Ice Cream Maker (1.5-qt) - Stainless

This was purchased as a Christmas present but when it was opened, the unit does not turn on. I have been going around with the seller since to try and get an RMA number and return postage to send it back, but have been getting the runaround. When I contacted the manufacturer, I found out it only has a warranty in the US and not Canada which was not disclosed in the description. I will update if they finally come thru with the return info.

I love this unit so far. And as my headline says there is a learning curve to making ice cream and using this product.the unit works perfectly, it does exactly what it should and is super quite, and easy to use.The use of any machine will always require the user to discover the "ins and outs" of how it functions. It will take a little time to know if you are doing it "right." I made a couple mistakes my first time, but my second time after applying what I had observed from the first time worked a lot better. You are going to have to observe and experiment.I had watched videos on youtube of others making ice cream and followed their recipies and it was helpful but doesn't take the place of my own experience. I had filled the ice cream chamber about 3/4 of the way and that was perfect, but I also stopped the ice cream maker before it was the consistency I wanted so that I could check it and while I was tasting it, lol, and the machine was not churning, the bottom froze up and then when I put the motor back on it began to really labor and I was afraid that it would burn out so I pulled the motor and the ice cream before it was where I ultimately wanted it.The 2nd time however I allowed it to run until it got a lot harder and then when i removed it it was perfect. You will have your own experience.For me the machine is absolutely perfect. And the price is even better. I was going to buy a named brand but decided to take a chance on this one. I did a little research and saw that they make a lot of motorized equipment and could see that they aren't just some "knock off" copier of other products.The unit is very well made and well engineered. I am very pleasantly surprised! I would buy again, and highly recommend to all my friends!Thanks

The first machine I received had a non-functioning motor, which was a bummer. Contacting support and receiving a replacement was simple and easy. I chose to have ups drop a return label for the old machine, and took it to a local ups drop off, couldn't be simpler.The second machine has been used twice with no issues at all. I used a simple 2 to 1 ratio of cream to milk, 1/3 cup of sugar and then the flavor of my choice to see how well it would perform with a basic recipe. It took roughly 50 minutes to reach soft serve on both attempts. The first batch was eaten immediatly with pleasing results. (I have a large family, so 1.5 qts doesn't go far). The second batch, I removed the motor, as per the instructions, then I set it to continue freezing for another 20 minutes. I failed to remove the paddle first, which created quite a challenge when trying to get the ice cream out. Most of it was frozen quite firmly with the center still a soft consistency so I had to run a bit of water around the canister to loosen things up to remove the paddle. The freezing function works very well. The instructions are fairly simple and easy to understand. I am happy that I can make ice cream without freezing a canister for a day or having to make a mess with large amounts of rock salt and ice. No more condensation on the counter. It's a fair trade off for a machine that has a large footprint and is a bit heavy and awkward to get out and use. The small amount it makes is the only drawback considering this machine costs around the same as a 7 cubic ft budget chest freezer.

This machine is a major step up from the "freezer bowl" type of ice cream maker. Pretty basic use as well - pour ingredients into the machine, hit the power button and wait for the machine to stop churning. The default timer is set to 60 minutes but my first batch of ice cream was done in about 40. The machine isn't too loud and is about the same size as a bread maker but is a bit heavy because of the coolant inside.So the great thing is that it works making ice cream pretty quickly. But just like the freezer bowl type of machine, this only gets you to the soft-serve stage. If you want traditional, scoopable ice cream, you'll need to freeze the mixture for about 6 hours to firm it up.The bad things are some of the design choices. First is the paddle (pictured). The point is to get air into the mix while churning to avoid ice crystals. For some reason instead of being a flat panel with holes in it, this one is 3D with blades that stick out. There is also a divot at the top of the paddle on the main post. Both of these designs make the paddle super hard to clean off when you're trying to scrape the finished ice cream into a container. It made it messy and cumbersome to try and get around the irregular surfaces.Second thing is the chute on the top panel that is to be used to put add-ins into the mixture. It's ridiculously small (2nd picture). This is where you're supposed to be able to pour things like nuts, chocolate chips, crushed cookies, etc., at the end of the process. If you were doing something liquid like a fruit puree or sauce, it would work fine. Anything else would need to be super small and you'd probably have to put it into the chute a little at a time or it would clog.Third is the bucket handle. You need something to be able to lift the bucket out of the machine when the ice cream is done but unfortunately you can't lock the handle down or remove it once the bucket is out. In order to empty the bucket, you have to turn it over and grasp it from the bottom and when you do that the handle swings down and is now in the way of the ice cream. This made a huge mess as the mixture ended up being diverted from dropping straight down and instead ended up flowing everywhere.So the machine works great at freezing the ice cream and it's nice to be able to make ice cream without having to store a bowl in the freezer, but it would be nice if some of these minor design issues were different to make the rest of the process easier.

KI-15 Ice Cream Maker is an excellent product which created some wonderful ice creams for my husband's birthday celebration. The instructions are clear and straight forward and the motor runs perfectly. The price is very affordable compared to other expensive machines - why pay more?! The quality of ice cream was super with each batch! I made my husband's favorite rum and raisin using almond milk which was smooth and creamy then created a delicious vanilla ice cream using coconut milk and, to my delight, was absolutely smooth and keeping it in the ice cream maker for about 60 minutes made the consistency harder and divine. I have said goodbye to store bought ice cream (not wasting money any more for store bought ice cream) and happy to have purchased the KI-15 Ice Cream Maker making amazing ice creams each time. I do recommend experimenting on the times for churning to find your preference - gelato-30mins./ice cream-60mins. Recommended - 5 stars