Cuisinart IC-50 Ice Cream Machine: Full Review

The Cuisinart IC-50 is a domestic ice cream maker designed for home use. It allows you to make fresh, homemade ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, sorbet and more right at home. The sleek stainless steel housing houses a powerful electric motor with easy touchpad controls. It has a generous 2-quart capacity and a double insulated freezer bowl to churn out batch after batch of frozen desserts quickly and efficiently. This fully automatic ice cream maker requires no ice or salt and can make frozen treats in as fast as 25-35 minutes. It comes with everything needed to get started making creamy ice creams and more. Overall, the Cuisinart IC-50 is a user-friendly ice cream maker that delivers top quality results quickly and easily. With some creative recipes, you can churn out all your favorite frozen desserts without needing any special skills. It's designed for easy use and cleaning so anyone can whip up custom, homemade frozen treats any time.

Design & Build Quality

The Cuisinart IC-50 Ice Cream Maker has an attractive stainless steel housing that looks great on any countertop. The stainless steel finish gives it a premium look and feel, and makes it easy to clean and keep looking new.

The body itself seems durable enough for regular use. It doesn't feel flimsy or cheap. The plastic components, like the lid, paddle, and bowl also seem sturdy and well-made. They don't bend or warp under pressure.

The paddle attaches securely to the motor shaft to churn the ice cream mixture. And the lid fits tightly in place to prevent leaks or spills while in use.

Overall, the Cuisinart IC-50 is well-designed and constructed. The materials used give it a solid, quality feel. It should hold up nicely even with frequent use over time. The stainless steel body keeps it looking stylish on the countertop too.

Capacity

The Cuisinart IC-50 can make up to 2 quarts of ice cream, gelato, sorbet, or frozen yogurt in one batch. This makes it a good choice for households with 2-4 people who want to make homemade frozen desserts. With its 2 quart capacity, you can make enough ice cream in one session for dessert plus a little extra leftover. The 2 quarts hold the equivalent of about 1.9 liters.

Some reviewers mention being able to push the capacity to 2.5 quarts if you really pack the ingredients in, but Cuisinart recommends sticking to the stated 2 quart capacity to prevent spillovers or motor strain. Overall, the 2 quart capacity is sufficient for most home needs without having to make multiple batches.

Ease of Use

Making ice cream with the Cuisinart IC-50 is designed to be very easy and user friendly. The machine has an uncomplicated interface with an on/off switch and a timer dial.

To operate it:

1. Add ingredients to the freezer bowl and fit the paddle.
2. Lock the freezer bowl into place in the machine.
3. Turn on the machine and set the timer.
4. The machine will freeze and churn the mixture automatically based on the timer setting.

Throughout the process, the see-through lid allows monitoring of the ice cream's texture and consistency. The paddles are designed to churn ingredients smoothly without much noise or mess.

Overall, the Cuisinart IC-50 aims to provide a fuss-free ice cream making experience that doesn't require much effort or technical skill from the user. The process is designed to be straightforward and relatively hands-off once the machine starts churning. Most users should find it produces quality homemade ice cream with minimal difficulty involved.

Noise Level

The Cuisinart IC-50 produces a moderate amount of noise when in use. Unlike some budget ice cream machines that can sound like a jet engine when churning, this Cuisinart model is reasonably quiet.

The noise level is noticeable but not overly intrusive. It produces a low hum that some users compare to the sound of a refrigerator. The noise may be more apparent in an open concept kitchen, but likely won't disturb conversations. With music or the TV on, the sound of the ice cream maker mostly blends into the background.

Some buyers note the noise is quiet enough that they can use the machine while kids are napping or sleeping without it being disruptive. But the hum may still be audible from an adjoining room. Closing the kitchen door cuts down on any ambient noise drifting throughout the house.

Overall, the moderate 50-60 decibel noise level shouldn't be an issue for most households. The Cuisinart IC-50 churns away without the irksome high-pitched whirring or rattling that makes some compact ice cream machines annoying to run. While not silent, it produces a manageable hum that many owners find unobtrusive during use.

Speed

The Cuisinart IC-50 churns ice cream, gelato, sorbet, or frozen yogurt in as little as 20-25 minutes. It has a powerful heavy duty motor and compressor that quickly bring mixtures down to freezing temperatures while continually churning. This results in a smooth, creamy texture without large ice crystals.

The mixing paddle rotates constantly while freezing to incorporate air and prevent icy consistency. It's fast enough to make frozen desserts for a whole gathering in under 30 minutes. Just keep mixtures pre-chilled in the refrigerator or freezer so the IC-50 can work its magic even quicker. With some planning ahead, you'll be enjoying ice cream in no time.

The churn time does depend slightly on the recipe, ingredients used, and pre-chilled temperature. But users mention the IC-50 delivers frozen desserts faster than many other home ice cream machines in this price range. The compressor cooling system is efficient at freezing quickly while the paddle churns a creamy texture.

Special Features

The Cuisinart IC-50 ice cream maker has a few nice features that help it stand out from other home ice cream machines.

One unique aspect is the Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, & Gelato paddle that comes included. This attachment is designed to churn up lighter desserts like sorbets and gelato, allowing you to make a wider variety of frozen treats. The paddle helps incorporate air into the mixture as it churns for a smoother, lighter texture perfect for these desserts.

Another handy feature is the ingredient spout with integrated measuring cup. The spout makes it easy to pour your ice cream mixture into the frozen cylinder without making a mess. And the built-in measuring cup lets you measure out ingredients right into the machine, reducing dirty dishes and streamlining the process.

Additionally, the machine has an ingredient alarm that alerts you when it's time to add mix-ins like chocolate chunks or fruit swirls. This helps ensure you add them at just the right consistency for evenly distributing throughout the ice cream.

Finally, the Cuisinart IC-50 comes with three different removable pans to hold the finished frozen desserts. You get a 3-pint pan for ice creams and gelato, a 2-quart pan for sorbet, and a 1.5-quart pan for frozen yogurt. Having multiple size options allows you to churn just the right amount of whatever treat you're in the mood for.

Accessories

The Cuisinart IC-50 comes with 3 different attachments:

• A 2-quart freezing bowl with lid - This is the main bowl where the ice cream is made. It has cooling liquid sealed between double insulated walls to freeze contents fast and keep cold. The bowl can make up to 2 quarts of ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt in one batch.

• Mixing paddle - This is the dasher that churns the mixture as it freezes to create creamy ice cream texture and prevent icicles. It attaches to the motor assembly.

• Splash guard - This clear plastic disk fits over the top of the bowl while mixing to prevent messy splashes.

Additional accessories can be purchased separately:

• Nonstick removable bowl liner - This plastic liner fits inside the freezing bowl for no-mess cleanup. Just lift out liner after use instead of needing to scrape bowl.

• Ice cream stick & cone holder - Holds pre-made waffle cones or popsicle sticks upright while filling.

So the basic set comes with the essentials for making ice cream, and there are extra convenience accessories available for purchase if desired. The bowl, paddle and lid provide all you need to get started with homemade frozen desserts!

Cleanup

The Cuisinart IC-50 is very easy to clean up after making ice cream or sorbet. The mixing arm and lid are removable and dishwasher safe. The double insulated freezer bowl can be cleaned by hand with warm soapy water, but does not need to be fully submerged. Users report that as long as the mixing arm is removed after each use, the remaining ice cream residue comes out easily by filling the bowl with warm water and letting it sit for a few minutes before wiping clean. One of the best aspects of the Cuisinart IC-50 is that there is no ice or salt to deal with for cleanup. The freezing is all done electronically through the built-in compressor, so there are no messy leftovers after use. Just remove the lid and mixing arm, wipe out excess ice cream, and wash the parts. Simple and easy!

Pros & Cons

The Cuisinart IC-50 comes with a good balance of pros and cons for the average home ice cream maker. Here are some of the key positives and negatives:

Pros

• Generous 2-quart capacity, good for making ice cream for 4-6 people
• Double insulated freezer bowl helps ice cream freeze fast and evenly
• Motorized paddle does the churning for you - no hand cranking needed
• Simple to use control panel with on/off switch and timer
• Quieter than many other ice cream machines
• Bowl, paddle and lid are removable and dishwasher safe for easy cleanup
• Comes with a recipe book

Cons

• Freezer bowl must be frozen overnight before each use
• Lid design allows some ice cream leakage during churning
• Paddle can get stuck if ingredients are added too early
• Not as powerful as some higher-end models - texture may be a little icy
• Only has one speed setting
• Base needs to be plugged in and isn't very portable

Overall, the Cuisinart IC-50 is a good mid-range ice cream maker suitable for home use. It makes ice cream faster and with less effort than old-fashioned hand-crank models. The generous capacity and dishwasher-safe parts are convenient. But the need to pre-freeze the bowl and potential for icy texture limits it from competing with more expensive machines. Still, for the price, it produces tasty homemade ice cream with minimal fuss.