My fiance and I received this as a wedding gift. I have a KitchenAid Professional 600 mixer (6 quart lift bowl). The drive motor attachment does not fit snugly at all on the drive. In fact, it will fall off if not held in place. I got on the internet to see if I was doing something wrong, but couldn't figure it out. My fiance tried, too, but couldn't get the attachment to fit, either. Finally, I decided to put the bowl and dasher in place and see if it would hold the drive attachment firmly enough. It skipped a couple of times when I first started the mixer, but finally caught and held firmly and began to make ice cream. The ice cream (I made the French vanilla recipe in the instruction booklet) was delicious and only took about 15-20 minutes to reach a good soft serve consistency.

Overall, I loved the ice cream maker, but the instruction booklet should not say that the drive attachment should fit snugly, when it obviously doesn't (unless I'm missing something). The other drawbacks are the time factor (Bowl and ice cream mix must both be frozen/refrigerated overnight). I keep the bowl in the freezer, but the cooked recipes for ice cream mean that you have to plan ahead to make ice cream, which isn't that big a deal. Also, as others have mentioned, there is not much clearance on the bowl, especially on my mixer, so pouring the mix in is tricky (and messy). I did put the mix in a pitcher with a lip to make it easier and that worked pretty well.

It is a great attachment, but just be aware of some of the negatives before using it.

I got this hoping that all the reviews I had read were true and I wasn't disappointed. The ice cream and sorbets turned out by this attachment taste great and the device really does work smoothly. The one thing that I found could have used some help was the instruction book. While the instructions are simple, it would have been better if some better pictures were included and some detailed wording. I have the "lifting" bowl, not the attached base bowl. Because of that you have to attach the dasher best in the order of 1) first putting the bowl in, 2) placing the dasher into the bowl and holding the mixer attachment in place (it doesn't snap in), 3) lifting the bowl and 4) pushing the dasher and mixer attachment loosely together to engage the dasher to the mixer arm. The instructions DO NOT TELL YOU that the pieces are not snap together and that they are supposed to be a little loose. This would have helped since I expected the parts to "snap together" tightly.

Second, one of the reviewers suggested placing a towel over the mixer and bowl when you are running the dasher - I definitely recommend this too. It keeps your batter cooler and helps it stay cold while it is firming up. Also, you MUST put your batter into the refrigerator before you use it. I actually put it into the freezer for about 1/2 hour before pouring it in while it is still in liquid form. The colder the batter before mixing, the sooner it will firm up. For the ice creams, this helps to make it a little more ice cream cone ready when you are through mixing versus having to put the mix into the freezer for an hour or two. If you have small kids "waiting for the first scoop" from the mixer, this helps them get a scoop vs. making them wait again while you put it into the freezer.

I really like it a lot and it's actually pretty easy to operate. If you're an ice cream maniac, you'll want to keep batter in the refrig so you can whip up a quick batch when you want it.

Thanks KitchenAid for making home ice cream so easy. Can't wait to start making my own concoctions and recipes now.

I have the Cuisinart ice cream maker (another great product), but orderd this because the Cuisinart only makes 1.5 quarts and this holds 2 quarts. The finished ice cream with both is great, easy clean up - then put it back in the freezer for the next time. Very easy to use - we had no problems with leaking fluids or broken parts. If you want 30% more volume and one less appliance to find space for, buy this for your KitchenAid (but if you don't have a KitchenAid the Cuisinart works equally well!).

I bought this ice cream maker just over a year ago and after just a couple of uses the liquid inside to keep it frozen started to leak out from the knobs on the sides. $80 for 10 quarts of ice cream wow!!! what a bargain.
Don't buy this ice cream maker attachment!!!

This attachment makes, simply put, great ice cream. I've made watermelon sorbet, blueberry frozen yogurt, dark chocolate ice cream, Nutella brownie ice cream, and dark chocolate peanut butter ice cream. (Get the book "Perfect Scoop.") It's easy to use, easy to clean, and makes wonderful ice cream in 15-30 minutes. I've only once needed to past 25 minutes, and most products were done at 15 minutes.

The only improvement I would make is adding a pour shield. Getting the mix into the bowl while the beater is moving can be a bit tricky.

I've really enjoyed my ice cream maker so far (have had it for a couple months). When I intially tried to attach the beater to my mixer, it wouldn't fit. The screw/pin on my machine that the beater piece was meant to fit over stuck out to one side. My husband actually had to shave it down as we were unable to get it to screw properly back into the machine. Anyhow, it works now, and I'm glad to have the ice cream maker.

My free standing ice cream maker went kaput this summer, after 25 years. I decided to try the kitchen aid attachment. It is easy to assemble but adding fruit, etc. near the end of freezing is very difficult. Also, it is awkward to disassemble to serve the ice cream. I have been very disappointed by the firmness of the icecream, but it does say soft serve. It is just VERY soft (more like a melting milkshake)?

I was a little disappointed in this product - probably because I'm used to making ice cream the old-fashioned way with ice & salt. The final product is really pretty good and it's less trouble to make so I can make it more often.

Great product! This is a great value for anyone with a Kitcheaid. Compared to other ice cream makers I have had - it beats them all and I don't have yet another appliance to store. To really get it cold, freeze your ice cream after it is done, before serving.

This ice cream maker does what it's supposed to. It works very well and is easy to use. I keep the bowl in the freezer so I can use it whenever I want. It's a 2 qt bowl so if you want normal textured ice cream the batter cannot exceed 1 quart. If you want a heavier ice cream you can squeeze 1.5 qts of batter. Beware, if you turn your back you can overflow the bowl as the cream gains body.

I HAD WANTED THIS ITEM FOR A LONG TIME. I FINALLY GOT IT. THE RECIPES THAT COME WITH IT ARE VERY LIMITED. THEY COST ALOT TO MAKE. I JUST WISH THERE HAD BEEN MORE RECIPES THAT WOULD COST LESS.

I bought this ice cream maker with the intent of trying to make frozen yogurt treats and maybe some low-fat ice creams. I am amazed how easy it is to use the device. After you keep it in the freezer for 15 hours, you attach it to the mixer and pour the mix in. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes to freeze. The result never disappointed me. I used a variety of frozen yogurt ideas and some great low fat ice cream recipes. I recommend it to anyone who wants to take charge of their ice cream addiction!

The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker works very well. I have made ice cream and frozen yogurt and frozen custard and been very pleased. It helps that I am in dairy country (WI) and have access to TWO excellent sources of wonderful cream (Blue Marble Dairy and Organic Valley). It takes about a half hour, but the hard part is thinking ahead. If you use a recipe that calls for heating your ingredients, you have to allow enough time for it to chill before putting it in the ice cream maker. The maker itself has to chill in the freezer, but I just store mine there. The end result is delicious. Downside: if you don't make a custard first, the ice cream is sometimes a bit grainy, but not bad.

My mother had the old ice cream attachment for our kitchenaid mixer that required salt, ice, and a mess!
I pulled out her recipe for lemon sherbert which is a double batch. A few tricks to make life easier. I use a tupperware juice container with measurements on it and a pour spout. I also primed my mix in this in the freezer first. What it allowed me to do was produce both batches at the same time because the bowl did not get warm.I dumped the finished one and then just poured the next in. The bowl was in the freezer for 24 hours and the outside never thawed.
I do have a second freezer but the bowl is not THAT big and I intend to store it in the cupboard without a problem.
This thing is a JOY! It meets all the parameters, 20-30 minutes, easy clean up, easy to use not to mention it makes great ice cream.

I ordered two and my daughter one. We were not impressed with hers. Tried a couple of recipes and all went down the drain. Therefore, since mine were not opened, I am returning both. Spend your money on something else. nemaj

Received item in perfect condition, have used it
and it's great! Impressed with the cost and efficient delivery.

I purchased the KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment as a gift for my sister's birthday and it's been working making ice cream ever since. She raves about this product which is rare for someone with her kitchen savvy and know-how. Great product at a reasonable price.

I have used other electric ice cream makers in the past and bought this because I thought my KitchenAid mixer would have a stronger motor than those did and I was right. Worked perfectly with the first batch and I've been happy ever since. The motor never slows down even when the ice cream firms up and the ice cream is smooth and creamy.

Love this! Just make sure your mixture is completely chilled before mixing. It is wonderful, creamy ice-cream!

My mom bought me a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas one year (she insisted that I ought to have one), but I rarely used it. When I became interested in making homemade ice cream, I carefully read the online reviews about this attachment and decided to give it a go. I didn't want another separate appliance and I thought this would be a way to actually get some use out of my mixer.

I purchased the Williams-Sonoma book on ice cream and tried the green tea ice cream recipe (only 1 quart version--I decided not to double it) for my 1st use of the attachment. I kept the freeze bowl in the freezer for over 24 hours and set it to the coldest setting for the last 8 hours. Also, I put the dasher in the freezer as well. When the time came, I quickly attached everything to the mixer and poured in the custard with a funnel (and a pair of helping hands). After reading a review about making something like a "tea cosy" for the mixer to keep the cold air in and hot air out, I simply draped a thick towel over the whole ensemble without getting a drop on it.

The dasher started to "click" after about 10 minutes and I stopped the mixer at 13 minutes. The ice cream froze incredibly well and was the consistency of very thick soft serve. I (and once again my pair of helping hands to hold the freeze bowl) scooped it out into a freezer-proof tupperware and let it harden as directed. I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH SMOOTH ICE CREAM IN MY LIFE. It was incredible!! No icy-ness at all. Wow. I am going to have so much fun with this thing. I highly recommend it! I store the freeze bowl in the freezer so that it's ready to go when I want.

If anyone has a problem with this attachment, I'm guessing that they just aren't being careful enough to follow freezing instructions for the bowl or chilling the custard long enough. Or perhaps the recipe isn't being followed or is faulty. Cutting corners on following instructions isn't going to let this A+ mixer perform at its best.

My son is allergic to cow milk, this is an excelente product for me, now i can make him homemaid soymilk icecreams, it works like a charm

This product does not freeze ice cream well. The ice cream does not turn to "soft serve" like it should. Instead, the paddle just spins and spins while the freezer liquid inside the bowl loses its coldness. If you add anything to your ice cream, like fruit or nuts, forget about it working. The items actually melt the ice cream that somewhat froze to a grainy consistency. To top it all off, the blue liquid is now oozing out of the bottom of the bowl, and I have only used this freezer three or four times. Junk. Get the old fashioned kind if you want good ice cream.

If you own a Kitchen Aid mixer, this should definitely be the first attachment you buy! My wife and I absolutely love using this and experimenting with different kinds of ice cream. A great thing to get along with this is the Ben & Jerry's recipe book. If you've always wanted to make your own ice cream, this makes it so very easy!

It really does!! My wife made chocolate chip ice cream and peach ice cream on her first try, and although that has much more to do with her MAD crazy cooking skillz than it does the actual item, the point is that she had no trouble with this device whatsoever, and she was able to leverage the Kitchenaid Pro 600 mixer's power and versatility rather than having to buy yet another kitchen gadget. If you've arrived at this review in a search for information on what mixer to buy, then believe me, the one you want is the Kitchenaid Pro 600. The only hard part is what color to get!

I have to say, this is worth the money!! I got this as promotion from Kitchenaid, so I got this for free, but i would definitely pay the money for it!!! I can make sorbet, ice cream, and sherbet pretty quick, and it definitely beats store bought! If you have ANY skills in the kitchen, this is a wonderful addition!

A great adjunct to our KitchenAid mixer. Ice cream and sorbets when wanted. Better than sliced bread.

I was in the market for an ice cream maker and really didn't want another appliance that I had to find room for in my kitchen. An attachment to my mixer seemed like a great idea. I tried it over the weekend for the first time using a recipe from my mom that we used to use in an old crank-style ice cream maker when I was a kid. After 30 minutes, the recommended time in the mixer, the ice cream was still pretty liquid, not even soft serve yet. I took it out and put it in a container in the freezer. After a few hours, the ice cream was hard. I think I will try it a bit longer next time. Of course the ice cream was great, but that's because of the recipe. I would like to see how long it takes for the soft serve consistency.

My husband and I love making ice cream with this attachment. It is easy to use and we've tried a variety of recipes (we especially love the ones at http://www.users.nwark.com/~piperw/icpage.htm). However, after a couple years of use (maybe used 15-20 times overall), the attachment began to leak the blue freezer fluid. I expected a pricey KitchenAid attachment to last longer than 15-20 uses. The store is letting us exchange for a new one, so hopefully we won't have the problem again.

I bought this for my boyfriend for his birthday and because we try to avoid processed food but love ice cream - a tough dilemma! We love it! I bought it because he already had a kitchenaid stand mixer, and I didn't want to buy yet another appliance to store in our cozy (small) apartment. We've made several batches in the last couple of weeks, all of which turned out really well, once we perfected the batter. We've only done ice cream and custards, but I'm excited about doing some sorbets and frozen yogurts.

I think that one negative, which is probably just because I didn't realize what was involved with ice cream making, is that you have to freeze the bowl for 15+ hours before using it - which requires some planning. Also, I'm not sure how it would do if you wanted to make more than one batch at a time - you might have to re-freeze the bowl. The batters require a bit of a learning curve, especially if you're an amateur and learning how to temper eggs! Just search online and you'll be fine... it also takes a little practice. Finally, I was a little suprised when the ice cream never really 'thickened' or completely froze while mixing. My boyfriend told me that it's not supposed to. The maker is just supposed to get it to be like soft-serve and get air into the mix so it's light and creamy. You let the mixer do it's thing, then put it in a container - big, cheap rubbermaid works well - and back in the freezer for a few more hours to harden, especially for batters with a lot of stuff in them - like fruit or bananas. After figuring all that out, we discovered that it makes delicious (all natural, organic, corn-free, etc...) ice cream!

Very easy to use (I already love my Kitchen Aid anyway). I wish it came with more recipes.

I ordered the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker after reviewing dozens of ice cream makers. It performs perfectly each time (I've made 5 different ice creams and sorbets in 5 weeks) and is easy to use. I've sent this as a gift on two occasions and the recipients have been pleased with it as well. Several reviewers have offered helpful suggestions, and to those I would add cooling your custard by putting the pan in a half-filled sink of cold water and stirring for a minute or two. Then it only takes about 15 minutes in the fridge before it's ready to go into the ice cream maker. I'll also recommend Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer for great recipes.

Like other consumers we now found out too that this product is garbage. Followed all instructions to the letter and allowed the bowl to sit in the drop freezer for 24 hours while the ice cream mixture sat in the fridge for same amount of time. The bowl thaws before the ice cream can thicken. It never got better than milk shake consistency. So back in the box it went and shipped back for a refund. Terribly disappointing product from Kitchenaid.

Of all the kitchen aid add-ons this is the best. Makes smooth creamy ice cream fast with out the mess of salt and ice.

Purchased this unit on recommendation of Cook's Illustrated. The first unit received did not work! It is not very complicated, but it simply did not freeze ice cream. The replacement unit works wonderfully. The ice cream/gelatos are superior than those made with our Cuisinart unit. I have yet to fill this unit without a bit of spillage. That said, I am very satisfied.

Although not convinced that this would replace the old electrical one we had. I am now. Follow the directions and your ice cream will turn out wonderful - mine did.