Magimix Gelato 2200 1.42LT

Anyone who has ever attempted to make ice cream from scratch will understand how demanding a process it is. The continual churning, freezing, churning, freezing is as strenuous as it is repetitive. If you enjoy ice cream however, and don't mind shelling out for a machine to carry out the action for you, the Magimix will provide you with enough delicious ice cream to fill your freezer many times over.

At 36 x 44 x 40 cm, this product is not the most attractive ice cream maker I have ever seen. The ventilation grill that takes up one entire side of the device is unsightly to say the least. It is, however, crafted from hard-wearing materials, and is also compact enough to be stored away in a kitchen cupboard.

As well as the ice cream maker, the package comes with a spare stainless steel bowl, two paddles and an instruction booklet that also includes a selection of recipes.

Although the Magimix operates at only one speed, it is able to produce two pints of ice cream at its maximum capacity. The real draw however, is that once you have filled it with your chosen ingredients you can leave it to do its magic without having to intervene. The product is advertised as being able to produce ice cream from twenty minutes. The significant word here is 'from.' I have found that while the device is indeed very efficient, and well capable of producing frozen treats to a superior degree, it can take up to thirty, or sometimes even forty minutes for your ice cream to be ready. Helpfully, the motor paddle will switch direction when the ice cream is of an appropriate consistency, so you do need to keep an eye out for this to ensure it is not over worked. You can also check the progress of your food by peeking in through the transparent window on the motor unit.

With most ice cream makers you must pre freeze the canister before setting to work on your ice cream, but one of the reasons the Magimix is a little pricey is because of the inbuilt freezer. This eliminates a lot of the preparation work, and renders the whole process smooth and straightforward. Also, if you wish to be even more efficient and make several batches of ice cream at once, you can just wait until the first lot is ready, then detach the removable bowl, slot in the spare - along with your ingredients - and watch the second batch take shape straight away.

The recipe booklet that is included with the Magimix contains some useful ideas for the beginner. However, I have found that as you become more proficient in ice cream making you will want to create more exotic concoctions, and branch out into sorbet and frozen yoghurt production too. Sorbets are perhaps the simplest of all, being as they require little more than a bag of frozen fruit and a quantity of sugar syrup.

The Magimix does produce some noise when in use, but it takes so little time to achieve results that this is hardly a big disadvantage. I have created some superb desserts with the product, and never tire of dreaming up new, exotic concoctions. Highly recommended.