Delicious sweet desserts are loved by everyone. But buying industrial ice cream is not the best choice. The questionable quality of the source products and the 100% availability of artificial colors and preservatives will not be of use to your health. Therefore, many sweet lovers are thinking about buying their own home-made ice cream maker. And do not think in vain, because for home-made ice cream are used only natural ingredients and proven recipes. The disadvantage of buying an ice cream maker for a house can only be its value, but if you often buy ice cream for your family or like to treat guests with desserts, such a purchase will pay off very quickly.
And now let's find out what characteristics ice creamers have and how to choose a quality model for home use.
Choosing the best ice cream maker for home
To choose the model of ice cream maker, ideally suited for you, be guided by the following criteria.
- Ice cream makers are of two types: semi-automatic, or free-cooling, and automatic, or compressor. They differ only in one, but very important detail. By purchasing a "semi-automatic", you have to refrigerate the bowl in the freezer for 12-14 hours before preparing each portion of ice cream. Using the same automatic model of an ice cream maker with a compressor, it will only be enough to load the ingredients inside the device and press the button. Naturally, the "machine" will cost significantly more, but the process of using such a freezer at home will be much easier, more convenient and more pleasant.
- Differ ice cream and the volume of the bowl. The minimum volume is 1 liter, and the maximum (for home models) is up to 15 liters. Choosing a device with too much cup volume makes no sense if you are going to occasionally cook ice cream for yourself and your family. But at the same time remember that the volume indicator of the bowl is not equal to the weight of the finished product. In other words, in a bowl with a capacity of 1.5 liters you will receive only 900 g of ice cream . This is the case, since the mass increases substantially during the preparation process.
- Many consumers mistakenly believe that the volume is directly related to the capacity of the ice cream maker. In fact, the power does not depend on the volume of the ice cream dish, but on its type ("automatic" or "semi-automatic"). Automatic models are much more powerful, which means they consume much more electricity. But if you liked the ice cream maker with a low power (4-35W), do not worry: you will still get a delicious and natural ice cream, just for its preparation will take a little longer.
- Pay attention to the dimensions of the purchased product, especially if it is a freezer model without a compressor. Since the bowl will have to be frozen every time, or even better - it is stored permanently in the freezer, it must be ensured that the bowl dimensions do not exceed the size of the chamber itself. Just measure the height of your freezer before buying an ice cream maker. If you buy it as a gift, it will be better to stop at the model with a minimum bowl height (14 cm).
- All ice cream makers have the same principle of action: the mixture of products is constantly mixed by the blades, while constantly cooling. But, in addition to the basic principle, there are many additional functions on which the price of the product depends. Such optional but convenient functions include, for example, a timer, a sound signal about the end of cooking, a transparent window for contemplating the process of making ice cream, a combination
ice cream and yogurt in one model. The latter is very convenient, since it also presumes the possibility of preparing all sorts of sour-milk desserts. And, finally, a brochure with recipes should be included with any ice cream maker, which should be used for this particular model. Do not neglect the specified amount of each ingredient, otherwise the dessert simply does not work or will not be of the same consistency.
The models of ice cream makers from Nemox, DeLonghi Gelato, Dex, Kenwood and others are quite popular. The choice is yours!