Gelato is one frozen dessert that many ice cream lovers consider a delicacy. The different flavors, coupled with the super-creamy thickness of this dessert makes it a frickin’ awesome treat.
The price in many cafes that offer it is between $4 to $6 for a scoop. While many people may see this as too expensive, all I can say is that you just have to taste real gelato to know why it’s worth it.
Gelato also has these three points in its favour:-
- There is less butterfat used in the production of gelato; this makes the tastes and flavours a lot more intense;
- The lower butterfat percentage also means there are less calories in the dessert;
- Gelato is much thicker than many other desserts, thus you don’t need a large quantity to feed a bunch of people.
Now, that you have developed a soft spot for gelato, 😉 its time to let you know that you can make your own gelato in the comfort of your home.
First off, gelato needs to be prepared with one thing in mind:
a. To achieve the desired creamy thickness, very little air is allowed into the mixture while it is churning and being frozen. Thus you need an appliance that will seal out air from the environment.
You may wonder how we can achieve these effects at home. Well, you can with the Lello 4070 Gelato Junior. It is a sleek, automatic ice cream maker i.e. pour in the ice cream base, fit the top part onto the bottom of the appliance, and flick the switch behind. Watch this video to see just how easy it is:
Some buyers over at Amazon complained about the machine stopping and starting while working. This can be traced to improper placement of the top half, that contains the motor that drives the paddle, with the lower base of the machine. This leads to interruption of the electrical power that drives the paddle. Thus, it is important, when assembling your Lello, that you ensure that the top half fits and ‘clicks’ with the bottom half.
Multiple Use
While the Lello is sold as a gelato maker, it also handles production of ice cream, sorbet and yoghurt easily too. The fact that it is automatic makes back to back production of different desserts possible.
After the treats?
Cleaning up after preparing your dessert is easy as the stainless steel bucket lifts out easily and the paddle can be detached from the lid of the ice cream maker, and washed under running water.
Be very careful though and ensure that you do not put either the base or the lid of the Lello 4070 in water as they contain the compressor and motor respectively.
User Manual + Recipes
The user manual included with this kitchen gadget is not exactly mindblowing-ly descriptive, but it is not hard to figure out where each bit goes, when you are assembling the Lello. I recommend David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop. It contains many delicious recipes, twists on classic ice creams, the authors’ recipes for sorbets, granitas and ice cream.
Looks & Design
With a production capacity of 1.2 quarts and an average production time of 35 minutes to 45 minutes. the Lello delivers a sizable quantity in a relatively short period. The all white finish of the Lello will blend in with most kitchen decor.
One gripe some users had is that the space available in the top of the appliance, for adding any extra toppings and treats is extremely narrow. On one hand, it makes sense as, this was made to keep as little air as possible from entering the mixture while its being made. On the other hand, it severely restricts the addition of any extras while making your dessert.
One way around this is to either wait till the end of the cycle and then add your extra toppings, or simply chuck them in the mixture from the beginning of the process.
Dimensions
At 11″ L x 14″ W x 12.2″ H, the Lello will unobtrusively sit in a larger kitchen. With a shipping weight of 39 pounds, it is a tad heavy, but remember there is a full sized compressor, filled with cooling refrigerant, in this appliance.
Unique Feature
The Lello is the QUIETEST ice cream maker I have seen. Having used many of these appliances, I tend to expect a level of noise and clanging, even with the ones that have in built compressors. This baby just purrs/hums along while it prepares the ice cream.
This is a unique kitchen appliance that will produce many pints of delicious dessert for you and your loved ones. You can buy it here, on Amazon.
