When choosing an ice-cream machine, there’s an important decision to make:
To get a self-refrigerating or freezer bowl (old-style) ice-cream machine.
The decision comes down to time and convenience.
Self-refrigerating ice-cream makers like the Whynter and the Breville ice cream maker can get you from start to finish with excellent tasting ice-cream in 40 minutes.
“Old-style” or non-refrigerating ice-cream makers require hours of refrigeration, even twenty-four hours in many cases to refreeze the bowl.
A self-refrigerating ice-cream maker requires no such pre-refrigeration of the bowl. It’s like having a mini-freezer plus ice-cream maker.
If a self-refrigerating is so great, why get a non refrigerating ice cream maker?
It comes down to cost. A self-refrigerating costs a lot more upfront, but is earned back in time. Non-refrigerating require more than ten times the time with the freezing that is required.
Read our review of the Highest-Capacity Home Soft Serve Ice-cream Maker.
Self-refrigerating units also make gelato. Check out our review of the Delonghi Gelato Maker.
