(checked 2026-10-10)4% 1-star + 1% 2-star of about 43,318 ratings. The same review pool appears on the ICE-30BCP1 listing and color variants, so it mixes several Cuisinart freezer-bowl models.
The top pick at both Wirecutter and Serious Eats: cheap, simple and among the fastest churners tested. You must freeze the bowl for about a day first, it makes only 1.5 quarts per frozen bowl, and many owners find it loud.
Top complaints
- Bowl must be frozen for about a day
Wirecutter says the bowl needs 16 to 24 hours to freeze fully, or you get half-melted-milkshake results; Serious Eats says at least a day. Food & Wine notes canister machines can't make batches back-to-back because the bowl warms up.
- Loud
Noise is the one negative aspect in Amazon's review summary: about 1,049 of 1,616 noise mentions are negative (this review pool is shared with the ICE-30 listing).
- Small batch, hard-frozen results, some broken parts
Wirecutter warns a full 1.5-quart recipe plus mix-ins can overflow, and a long-term tester wished it made more. Low-star Walmart reviews say a full recipe didn't fit, ice cream froze rock-hard after going into the freezer, a plastic gear broke after a few uses, and the bowl was scratched after one use.
Source: Wirecutter, Walmart reviews (lowest rated)
What owners love
- Fast, creamy results
Wirecutter reached soft-serve consistency in about 18 minutes and calls its dense, creamy ice cream some of the smoothest you can make without a compressor. Serious Eats timed ice cream in 20 minutes and sorbet in 9.
Source: Wirecutter, Serious Eats - One switch and a wide opening
There is only an on/off switch, and a 3.5-inch opening makes tasting and adding mix-ins easy (Wirecutter). Cleaning is a strong Amazon positive (about 1,556 positive vs 74 negative mentions).
- Great value with a 3-year warranty
Wirecutter cites a typical price of about $90 and a three-year limited warranty, the longest of its picks. Ice cream pros at Jeni's and Salt & Straw favor it.
Source: Wirecutter
- You want to make ice cream on a whim
- You need big or back-to-back batches
- Noise bothers you
- First ice cream maker on a budget
- Fast churning (about 20 minutes)
- Occasional use with freezer space for the bowl
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Wirecutter (NYT): Top pick (updated 2026-06-12): dense, creamy ice cream faster than its other picks at a fraction of the cost; flaws are pre-freezing and possible overflow with mix-ins.
- Serious Eats: Best ice cream maker for seven years running (updated 2026-07-21): among the fastest in every test; denser-ice-cream fans may need to adjust recipes.
- Food & Wine: Tested but listed under 'What Didn't Make the List' (updated 2026-09-01); it picked the larger Cuisinart ICE-30 instead.