Would you like to become an expert gelato maker? Or do you simply adore the intense pop of intense flavors you get with the first spoonful of this delicious dessert?
Our website is about gelato, how to make it, and where to find the best deals on gelato makers if you decide to become the envy of your neighborhood (or maybe just your own family) by churning out your own delicious, alluring gelato flavors.
While each of us has our own favorite flavor, chocolate is the flavor searched for most often on the internet. However, learning to make your own gelato opens up a world of fascinating flavors that will leave visitors to your kitchen dreaming of your next fabulous gelato recipe!
A Short History: Gelato vs. Ice Cream
While frozen desserts were originally ice-based, the Neapolitans were credited with creating the first “ice cream” by adding dairy products to their recipes. Gelato is made with non-fat milk rather than cream (like ice-cream.) This lowers the fat content (4-8% rather than the 14+ for ice cream,) and allows the intense flavors that gelato is so well known for to burst through the moment it hits your tongue.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that lower-fat gelato allows you to eat a lot more of the tasty treat without guilt!
Gelato also has a more intense flavor than “creamier” ice cream because the process of making gelato mixes less air into the treat. Both Northern and Southern Italians created their own, slightly different versions of gelato, and the race was begun, with each region firmly convinced that theirs was the very best.
A Guide to Popular Gelato Flavors
There is a seemingly endless list of gelato flavors. Chocolate is the favorite, of course, closely followed by lemon, strawberry, vanilla, mango, and peach.
Gelato also has a “nutty” history, and pistachio is the top nut-based flavor, followed by hazelnut.
For those who enjoy more exotic flavors, you can wrap your palate around coconut, coffee, or banana.
One advantage to owning your own gelato ice cream maker is that you can create small batches of your own favorites, and fine-tune the mix so that your personal creation gives you a flavor and texture to rival those of the early Italians.
A Guide to Gelato Makers
Once you decide to create your own gelato, what are the best gelato ice cream machines to consider?
While there are a few cheaper models, you usually get what you pay for, and the internet abounds with reviews of poorly performing models. Because the consistency and mixture of gelato ingredients is so important, along with temperature control, it is important to purchase a gelato machine that won’t let you down after you’ve already done all the hard work of creating a masterpiece gelato recipe.
We will review the top three gelato makers:
- Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker
- DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato Maker with Self-Refrigerating Compressor
- Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker, Stainless
All of these are bestsellers that receive consistent high marks from buyers, and one of them should be just what you need to create your own premium-quality gelato at home.
Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker Review
Ease of use is definitely a strong point with the Cuisinart Gelato Maker. Fully automatic, you can add ingredients, set the timers, and settle back while the machine takes care of the rest within 6o minutes. Because no pre-freezing is required, as with some lesser machines, you can crank out batches with no waiting in well under an hour.
Product Features
* Fully automatic 1-1/2-quart gelato, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream maker
* Brushed stainless-steel housing; commercial-style compressor freezer; no prefreezing
* Precise temperature control and efficient mixing; fully automatic 60-minute timer
* Ingredient spout; lid, paddle, and bowl remove for easy washing; instruction/recipe book
* Measures 15-1/2 by 10-3/4 by 10-1/2 inches; 3-year limited warranty
Owners seem to like how quickly they can make separate batches, and the overall simplicity of the “plug it in, fill it up, turn it on, eat it” gelato machine.
Some feel it is a bit noisy, and operates best when smaller batches are made so that the rotating arm is not over-taxed.
DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato Maker with Self-Refrigerating Compressor Review
Product Features
* Easy-to-use gelato maker for making authentic Italian-style gelato
* Removable stainless-steel bowl; mixing paddle effectively blends ingredients
* Self-refrigerating compressor brings ingredients to below freezing; no wait time between batches
* Transparent lid; dishwasher-safe bowl, lid, and paddle; recipe booklet included
* Measures 12-4/5 by 15-4/5 by 9-3/5 inches
Buyers feel the DeLonghi is less noisy than some other gelato maker units, and solidly built; a few complained about mixing paddle problems, and cautioned to watch the mixture density to avoid over-doing it.
Lello 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker Review
Can you say, “bulletproof?” Comments like “workhorse,” and “beautiful” are not unusual about this almost commercial-grade gelato maker. The housing, bowl, and paddle are made of stainless steel for easy cleanup and durability; an auto shut-off feature kicks in to if a gelato batch becomes too hard.
Product Features
* 1 1/2 quart capacity bowl freezes 3 quarts of ice cream or sorbet per hour
* Fully automatic: pour ingredients into bowl, press two buttons
* Timer controls operation for different frozen confections
* Housing, bowl, paddle made of stainless steel for easy cleaning
* 12 inches wide, 11 inches high, 18 inches deep; weighs 38 pounds
Many owners who are serious about their gelato feel it is “worth the extra money” compared to other machines; it appears to have converted many to home-made gelato and other frozen desserts.
A few mentioned that the stated bowl size is overly-generous, and you should be careful with the size of your gelato recipe.
Gelato Maker Wrap-up
In reviewing gelato makers, a few things became very clear:
- choose one that fits your budget, but don’t buy the lowest price-point or the quality will disappoint
- monitor your machine carefully when first learning how to use it; in particular, watch the consistency/temperature so that you do not overload your gelato maker
- take the time to experiment with recipes and ingredient balance; some were initially disappointed, and then fell in love with making their own gelato once they found the correct ingredient mix for their preferences, and to allow their gelato maker to perform properly
Gelato Maker Lowest Price?
Part of our mission here at Gelato-Maker.org is to help you find the best price on the gelato maker right for you and your family. We find that Amazon offers consistently good customer service, with no sales tax, and free shipping. Click here to see the most recent sale price available on these machines.
Click here to find the most currently updated sale price on these three highly-rated gelato maker units.
BEST PRICE: Cuisinart-ICE-50BC
BEST PRICE: DeLonghi GM6000
BEST PRICE: Lello 4080 Musso Lussino