CSN Stores – Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Review

I’ve been to several of the CSN Stores sites before, so I knew what a wide variety of items they had available for purchase. I was especially interested in their store Cookware.com since I love to cook and find new kitchen gadgets. When I got offered the chance to do a review, I knew pretty quickly what I’d choose – the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker.

Ice cream makers I’d seen in the past were big and bulky, with the need for rock salt and ice to surround the bucket. That also meant there was a mess to deal with after-the-fact. With the Cuisinart ice cream maker, there’s none of that. This is a compact machine that fits neatly on the counter top, not to mention the stainless steel finish that fits in well with other appliances.

I was glad I read the instructions before planning to make ice cream, because I discovered you’re supposed to freeze the bowl for at least 6 hours prior to using the machine. We stuck ours in the freezer overnight and were all set to try it out.  We tried the lemon sorbet recipe included in our Cuisinart book (I’ll share it with you at the end of this post). All we did was pour the ingredients in the bowl, put the lid on, and turn the switch to “on.” Thirty minutes later, we were set! There is a moderate noise level with the machine while it runs, but nothing too overbearing. I liked that the top is open, making it easy to sample! :) It’s actually open so you can add chocolate chips and other extras to your ice cream.

Cleanup after using the ice cream maker is really simple, too. We stored all of our sorbet in containers to put in the freezer, then washed the bowl and paddle by hand and stuck the bowl right back in the freezer so we’d be ready for another batch of ice cream.

I love this ice cream maker! It has been great having homemade ice cream and we’re looking forward to trying some fun, unique recipes – avocado is on our list! Here are two links for recipes we’ve enjoyed:

– Lemon Sorbet

– Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I’d give the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker 4.75 stars – if it were a little bit quieter and had a lid to store ice cream IN the bowl after making it, I’d give it 5 stars. I know we’ll use this a lot in the future, both for our family and for guests!