Gelato making machines. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 10:42:53 am
content: Anyone here have experience with homemade ice-cream? An unusually hot October-November here has seen my blackberries, raspberries really take off and my strawberries are getting started too. That's as good an excuse as any to start dabbling in homebrew gelato (aside from the fact that store-bought ice-cream is almost exclusively bloody awful).I'm currently looking at machines with an in-built compressor/chiller, which conveniently don't require the main vessel to be pre-chilled for 24 hours in a freezer. For example one like this one:https://www.sunbeam.com.au/Root/Specifications/InstructionBooklet/GL8200_ib_1.pdfDo these machines actually give decent and consistent results or are they just another gimmick? Of course you don't need any form of machine to make ice-cream (besides a freezer) the old fashioned way, but the machine way looks to me a lot less bother.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 11:03:44 am
content: I have DeLonghi ICK 5000. Ice cream it makes is much better than supermarket one. Don't use it often though because I'm too lazy. It takes some effort and time to prepare products for french vanilla ice cream which I like.

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 11:07:28 am
content: I have one that's pretty similar in design to the one you've posted the instructions for - a little less fancy in that there are no controls/display on mine, but I can't say that I feel I'm missing anything...IMHO it works pretty well, we've had good results from everything we've tried. It's very simple - chuck all ingredients in a bowl, wait for the machine to chill, pour in, turn on, wait for it to be done. Takes maybe 30 minutes to turn stuff into ice-cream / gelato.Results are edible directly, or keep in the freezer (obviously!) if you want to make in advance - the latter also gets you something a little firmer, direct from the machine can be on the soft/melty side as obviously it's still almost soft enough to churn at the point the machine stops.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 11:15:42 am
content: Did like how this GL8200 looks like. But after a bit of googling seems that it is complete junk because of the very weak motorised paddle.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 11:20:08 am
content: I have a Magimix Turbine á Glace for over 15 years now, it works excellent if the roomtemperature is not too high otherwise it takes a long time to make the ice.They even use them in pro kitchens for small quantities of icecream.The most important is that you add a little bit of coldconducting fluid between the machine and the bowl, this can be saltwater but I usually use a 60%-70% alcoholic beverage like rum for it because salt can damage the stainless steel. Without that you can forget about it, it is described in the manual.I mostly make fruit sorbets and use much less sugar than in the recipes. Everyone loves it, it is a fruitbomb in your mouth. If you want I can give you my recipe sometime.You want to eat it a bit warmer than directly from the fridge (-18oC) normal icecream (-4oC) and it is less long preservable that way (after a few days icecrystals appear in the sorbet) but less sugar is healthier and the only reason that the original recipes have so much sugar in it is because of the icecrystals forming. But then you make as much as you and your family want to eat in 2 days and you're good to go.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 12:24:16 pm
content: Yeah, the Sunbeam looks a real dud:http://www.productreview.com.au/p/sunbeam-gelateria-ice-cream-maker.htmlQuote from: Kjelt on November 21, 2014, 11:20:08 amBesides the weak paddle motor of the Sunbeam, there is also a complaint about the chiller not being effective enough at high room temperatures. This is conceivably an issue with many of these units and would be a kind of a problem here. Last summer it was over 35 degrees C for nearly a week and 3 or 4 of those consecutive days were over 40, my highest recording 46.5 under the veranda. Summer this time 'round is already starting early.

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 03:01:11 pm
content: TBH, so long as it chills *reasonably* well, you can probably just finish it off by chucking it in the freezer. But yes, high ambient temp is going to make making ice-cream more difficult.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 06:20:17 pm
content: Quote from: GK on November 21, 2014, 12:24:16 pmDon,t you have AC ? I mean 40 in house it will be a crime for yourself and all appliances such as freezers. Could not live there

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 06:35:39 pm
content: Nice and balmy. I used to live in a town where it would reach over 40C every day, unless it was those 5 days every 20 years when it rained.Was watching CNN one day in Gulf War I, and they moved back to the London studio and had a report about the UK having a blazing hot summer, temperature in London at 31C and Poms bathing in the parks and dropping from heatstroke. Asked a colleague when it was 31C here and he replied 7.15AM.When our AC removed itself from the roof in chunks and popped the district fuse we measured over 70C indoors. Was strictly shorts, Aussie safety boots and bandanna attire. Guys on our bus could never wonder why I was complaining of it being cold in the bus, till one came into my shop one afternoon at 3PM.

author: tjb1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 07:34:56 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on November 21, 2014, 06:35:39 pmWelp, time to dig out the canoe...gettin a little deep in here

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 08:11:43 pm
content: I have used commercial, home and the type that uses the canister. Pre-chilling the mix is a massive help in all cases. As a general rule ones from Italy are superior.At home I use the canister style (Cuisinart branded) I have 3 canisters in the freezer and they really do need 14+ hours to work properly. That said they will make a completed ice cream in under 10 minutes, this is the main reason I use this style (super fast).

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2014, 04:09:54 pm
content: If someone has an existing machine that doesn't work well or is broke, maybe retrofit the dasher to a dry-ice cold trap. Put the dry ice/alcohol where the vacuum would normally go, use the fitting to vent the CO2 somewhere safe, and put the ice cream/gelato where the dry ice slurry normally goes. Insulate the outside of it too, obviously. That'll definitely work, even when its 40C insidehttp://www.berktree.com/assets/images/default/Welch-Dry-Ice-Cold-Trap-Model-1420H-14-Each.jpghttp://www.sisweb.com/art/metra/dryicedia.png

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2014, 05:33:24 pm
content: Eh, dry ice seems a lot of bother ... at that point I'd say screw it and buy a dewar and get LN2, can't beat the speed.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 22, 2014, 06:18:28 pm
content: What's gelato??

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 12:27:49 am
content: Quote from: SteveyG on November 22, 2014, 06:18:28 pmYou know there's a whole world out there beyond Hobnobs................

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 12:32:37 am
content: Quote from: SteveyG on November 22, 2014, 06:18:28 pmPoncey ice-cream.(A bit less fat, a bit more dense)

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 12:34:22 am
content: Quote from: SteveyG on November 22, 2014, 06:18:28 pmIt's posh ice cream...

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 12:35:48 am
content: Quote from: Marco on November 22, 2014, 05:33:24 pmNo, dry ice is sold by the pound in every American supermarket. It's no bother at all

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 12:39:51 am
content: lol.Gelato is just the Italian name for ice cream. Depending on where you buy it, it can actually be anything from posh/fancy to crap. Most machines for making the stuff are marketed as gelato rather than ice cream makers.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 03:46:11 am
content: Quote from: GK on November 23, 2014, 12:39:51 amYep, there is gelati and then there is gelati.One thing to put on your bucket list... Fly to Italy, and go to the corner of Via Volturno and Via Cernaia in Rome, a short walking distance from the Termini. There is a Gelateria on Via Volturno. They sell arguably the best gelati on planet earth; all made by the shop owner. I had three double galatis every day for a week; the favourite was cocco. It was addictive and divine.In comparison, I have never found a good gelati in Australia. On the other hand we do have Vegemite, which is delightful on fresh hot toast.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 10:01:53 am
content: That's a bit of a trek for an ice cream! But I'll take note in case I'm ever in the area. As for Vegemite, I'm pretty sure it's a lot cheaper to but axle grease in bulk.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 10:51:54 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on November 23, 2014, 03:46:11 amWhat's keeping you, open one up in Sydney and be ready to become a millionaire, but who wants to be that?

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2014, 09:19:35 pm
content: Quote from: _Sin on November 23, 2014, 12:32:37 amAh, makes sense. Never heard the term. I stick with Cornish clotted cream ice cream.

author: halexa
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2014, 09:52:15 pm
content: By far the best ice-cream machine I ever worked with:http://www.pacojet.com/en/(Been a professional chef for 10 years)

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2014, 10:33:15 pm
content: Quote from: halexa on November 24, 2014, 09:52:15 pmCorrect me if i am wrong but that is not a traditional ice maker. It shaves frozen substances and in a pro kitchen you can freeze the substance by using liquid nitrogen which goes so fast no icecrystals can form. But with a normal slow freezer you have to start a day earlier. And what i can recollect because i have looked at this machine it is awfully expensive.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2014, 01:13:58 am
content: Quote from: Kjelt on November 21, 2014, 06:20:17 pmIt's probably dry heat (Remember Australia is as close to the equator as the Sahara desert) which is much more bearable than the swamp heat we are exposed to in the summer. BTW last summer I went to Spain. Because of the dry heat the 39 deg. C was not a problem at all for me. Just keep drinking and sweating.

author: halexa
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2014, 08:08:07 am
content: Quote from: Kjelt on November 24, 2014, 10:33:15 pmYou are correct, it's not a household machine. But basically its only the price that's not household, if i recall correct the price was20000 SEK = 2700 USD.

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2014, 11:33:39 am
content: Quote from: IanB on November 23, 2014, 12:35:48 amIve always heard this but never investigated it/bought any myself. I can source dry ice locally from a few gas distributors, but if its available from a grocery store, then it would be on par the kind where you have to freeze the cylinder for 12+ hours. Instead of having to plan 12 hours in advance, you just have to pick up your ingredients fresh when youre ready to go.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2014, 10:43:14 pm
content: The cooled alcohol seems a lot more dangerous than LN2 though (no insulating gas layer if it gets on your skin). You'd really want some kind of closed container (with an escape for the CO2 though obviously) you could pump the alcohol into through a hose, without having to worry about splashing or knocking the container over. A little metalwork required.

author: electronic_eel
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2014, 11:10:14 pm
content: The cooling is just one part of the equation. The other is a strong motor and matching spatula design to get enough air into the cooling mix, the overrun. While the home machines usually get the product frozen after some time, the overrun often leaves a lot to be desired.Now that the ice cream season is over for this year you stand a good chance to get a good deal on used pro machines on ebay. Look for quality italian brands like Carpigiani, Frigomat, CRM/Corema/Telme, Coldelite, Bravo,...And if you are looking for recipes or advice how to formulate your own recipe, this is the best book about professionally made ice cream I know (and you can download it for free):http://www.angelocorvitto.com/ingles/libro/pdf.html

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 26, 2014, 05:56:27 pm
content: How about used soft serve machines? Mixer, aeration and freezing all in one unit. Plus a dispenser.

author: electronic_eel
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 26, 2014, 09:28:18 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on November 26, 2014, 05:56:27 pmBecause the ice cream mix is stored just cooled within the machine and not frozen in a freezer, you have to be super careful with cleaning and pasteurization. Otherwise the thing will be full of bacteria and fungi in no time.Basically you have to completely pasteurize the ice cream mix after making it and if you are not gonna use it all up within a day or two. Then you have to clean the machine thouroughly after each day of use.You can't put the finished soft ice cream in a freezer, it will freeze to hard rocks and build ice crystals. So consume it directly after pulling it from the machine.With the regular ice cream machine you can make batches of different kinds and keep them in a freezer for weeks without degration of quality or hygene concerns (proper model with low temperature ripple implied).