Deni Automatic Ice Cream 5201 with Candy Crusher Review

The Deni 5200 ice cream maker series is a line of really cute ice cream makers. I really wonder if the design won any awards. Anyway, it matches its aesthetics with being able to deliver the creamy ice cream, sherbets, gelato we want, but will these features crown this appliance the king of the little ones?

Read on for a review of the Deni 5201 ice cream maker.

 

Features

The Deni is a freezer bowl model of ice cream machine. It has a gel lined canister that has to be pre-frozen before use. The canister is is about 9 inches in diameter which lets it fit unobtrusively in the back of your freezer.

The Deni is made up of the following parts:

• The  base that contains a durable 40 Watt motor;
• The stir paddle that thoroughly and smoothly churns and agitates the ice cream mix;
• The double insulated steel canister that is kept in the freezer.
• The Deni also comes with a unique attachment: Introducing the Candy Crusher! This is an alternative lid that you can use to crush up candies, cookies, chocolate chips and add to the ice cream, while it is still churning. How cool is that?!
• It also has a transparent, Clear-Vue casing, so you can watch the ice cream being made. The top of the ice cream maker comes off easy so you can put the whole can in your freezer

Don’t be alarmed, assembling this appliance is really easy. Everything fits into place, just follow the instruction manual.

Using your Deni 5201

Whipping up your ice cream takes no longer than 10-15 minutes, as long as you have followed the following steps:-

• Place your ice cream canister in the freezer set at 0^oF, for up to 24 hours (for best results).
• Ensure your prepared ice cream base is cool, preferably chilled, to ensure quicker production.
• Assemble the Deni, by placing the steel canister on the base. Place the stir paddle in the container.
• Lock the lid in place and turn on the machine.
• After about a minute, pour in your mixture.

Now wait for yummy goodness to be made. It takes only 10 -20 minutes to make up to 1.5 quarts of delicious dessert which can feed 4 guests.

People, let me point out a few things. Whilst the instruction manual says you should freeze the canister for 8 hours, I would advise you to leave it in the freezer for 12, or even 24 hours for best results. This is because, in an ideal world, 8 hours would suffice, but in the real world, where you have people opening and closing the freezer constantly, you cannot achieve the temperature of 0^oF constantly in only 8 hours. That is why I think you should leave it for longer.

The Deni Automatic Ice Cream 5201 has a small stir paddle. This means when you turn on the machine and leave it to work, on your return, you will be met by a mixture of  a liquid middle portion (around the paddle) and a FROZEN bottom and sides, which is really not cool.

This happens because the stir paddle doesn’t touch the sides and bottom of the machine, and thus scrape and thoroughly mix the whole batch together. This can be rectified with a little work on your part. You will have to sit with the machine and use a plastic spatula to scrape down the sides while the machine is in motion. Yes, its is a little annoying having to babysit the machine, but you will be rewarded with the superb ice cream it delivers at the end of its 15 minute cycle.

Let me give you 2 more tips that will ensure you have a pleasant experience with the Deni ice cream maker.

1. Place your mix in the freezer till it actually starts to firm up. Then pour it in and you are guaranteed well mixed ice cream in 10-20 minutes.
2. Use only half of the initial mix when making ice cream. This way it gets prepared faster and you will still have a frozen freezer bowl to use for the second batch.

Clean-up

Cleaning this beaut is just as easy as all you have to do is scoop out your ice cream, and clean the crusher, paddle, canister and lid with warm soapy water. Thoroughly dry off all washed parts. Wipe down the base with a damp cloth; do NOT immerse it in water!

Design and Dimensions

Whilst the addition of a candy crusher really ups the fun factor, the engineers at Deni added a few more cool tricks to this machine.

• At a height of 14 inches and a circumference of 14 inches; it is barely bigger than a blender and will fit on most kitchen counters.
• It weighs only 6.6 ounces, and has a capacity of 1.5 quarts.
• It comes in many cool colors, ranging from bright blueberry to  the seriously cool platinum.
• A design feature to prevent the motor shorting out or the paddle breaking is that the ice cream maker stops working if the dessert gets too thick.
• The motor is 40 Watts, so please be gentle. Don’t put any big chunks in the Deni. Use the Candy Crusher to crush candy and cookies before putting them in.
• 4 anti-slip rubber feet keep the ice cream maker in place during use, so even if you apply a little too much elbow grease while scraping down the sides, you are guaranteed that the gadget wont go flying off the counter.
• The cute factor is multiplied by the fact that you can reduce the ‘footprint’ of the machine by reducing the length of cord available.

My thoughts

The Deni 5200 series has a combination of cool looks, quick dessert production, creamy consistency of product and multiple use capability. Whilst I don’t like having to freeze a bowl for 24 hours before hand or having to scrape down the sides of the machine so I can get creamy ice cream,  I really like this machine! You can get the Deni 5201 ice cream maker here on Amazon, with FREE SHIPPING!