Do You Need the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker? — The Kitchen Gadget Test Show

Welcome back to the test kitchen! On today's episode, Esther is testing the Cuisinart soft serve machine. Soft serve is something people typically leave the house for, but if this machine works, soft serve ice cream in pajamas could become a reality.

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[tosht]

So disappointing. Back in the day, Cuisinart was the gold standard for the home kitchen...I have a few of their appliances that are excellent. This one looks gimmicky. Excellent Esther demo. 👍

[brandonfarmer]

Fisher Price makes products for adults now?

[gbxxxx]

Hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but I've had this gadget since childhood and it works a lot better than shown here. 
You have to let the ice cream mix longer so it gets thicker. Also, you have to rotate the cone in order to make a nice looking swirl. Lastly, only small mix-ins work like mini m&ms or sprinkles, otherwise they get stuck. 
Still though, you're probably better off with a more compact machine so it takes up less storage space.

[stephaniecahill]

I have this and I love it. She didn’t let it go long enough.

[Diu-]

Never thought there Would be a soft serve Machine more broken than the McDonalds' ones

[angelpagan]

I thought I wanted an soft-serve ice cream maker, but I officially have changed my mind! Lol Thanks for the real deal demonstration!

[coreypeavy]

Hello, nice review, I’ve have mine for 8 years now and it still works as good as new. I bought 2 extra bowls so that I could make more when needed. 25-30 minutes is a good time for firm ice cream, when the bowl is about 3/4 full. Don’t fill it to the top because as the ice cream firms it will oooz through the top opening. You have to get a few applications under your belt to perfect your craft with this machine, I love it. I’ve recreated my moms ( RIP) recipe from the 70’s to make my soft serve 🍦. And ice cream cookies.

[plainlybasic]

Mean no rudeness, but we have this machine and have been using it for a while . We very rarely ever have any issues. Admittedly, the swirl in feature does not work well, but we almost never have problems with the ice cream. The only real problem we have with that part is it getting too cold. We use the enclosed recipe, and pre-made soft serve mix. Always a good treat! You have to make sure you put the bowl in the coldest part of your freezer and let it sit overnight! I also recommend putting a paper plate or something on top, it helps keep the cold from leaking out the top.

[juan]

I've had no issues with this machine. Pre-chilling your mixture does make a big difference. Overall I'm super happy with this unit.

[Paelorian]

You'll have much more controllable and almost certainly superior results from a standard Cuisinart ice cream machine that is less expensive and makes ice cream exactly the same way. Ice cream comes out soft serve from any ice cream machine. Sometime people mix it a little more if eating it straight from the machine. This unit is a big, bulky, glamorized piping bag. That's right, you can spoon the ice cream out of any ice cream machine into a plastic bag and make your perfect swirls with that. They also do mix-ins. You don't need storage on the side of the machine. You can only do one batch at a time anyway with a single frozen canister unit. This is a big gimmicky plastic thing to appeal to kids and impulse buyers. Just get the $50 Cuisinart, much smaller, and you can spoon or pipe the ice cream soft serve into a cup or cone. Or freeze it after churning for hard ice cream.

[kimberlyWestfall]

That thing is horrible. Makes me wonder who decides these things are to be released to the public.

[mat]

Thought this would be a sales pitch and then in real life it would be how the video shows. Thanks for a genuine display

[thejoithh]

I’ve had this product for a while, and I’ve had none of these issues. The mix ins can sometimes be finicky but I would highly recommend.

[Shelleybean]

You have to turn OFF the churner BEFORE dispensing the ice cream/soft serve! It interferes with with the stream. Next time, read the manual.

[devinspringman]

Keep in mind that while it's is just ice cream, it's still food. If you take a recipe and remove components from it, like egg yolks, you aren't going to get what you're expecting. Ice cream bases are best made ahead of time and chilled as much as possible. Refrigerating them overnight will certainly ensure it is cold enough. If you need it on the spot, an ice bath works. The churning bowls themselves are best stored in the freezer. Putting these things together, it's possible to pull more than one batch at a time. The price point is decent. Not many electronic devices cost less than that, let alone cookware. Swirling ice cream into a cone takes practice, not to mention, it's designed to be done from the front of the machine, not behind. If the machine were any shorter, it would probably be difficult to decent hight to ice cream itself.

[JVIPER]

You don't need a fancy machine to make soft-serve ice cream.
Step 1) Buy ice cream.
Step 2) Leave ice cream on counter.
Step 3) Eat.

[pdnnow]

I own one of these and I don't know what this woman was doing but the ice cream we make looks NOTHING like what she made. The machine isn't perfect but it's not the disaster she made it out to be. Our ice cream is thicker and doesn't melt like in the video. I would rate it a 7/10. Also, it's VERY easy to clean! I'd give it a 7/10.

[swimmer]

We got one of these models about two years ago for a birthday party and so far I have no complaints. Great if your kids are having a sleepover or for family night. The plus is you know what exactly went into your food.

[MihirrPanchaal]

Super bad design over all. Too tall for counter top use. Can make a soft serve once only!! The soft serve stream is horrible. They could have added a sensor to understand it’s hard to churn and then stop so that you get soft serve and not ice cream. The toppings (mixins lol) just don’t work!!!

[benjaminwallace]

I own one of these, and I love it, it takes some getting used too but once you get the knack of it and try longer churn times it’s actually a really great ice cream maker and dispenser for the cheaper price.