After rigorous testing by the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute, this ice cream maker proved to be the best because it churns creamy, soft, flavorful ice cream and allows you to make consecutive batches without stopping to refreeze the canister. Its specially designed paddle quickly whipped air into the ingredients for cookies 'n cream, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, resulting in velvety smooth, rich frozen desserts that were far superior to the dense, ice crystal-laden confection produced by lesser models. Panelists lauded the best ice cream maker for its "very flavorful and creamy" frozen custard that demonstrated a "texture and thickness that was the best," while other machines produced ice cream that was "gummy" with "little-to-no taste." Unlike other models that require the mixing bowl to be primed in the freezer for 24 hours, this one's internal freezing mechanism automatically chills the mixing canister to -4° F in minutes, eliminating extended preparation and allowing you to make 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream every 30 minutes. None of the other units recorded higher scores for features; the 25-watt motor crushes chocolate chips and cookies, and the unit comes with 55 recipes for ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, and more. Stainless steel housing and canister wipe clean. 11" H x 18" W x 12" L. (38 lbs.)