Often, when we run out of ice cream (or any other frozen dessert), we curse and run to the store to grab another carton. However, with a bit of time and investment in an ice cream machine, you could make your ice cream flavors at home. Plus, it is one of many ways to keep cool during hot weather.
We spent more than a week researching the best ice cream makers on the market and came to the conclusion that the Cuisinart ICE-70 Ice Cream Maker is the best ice cream maker currently on the market.
The 5 Best-Selling Ice Cream Makers Under $100
For your convenience, the below list shows the 5 best selling ice cream makers on Amazon.com. The list is automatically updated once a day.
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Due to their dual functionality home, ice cream makers are also known as automatic, frozen yogurt, and sorbet makers.
Our selection of the 5 best ice cream makers under $100:
With all the options out there, it can be hard to decide which machine is the right option for you, so to help you out we’ve listed and reviewed the five best home ice cream makers below.
1. Hamilton Beach 683330N 4 Quart Ice Cream Maker
Hamilton Beach is a company known for its kitchen appliances. They often feature an affordable price tag and a simplistic design. Their ice cream maker is no different. The Hamilton Beach, ice cream maker, features a large 4-quart capacity with an automatic motor for easy churning. Its plastic finish could deter those that prefer a more stylish finish.
However, it features a very simplistic “touch and go” design, allowing anyone to make delicious ice cream, sorbet, gelato, and any other number of frozen treats. It also comes with an easy lock lid for effortless storage.
Add ice and salt to the outside ring and the ingredients to the inside ring and push start. Its automatic stop function will stop the motor at the perfect moment. As a bonus, it comes with a simple recipe guide.
2. Nostalgia 4-Quart Ice Cream Maker
For those wishing to recapture the nostalgic days of old, the Nostalgia Ice Cream Maker may be the perfect fit. This maker, which can also make frozen yogurt, gelato and other such treats, features a lovely wooden exterior with an easy-to-clean plastic liner bucket.
It also comes with a transparent lid for easy storage and viewing. It also comes with a locking motor mount for electric churning, which preserves the retro feel of the ice cream maker without the work of hand churning.
Another positive aspect of this maker is the large four-quart capacity which can easily feed an entire family or picnic group! As with other simplistic designs, ice and salt must be added to the outside ring while the ingredients enter the inner bucket. This is a perfect machine for those who love an older era’s whimsy.
3. Cuisinart ICE-70 Ice Cream Maker
Some people like the most technological gadgets they can find. This ice cream maker is for them! The Cuisinart ICE-70 is a high-tech wonder. It features 3 different settings with multiple speeds for the perfect consistency whether the user is making frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato, frozen drinks, or ice cream.
It also features a countdown timer with an automatic shut off so you never have to wonder how long you have to wait for your frozen treat to be done. It also features a mess-free spout with a built-in measuring cup.
It has a smaller two-quart size, perfect for those who like to switch up their ice cream flavors often. Another major feature of this maker is the freezer bowl. The freezer bowl gets pre-frozen for around a day, and no ice or salt is needed!
The freezer bowl makes it much easier to upkeep, create, and clean. It has a speedy 20-minute make time. The main drawback of this maker is the price tag. It’s well above any others on this list, but if features are essential, this is the maker for you.
4. Cuisinart ICE-30BC Ice Cream Maker
This maker is the less technologically fancy version of the ICE-70. It doesn’t feature multiple speed settings but is fully automatic. It also features the easy pour spout with a measuring cup for easy and clean making. It has the same type of freezer bowl as the ICE-70. This freezer bowl allows for quick and easy ice cream creation, but you must ensure the freezer bowl is completely frozen or the ice cream will not come out correctly.
Additionally, you must ensure your freezer is at 0F or the freezer bowl will not get cold enough. It has the same heavy-duty motor featured in many Cuisinart makers and non-slip rubber feet for secure counter placement. It has a two-quart capacity which is excellent for those that like to change their flavors up.
It also has an easy-locking transparent lid and has storage for the cord in its base. It has a price tag below the ICE-70, but it still might be out of the range of average consumers.
5. Cuisinart ICE-21R Ice Cream Maker
This maker is the basic model compared to the ICE-70 and the ICE-30BC. It comes in an attractive red color and has a capacity of 1.5 quarts which is perfect for an individual or those that like to experiment with flavors. It has a similar freezer bowl which means no ice or salt needed. It also features a large spout and a transparent locking lid for storage.
As with the other two models, it features non-slip rubber feet, cord storage in the base, and a heavy-duty motor. The best feature of this model compared to the other two is the price tag. It runs in a much more reasonable range for the average consumer.
What is ice cream?
Ice cream, a common word that we all understand, even small children, but do we know what it is, and how it is made? It is not as simple as mixing cream with ice but is more a blend of ingredients that result in that tantalizing soft, smooth, irresistible treat that is ice cream.
Ice cream is a mixture of milk, cream, sugar, salt, and flavorings which is churned and frozen, using special techniques, to produce that creamy delight.
In the United States, to qualify as ice cream, the frozen mix must contain a minimum of 10% milkfat, also known as butterfat, up to 16%. The higher milkfat will produce a smoother textured ice cream with lower water content and, therefore fewer ice crystals.
The overrun may not exceed 100%, which means that if the increase in volume during the churning process exceeds 100%, the air content would be greater than 50%. Ice cream with a milkfat (butterfat) content below 10% is referred to as “ice milk” or “low fat” ice cream.
Stabilizers such as gluten can be added to help to give the mixture a consistent texture, and sugar or sugar substitutes provide the expected sweet taste we all look for. No sugar varieties are available these days that rely on the fruit or natural milk sugars additives to provide sweetness.
With modern technology and natural or artificial flavors available the variety of ice cream flavors on option is only limited by imagination, from basic vanilla or strawberry to exotics like pomegranate, mango, and litchi, to chocolates and caramels, and all the rainbow colors.
Still, there are even more options, with real fruit chunks, biscuits, and marshmallows, not to mention coffee and liqueur flavors.
How is ice cream is made?
Putting a container of milk or cream in the freezer will give you a block of hard, solid frozen liquid, not the soft, creamy yummy stuff we know as ice cream. This is because this freezing process will produce large ice crystals. There has to be a process or special techniques that will yield smaller ice crystals and introduce some air to the mix to produce a softer texture.
Constantly churning the mixture using muscle power by hand or mechanically prevents large ice crystals from forming. This churning process also softens the mixture by introducing air to create a foam-like texture.
Earlier, we mentioned salt as one of the ingredients, the salt is not used in the ice cream, but rather in the production process. Salt can lower the melting point of ice. Heat is drawn out of the ice cream mixture faster when the melting point of ice is lowered this way, causing it to freeze more quicker.
Freezing the ice cream mixture quickly in this manner produces those smaller ice crystals for a softer, smoother end product. The salt is mixed with the ice and never comes into contact with the ice cream, and therefore has no effect on the taste or sodium content. The salt-filled ice is packed in a separate chamber surrounding an inner chamber containing the ice cream and is there only to assist with the rapid freezing process.
Dry ice and liquid nitrogen can also be used in ice cream production as they assist with quick freezing action.
How to store homemade ice cream?
Ice cream must be stored in the freezer and kept as cold as possible. When making your own ice cream at home or when buying from the shop, make ice cream the last item to go into your trolley and straight home.
What you want to avoid is for the ice cream to defrost and then refreeze at home partially. The melting and refreezing process will form large ice crystals in the ice cream, spoiling the texture and enjoyment when eating.
Ensure that the ice cream is stored way back in the main compartment of the freezer and not in the door. Warm air will attack that area every time the door is opened, harming ice cream with a continual thaw and refreeze cycle. Deep in the freezer ensures the ice cream remains properly frozen, and scooping, texture, and taste remain uncompromised.
Once the ice cream tub has been opened, an additional precaution is to place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface before replacing the lid. This will prevent ice crystals from forming by providing a barrier to air and moisture in the freezer. It will also help to prevent the introduction of “rouge” flavors that may permeate from other items in the freezer.
What to Look for When Buying the Best Ice Cream Maker
Now we know all about ice cream we want to have this at home whenever the mood takes us. Before you jump into this blind, let us check out these different types and features of ice cream making machines so that we can make an informed choice.
Ice cream maker types (Freezer Bowl vs Compressor)
There are two types of ice cream makers on the market, one called a freezer bowl ice cream maker and one called a compressor ice cream maker, and firstly we will look at the ice cream makers with a freezer bowl.
These ice cream makers have a bowl or canister that needs to be frozen in advance. Depending on the brand, this pre-freezing could require a couple of hours or even overnight. This means that some advanced planning will be needed as instant results will not be possible.
Secondly, the ice cream makers have a built-in freezer (compressor), making them far more convenient. Unlike the pre-freezing type, this compressor-based ice cream maker cools down the bowl to the perfect temperature for ice cream making. If you are impulsive, this type may be a wise choice.
Features
Apart from the two types of ice cream makers, we also need to consider certain features, starting with capacity. Ice cream makers come in two standard sizes: 1.5 and 2 quarts. In deciding which size will best suit your needs, the typical ice cream tub sold at stores is 1.5 quarts. If you feel you may need more you have the bigger option.
If you are a large family, you may consider buying additional freezer bowls and be able to experiment with different flavors. Both 1.5 and 2-quart bowls are available as separate items.
The time factor is the next important decision. Most ice cream makers require pre-freezing of the bowl, which in turn requires preplanning. If you are the impulsive type or want to have ice cream on the fly you will need an ice cream maker with a built-in freezer. The drawback is the price, as these machines are considerably more expensive.
Apart from making ice cream, some ice cream makers can also make frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and even Gelato. As not all machines can choose the type of frozen treat, check for a Hardness Setting function on the specific machine, you are interested in.
Conclusion
There are many options for consumers who want a great ice cream-making machine. Many of them have various features and deciding on a type of maker can be a difficult prospect. Depending on what makes your priority list, different features will point you in different directions.
This list is a comprehensive representation of what is available in the market. Hopefully, by laying out the available features, you can decide on the best ice cream maker for your needs.
What Is The Best Freezer Bowl Ice Cream Maker?
In our professional opinion, the 683330N 4 Quart Ice Cream Maker, from Hamilton Beach, is the best ice cream maker currently on the market.
What is The Best Compressor Ice Cream Maker?
In our professional opinion the ICE-100, from Cuisinart, is the best compressor ice cream maker currently on the market.
