I ordered my Donvier a couple of weeks ago, in spite of some negative reviews, because I've used this type of ice cream maker before and I like the hand cranking, no-salt method. It's also small and easy to store. Since I received my Donvier I have experienced every problem listed by a negative reviewer for this product, and I have found the single solution to all of them.
When I got the Donvier I made some ice cream right away and it came out perfect--yay! Then I thought, hmm, better with a little less sugar. So I tried it again. Disaster! The mixture got all slushy, with too-large ice crystals, and it never really froze. This sounded suspiciously like one of the negative reviews I'd read, but since the first batch was great, I tried again. WORSE! Not even any ice crystals this time. The Donvier I now possessed could not freeze an ice cube. I started thinking "defective product," and was considering sending it back. But then I remembered reading recently that self-defrosting freezers often change temperatures in order to keep frost from building up, and I wondered if it wasn't a temperature issue.
As an experiment, I lowered my freezer temperature setting by 2 notches, and then refroze the Donvier. When I went to make ice cream with the same mix that would not freeze at all before, suddenly it was freezing way too fast! The handle became stuck, and the lid kept popping off! Too cold, Goldylocks!
So I set the freezer to the middle setting. Now my Donvier performs just like all those ones with the five star reviews. Ahhhh.
Lesson for the consumer: If you are going to use a Donvier, be prepared to manage your freezer temperature. You can get an inexpensive freezer thermometer, or experiment like I did.
Lesson for Donvier (and the reason I knocked a star off of your wonderful product): This needs to be in the documentation. It's not enough to tell people that they should have their freezer at below zero, because everyone assumes theirs is already. You need to put a paragraph in your little book that talks about the ideal temperature--not too cold, not too warm--and how to find it. Good docs make a five star product.
Caution: Rave Review
Why can't I get decent chocolate chip ice cream? That's what I want to know. Chocolate chip, plain, unvarnished and perfect, is a rapidly vanishing breed in the highly segmented world of commercial premium ice cream.
The Donvier lets you create the fresh flavors you want, when you want them. So, I get my chocolate chip with rich veins of beautiful Ghiradelli's milk chocolate chips and just a few semi-sweet for the heck of it. My wife's favorite is fresh peach and that's what she gets. You know what in season, it tastes very much like a beautifully ripe peach! Only better.
Freeze the container overnight. Dump in the ingredients. Pop the lid on. Stir. Wait a bit. Stir some more. Repeat for ... minutes or so. Yesterday, I made a quart of ice cream while I was in the midst of preparing dinner for six it was just no problem. The ice cream got such rave reviews from our guests that I was troubled at how easy it was to make.
Chocolate chip TIP: Wait until it's partly frozen up before you dump in the chips they don't all settle down to the bottom that way.
We've had our Donvier for almost ten years and have never had a problem. Hey, what could go wrong? it's a metal bowl with a plastic handle that you turn inside it. I suppose you could break the handle with an excess of joie de vivre, but they're pretty cheap to replace. Ah, you ask, but is it easy to use? Well, turning a crank in a bowl is a fundamental human activity *anybody* can do it!
No more need you buy Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip peanut turbot ice cream at 3 bucks a pint or so. The Donvier makes it just too easy to make incredibly good, fresh ice cream yourself.
Buy one. Now. You won't regret it.
Buy Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker Now
Well, blow me down, the Donvier Ice Cream Maker really works, *lol*
Having recently been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, I had to change my eating habits drastically... and quickly. Which meant, I had to change my cooking habits as well. Not wanting to give up my sweet-tooth, I bought a sugar-free Ice-Cream at the market. Needless to say, it tasted horrid! The decision was obvious. Like everything else I was having to change, I was going to have to bite-the-bullet and learn how to make my own Ice-Cream.
After searching thru Amazon for an Ice Cream Maker, (one entire evening, mind you), I had pretty much made-up my mind to buy an electric. Alas, I stumbled upon the Donvier at the completion of my 'hours-on-end' search and thought, 'Yeah, sure'. But, as I kept reading the Reviews, I was becoming more and more sold on the product and, in the end, decided to take the plunge, (albeit purchasing one at an auction site).
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MY REASONS FOR PURCHASING THE DONVIER WERE VARIED:
1. I really did not want another appliance I had to 'plug' into a wall socket; especially a noisy one.
2. I did not want another appliance that was interminably 'heavy', thus making a chore of putting it in, and getting it out of, the cupboard.
3. I wanted an appliance that had 'mobility' and 'ease of use'.
4. I didn't want to go the 'ice & rock salt' route, either, to gain that 'mobility'. As for 'ease of use', there is nothing easy about rock salt and ice.
5. I did not want to spend a lot of 'money' for said appliance, and;
6. Due to my entire family's sweet-tooth addiction, I wanted an Ice-Cream maker that made only '1-Quart'... enough for a dessert for my husband, daughter, and myself for two nights running. Having a ½-gallon, (2 quarts), or more, of Ice-Cream in the freezer would just tempt us beyond all reason.
I found all this in the Donvier. But, one question loomed: Would it really work the way the Company, (and the other Reviewers), said it would? Let's see how it all panned out --->
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THE BOWL:
When I received the Donvier, the material kind of reminded me of those salad spinners; a heavy-duty plastic Bowl with a Handle, but not brittle or stiff, (like, if you dropped it on the floor it would crack). Indeed, the plastic felt strong and light, but flexible.
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THE LID:
The Clear Lid, however, is a strong, hard, brittle plastic... don't drop it! *lol*
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THE CANISTER:
I cleaned it, (as I do all new purchases), and made room in my freezer for it. It is, by-the-way, Aluminum, so, whatever you do, don't use metal tools to get the Ice-Cream out once it's ready, (a rubber spatula works very well for this task). As well, the Canister is 7"-Tall x 6 1/4"-Diameter. The bulk is due to the double-walled design that holds the 'Freezing Gel' inside.
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THE FREEZER:
Our freezer is kept at -2 Degrees-Fahrenheit, so I had no doubt the Gel would freeze-up properly. As stated in the 'Instruction Booklet', I positioned the Canister upright, and away from the door. If you lay it on its side, (or upside-down), you're in for a very great disappointment when you try to make your Ice-Cream.
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THE ICE-CREAM BASE:
I then got busy in the kitchen and made my first batch of 'Chocolate Ice-Cream Base', and put that in the fridge. According to the 'Instruction Booklet', the colder the 'Base', the more quickly, easily, and successfully will the Ice-Cream set-up as you're churning it.
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THE TIMING:
I put the Canister in the freezer at 8pm, and the Ice-Cream base in the fridge about 9pm. The next day, I put it all together to make Ice-Cream at about 3 in the afternoon... a good 19-hours later.
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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
There are six parts to this appliance. The Canister, the Ring, the Bowl, the Scraper, the Lid, and the Turn Handle. And, they fit together in just that order.
a. Take the frozen Canister out of the freezer, and position the Plastic Ring on it, (this Ring holds the Canister in place inside the Bowl).
b. Place the Canister in the Bowl, (by lining up the slots in the Ring to the slots in the Bowl).
c. Put the Scraper in the Canister.
d. Put the Ice-Cream Base in the Canister.
e. Put the Lid on the Bowl and turn to lock it in place.
g. Put the Turn Handle in the Lid and, voila, the assembly is done.
IT ALL SOUNDS SO COMPLICATED BUT, IN ACTUALITY, ONLY TAKES 30-45 SECONDS.
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CHURNING MOBILITY CAN'T BE BEAT!:
Now, the beauty of this appliance is that you can churn the Ice-Cream anywhere you want... it's so light and easy to carry. As for me, I had a pot roast in the oven, (and a couple of hours before my family came flying thru the door), so, sat at my desk to play a few games of Solitaire on the computer whilst listening to the news. I took the Donvier over to my desk with me, and kept turning the Handle 2-3 times every couple of minutes-or-so as I played my games. And, sure enough, TWENTY-MINUTES later, I had Ice-Cream. I was thrilled to no end! It was all so easy. The Handle turned the Scraper flawlessly at every stage.
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STORING THE ICE-CREAM:
Once completed, I put the Ice-Cream in a 1qt-Pyrex bowl-with-lid, and put it in the freezer to keep for dessert, (by-the-way, it was DELISH)!
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ANOTHER TWO 'BY-THE-WAYS':
1. Ice Cream is always soft when it is done. If you aren't going to eat it right then and there, (and/or want it harder), then you have to put it in the freezer; (making Ice Cream harder is called 'Ripening').
2. When you first begin the churning process, do so promptly at the beginning. If you don't, the Ice Cream will freeze up against the wall of the Canister and you won't be able to get the Scraper to move. If you force it, you will break the Scraper. The only remedy is to then take the Lid off and slide a plastic knife or hard-plastic spatula around the wall of the Canister to get the Ice Cream off the wall; replace the Lid, and start churning again.
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THE BONUS:
Here's something I didn't expect. I found the churning of the Ice-Cream a particular joy. I know it sounds corny, *lol*, but I really liked watching the Ice-Cream become Ice-Cream. I liked being a part of the 'alchemical process' of applying cold to something and watching it turn into something else. I liked having the ability to carry the Bowl with me; to open the Lid when I wanted to add bits of goodies, like chocolate chips, near the end of the churning; and being able to see what was happening thru the Clear Lid.
I don't know... it just gave me a most enjoyable sense of 'nostalgia'. My world had suddenly slowed down; I was taking a much-needed break from my everyday tasks; yet, making something delightfully tasty for my family while I relaxed for those few moments. Instead of being bombarded, yet again, by some noisy, modern electric appliance, it reminded me of sitting out on the porch with my grandma and shucking corn, or shelling peas, or stringing beans, (or one of those thousand-and-one chores a woman does absent-mindedly), thereby allowing her to give her everyday thoughts and cares over to her dreams and reveries of life and living.
Aye, I found all this in the Donvier Ice-Cream Maker. It gave me not only Food for Life, but Food for my Soul, *vbs*
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p.s. An excellent Ice-Cream recipe book to go along with your Donvier Maker is 'Ben & Jerry's Ice-Cream Book'.
p.p.s. I substitute DiabetiSweet for the sugar called for in Ice-Cream recipes 1:1.
p.p.p.s. If you use DiabetiSweet in Ice-Cream recipes, the Ice-Cream Base (Custard) should be cooked first. This is because DiabetiSweet is rather grainy, even moreso than regular sugar. You will get a much better, much smoother texture if you cook the Base first. If you're using regular sugar, and don't want to cook the Base, then I suggest you use either SuperFine sugar (what is commonly called Baker's Sugar), or put your regular sugar in a food processor and pulse it a few times to get that Superfine grain.
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ADDENDUM, MARCH 17-2009: ICE-CREAM TOO HARD FROM FREEZING:
Now that we've had this Ice-cream maker for not quite 3 weeks, (and making Ice-cream every two minutes, it seems, *lol*), we have discovered that, because our freezer is so cold, the Ice-cream is frozen solid when we take it out to eat it.
We have gotten around this by putting the container of Ice-cream in the microwave for 40 seconds. It softens it just enough to make it able to be scooped into bowls.
Of course, one will have to play with their microwave-times as they're all so different.
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UPDATE, MAY 14-2010:
Well, Summer is almost here, and none too soon! What a miserable Winter we've all had, *ugh*. It's been just over a year since we bought the Donvier Ice-Cream Maker, and we're just as enamoured today as we were when we first got it, *vbs*. We have no plans to switch to an electric-maker at all. For our family, (when it comes to making home-made Ice-Cream), the Donvier is the bomb!
Read Best Reviews of Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker Here
It's important to note that ice cream makers aren't really convenience products. It takes a little bit of time, patience, and kitchen handiness to produce homemade frozen desserts. Not that it's difficult, but if you're only looking for convenience, you are better off just buying ice cream at your local mega-mart. If you are not the type of person who gains personal satisfaction from preparing food by hand, then I wouldn't recommend one of these appliances.
The Donvier is a frozen bowl model, much like those of Cuisinart and Krups. The fact that you turn the dasher by hand isn't a big deal. In fact, I like that I have control over how much I aerate my mix. As much as the directions tell you how often and how long to turn, I really think those are general guidelines. You need to develop a feel for this.
I've never had a problem with my base not freezing enough. On the contrary, I have had some problems with it freezing quickly to the sides of the bowl before I have a chance to turn the paddle. I believe electric ice cream models ask you to turn on the machine before pouring in the base for this very reason. When I chill my base overnight, I have to leave it on the counter a bit before using it. I also try not to futz around with the handle and cover after pouring the base into the bowl.
As a final note: you can buy a backup bowl at Donvier's website.
Want Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker Discount?
Well, I do. It is simple to use and requires only the ingredients for the ice cream (no rock salt, etc.). Chill the ice cream base mix first and put the cylinder in a cold freezer. I just leave the cylinder in the chest freezer for storage. I have had mine for 10 years. No problems. Stir upon adding the first set of ingredients, and then get a feel for how frequently thereafter. I find that you cannot overstir. I can give this the necessary stirring whilst preparing other food or doing dishes. I am not at all bothered by the time commitment. The ice cream yield is about 6 good size servings. I will do a half recipe next time. After the initial 20 minutes, the ice cream is soft, so just freeze the whole cylinder, per the instructions, for about 30 minutes. Then, using a wooden utensil, get the ice cream out. I was able to get relatively hard ice cream. Frozen leftovers will indeed be hard. Let them warm on the counter. They are pretty good as well, although nothing beats the fresh ice cream. In addition to interesting ingredients, including quality dark chocolate, I can control the amount of sugar (sometimes using Splenda) and the fat (milk, skim, half and half, cream). It tastes better than any store bought.
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