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Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Industrial Revolution Play & Freeze Ice > Amanda Tikkanen > Long Term ReportIndustrial Revolution Play and Freeze Ice Cream MakerLong Term Report November 9, 2006 Tester Information Name: Amanda Tikkanen Age: 25 Gender: Female Height: 5'4" (1.6 m) Weight: 135 lbs (61 kg) Email address: uberpest at uberpest dot com Personal website: http://www.uberpest.com City, State, Country: LaGrange, Indiana USA Backpacking Background I have been hiking and backpacking since the spring of 2000 throughout Michigan and Indiana, covering several hundred miles, always with a dog by my side. Beau has been happily carrying a pack since 2002. Before Beau I hiked with Lucy, who is now retired. I document our adventures and misadventures on my website, www.uberpest.com. My style of backpacking is moving from overnights to long distance hiking, including multi-day trips. Even though I have Beau with me, I'm usually the solo human on the trek, so I like to go as light as possible while still being comfortable. Product Information Manufacturer: Industrial Revolution Year of Manufacture: 2006 URL: http://industrialrev.com/ Model: Regular size. Makes 1 pint (.47 L) of ice cream or other frozen concoction. Manufacturer's weight: 1 lb 10 oz (.74 kg) Weight as tested: 1 lb 14 oz (.85 kg) Manufacturer's dimensions: 8" in diameter (20.3 cm) Dimensions as tested: 7 5/8" high x 7 3/4" diameter (19.4 cm H x 19.7 cm D) MSRP: $34.95 (US) Warranty: 1 year, but any damage due to dropping or kicking is specifically not covered. Material: polycarbonate outer ball with aluminum inner cylinder Additional product description and a more detailed test plan can be found in my Initial Report Field Conditions I have tested the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker at home in the kitchen, in the yard, and while at local car camping locations. I haven’t been able to figure out how to get ice into the backcountry. Temperatures ranged from the mid 60s to mid 90s F (18-35 C). How it Performed: I’ve made vanilla, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate ice creams. I’ve made two batches of chilled beverages, but didn’t get them to full slushie consistency since the recipients only wanted cold, not frozen, beverages. I didn’t have the opportunity to try any alcohol-based recipes. For the ice creams I used half-and-half, whole milk, and whipping cream. I found the heavier the fat content the easier it was to make ice cream, just as the manufacturer stated. That said, when I used the heavier creams I had to open the canister to stir the mixture more often than with the lighter ingredients. The fattier milks/creams would solidify quickly and not allow me to mix the ice cream to a uniform consistency. By stirring more often I was able to get the resulting ice cream pretty even in texture. I didn’t notice any significant differences in freezing times based on outside air temperature or the temperature of the ingredients. To get the chocolate flavor I used regular chocolate syrup added to the vanilla recipe. The resulting flavor was rather sweet, but that could easily be adjusted to each individual’s taste. For other flavors I used commercially available vanilla extract, mint extract, and miniature chocolate chips. Initially I had trouble getting the ice cream to thicken enough. I never quite got there, but "ripening" the mixture improved outcomes. Ripening is where, in the days of hand-cranked freezers, the ice cream maker would place the freezer in the shade covered with straw or burlap sacks. I do something similar, but I used a towel or two. Once I did this the resulting ice cream was decently solid, not terribly messy, but still hard to scoop out. I think the ripening time is nice since it gives me time to get dishes out or clean up. While at home cleanup wasn’t a problem since I had easy access to a sink. While car camping, however, the best I could do was rinse out both ends of the ice cream maker and store for proper washing at home. I don’t like this solution when I want to make multiple batches, but most of the time I didn’t bother making more than one batch anyway. I do need to use the wrench to open the mixer. I could rarely open it without using the wrench, so I stopped trying to open it with my fingers. I think this could be a problem if I were to lose the wrench. It’s a small item and I am notorious for misplacing things, so this is a big worry for me if I were to use it on a regular basis. Now that I've completed the Long Term phase with this mixer I have to ask myself if I’m still using it. No I am not. Not because it isn’t fun or easy to use, but because it’s Fall here in Indiana and it’s really too cold to be outside making ice cream. Will I use it again next year? Sure. While the novelty has worn off for me, I think my nieces and nephews will still like it just fine next year (they have short attention spans). I think they may also have an easier time moving the mixer when it’s full next summer when they are a little bigger. While the Play and Freeze is entertaining for adults for a little while—say, no more than once a week—it’s a lot easier to just open the freezer and pull out a pre-made pint. It’s also not significantly cheaper than buying a pint of gourmet ice cream once I factor in the ice, salt, and ice cream ingredients. Once I compare the home made ice cream price to that of a gallon (3.8 L), the larger store-bought quantity wins out. Bottom Line: If I was looking for a way to get commercial ice cream in camp, the Play and Freeze is not the way to go. However, if I want a fun way to have the taste of homemade ice cream while away from home, this is a good choice. Likes and Dislikes: Likes:
I thank Industrial Revolution and Backpack Gear Test for the opportunity to test the Play and Freeze ice cream maker. Read more reviews of Industrial Revolution gear Read more gear reviews by Amanda Tikkanen Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > Industrial Revolution Play & Freeze Ice > Amanda Tikkanen > Long Term Report | |||