Side by Side Comparison of: Hamilton Beach vs Workman Publishing Company vs Tovolo vs Thomas R Quinn vs Amazon

A lightweight machine and that is so EASY to use! I keep it stored under the cabinet and so it's not only a breeze (pun intended) to stack all its components, for a tight and tidy storage area, but also is lightweight to remove and move around. All of the components are made of a durable plastic, with the exception of the bottom's "internal" motor - part being a bit more rugged and made of metal components ... along, with the actual freezer / frozen bowl is made of the same - a durable metal and filled with a liquid gel. The gel freezes solid, after leaving just the bowl part in the freezer and for 24 hours.TIP #1: Insert frozen bowl onto machine, add remaining paddle, clear locking protective cover, and THEN turn it on BEFORE adding anything to it! My 1st mistake was to NOT do this and the gel almost immediately melted, from the not-yet-frozen ingredients I added - which aren't suppose to be. It was a flop and had to be redone; the ingredients were at best a slushed-up messy mix.TIP #2: When adding ANYTHING (ie. frozen or fresh fruits, etc.), they need to 1st be PUREED (with half as much or more regular white sugar) and in a food processor type machine and separately. Then, added AFTER the heavy cream / ice cream base mix is DONE - has sufficiently fluffed & frozen in the ice cream machine. Otherwise, the add-in will melt the base mix!

Very good entry level machine. simple design that does what it says,. sugestion if you are just starting out. make sure you leave this in frezer up to the last second and alway always chill your batter in freezer for at least 30 minutes so it will harden faster. one last thing is once everything is mixed in cover the top with a paper towel it or seomthing to keep the cool inside= better results.the goodGood for the price.Good for 2-3 people max for a few days (small quantity capacity )Simple desingnthe badsmall quantity capacitytakes to long to chill properly 24 hourslosses temperature to fast 20 minutes 30 max of making and if its not done it wont chill any longer.

I just started making my own ice cream, and this ice cream maker has worked very well for me. It is a little small for most of the ice cream recipes that I have used, so I have started to automatically half the recipes, which has worked much better. It's motor is fairly loud when running, which makes it hard to watch tv or something while the ice cream is churning. The price is very reasonable, and I feel as though I have definitely gotten my money's worth.I would recommend this ice cream maker to friends or family, especially if they were only going to use it occasionally or for special occasions.

I used my pretty red ice cream machine for the first time last evening and it worked great! I was birthday gifted one made by a majorly swanky brand some years back and actually gave it away. This one works much better! I followed the directions carefully and in 20 minutes we had beautiful scoopable vanilla ice cream. I used the recipe that includes eggs that came with it, but it was too rich. I'll tweak that but the machine itself could not have done better!

I bought this after reading a good comparison review on another site. The Amazon price convinced me to try this unit. I used it to make vegan ice "cream" without using dairy milk and eggs. Not finding vegan ice "cream" anywhere in the stores, I decided to make my own Chocolate Cherry Garcia using almond milk, Xanthan gum, coconut cream, cocoa and maraschino cherries. I froze the container for 2 days and then used it according to directions. The instruction book said you must have a 0 degree freezer, which I do not have, so I was doubtful of good results. Finding the product not getting beyond mushy even after half an hour, I put the canister with the mixture back in the freezer for awhile and tried it again. This helped, and I loved the result. I froze it and ended up with a fudge bar-like consistency. I think that using substitute ingredients will not produce standard ice "cream" texture, but it is worth it to me to avoid factory-farm animal dairy ingredients. I am happy to have a pretty good substitute ice "cream" without harming any animals. This unit is a bit loud, but not more than I expected. I would buy another!

This actually works better then I thought it would. I bought this from Amazon when they were on sale here recently. Most of the reviews are mixed and so I wasn't really very hopeful. I've been making ice-cream for years using the old fashioned electric/salt/ice type of machine. In some ways using the old one is easier as I can make a gallon in about the same 20 minutes. However, it uses lots of ice and there are times that a smaller machine would be better. So when I saw this on sale for twenty-nine bucks I took the chance on it.My all time favorite base is Vanilla Bean which has half a dozen egg yolks and milk and cream and sugar. I always make that up the night before and chill in the refrigerator. It not only chills it down but the flavors ripen a bit. I got this machine yesterday and I took the advice of one reviewer who put hers in the freezer upside down and I let that freeze overnight. I cooked up my base and chilled that overnight.I had read where reviewers complained about the noise being overwhelming. They obviously don't have an old fashioned electric machine that uses ice and salt. One of those is loud. This little guy was fairly quiet compared to it. I did place a tea towel on the counter as I also read that it might dance around a bit. I tried to prepare everything that I might incur. I also read where a reviewer found that placing a tin foil cap over the hole in the top would help it freeze.Everything was ready to go. I placed the frozen bowl onto the machine and put the paddle in and lid on and turned it on. I made sure that the bowl was moving and the paddle was stationary. I added my base and put my little handmade tin foil lid covering the hole on top. I looked at the clock and walked away for 20 minutes. To my surprise when I returned after 20 minutes the ice cream was ready. In fact it was coming up out of that thing a little bit. I stopped the machine and using a rubber spatula I scooped it into a freezer dish. Always use a rubber spatula else you'll scratch the inside of it.I read where some think that it's going to be as solid as store bought. Not even in an electric/salt/ice machine does it get that hard. That takes packing it down for hours in ice to achieve that. It's always soft serve and within 2 hours in the freezer you have homemade that looks like store bought ice cream. I like making my own because I know whats in it and it taste better. To avoid crystallizing just place a piece of plastic wrap over the top touching the soft cream before it goes into the freezer, That helps greatly. Mine is seldom in there long enough to do much damage. Also I always use a covered container either tupperware or some other type. I would never just place it into the freezer without being covered. The plastic wrap works fine under the containers cover. Mine has never crystallized using these methods.Overall, I like the little guy. I started to get his red cousin as it's on sale for the same price. I could make twice as much all at the same time. It's a good product and I'm happy with my purchase.

It makes okay ice cream- sort of grainy and soft though. It takes up a lot of freezer space though to freeze the ice cream. You have to plan ahead as well and freeze the whole canister before you use it. Fun project, but I don't foresee this being a thing I use very often.

Very loud. The recipes was very good. It was very thick and creamy. Good machine just wish it was quieter.

First of all, noise: a lot of people say its a noisy machine, I've never owned an ice cream maker before, but I have a food processor, and a stand mixer, noise is similar, my kitchenaid blender is noisier than this.Time it takes to make ice cream: Perhaps im not the most reliable reviwer since this was my very first ice cream in life, but it took 45 minutes to get a decent consistency that I could put in the freezer later and I must say that i made white chocolate ice cream, I understand chocolate ice cream takes less time to freeze.Overall if you are on a low budget and are beginner just like me, I highly recommend you buy this machine

I used to have one of those old school ones where you put ice and rock salt in the side, so this was a considerable upgrade from that! I've only used it 2x so far but I am fairly happy with my purchase. It seems to do its job and holds up well. This was a steal for me because I got it at $25 on Amazon (I've noticed the price has went up since). I read many reviews and was a bit hesitant in getting this because the texture isn't as "hard" as store bought ice cream, but I thought the ice cream came out to just the texture I like! Tough like ice cream (not soft serve) but without the freezer burn. It is a bit nosy but you only need it on for 20 mins (I made mine in 18 mins). One mistake I made was not fully reading the instructions - make sure that you turn the machine on and is spinning before you pour your ice cream mix in or the mix will freeze right away against the wall and NOT spin the rest to ice cream.

Love it, but did not come with ear protection. I churn mine in the laundry room with a towel wrapped around it to keep the noise down. For thicker creams like gelato get it running first, and then pour cream in from the top! If you don't it freezes to the sides before you can get it going.

 This is a nice compact Ice Cream Maker. It will make 1.5 quarts of ice cream using 1 of 6 recipes that come with the maker. The documentation says "Makes ice cream, frozen yogurt, custard, sherbet or gelato", but the instruction book only comes with instructions to make ice cream and gelato.Pros: Compact, easy to use with just an on/off switch, quick, NO ROCK SALT NEEDED.Cons: LOUD- This machine is VERY LOUD when it's running and making ice cream. You also have to pre-plan before you want ice cream. The unit itself does not chill, because of this, the container MUST be placed in the freezer for about 24 hours BEFORE you start to make ice cream. Once the container has been in the freezer for about a day, you must add the ingredients and start the machine within 5 minutes of removing the container from the freezer.Box contains: Base with motor, Chilling Container, Cover, Mixing Paddle, Instructions w/ 6 recipes. 1 year warranty.Conclusion: This machine makes creamy, good tasting ice cream in about 40 minutes without any rock salt or ice. It's easy to clean and store. It is VERY LOUD. I would have given it 5 stars if it were quieter. I recommend buying this ice cream maker.

We have used the ice cream maker several times. It makes A LOT of noise and has never stopped while freezing. Milk seems to always be at the sides. It is a cute little thing and we are still experimenting with making ice cream. It is a novel idea for people who like novel ideas.

The freezer bowl has a thick, sealed layer of some fluid ( we cannot open to see what it is). The bowl has to be frozen overnight for use next day. Nowhere it is mentioned what is the lifetime of the fluid, is it ok to store in room temperature when not in use.

We bought this in May, and have used it maybe 6 times. It cracked in the freezer. We tried to fix it, but it didn't hold. Don't waste your money.

This ice cream maker got an "ok" rating because it was really loud when turned on! You could hear it throughout the entire house. We went outside and you could still hear it on the patio. It was simple to operate and the ice cream (made w coconut milk) turned out ok...

It isn't as easy to make ice cream as I hoped. I just can't get this to work for me. The well gets warmer faster than ice cream can freeze. Not pleased at all.

I have never owned an ice cream maker before but have wanted one for a long time. Apparently, all it takes to make ice cream is a cold chamber and a way to churn the ingredients. This appliance will make ice cream, sorbet and frozen custard. (A lot of the ice cream recipes I've been finding have eggs in them which really makes them a frozen custard.)I made the "peaches and cream" ice cream recipe that came with the ice cream maker last night. First, the appliance itself is very simple. There are 4 pieces: the base, a cylinder shaped bowl, a "paddle", and a cover. To make ice cream, you have to freeze the bowl for a minimum of 8 hours. It is fairly large so you have to have some room in your freezer if you are going to buy this. We have a drawer type freezer and would not have had room if we had not just recently cleaned out the freezer. After the bowl is frozen, you sit it on the base, drop the paddle into the bowl, and attach the cover. The cover clicks into the base and holds the paddle in position. Then, you turn the devise on. The bowl spins but the paddle stays in position. Then you pour the ingredients into the bowl through the hole in the cover.My three comments about this device are as follows: First, this is by far the loudest appliance I have in my house. I had read reviews mentioning how loud this device and other ice cream makers are but nothing could have prepared me for how loud this device is. My house isn't huge but I could hear this appliance upstairs while it was running in the kitchen. I was afraid it would keep my husband and son up. You would not be able to run this appliance while hosting a dinner party. Second, I made a huge mess trying to pour the mixed ingredients into the bowl. I don't know if it was because there were chunks of peaches which were causing the liquid not to pour correctly, or if pouring cream in general is messy. It was extremely messy. Last, I wasn't expecting this but home made ice cream is very soft - almost the consistency of a thick milkshake. You can put the ice cream in the freezer to harden it but then it becomes very hard and almost crystalizes.I will make some additional recipes and update my post if I am more satisfied with the results. In general, it was fun and I can see how it will help me eat healthier desserts, but I definitely wasn't expecting the appliance to be so loud and I didn't realize the ice cream would be so soft.

Very noisy. It has a jerky movement when it turns....like an obstruction is preventing it from turning smoothly.

I wanted to love this, it was a good price and seemed like a good idea. I could never get it to work correctly so I sent it back. I tried 3 batches of ice cream in this and each time it tried and tried to reset it. I ended up replacing it with a more expensive product that works great.

My first try resulted in very cold vanilla milk. I put the canister in the freeze for 4 days. Ran it for 40 mns. Right now the canister is in the freezer with the cold vanilla milk. Hope it freezes up

This product is very loud.....It kind of startles the children....Lol. I've only used it twice, ice cream came out very hard at first. Just the way I prefer...The second batch didn't come out so well. Very runny...I couldn't try for a 3rd shot, the noise awoke the baby....Maybe next 1 will be a bit less noisy. ..

The bucket cracked after only 6 batches of icecream within a 3 month period. Very disappointed. Made good icecream while it lasted. Seems like poor quality, no other way to explain it.

It's OK for quick small SOFT bathces of ice cream. The bowl dosent hold the cold very well in the Texas heat (indoors or out). I had to put the ice cream in the freezer for a few hours to get it to thicker scoopable ice cream. I will be returning this one for one with space to add ice. I think it will be easier to get better thickness on the ice cream if I can keep it cold longer.

The only reason I purchased this product is because I left my Cuisinart ice cream maker at home. I usually take it to the lake with us. I had this Hamilton Beach ice cream maker sent from Amazon. Not only is it too loud, but it takes forever to make ice cream. I will never forget the Cuisinart again. This machine is going in the trash!

This product sucks. Do not buy!!!! If I could give no stars I would. Bowl instantly freezes the mixture and paddle will not churn. I literally had the mixture in the bowl for 15 seconds.

Received my ice cream maker yesterday, couldn't wait to use it..Though it makes good ice cream , its extremely to noisey ...

Ordered it came on time but wouldn't turn on was broken. The second one I got after you freeze the bowl you have wash it out again otherwise it won't fit.

POS. Didn't work. Bought as a gift for my elderly mother. Sad. Had to replace with something better. Return was simple though.

This Ice cream maker does not make Ice cream very will the mixing paddle needs to be make of a stronger plastic to pull the mixture off of the bottom a sides of the freezer bowl.