The season for do-it-yourself ice cream has properly and actually arrived. From a easy vanilla to modern do-it-yourself blends, making ice cream from residence will be surprisingly simple, and it provides a technique to know precisely what goes into your dessert. Plus, this surprisingly hands-off machine is ideal for wowing visitors at backyard events and summer time soirées.
I’ve tried a handful of ice cream makers in my time. Honestly, it is not a crowded market, and a variety of them work in very comparable methods. That mentioned, this Magimix Gelato Professional assessment has boosted the model’s computerized ice cream maker straight to the highest of my best ice cream maker listing. Why? Nicely, it is very speedy, thoughtfully designed, and comes with a sturdy development that may face up to spills and mishaps.
This ice cream maker has three preset churning modes and comes with in-built cooling to avoid wasting you from having to clear area in your freezer to freeze the churning bowl forward of use. This can be a winner in my ebook, as a result of I’ve obtained a small-ish freezer that is overcrowded sufficient as it’s. Be warned although, there are some downsides to self-cooling ice cream makers, equivalent to the numerous area calls for and the prep that goes into setting it up.
Magimix Gelato Professional assessment: specs
(Picture credit score: Magimix)
- Dimensions: 29 x 37 x 26 cm
- Capability: two 2-litre bowls
- Weight: 13.4 kg
- Guarantee: 3-year assure
- Dishwasher-safe? Detachable components
Getting began
The Magimix Gelato Professional is available in a really massive field, packaged securely in polystyrene packaging. I often resent non-recyclable packaging equivalent to this however within the case of the Gelato Professional, it is one of many uncommon instances the place I discover the packaging to be obligatory. The machine could be very heavy at over 13kg, and will simply take a battering if not packaged snugly.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
Included with this ice cream maker is an exterior bowl, and an in-built churning bowl. Each include their very own churning attachments which would require somewhat cupboard space, however the detachable bowl sits securely on prime of the in-built one and will be screwed onto place.
There’s additionally a lid, a spatula, and somewhat measuring cup which is used to measure out the proper quantity of brine to make use of the smaller mixing bowl.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
I’ve additionally tried the Magimix Cook dinner Professional and am at the moment reviewing a Magimix meals processor, each of which got here with a recipe ebook. I would have favored for the Magimix Gelato Professional to have include one too, however there are just a few on the Magimix cooking app which I downloaded for this assessment. As soon as you’re assured sufficient there are many on-line recipes to observe to combine up your ice cream recipes as properly.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
This ice cream maker has an easy management panel with three pre-set churning choices, and a handbook setting. You will have to activate the left button to pre-chill the machine for a couple of minutes earlier than the primary use, after which choose your setting. This button additionally doubles up as an influence button.
The controls had been very user-friendly all through. The granita setting (on the far proper) can be utilized for a extra icey sort of sorbet, which could be very refreshing and sometimes fairly a wholesome different to ice cream. The ice cream button (second from the proper) makes ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yoghurt, and the gelato button (third from the proper) is designed to make a lighter and extra aerated ice dessert. Many ice cream makers would not have pre-set churning modes, so that is fairly a powerful characteristic.
One other factor I favored was that the buttons are coated, that means there are not any cracks for water or spilled ice cream to slide down. Regardless of its premium look, the machine wipes clear.
Making gelato within the Magimix Gelato Professional
The primary dessert I made within the Magimix Gelato Professional needed to be its namesake, a gelato. To do that I adopted a recipe on the Magimix app for vanilla gelato. This was essentially the most drawn-out technique of the desserts I examined, as I needed to make a custard after which chill it for six hours earlier than churning it. That is nonetheless sooner than in a handbook ice cream maker the place you would need to freeze the freezer bowl in a single day, and it additionally beats Ninja’s ice cream maker.
In my Ninja Creami review I discovered that having to freeze my elements for a full 42 hours fully eliminated any spontaneity from the equation, whereas I may at the least make my custard and churn it on the identical day utilizing the Magimix Gelato Professional.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
The recipe got here off with out a hitch, and I used to be truly very happy with the style. After chilling I set the ice cream maker as much as pre-chill, which took 5 minutes. One other a part of the setup is including a brine or alcohol between the built-in and detachable bowl. That is to make sure that the chilly temperature can conduct between the 2 bowls.
Within the instruction booklet you’re suggested to make use of an alcohol of 60-proof or increased, which is one thing I did not have at residence, so I selected the second possibility and made a brine of 35ml of water and eight grams of salt. I added this to the bowl, topped it with the detachable bowl, earlier than inserting the churning attachment and screwing all the pieces into place.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
Though the ice cream maker got here with pre-set modes, it solely took about quarter-hour of churning for my ice cream to be completed, so I shut it off early. The feel was clean and it was simple to take away from the bowl utilizing the spatula included with the machine.
With any ice cream maker you will discover that your do-it-yourself ice cream melts sooner than shop-bought manufacturers, as a result of it is obtained not one of the preservatives and chemical substances required to maintain it solidified for longer. The easiest way to get round that is to eat your ice cream in report time, however I discovered that this ice cream froze very properly and obtained me via per week of heat climate very fortunately.
Making granita
Magimix has a recipe for gin and tonic sorbet, which was the proper dessert to make for a vegan good friend I used to be entertaining one night. The recipe was very simple, I blended lemon juice, sugar and water over a low warmth till the sugar was dissolved, then stirred in some tonic. Admittedly the gin measure is sort of low, so I by no means anticipated it to offer a powerful taste in my completed recipe. It’s because alcohol requires very chilly temperatures to freeze (therefore why Magimix requires an alcoholic warmth conductor between the bowls), so it is not finest to be used in ice cream and sorbets.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
As a result of I needed to check each setting, I made a decision to show this dessert right into a granita. After just a few hours of chilling it was on the proper temperature to churn. Magimix advises to sit back for 12 hours, however I do not suppose that is all the time obligatory.
The granita mode churns intermittently, which permits the combination to freeze right into a extra ice-like consistency earlier than breaking it up into tiny flakes.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
After about quarter-hour the combination began to kind lumps the place the ice was forming after which being damaged up. After one other ten, my granita was prepared. It tasted similar to a lemon sorbet, however with a grown-up twist that my buddies and I actually loved.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
Making frozen yogurt
Making frozen yogurt in an ice cream maker is so, really easy. There’s nearly no prep concerned: I purchased a passionfruit-flavored yogurt and left it within the fridge till I used to be within the temper for fro-yo.
Is it bizarre that I topped this with berries and granola and had it for breakfast? Perhaps, however it has the identical important elements as one among my favourite morning treats, and it was like a scrumptious twist on a smoothie bowl.
(Picture credit score: Future/Millie Fender)
This was one of many speediest recipes I attempted, and it was able to scoop in simply over ten minutes.
If you wish to purchase an ice cream maker, I might undoubtedly advocate making frozen yogurt. It is really easy, and there’s a large vary of yogurt to select from. You would use greek yogurt for that scrumptious tangy taste, and even go for a soy vanilla taste to make a vegan twist. I truthfully couldn’t inform the distinction.
Cleansing
There are some large plus factors in terms of cleansing the Magimix Gelato Professional. The detachable bowl can undergo the dishwasher, as can the remainder of the detachable components. For that reason alone I would advocate utilizing the detachable bowl, as a result of I feel it will be a bit tough to scrub the precise in-built one.
I did discover the method of cleansing out the brine fairly time-intensive. I used absorbent towels to take away the surplus salt water, after which scrubbed it down with a cleansing spray earlier than wiping the bowl dry. Regardless of what felt like various effort to maintain the bowl fully clear, I used to be somewhat horrified to seek out some oxidation within the bowl the following morning, and it took a little bit of scuffing (you are not meant to make use of abrasive cleaners, so I used a comfortable sponge) to take away it. The one factor I feel may forestall that is doing it as quickly as your ice cream has completed as a result of I left mine an hour or so earlier than cleansing it.
The Magimix Gelato Professional does warn that this will occur should you do not hold the bowl clear, however after seeing how simple it’s to oxidize the cleansing bowl I might undoubtedly advocate utilizing food-grade alcohol versus a do-it-yourself brine. You will solely get via a shot measure at a time, and will not have to fret about damaging the machine.
Do you have to purchase the Magimix Gelato Professional?
At a frosty £500, there isn’t any denying that the Magimix Gelato Professional will set you again some severe financial institution. I am unable to truthfully say it is the sort of equipment I would purchase for myself, as a result of I do not know if I would make ice cream usually sufficient to justify the funding. However, in case you are somebody who severely needs to get into making do-it-yourself ice cream, or should you eat sufficient Ben & Jerry’s to truly make your a reimbursement by making it at residence, I do not factor you possibly can go far unsuitable with this machine.
The design is immensely considerate, even all the way down to the recipe app which walks you thru your entire course of, and it’s a actual time-saver when in comparison with ice cream makers that come with out an in-built freezer mechanism. For the do-it-yourself gelato alone, it is the sort of machine that I would discover myself utilizing repeatedly all through the summer time to impress visitors, or experiment with new recipes.
About this assessment, and the reviewer
Millie Fender is an Ecommerce Editor at Actual Houses, specializing in small home equipment and all issues cooking. She loves placing new merchandise to the check, whether or not they’re air fryers, blenders, and even pizza ovens, and her household and buddies love consuming the outcomes.
Millie has a relentless stream of recent merchandise ready to be reviewed in her kitchen. It is somewhat cosy, so if she thinks something deserves to remain there, you understand it is one thing particular.
