YayLabs Play and Freeze Ice Cream Ball Ice Cream Maker

We got this item for Christmas and have had a great time making ice cream. It works well and the ice cream that comes out is surprisingly good. People commented that it was like Breyer's or other store bought ice creams. The product is very sturdy and there is a central compartment to put the ice cream mixture into. The opening for this compartment is on one side of the ball.On the other side of the ball is the opening to the compartment that is within the ball but surrounds the ice cream compartment (the ice cream compartment is like a ball within a ball). You put a mixture of rock salt and water into this compartment. We got rock salt at Home Depot ($7 or so for 20 pounds, a lifetime supply).It does take a while for the ice cream mixture to solidify. We rolled the ball around a lot at the beginning but gave up when it looked like it wasn't working. About a half hour later, however, without rolling for more than 10 minutes at the beginning, we had great tasting ice cream.We purchased the larger unit and I suspect that this is why it took so long but we had plenty of great ice cream in the end. It was fun and really didn't take much work. A little expensive for the large unit but the ice cream really comes out like the stuff you buy in the store.

Keep in mind that you are ordering the larger of the two Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker balls.1. Size: It is quite large and when filled with the ice cream products and ice/salt, it is quite heavy. Not recommended for little children and their fragile fingers. Because it's heavy, it gathers some momentum and I can see how someone might get their fingers/toes hurt. But the end product is enough to feed 5 people a good coffee cup full of ice cream.2. Noise: because the ball is larger, it does make a lot more noise. Just with the ice slushing around in there along with the ball rolling on the floor. We have hardwood floors so over the rug, we placed another blanket and rolled the ball around. Luckily, our walls aren't too thing.3. Ice Cream: I used half n half because I didn't have cream, sugar, vanilla, bananas, strawberries, and chocolate chips. It turned out great! The consistency wasn't like soft serve, but actually more like Breyers ice cream. Light and with a bite to it. PLenty of recipes you can try.4. Time: It does take longer to make this ice cream. I'd suggest 15 min, scrape down the sides, give it a gentle mix, another 15 minutes and then check it. Depending on how hard you roll and how much ice you put in the beginning, you don't even need to refill it with ice and it's done in 30 minutes.5. Removing the ice cream: I didn't get a special spoon like someone did with their order from another company... so I used a wooden spoon. Didn't really work ..only with the ice cream in the center. So I had to carefully scrape the ice cream off the walls with a butter knife. Another option is to empty the ice end, and dunk the ball in warm water just for a few seconds. The ice cream on the wall of the cylinder will melt and it will be easier to scoop.Again, not perfect ice cream and it's not instant...but if that's what you're looking for, why buy an ice cream maker :) It's fun I have to admit, especially since you can get really creative. And we are people in our mid 20s...put on some music and it's pretty fun. So, if you get it while it's on sale, I'd say go for it.And lastly, if you have kids, I'd stick to the smaller one if you want them to help make the ice cream. This ball gets heavy, gathers momentum and can really easily bruise or sprain a little finger.

I purchased this as a fun, interactive way for my middle school cooking students to make ice cream. They had a lot of fun rolling the balls around the classroom. There are some easy, tasty recipes included with the ice cream ball. The metal compartment that holds the ice cream is quite small. I know it is a pint, but you spend about 20-30 minutes to only get one pint. You have to scrape the metal holder ever 5-10 minutes, but you need a very sturdy scraper that is not metal. The plastic it is made of, will crack if the users get too rough rolling or shaking them. They are very heavy when filled and can hurt if rolled into your legs.It's a good product with room for improvement. I own 5 of them in a variety of colors and paid about $25 each a few years ago. They are not worth more than that.

I bought 2 of these for 2 of my nephews - ages 13 and 11 as a Christmas present. I didn't see them on Christmas, but my niece was getting married on New Year's Day. I thought it may be interesting to bring the presents to the wedding (so they could finally get their gifts) and bring ingredients to make ice cream. Sounds like a crazy idea, I know. But, I have to tell you what a hit it was with the kids. I put the ingredients into the ball, along with ice, and the kids rolled the ball around on the carpeted floor for about 45 minutes and made pretty good ice cream. It started out with my 2 nephews and the circle grew to 10 kids before it was done! They had a great time and enjoyed some home made ice cream. The videographer and photographer came over to see what was drawing the crowd; and, the bride came over as well. She thought it was a super idea - one that was fun and kept the kids busy for a while. I highly recommend this product.

Great gift for kids and pre teens. promotes exercise/activity before a treat. Easy recipes to follow too.

Santa brought this little ice cream maker to our grandson for Christmas this year. On Christmas morning his mommy filled it with the proper ingredients and he and his Grampy rolled it around in the living room for 25 minutes and we had fresh ice cream on our Christmas breakfast french toast! He was so proud!

バーベキューにはかかせないグッズですね。子どもたちも楽しんでアイスクリーム作れるし。

雪と塩で冷やすだけで、美味しいアイスが作れます。材料をたくさん入れると、うまく固まらないので注意です。あと、意外に重量があるので、足で転がすのは少し大変かもしれません。

This works but it's really not that fun by yourself... i should have thought that through :P