Review on Ninja NC501 CREAMi Deluxe 11-In-1 Ice Cream Maker For Frozen Treats, Sorbets, Milkshakes, And More With 11 Programs And 2 XL Pint Containers - Perfect For Kids And Families, Silver by Robert Ducki

This is an interesting version of an ice cream maker. I initially decided to test this one out as all of the parts on it are dishwasher safe- a huge step up from most of the other ice cream makers that I've tried. It's also extremely convenient. The ice cream base is blended up directly inside the storage canister, making it easy to store if you don't finish all of it.I made my ice cream base following the included recipe for a vanilla ice cream base. It was very simple to follow and took less than five minutes to combine the ingredients. This base ended up being very similar in flavor and texture to an ice cream-like treat that includes mix ins sold by a fast food company that has a yellow letter as their logo. This would be a good way to make a cheaper version at home since this ice cream maker has a mix in setting!Mixing up the ice cream was simple and took approximately 10 minutes, including the time it took for me to figure out how to put it together and adjust the settings. After you've used it once, it will probably take even less time to make it as long as the base is ready to go.This leads into my cons- the freeze time of the base, ice cream quality, and number of cycles necessary to achieve a smooth, creamy texture. While it's quick and easy to make ice cream once the base is ready, the base does need to be frozen for at least 24 hours. This particular model does include two storage canisters, so you can keep at least one on hand for whenever you want ice cream. However, it can still be a bit frustrating if you didn't plan ahead and don't want to wait on the base to completely freeze.My second con is that it takes multiple "respins" to make standard ice cream with a smooth, creamy consistency. On my first cycle, the texture was just crumbly. After the second, it was creamy on the edges with the crumbly texture just in the center. It finally reached ice cream consistency after the third. This really wasn't a huge issue as each spin cycle takes two minutes, but it was a bit annoying that the instructions didn't indicate that it may take more than two to get a good consistency.My final con isn't really a con so much as a recommendation. If you're looking for an ice cream maker with the sole intention of making traditional ice cream, I would recommend skipping this one. The consistency and flavor that it ended up with was comparable to store bought. It wasn't as creamy as some ice cream makers can achieve and was on the meltier side. However, if you are going to make non-traditional ice cream such as sorbets, vegan ice creams, or ice creams that include blended ingredients, this is an excellent option. It did a great job at blending it up and will achieve a creamy consistency better than a blender for more specialized ice creams.