Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU review

Read our full guide to the best ice cream makers

What is the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU like to use?

Considering the capacity of the ice cream bowl, we were concerned about whether it’d fit in the freezer. Thankfully, the bowl isn’t awkwardly shaped, so it just about slotted right in. If you have small or slim freezer drawers, we’d recommend removing the bottom drawer and placing the bowl in the gap. Cuisinart advises freezing the bowl for at least 12 hours, giving you plenty of time to make your base and let it chill completely.

Putting this ice cream maker together is straightforward. It’s intuitive and clear to see how everything fits together. The lid is totally clear, making it easy to sneak a look at how your ice cream is getting on, plus the large hole in the top makes adding mix-ins effortless.

With just one control to familiarise yourself with, setting up this model is simple. There’s an on/off dial but no timer, so keep an eye on the consistency of your ice cream or check the manual for info about timings. We found it took around 25 minutes to make ice cream.

None of the parts are dishwasher safe unfortunately, but with no dirt traps there’s little risk of any milk or cream gathering anywhere it shouldn’t.

How did the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU perform?

We tested out this ice cream maker using two classic recipes: olive’s rich and indulgent vanilla ice cream and olive’s bright and fresh mango sorbet.

The vanilla ice cream was quick to churn, taking just 25 minutes to firm up. It had a creamy and rich texture, and tasted almost like clotted cream. The ice cream had an ever so slight grittiness from the ice crystals that formed. We’d have liked it to have been silky smooth, so this was a real shame. When eaten though, the ice cream was firm and slow-melting.

The Cuisinart produced a fantastic sorbet. It was firm and, unlike the ice cream, there were no ice crystals to be seen or felt when eating: it was perfectly smooth. The sorbet had the opaque appearance we were looking for and a fizzy sherbet mouthfeel, too.

olive's take: should you buy the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU?

Where most freeze-first models can’t really be left out on the worktop, this Cuisinart model is a high-end, attractive offering that wouldn’t look out of place in a stylish kitchen. For ice cream lovers or those looking to make big batches, the large two-litre bowl makes this model a brilliant choice.

It’s unfussy, owing to the single on/off dial controls and it’s very fast. The robust paddle scrapes closely to the bowl, so there’s little to no build up that can’t be used.

Ice cream wasn’t as silky as we’d have liked, but delicious nonetheless. The sorbet was superb though: velvety smooth with a refreshing fizz.

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU specifications

Bowl capacity: two litres
Accessories: none
Pre-set functions: none
Dimensions (cm): H:29 x W:20.5 x D: 22.5
Colours: silver

Related recipes

Vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate sauce
Brown butter ice cream
Roasted banana caramel swirl ice cream
Maple honeycomb ice cream
Chocolate and black pepper gelato
Pecan praline ice cream
Peach melba ice cream
Bitter chocolate ice cream
Peanut butter and salted caramel ice cream

This review was last updated in June 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at oliveweb@immediate.co.uk.