OK, two posts in one. I was going to wait a few days to post, but what the heck.
A while ago my Krups ice cream maker went out on me (actually the motor still worked, but the freezer bowl lost its seal). So, I've been in the market for a new maker for a while. After debating different options and seeing what other people said on this board a few months back, I decided to go ahead and get the kitchen aid mixer.
As far as I could tell, most of the negative comments about it revolved mostly around the difficulty in getting the custard into the bowl without making a mess. Despite that, my reasons for going with a KitchenAid one instead of other freezer bowl varieties were: 1) power; and 2) capacity. 2 qts v. 1 or 1.5 for most freezer bowl models).
I've only used it once. But it was a very positive experience. Easy to use - you just clip on the dasher, the but the bowl underneath. And I didn't have any problem with a mess when I poured it in. The metal bowl on kitchenaids often come with a clear plastic spout for pouring. I put that around the freezer bowl and it worked great. I didn't lose a drop.
The ice cream was at a soft serve consistency in 15 minutes. I let it go a little longer to harden a bit more, scooped it into a bowl and threw it in the freezer overnight. Had ice cream for breakfast this morning. Turned out great and I got a full half gallon from it.
So, only positive things to say about it at this point. The only negative is that if you overfill slightly (which I did), the ice cream begins to creap up too high, since there isn't a clear plastic lid that fits over most of it like other models have. But, that didn't end up being a problem, because it didn't run over the sides, and, now I know just to use a little less of a base.
Anyhow, I recommend it. Just use a little precaution when pouring. When I use it again, if I find other negative things about it, I'll be sure to post about it.
- Adam