Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As much as my husband hates buying me kitchen appliances as gifts, he finally caved and bought me the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream Maker for my birthday. It arrived in the mail yesterday and we immediately popped the mixing bowl into the freezer and hurried off to the store to buy whole milk and heavy whipping cream. Just moments ago we finished our first batch of Peanut Butter ice cream.... and all I can say is... my waistline could be in deep trouble!! First, the machine itself is so easy to use! There are four pieces and they all just go right together. No thinking about what part has to fit into where. We used a recipe in the provided instruction manual. Except for the candy we added in, the whole milk and the heavy whipping cream, everything else I already had on hand in the pantry! Easy Peasy! I am glad I spent time reading the reviews and offer a couple of tips: 1) Freeze the mixing bowl completely. Do not attempt to use after only a couple hours of freezing. You will be disappointed. 2) Once you pull the frozen mixing bowl out of the freezer, use it immediately! Don't let it sit out on the counter while you turn your attention to other things. 3) Add anything with alcohol in the last couple of minutes, including any flavorings. The alcohol content can reduce the freezing point of the mixture and you will end up with a sloppy mess. Make sure to read the ingredients of everything you use, just in case! 4) Chill the ice cream mixture for several hours before pouring it into the mixer. By doing all of the things above, we ended up with a creamy, rich, thick peanut butter ice cream. We are going to have to switch to frozen yogurt or fruit sorbets, 'cause my waistline will expand quickly if we eat too much of this stuff!! It is decadent! Quick and easy clean up. In fact I already have the mixing bowl back in the freezer and a batch of ice cream mix chilling to make a dessert for a dinner party tomorrow night! Enjoy!