Whynter Ice Cream Maker Machine Automatic 2 1 Qt with Built-In Compressor LCD Digital Display Timer No Pre-Freezing

When I received my machine there was a slight glitch. I contacted customer service at Whynter and they took care of it ASAP. So right there I gave them 5 stars. The machine is awesome. It runs great and makes good ice cream. There's really no mess involved. Its easy to keep clean and it doesn't make any messes. It's very easy to use and the recipes are easy to follow too. Ice cream quality was good. When it was done making the ice cream it tasted great. Then I put the extra in an ice cream container covering the top with plastic then the lid to freeze it and the next day it was still a nice flavor and texture. One thing they could work on would be the mixing component every once in awile it would stop mixing because the ice cream would be to hard for the paddle to turn. That's when I would stop the machine and call it done. It usually would happen with a small batch of ice cream in about 30 minutes or so. A good solid well built machine. Read more

...Rather than a "toy" or "dalliance" made or re-branded by a foreign Seller. Stainless steel, quiet motor, substantial. Turned coconut milk, no less--spouse is lacto-intolerant--into the freshest, most flavorful, "ice cream" ever. Hard to believe it's dessert! Remarkably simple to operate: 3 ingredients, milk, sugar, vanilla. We prefer adding fresh fruit afterwards. (The vanilla topped with fresh fruit, craisins, and granola is to die for.) Takes 35 minutes, from start to finish. Mix while serving meal. Return and ice cream is ready. For longer meals, there's a timer for auto shutoff, and the compressor will keep its (large) cache cold for 30 minutes (default). Clean up is a breeze. Previously we could be considered only occasional ice cream consumers. However, this product has turned up the heat; we've been having every night and feeling great about it. Read more

This is a fairly expensive appliance. You can make ice cream more cheaply than this. I have the kind that requires you to freeze the bowl. It sort of works. Usually. I have one that uses a semiconductor called a Peltier element to provide its own cooling. It's ok, and if you can't fit this one into your budget, that one is a whole lot better than the frozen bowl method. Then I got this one. There are other compressor models on Amazon that are cheaper. I honestly can't tell you anything about them. They may be every bit as good as this one; I simply don't know. What I can tell you about this one without reservation or hesitation is that, based on my experience, this ice cream maker is worth every. single. penny. This ice cream maker is amazing. It will make 2.1 quarts at a time although I'm experimenting with different recipes so I haven't gone for volume yet. I get a quart of ice cream in about 45 minutes and frozen yogurt in about 35 minutes. The machine can detect when the mixture is too thick to churn and then goes into a cooling-only mode. This feature is invaluable. From everything I've read, all of the ice cream makers produce a mixture that is in a "soft serve" state. You can certainly eat it at that point, but if you want it firmer than that you need your freezer to take it the rest of the way. This phase is critical to the texture and finish of the end product. The ice cream already has tiny little ice crystals in it, and if they stay tiny, it's great. You keep them tiny by dropping the temperature as quickly as possible; a slow drop allows them to grow. At best you would wind up with a grainy texture and at worst you end up with a block of flavored ice. That means you have to get the ice cream from the churning bucket into the coldest part of your freezer (at the bottom in the back) as quickly as you can. The Whynter's cool-only mode buys you time. Time to transfer the mixture from the churning bucket into its container - and for the love of Mike don't use cardboard! You still have to work fast, but at least what's in the bucket isn't warming to room temperature. Beyond that, this unit is very solidly made. It has real buttons as opposed to membrane, there's nothing flimsy on it - even the clear plastic cover is sturdy - and both the compressor and churning motor sound like they're working well within their design limits. I know that last may sound a little odd, but you know how some things that you buy have a whiny or hollow sound and you really wonder if it's going to last? This doesn't have that; it just _sounds_ well made. And on that topic I was a little surprised at how quiet it is. Since the churning blade is plastic (actually it's probably some sort of nylon affair but I don't know) I'd ordered an extra one of those. It arrived before the machine did, but once I had it in my hands I was fairly certain that the original would never need to be replaced; it's very sturdy as well. The frozen bowl method is a novel idea but is an iffy process at best. After it failed on me a couple of times, I was very frustrated. The semiconductor machine was a nice little stop-off, and I was familiar with the technology so I was willing to give it a go. It may be exactly what you're looking for, but it still just wasn't what I was looking for. I normally kind of stick to the middle of the road, but I was at the point that I was finished with the nonsense and wanted results. I looked at reviews, looked at the Whynter website, decided they know a thing or two about making things cold, and went for it. Again, I can't tell you about other brands, but I am highly impressed with this machine. In two weeks I've produced over two gallons of ice cream a quart at a time and this machine performed flawlessly each time. I'm not a cook, so while mixing some cream and sugar together is well within my wheelhouse, making a custard for a French style ice cream most definitely is NOT. Having confidence that my stress-laden concoction isn't going to be biffed at the end is quite valuable to me. That's why I can tell you that this device is worth it. Every. single. penny. Read more

I took a long time deciding whether or not to purchase the 2.1 Quart Winther Ice Cream Maker because I really weighed my options and wanted to be sure it was worth it. I’m so glad I finally took the plunge. This machine has exceeded my expectations. The ice cream comes out absolutely amazing. So far I’ve made cookies and cream, strawberry, vanilla with chocolate chips, and vanilla with peanut butter, and every batch has been creamy, flavorful, and delicious. I love that I can add my own mix-ins and customize each batch exactly how I want it. One thing I really appreciate is that I’m using real, simple ingredients. Because of that, the ice cream does start to melt fairly quickly once it’s in the bowl, but I’m completely okay with that. To me, that’s a good sign that there are no unnecessary additives or stabilizers, and the taste more than makes up for it. This ice cream maker is also just genuinely fun to use. I love being able to make my own ice cream, experiment with flavors, and come up with my own formulas. It’s become something I truly look forward to using, and I’m excited to keep creating new flavors in the future. If you’ve been on the fence like I was, I can confidently say this ice cream maker is worth it. I’m so happy I bought it and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves homemade ice cream made with real ingredients. Read more

It's a decent ice cream maker. It's simple to use and care for. I've used it three times now and the results have been great. I like that it has a built in compressor so you don't have to add ice or keep any components in the freezer. My only complaint is that it's a little noisy while churning. I cannot speak to longevity as I've only had it for a month but from the outside it appears to be well built. Read more