Reviewer Information

Name: Becki Stacy
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 3" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (70 kg)
Email address: becki_s_19 at hotmail dot com
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Background:
I got bitten by the backpacking bug in 1994 when I was a volunteer at the Grand Canyon. My first backpacking trip was the same week I arrived, with gear borrowed from trail crew supplies. My husband and I enjoy car camping and backpacking (we use a double-wall tent), mostly in Michigan. We've pared down our pack weight a little (a necessity for a recent 12-night trip with no resupply), and we are continually re-working our gear list to cut weight without giving up the luxury items we enjoy (such as food that involves more than boiling water).

Basic Product Information

Manufacturer: Industrial Revolution
Website: http://industrialrev.com/
Product: Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker
MSRP: $34.99 USD
Year manufactured: 2006
Listed weight: 1 lb 10 oz (.74 kg)
Weight as delivered (ice cream maker only: 1 lb 13 oz (.82 kg)
Weight of full ice cream maker : 5 lb 8 oz (2.5 kg) using water in the ice cream compartment, and ice cubes from my refridgerator's ice cube maker. Weight will vary depending on ingredients and type of ice cubes.
Color: Green. Also available in Blue, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, and Crystal Clear
Recommended volume: 1 pint (473 ml)

Field Conditions

I have used the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker at Holly State Recreation Area in Michigan (elevation: approx 940'/287 m above sea level) at about 83 F (28 C). I have used it on trips to local parks (elevation: approx 700'/213 m above sea level) in temperatures from about 75 F/24 C to 85 F/29 C, and at home at a nice, climate-controlled 70 F/21C.

Terrain on which the Play and Freeze was rolled varied from our campsite that had patchy grass, a bit of an incline, and a few rocks, to the level grass of our backyard, to the area rug on our living room floor. The play and Freeze was able to be used effectively in all the situations I've tried so far.

Taking It For a Spin

Please see my Initial Report for a detailed description of the Ice Cream Maker.

To date, I have used the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker on a car-camping trip on a long weekend at Holly State Rec Area in Michigan, two local parks, and at home in the backyard and inside. I've made ice cream from heavy cream, half and half, and lowfat chocolate milk, as well as making a margarita slush. Overall, the Play and Freeze works as stated, making ice cream and frozen drinks without electricity.

My first experiment with it was creating mint chocolate chip ice cream, a favorite of my husband's (and mine as well). For this I used heavy cream, peppermint extract, and miniature chocolate chips. I found out that the cap is a virtual magnet for the chocolate chips, and quite a few got wedged in the center 'groove'. It was at least 83 F (28 C) outside, and I needed to use two batches of ice and salt to finish up the ice cream. It took about 20 minutes to finish the batch.

I found out that the condensation that develops on the outside of the ball picks up dirt (our campsite was mostly grassy, with some sparse patches). I had to wipe off the lip of the ice cream compartment each time I opened it up to stir up the mixture. I had to be careful when I scraped the frozen cream off the walls, since if I got too zealous some would splash out. Even when I left the recommended 1" (2.5 cm) of space, the ice cream expanded to fill the entire container, and I had to scoop some out to keep the process going.

With the container holding 1 pint (.47 L) of liquid, and some of the recipes calling for up to a half cup of ingredients, I decided to see how much 'wasted' mix there could be. I tested out the cookies and cream recipe using Oreos. With a pint of cream/milk, some vanilla extract, over 1/3 cup (39 ml) of sugar, and a half cup chopped cookies, I ended up with just over 1/3 cup (39 ml) of mix that I couldn't fit in the container while leaving room for expansion. For future recipes, I'll probably mix up 2 cups (237 ml) of cream/milk with the recommended sugar and other ingredients before topping it off with additional liquid.

Test Results

1. Will I feel the money I save using milk or half and half instead of cream be worth the extra time it takes for me to make ice cream?
So far, half and half and heavy cream have produced good results for me. I can't tell too much difference in the products, except that sometimes the heavy cream that I used felt almost too 'fatty/greasy'. Both of these produced a nice, creamy texture after about 15-20 minutes, depending on outside temperature. I have not tried whole milk (we normally drink 1% or 2%). Lowfat chocolate milk produced more of a slush than a cream, and took over 20 minutes to get a decent consistency, compared to 15 minutes for half and half, when the exterior temperature is 70 F (21 C).

2. The website doesn't list how long it takes juice or yogurt to reach an acceptable consistency, how long will it take for these to become a yummy dessert? Will the addition of alcohol (as shown in some of the recipes) affect the freezing time?
I have not yet tested juice or yogurt. The addition of alcohol to make a margarita slushy didn't appear to significantly affect the freezing time, I ended up with a nice slush after 15 minutes.

3. How easy is the Play and Freeze to use? Will I have to use the plastic wrench to open the ball when using it? How easy is the wrench to use, and will it or the ball show signs of wear from using it?
The Play and Freeze is pretty straightforward and easy to use. Sometimes I do need to use the wrench to open the compartments, and sometimes I can undo a compartment by hand. The wrench is necessary, since one time I had kept the water from the ice inside the ball for several days, and could not remove the cap on the ice compartment by hand no matter what I tried. The wrench is easy to use, and so far I haven't seen any signs of wear.

4. How durable is the Play and Freeze? Many of the car camping sites are a bit sparse on grass, will the dirt surface damage the ice cream maker?
While my Play and Freeze has accumulated some scratches, it remains structurally sound.

5. While I don't plan to drop the Plan and Freeze, will it survive a fall if I have one of my klutzy moments and drop it?
So far, I haven't had any accidents with the Play and Freeze, since I try to be careful with it. It has survived being inadvertently rolled over a fist-sized rock several times when we were car camping.

6. Will the serving size satisfy my husband and myself? Will it be enough for us and our niece?
The pint (.47 L) of ice cream is about perfect as a snack for my husband and me. I have not had my niece test it with us yet.

7. How cost-effective is it? How much of an investment is it to create a pint of ice cream using heavy whipping cream and fresh fruit? How does this compare with a pint of regular or premium ice cream at the store?
When using half and half or regular milk, using the play and Freeze is less expensive than buying a pint of premium ice cream. When compared to regular ice cream, using the Play and Freeze is about the same price, depending on the ingredients I use and if the ice cream is on sale at the store. For me, the issue comes down to being able to make the ice cream I want. If I'm in the mood of chocolate ice cream, I'd probably just go to the store and pick some up. But if I'm in the mood of peppermint with dark chocolate chips, I'll make up a batch.

8. How much ice and rock salt will I go through for a pint of ice cream in warmer weather? Will I have to constantly be refilling the contraption if it gets really hot outside?
When the temperatures in the 80s to low 90s F (27 to 33 C), I tend to go through 2 batches of ice and kosher salt to get the ice cream to an acceptable consistency. When I tested it in my house (at around 70 F/21 C), I only need 1 fill-up of ice.

9. Will our 8-year-old niece be interested in rolling the ball around for about 20 minutes for the promise of making her own ice cream?
So far, this has not been tested.

10. Will my husband and I find the tasty treats enough for us to keep playing with the Play and Freeze? Our typical car-camping dinner takes about 30 minutes to make/cook, can we keep the ball rolling enough during prep and cooking to have ice cream by the time dinner is done?
We've found that the ice cream works best as an afternoon snack. Depending on the food, both of us could be busy prepping or cooking the food. I think it would make a nice dessert after dinner, but on 3 of 4 nights on vacation we ended eating dinner at dusk or after dark, and the fire was more appealing than rolling a ball around to make ice cream.

11. Can I keep interested in playing with the ball solo?
If I'm inside watching TV, I have no problem with solo use when I feel like homemade ice cream. I haven't really had the urge (or the opportunity) to make ice cream solo when at a park.

12. How easy will it be to take the ice cream out of the Play and Freeze? How easy will it be to wash?
Breaking up the frozen ice cream (when liquid remains in the center), and removing the finished product is somewhat difficult. I've tried using rubber spatulas (that hardly work at all), plastic and wooden spoons. The best thing I've come up with so far is to use a chopstick to chisel off the harder stuff, and scoop it out with a plastic or wood spoon.

When I'm at home, washing out the Play and Freeze isn't too much of a hassle. When we were at the state park, the Play and Freeze *just* barely fit underneath the bathroom sink. Since it was the 4th of July weekend, the campground was crowded, and the hot water was almost always out. Cleaning out the Play and Freeze with only cold water was a bit difficult. I wouldn't want to bring it along for more than one use anywhere that I don't have running water and a drain.

13. How well will Kosher salt work as a substitute for rock salt? Sometimes I 'll leave something at home by mistake, and I can't rely on finding rock salt at a small-town grocery.
Kosher salt works well with the Play and Freeze. I still haven't located any rock salt (aside from the gourmet varieties) to use, but Kosher works just fine.

14. After the test, will I still enjoy using this product, or will the novelty wear off? So far I don't mind using the Play and Freeze, but sometimes I just don't feel like doing all the work for only a pint of product.

What I Like

1. I like the idea of being able to make my own ice cream on car-camping trips or at home.

2. The Play & Freeze looks like a good way to keep my niece occupied when we go car camping.

What I'm Not Too Excited About

1. The way the Play & Freeze is designed, I have to carefully wipe off any dirt that sticks to the ball after playing with it before I open the ice cream compartment. I'm concerned that dirt might possibly work itself partway into the threading, creating a really difficult situation to remove the dirt without knocking anything into the ice cream.

2. When I'm at a state park, washing the Play and Freeze is a little challenging, since at most the easiest way to wash it out is in the bathroom sink, which is a tight squeeze. If ther's no running water at our campground, I would have to use a plastic washtub to clean it.

3. Scraping the ice cream off the walls and scooping it out of the ball has to be done verry carefully, otherwise my hands become a sticky mess.

I would like to thank Industrial Revolution and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker.

Read more reviews of Industrial Revolution gear
Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Stacy

Field Report

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