Sunbeam GC8101-BLS 1-Quart Gel Canister Ice Cream Maker, Blue

Phenomenal idea, pretty well executed
One of the first memories of my life is making homemade ice cream in the garage with my father and grandfather, crank style, mid 1950's.

Later my father 'invented' an electric ice cream maker, won a ribbon at the Iowa State Fair, and managed to make homemade ice cream at least a couple of times a year.

I bought my first, greatly improved, electric ice cream maker in the late 1970's, and have been making homemade ice cream ever since. About once every two years or so.

Since acquiring this machine I now make homemade ice cream (or sorbets) about once every 3 to 5 days!

Therefore I feel qualified in saying - save your ice and salt ice cream makers for impressing your friends, or children, or neighbors. And - when you actually want to make ice cream - use this cute little machine instead.

I keep the bottom - the part with the gel that freezes - in the freezer department of my refrigerator. It isn't very big at all, perhaps the size of...

Easy to use!
This is a perfect little ice cream maker, for 1-4 people. Makes just the right amount and works like a charm. I wasn't sure if it would do what it claimed to do, however was very pleased with my purchase and the way it worked. Very easy to use and I keep it in my freezer until ready to use. Make sure to put a piece of plastic wrap over the canister's opening, whilst in your freezer, to keep from getting 'frost build up'.

Works great for less than 1 qt of ice cream
I've made two batches of sorbet with this maker so far. It really works well. In about 20-23 minutes, I have a nice smooth thick sorbet. I could eat it straight from the maker, but I divvy it up in small containers for individual servings and put it in the freezer to harden more.

I followed the instructions, which state to put the base in a plastic bag before putting it in the fridge to prevent freezer burn to the surface. I agree this is a good idea, and a practice I use on other items in the fridge. I also left the base in the freezer long enough for it to be COMPLETELY frozen - there should be no sloshing when it's shaken. Doing this will insure you get a nice thick frozen product.

There isn't anything wrong with how this thing works, or how quickly it makes ice cream/sorbet. It gets 5 stars for that. I docked 1 star for something I dislike in general. The small "lip" where the blue outer plastic shell meets the frozen metal internal container, is...

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