646219 Thu Aug 20 13:59:18 -0700 2009 3 41 Cookware 0 4963445 I love ice cream. A lot. I also love frozen yogurt. A lot. And our krups freezer canister ice cream maker required a more than 24 hour freezing time to churn out ice cream or frozen yogurt. I wanted something more - so here comes the self-freezing machines. After much searching we decided to put two models to a side by side test on different types of ice creams. Cuisinart 50-BC vs. Lussino Lello http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-ICE-50BC-Supreme-Cream-Maker/dp/B0007XOHN6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1250801030&sr=8-5 AND http://www.amazon.com/Lello-Musso-Lussino-1-5-Quart-Stainless/dp/B00004RDF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1250801073&sr=8-1 We tried 7 different types of ice cream. Made up bases, chilled and churned side by side. We did a classic French custard style, a cornstarch thickened ice cream, a dairy free chocolate-nut sorbet, a fruit sorbet, a few batches of frozen yogurt (non-fat with fruit), one sweetened condensed milk/dry milk stabilized and one philly style (no eggs). The verdict? Cuisinart: Cons: Noisy machine, cheap feeling plastic arm. Some strange design features that require 2 hands to put the assembly together and to take the ice cream out or you can crack the lid (depending on how hard the ice cream churns). We have had two of these machines, and one is louder than the other and doesn't freeze quite as firm. but both worked well. Pros: Removable bowl easy to clean and comes with a nice rigid spatula that it perfectly shaped for removing ice cream. Very easy to get the ice cream out of the machine, and little sticking to the sides. Churns to a medium firm, depending on the ice cream, and runs between 5-10% overrun I estimate again depending on the ice cream. Few ice crystals (again depends on the ice cream). firms up nicely in the freezer. Lello: Cons: Bowl isn't removable, so it is a bit of a pain to clean. A lot of sticking to the side, even when you turn off the cooling mechanism and let the blade run for a bit. Some ice crystal formation. Very expensive and a bit larger to store. Pros: Very sturdy feeling machine and oh so pretty. As it is churning it just looks so nice. My husband liked the results better right out of the machine, but he couldn't tell which was which in a blind taste test. i think he was suckered by the prettiness of it. It feels like it would last longer, and did a better job on sorbet. Has a separate cooling and churning switch which can be nice for some recipes. Easy to work one handed (good with small baby in hand!) Nice and quiet relative to the other machines. The ice cream was indistinguishable after a hard freeze for all but the fruit sorbet, which was slightly better in the Lello. But I don't know that I would bet anything in a blind taste test. For frozen yogurt we all thought right out of the machine, the Cuisinart was softer but had fewer ice crystals and was therefore more flavorful. Which one did we keep? The Cuisinart. I still hate the awful noise it makes, but it churns out a good product - better than our Krups and in some cases better than the Lello (less icy). We figured we could buy 2 Cuisinarts with the money we would have spent on the Lello. But we do miss the prettiness and the "I own an import gelato maker : )" aspect of the Lello.... Thu Aug 20 13:59:19 -0700 2009 15001 jsaimd 1 4966291 The Cuisinart bowl-in-the-freezer type can have extra bowls. You can get it with two bowls... http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Cream-Maker-White-Bonus/dp/B002EB9IBU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1250885241&sr=1-2 Or just buy extra bowls any time. This type is also very noisy - we make it in the basement. Fri Aug 21 13:10:16 -0700 2009 4963445 154622 Paulustrious 2 4967339 i couldn't give up enough freezer space for two bowls and i would lose too much frozen yogurt especially to the side of the bowl. Also got an icier product. But if you aren't an ice cream/frozen yogurt fiend I think they are a fine machine. Fri Aug 21 20:27:30 -0700 2009 4966291 15001 jsaimd 3 4967767 I'm really happy with mine. It was a cheap refurbed Cuisinart. I have a separate freezer. I don't make frozen yoghurt. I really should start as I make my own yoghurt. The extra bowl has other uses... * It goes in the cool box when travelling. * Put a towel inside it and then a bottle of white wine. Makes an excellent chiller. (You can put a sock over the bottle but it does look a bit naff) * The BEST ice cube holder on a warm day. (need plastic tongs) * I have a stainless steel bowl that fits inside and can be used to rapidly chill sauces. * Mix cocktails in it (or rather get a very rapid chill of the spirit. Alton B would be proud of me. Sat Aug 22 06:33:09 -0700 2009 4967339 154622 Paulustrious