Rival GC8101 Ice Cream Maker

Pros: makes delicious ice cream, electric, no salt rock or ice needed, easy, size
Cons: size, can be difficult to clean

My husband and I bought the Rival Ice Cream Maker GC8101 as a sort of anniversarry present to each other. It cost us around $30 on sale at Wal-Mart. It makes up to 1 quart of ice cream.

The Details

This Rival Ice...

Pros: makes small batches for kids, ready to go as long as the canister is cooled
Cons: canister warms as the ice cream is being made

The first time my husband and I saw the Rival GC8101 1-Quart Ice Cream Maker in action was at a dinner party with some friends, where they had made several custom batches of ice cream for the guests, depending on what they knew each guest liked. ...

Pros: Uses healthy ingredients. I know what I am feeding my kids.
Cons: Must leave in freezer for at least 12hrs.

We looked around for a while for an ice cream maker. First we were looking for one that does not require any elbow grease. We just wanted to find something inexpensive and automatic. We didn't want one we have to keep turning the beater over and over....

Pros: Makes a great cooler to keep things cold on those all day picnics!
Cons: My unit turned in the wrong direction, leaving me with a big soy ice cube!

I purchased this ice cream maker to replace the aging salton cosmopolitan ice cream maker that I purchased back in the 70's. My plan was to use it to make soy milk ice deserts instead of dairy ice cream. I quit eating dairy foods back in the mid 1980's wh ...

Pros: Compact size, great results quickly.
Cons: Difficult to reach customer service.

I've had my GC8101 for 11 months now and used it only about 4 times last season. It always gave fas ...

Pros: Ease of use
Cons: takes a long time to freeze before you can use it

I bought this ice cream maker figuring it would save money on taking my son out for ice cream, and we would have fun making it. It was relatively inexpensive compared to some of the models out there so that was a definite plus. The down sides to this product are that you have to plan way ahead because as per manufacture directions you must freeze it for a minimum of 24 hrs. Also it is bulky and takes alot of room up in the freezer so you really would not want to just leave it in there until you want to use it. Also if you leave it in the freezer for more than a day or two you develop a freezer burnt taste when you make your ice cream. A plus side to this product is the ease of use you just add your ingredients flip the on switch and walk away for about 20 to 25 minutes. I would definitely give it some good thought before purchasing this ice cream maker.

Pros: Delicious ice creams and sorbets, easy to use, amenable to recipe experimentation.
Cons: Broke almost immediately.

This product worked beautifully--the first two times I used it. No ice cream out of the box, but can any model provide that? Once you freeze the canister bowl, it's actually fun to make ice cream. You assemble, flip the switch, pour in ingredients, and come back every five minutes or so to check progress. I made great strawberry sorbet, mango/lima sorbet (that's a Mexican lemon, not a legume), and chocolate ice cream. The machine broke on the chocolate ice cream. The replacement machine broke on the first batch of strawberry sorbet (so it was strawberry margarita instead). I checked the outlet, and the power thingie is compatible. But the motor shorted out on both machines almost immediately. It didn't get wet or anything, it just...stopped.

Pros: Pretty easy to use.
Cons: Messy cleanup, small, must also use own freezer for hardening

We're a family of four, with two young children and we love ice cream. Although the batches usually taste very good, 1.5 quarts is just too small for the trouble. We recommend getting a larger maker, so when you go to the trouble, you can reap the rewards a little longer. Also for a better narrative on how to make ice cream go to google and type in "Good Eats Fan Page", where you can find a better recipe and more information on the theory of making ice cream.