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Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L
by kama0529
My children, my partner and myself are huge fans of ice cream, although I liked the idea of being able to make ice cream which wasn't full of artificial colours and preservatives so that ice cream was healthier overall and even more tasty. I wanted an ice cream maker that was pretty easy to use and didn't make a huge meal out of making ... ice cream. I was recommended the Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L by the sales assistant in a House of Fraser store - although I actually bought it online from Amazon as it was considerably cheaper. I managed to pick up the Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L for just £41.00 from Amazon (which included postage and packaging) which I thought was pretty reasonable value. Although there are cheaper ice cream makers on the market I do think that this one looks professional compared to the cheaper models.
When I bought it, it all came together in a box and I didn't have to do any DIY in order to put it together. The ice cream maker consists of a bowl, a paddle and a lid. It is made of a mixture of heavy duty plastic and stainless steel and therefore it is very sturdy and is capable of coping with some pretty heavy use. Before using it, you need to freeze the bowl - and then it's a matter of pouring in the ice cream mixture which you make depending on the flavour you want, and then turning on the motor in order to drive the paddle and agitate the mixture. I have found that it's best if you mix the ice cream for about 45 minutes because I find that this makes the smoothest ice cream. Once the ice cream has been mixed, I then transfer it to a tupperware box in order for it to be put in the freezer for about 3 hours.
The major drawback of the Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L is the fact that you need to preplan as you need to put the bowl into the freezer before hand in order to ensure that the solution which sits between the metal and plastic sides of the main bowl is frozen solid in order to cool the ice cream mixture to the desired temperature. The instructions recommend that the bowl is put in the freezer for at least ten hours, but I have found that it does work if it's been in the freezer for about six hours, although for optimal use I would try to put it in the freezer for longer. This is fine if you are making the ice cream for a special occasion, but if you just want to make the ice cream on a whim then this can be a bit of a pain. I have taken to keeping the bowl in the freezer between uses so that it's ready in there when I want it. Sometimes I get a build up of ice on it when I do this, but I find that rinsing it off before use gets rid of any ice build up.
I find the paddle works well, but it can be difficult to get the paddle into the neccessary locked position.....there is definitely a knack to it which I think I know have down.
However, overall, the machine makes really good ice cream which is smooth and a really good consistency. It also makes a good quantity of ice cream in one go - about 1 litre, which is a decent family size portion.
My favourite flavour is coconut ice cream which is made by mixing 300ml milk, 90g castor sugar, 300ml double cream, the flesh of one coconut and some mint. I mix all the ingredients together over a low heat - and then transfer this to the mixer.
I do recommend the Magimix Ice Cream Maker, but it is not without it's problems!
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Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L
by mjc121
Like most people I love ice cream but I tend not to buy it very often as unless you go for the premium brands the ice cream is so full of chemicals etc that they are probably best avoided. Also why buy it when you can make it yourself cheaper than some shops own stuff?
I was given this ice cream maker a few years ago as a ... birthday present and it has been in fairly regular use ever since. The 1.1 litre capacity makes a good quantity of ice cream and it is ready in around 20-30 minutes. The actual time varies depending on what kind of ice cream you are making as some do take longer to freeze than others. Also depends on how 'set' you want it to be. The machine can also be used to make sorbets but I'm not personally a fan of these
What is in the box?
The ice cream maker consists of a fairly heavy bowl, plastic coated on the outside and shiny stainless steel inside, a paddle and a lid where the motor is housed. The lid has a hole in it through which you should pour the ice cream mixture. The instruction book does have a few recipes in it for a number of ice creams of both the egg custard base and the simpler cream/milk mixture. The instruction book went walkies when we moved but after a few uses it wasn't really needed.
In use and opinion.
Well the ice cream maker is simple to put together and use. The lid and paddle unit fits easily onto the bowl but unless it is locked into position the paddle won't turn. The only real problem is that to get the machine ready you need to have the bowl in the freezer for at least 10 hours (preferably overnight) beforehand to freeze the liquid between the two walls of the bowl. This means that making ice cream has to be planned so that you have room for it in the freezer as it does take up quite a bit of room.
When you have everything set up you set the paddle turning then begin to slowly pour in the chilled mixture into the bowl via the hole on the lid. Yes I know it's a small hole but I did say pour it in slowly and now you have spilt it all over the work top, try again (yes that did happen when the other half used it for the first time - why do I let him in the kitchen?)
On my machine when first turned on the paddle rotates clockwise whilst it moves around the bowl anti-clockwise (if that makes any sense) and this gives a good churn to the ice cream as it freezes. You notice that it begins to freeze and stick to the side of the bowl and it is best that now and again you switch off, remove the lid and using a plastic spatula scrape the frozen stuff off the sides and mix it back into the rest of the ice cream then replace the lid and switch on again. I find doing this gives a better result. After switching back on the paddle now moves in the opposite directions. The paddle does at times reverse when in use by its self I haven't yet worked out if this is meant to beat more air into the mix or an attempt to keep the ice cream from freezing to the sides (doesn't do this) or to reduce the number of ice crystals which can form in badly made ice cream.
After about 20-30 minutes you have a nicely churned ready to serve fairly soft ice cream. I prefer mine slightly firmer so I place it into a freezable container and put it into the freezer for an hour or two before serving.
If you want to have a slightly softer scoop ice cream the addition of a small amount of alcohol helps as it lowers the freezing temperature. Although if you are going to do this make sure the alcohol used compliments the flavour of ice cream you are making. Rum and strawberries is not a pleasant concoction. Also the addition of alcohol, depending on your view on the matter, may make it an adults' only ice cream. I find that about 25 ml of alcohol added to a litre of ice cream mixture works fairly well.
The machine is solid and robust as long as you use it as it should be used although I doubt the bowl would survive being dropped. The bowl is not dishwasher safe but it takes very little time to clean by hand. The paddle needs just a quick rinse in hot soapy water.
My only real problems with this machine is the small hole to pour everything in as unless you have good control it can end up going all over the place and also the fact the ice cream sticks to the sides of the bowl during churning but as I have said this is easy to resolve. The bowl is actually surprisingly heavy even when empty and whilst it is quite small it does need quite a bit of cupboard space as with the lid on it is fairly tall. Although you can store it with the lid off this ends up taking up more shelf space.
The flex is a good length for where I use it in my kitchen and it is easily wrapped around the bowl for storage.
Dimensions:
Diameter 170 mm,
Height 230 mm
Summary:
Whilst this is a basic model of ice cream maker and it would never be found in a professional kitchen due to the system it uses to freeze the mixture it is a good domestic model which churns out a good quality ice cream with no artificial nasties in it - unless you add them yourself that is.
Whilst it might not be the best looking model out there does that really matter when it is only going to be out whilst it is in use and as long as it does the job it is meant to do.
My favourites made with the machine
Rhubarb crumble ice cream.
The tart rhubarb works well and is not as sharp as you may think. I only make this in mid to late spring and early summer when rhubarb is in season and not the all year tasteless forced varieties. Rhubarb does freeze well so when in season stock up on it and keep some frozen - I do after raiding my parents back garden for it.
Strawberry ripple
Ok this is an all time favourite. However, I tend to do a bit of a twist to the regular recipe. I only add about ¾ of the strawberry puree to the ice cream mix. Then in the last 5 - 10 min of churning slowly pour the remaining puree in. This gives a bit of a ripple effect. This is best eaten directly from the maker before the strawberry ripple bit fully freezes as this will go a bit icy.
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