Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by Jeffrey Lemkin "two is not larger than three,... : Nothin' but Ice Cream!

Caution: Rave ReviewWhy 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.

Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by Leha Carpenter : Attention Unhappy Customers!

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.

Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by FaireMaiden : Review from a Skeptic & some Tips

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

Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by Mehetabelle "mehetabelle" : Great for diabetics and dieters, creative or ethnic cooks

I've had this product for years, and given it to many people including international friends who all loved it because it only requires a freezer, no problems with plugs, wires, AC/DC... so even children can use it safely.

It's perfect for special diet requirements because you can make your own no sugar and/or no/low fat desserts. It comes with a recipe booklet for ice cream, sorbet and other easy to make desserts. You can make really exotic flavors that are only limited by your imagination, so it's also good for creative cooks.

The only 2 negatives I can think of for this product are:

1. it's hard to store leftovers. Even if you immediately transfer the food from the freeze-bowl into another container, the texture changes (e.g., melts or crystalizes). If you leave the food in the freeze-bowl, it gets more and more frozen, which is fine, but I made dents in the bowl from scraping the food out. The aluminum bowl stands up excellently -- no scratches, gouges or nicks but if you break it, I don't know whether you can buy just a replacement bowl.

2. You cannot transport it with food in it to say, a party or a picnic, and you cannot make the food ahead of time. You must make the food soon after you take the freeze-bowl out of the freezer. Well, it ensures FRESHLY made food!

Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by Mitch Baywatch : The Don

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.

Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by Phlosar : I love the Donvier!

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.

Donvier 837409W 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker
Review by P. Klapperich : My first icecream maker

This is my first icecream maker. I've read other people complain about these frozen canister types, but mine works great.

I have a freezer on top of the fridge with an autodefrost that's at 0-degrees. I just leave the canister in the back of the freezer all the time so it's ready for icecream.

When I make icecream, I always make 2 batches back to back without putting the canister back in the freezer, since mine seems to stay cold that long.

I think this type might work better than the electrics (although I've never used one) cause the icecream mix can cool longer in between rotations. I just turn 3 or 4 turns ever 2-4 minutes and am usually done with a batch in about 20 minutes.

I love it!