, you need to dispense the water out of the machine like you would a slushy, into a jug of some sort.
Once emptied, the machine can be dismantled. Remove the drip tray and soak it in warm, soapy water. Then take the ingredient tray and the cover out of the machine and soak this, too. Also soak the paddle and the auger. Once soaked and rinsed, they can be put back into the machine when fully dried.
I did notice that this machine was harder to clean after making ice cream than slushies. This is because the ice cream is thicker, and in the case of the vanilla flavour, it requires vanilla essence, which is oil-based, so harder to rinse clean.
You can put the auger in your dishwasher — but this is the only dishwasher-safe part, and it’s suitable for the top rack only.
How does it compare to other ice cream makers?
You can really only compare this ice cream maker to other self-freeze ones. Similar machines that we have reviewed are the Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker and the Sage Smart Scoop.
In comparison to the other Cuisinart model, this one offers a lot more functions. The Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and Gelato Maker is £199.99, therefore £100 cheaper than the one I’ve tested. It offers just 3 modes, which are Gelato, Sorbet, Frozen Yoghurt. Its capacity is smaller, too, at 1.4L vs 1.6L. Something to consider, especially if you often host large families and groups. Both are pretty sizeable machines and come in a stylish white colourway.
When comparing this to the Sage Smart Scoop, price is a big deal breaker, as this machine is a whopping £369 (via Sage). It has 5 preset programs, including Sorbet, Frozen Yoghurt, Gelato, Ice Cream, and Keep Cool. It can keep your dessert churned for 3 hours once it’s ready, which is a winner.
Should you buy the Cuisinart Frost Fusion Ice Cream Maker?
If you’re looking for an ice cream maker that’s nothing but convenient and also super versatile, then this is a great buy. You might have to play around with some of the ingredients, depending on what you’re hoping to make, but overall, the machine is a game-changer because it can keep drinks frozen for 16 hours — and ice cream for 30 minutes.
We did find that the recipes included in the manual were slightly inaccurate when it comes to portion estimates. Some say they serve 8, but actually only serve 4. We had great results on all of the slushie drinks, alcohol and zero-alcohol, but noticed that the zero alcohol drinks froze a little better. The sorbet was a little disappointing as it wasn’t very frozen, but it tasted great. The soft serve took 3 tries, but in the end, it came out perfectly swirled and soft.
It’s definitely worth the £300 price tag because of its intuitivity alone, and the fact that it has a self-clean function is also a big winning point. Its small footprint means it won’t take up much worktop space, and its white colour means that it’ll look great while sitting there, too.
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