Hand Crank Vs Electric Ice Cream Makers

By Author: whitemountain
Total Articles: 1
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The ice cream maker, whether hand cranked or electric, does something few other appliances can; and that is to grace you with memories of great tasting ice cream and the fun you had making it for years to come.

If memory serves, the first ice cream maker my Dad bought some forty odd years ago was a four quart electric with a blue plastic tub (manufacturer unknown) which reliably served up gallon after gallon of the most God awful ice cream I ever tasted.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the machine's fault. The problem was Dad's relentless pursuit of the perfect Tutti Frutti ice cream recipe - whatever that is.

Thankfully, my brother got his own place and picked up a 6 quart White Mountain hand cranker at a flea market. Plain old vanilla never tasted so good.

Aside from the obvious difference between manual and electric power, there are some other differences you may or may not have thought about.

Noise

It's amazing how important the noise level, or the lack thereof, of a particular product is in influencing someone's buying decision. If you think a space heater is noisy, an electric ice ...
... cream maker will drive you to distraction.

Equipment Failure

Most ice cream maker complaints are the result of operator error rather than mechanical breakdown. And the few mechanical complaints you do read about are always motor failure related.

A hand crank machine, having fewer moving parts, will be less prone to service interuptus.

Portability

Since a hand cranked model requires no electricity you can take it anywhere. If you're going out for the day on a picnic you can put the mixture in a plastic bag and throw it in the cooler. For longer trips you can cook the mix fresh on a camp stove.

Speed

By speed I mean the time it takes to crank out a batch of ice cream. Most electric models take about half an hour before they stop - signaling completion. While a hand crank mixer can finish the job in as little as twenty minutes if you have the right person cranking away.

Cost

There aren't a lot of choices as far as manufacturers go, but the 4 quart White Mountain hand crank freezer for example runs $15 - $30 less than the similar sized electric driven model.

Fun

I think watching my 8 year old great nephew with biceps like pepperoni sticks cranking away with both hands with that determined look on his face is something I'll remember long after the whine of an electric motor fades from memory.
Add some cold and creamy fun to your next cook out with a White Mountain Ice Cream Maker.