KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment
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| Makes 2 quarts of fresh soft-consistency ice cream or other frozen dessert. (Note: Soft ice cream can be hardened in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours.) The KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment's 2-quart capacity offers the largest stand mixer attachment bowl capacity in the industry, and its open design allows for easy addition of ingredients. |
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KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment v. Special Purpose Ice Cream Maker : Powered by Amazon
Posted on 2008-11-19 |
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I own both the KitchenAid ice cream attachment and the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, two devices that work on the same principle of using a liquid filled freezer bowl and a machine-operated paddle to make homemade ice cream. I decided to compare the two using the same recipe for French vanilla ice cream (from the KitchenAid cookbook) to see which performed better.
The KitchenAid: The bowl has a greater capacity (about 5 cups of mix) than the Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White. Although it also takes up more room in the freezer, I liked this aspect. After all, if I'm going to make homemade ice cream, I want enough to make the effort worthwhile. The KitchenAid attachment added more air, which created a slightly grainier, more commercial texture but faster flavor delivery. Perhaps because it froze more mix, the KitchenAid was also slower to finish, taking eight minutes longer than the Cuisinart. Removing the frozen cream was easy except from the complex shape of the dasher. Although both machines were noisy, the KitchenAid was by far the quietest. Because you have to pour the mix into the bowl while the paddle is running and because the thick walls of the freezer bowl make it difficult to access, I recommend resting the pouring shield on the edge of the bowl -- it doesn't fit completely, but it's good enough to minimize spillage. Also, if you expect to add nuts, chips, cookies, or other harder items near the end of the cycle, decrease the mix by the same amount. Five cups of batter plus a cup of nuts will overflow the bowl.
The Cuisinart: The ice cream was definitely denser and silkier, although in more limited quantity. The machine takes about 3 cups of mix, and, unlike the KitchenAid, some of it was wasted when it froze solid to the walls of the bowl. The KitchenAid, on the other hand, had little or no waste.
My husband preferred the ice cream from the KitchenAid attachment; he claimed that it tasted much better. I preferred the denser texture from the Cuisinart, although the ice cream was much more difficult to scoop after a day or so of ripening in the freezer. Both tasted much better than anything I can buy in the supermarket.
Despite my preference for the Cuisinart texture, I'm giving this attachment five stars because it still yields great tasting ice cream with minimal work. You do have to plan ahead, however: the bowl must be frozen for at least 15 hours, and the mix must be chilled a full day in advance. Since many ice cream recipes call for a cooked custard (with egg yolks), this means cooking a day or more before you want to make it. If you have the room in your freezer, you might want to store the bowl there. I recommend wrapping it in a plastic bag to keep ice crystals and freezer-taste out.
The decision to choose between this attachment and a special purpose machine depends in part on how many people you want to feed and whether you have the freezer space for a bowl that measures 7 " high x 12" wide x 9" deep (it's not symmetrical because of the outside pieces that allow attachment to the lift mixer). The Cuisinart bowl is only 5.5" tall, with a 7" diameter. Another point to consider is longevity. I expect a KitchenAid mixer motor to far outlive anything on a special purpose machine.
This makes a great gift for people who already own a KitchenAid since most of us are also attachment junkies. I highly recommend this ice cream bowl, although I strongly suggest some comparison shopping to make sure this is right for you.
-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann |
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Great! : Powered by Amazon
Posted on 2008-11-17 |
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| I still don't know why this costs so much more than the Cuisinart products, but I choose it since I already have a KitchenAid mixer and didn't want to have to worry about storage space for another appliance. It works great and the ice cream tastes delicious! I store the bowl in the freezer. It does work a little better when I set the freezer on the coldest setting. |
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ice cream attachment : Powered by Amazon
Posted on 2008-11-14 |
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| Bought this ice cream maker for my sister's birthday present. She was thrilled. Hopefully we will have homemade ice cream for the holidays! |
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Yum... : Powered by Amazon
Posted on 2008-10-30 |
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| I received this as a birthday gift. I love it. While it does take a good amount of room in the freezer, it's well worth it. Used twice so far without problem. I'm slightly concerned about the parts being all plastic, but no problems so far. I picked up used copy Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. Together, I will need to be careful about gaining 20 pounds. |
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Ice Cream Maker attachment for your Kitchenaid Mixer : Powered by Amazon
Posted on 2008-10-21 |
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| I couldn't be happier than I am with this product. I have made three batches of Ice Cream so far and each one has turned out perfectly. I just store mine in the freezer all of the time so that I am always ready to make a new batch. I love that this product is so easy to use. |
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