Product Description

The Rival Company Model# 8550-X 5-Qt. Deluxe Ice Cream Maker

5 QT, Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker, Auto Shut Off When Ready, Includes Recipes, High Quality Wood Bucket.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9740 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: WOOD
• Brand: Rival
• Model: 8550-X
• Released on: 2005-11-15
• Dimensions: 11.60" h x 12.70" w x 12.70" l, 9.30 pounds

Features

• Electric ice cream maker makes 5 quarts of ice cream or frozen yogurt
• Pine bucket is bound with plated wire for a traditional look
• High-torque motor shuts off automatically when freezing is complete
• Includes metal can, plastic cover, dasher, cork stopper
• Bucket measures 10 by 11-1/2 inches; 1-year warranty

Amazon.com Review
While this wooden ice cream maker looks old-fashioned, it's actually electric, taking the arm work out of the whole process. In just 20 to 40 minutes, the maker produces up to five quarts (approximately 40 servings) of ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt. The high-torque motor shuts off automatically when freezing is complete. All that's required is rock salt, ice, and the desired mixture of any flavor (a recipe booklet is included). The Rival ice cream maker consists of the motor unit, a 10-by-11-1/2-inch wooden bucket, a metal ice cream can with plastic lid, a cork stopper for the hole in the lid, and a plastic dasher with a metal shaft. A latch system secures the motor unit to the bucket, and a 45-inch cord allows good reach to a power outlet.

To make good old vanilla ice cream, spiced cider sorbet, frozen strawberry yogurt, and many other tasty treats, the mixture is poured into the metal can, the dasher inserted, lid placed on, and motor unit engaged with the dasher shaft. The dasher does not turn during the freezing process; rather, the can turns around the dasher. Layers of ice and rock salt inside the wooden bucket around the can keep the temperature low enough to freeze the mixture. In case of leakage through the wooden bucket, it's a good idea to have newspaper or a plastic tub underneath. To harden ice cream, the dasher is removed after churning is complete, the cork stopper inserted into the lid, and ice and rock salt are packed over the entire can for a couple hours. All the parts except the motor unit should be washed and dried by hand. Rival covers the ice cream maker with a one-year warranty. --Ann Bieri

From the Manufacturer
Make ice cream the old-fashioned way, with this traditional, wood-bucket ice-cream maker. The bucket is constructed of pine and bound with plated wire. All you need is rock salt, ice, and your favorite recipe. Make ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. An automatic shut-off feature provides added convenience. This model makes up to five quarts or 40 servings of ice cream.

Customer Reviews

Great machine for the price!
I have made probably 30 batches of ice cream since I bought this machine about one and a half years ago. It makes a batch in about 20 minutes and, if you follow the directions, (which are easy), you get perfect ice cream every time! It comes with a recipe book too. I would highly recommend making the vanilla ice cream and adding two very ripe bananas and two ripe mangos. You won't be disappointed! Good quality all around!

Stirring part broke on first use
I used crushed ice, but the ice seemd to clog the motion during the first use. The main plastic stir part broke on first use. I keep searching the internet for the part. Like previous reviews, the bottom froze, but the top was very liquid. After re-freezing, the end result was quite good. The Cookies & Creme recipe was easy for my 12 yr old son to make. As of now, this is expensive for a one-time use. I can't understand why the most important part was plastic

Badly engineered
As several others have stated this thing is pure junk. The bucket did leak and the instructions do advise to soak it ahead of time. Thats crazy. The process requires melted ice water to fill the bucket to transfer the cold and also to prevent the ice from freezing to the inner metal can. It will not freeze correctly with out it (also in the instructions)

BUT... my main gripe is the poor design of the paddle to socket connection. The paddle shaft is aluminum and mine (like several others here) stripped out on the very first use as the connection is too short to properlly engage the scocket. The result was metal shavings from the rounded off shaft in the ice cream and hard freeze around the outside with liquid in the center as the paddle was stuck.

I did follow all supplied instructions. This is simply a poorly designed product. If I could give it 0 stars I would!