Midas Ice Cream Maker
For about 20 years, I had a small Donvier manual ice cream maker. It required no electricity (other than the need to store the base in the freezer), and only required mixing every five minutes or so. I could vary the amount of air incorporated in what was a very good ice cream. Finally, the dasher mechanism broke, and I was unable to order spare parts from overseas.
While I'd still recommend the Donvier, I found another manual model that is absolutely indestructible, and also freezes the mix faster. The Midas is an elegant-looking stainless steel double-walled container with freezer liquid in the lid and sides, so it freezes the mix from all sides at once. I scrape and mix only once in 15 minutes, using my Chef'n spatula. The Midas is dishwasher-safe, too. I expect it to last for a lifetime.
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by 3L Ltd
Favorite (15)
Moon
KitchenAid makes an ice cream maker attachment, too.
http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KICA0WH-Cream-Maker-Attachment/dp/B0002IES80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1248355665&sr=8-1
It works great. I use it to make fat-free (skim milk), sugar-free (Splenda) ice cream all the time. It's very fluffy.
I haven't used it this year yet, mostly because it hasn't felt like Summer - I get the feeling that August is going to be real hot, though.
Rachel A
These things are great for making slushies, too - just pour in a whole bunch of juice or soda or smoothie while stirring and you've got an almost instantly slushed drink.
Tomia
The Midas no doubt looks sturdy and functional. But this is one of those cases where I think inexpensive standard ice cream machines all things considered is the best way to go. The ones with a freezing block (like a big hockey puck) have the advantage of taking up less freezer space compared to putting the whole container in there. Standard ice cream machines are also very inexpensive nowadays so buying a replacement after 5 years or so is no big deal (And in 10 years chances are our personal robots will make the ice cream and what not so why plan for longer than that?)
Rachel: that slush idea is awesome. I can't believe I've never tried that. I will tomorrow. So far I've made slushes the old way: grind ice cubes into "snow", add liquid, stir.
Angus
Nice looking gadget. Intrigued, but not having this on hand, attempted an ice cream recipe last night... took a while to firm up (3 hours), but once ready -- absolutely fantastic. Recipe I used is from latest Cook's Country magazine (subscription)... but one might find a good recipe at the Midas web site here:
http://www.3lltd.com/downloads/Midas_recipe_booklet.pdf
Also: Amazon seller has the Midas at $40. Couldn't find any on eBay.
- Angus
elon
Moon:
That sounds like a cool tool. I know there are a lot of KitchenAids sitting around underutilized. Mine is.
If you'd like to tell us more about it: elon {at} schoenholz dot com.
John Cunningham
This looked really appealing, and I suggested to my sweetie that we get one.
She replied that she had one years ago, and that the freezer in the fridge never got the base cold enough to work....too bad.
Andrew S
Re: slushies. Don't try to make slushies with a drink that uses artificial sweetener.
The most popular ice cream maker these days is the motorized Cuisinart that uses a freezer bowl; it's simple and inexpensive.
Susan
I went ahead and got a Midas, based on the great recommendation. My first batch of ice cream never froze completely. Any helpful hints? I made sure the Midas was in the freezer for at least 12 hours prior to using. Opened it every 15 mins after I poured the liquid in, to scrape and stir.
Would really appreciate any helpful hints!
Dual
First off: try $40.00 instead of $88.00:
http://tinyurl.com/nhp5g7
As to #8: it won't freeze up solid in the machine. It does that later, after being scraped out into a container.
As to #6: the Midas is different in that regard.
As to #4: the Midas recipes are rife with errors and omissions. I've found it very very frustrating to use their recipe booklet. Still trying though.
Dual
We love this thing, and use it all the time now.
Further info on the error-packed Midas recipe book--
Read the recipes first. "Vanilla bean" and "Fresh Peach" gelato recipes have you handling two cups of (heavy) cream twice, first heating it and later whipping it, which is impossible. They left out the fact that you're to use one cup for the first step and another for the 2nd.
Further, heavy cream makes a greasy, unpalatably-rich dish. I'm working now with half-and-half for the first part and light cream for the second (beating in the Midas with an electric hand mixer per their suggestion) and producing much tastier stuff.
AFAIK, classic gelato does not incorporate eggs, whereas the Midas folks call their 3-egg recipe a gelato. It's just words: properly-adjusted the recipes' taste great and are easy to prepare.
Dual
Sorry folks; Amazon vendor has upped the price from $40 to $140.00!!!
Shipping from $9.00 to $30.00!!!