Review of the Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker (The Ice Cream Ball)

Nothing soothes on a hot summer day like a rich and delicious bowl of ice cream. Personally, I have always been a fan of making my own ice cream. When I was a little girl, I used an old crank ice cream maker with my grandmother. Later, I had purchased an electric machine that I was fairly satisfied with. When the electric machine finally broke, I bought a Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker, more commonly known as the Ice Cream Ball.

The Ice Cream Ball is available on amazon.com for about $30. It is a non-electric ice cream maker that has improved on the fun of making this delicious summer treat. The maker is obviously in the shape of a ball. The ball comes in a variety of colors: blue, green, orange, pink, purple, red, and crystal clear. You put your rock salt and ice in one end and put your ice cream mix or recipe in the other end. While you can use ice cream mixes that you can buy at the store, the recipes don't have to be complicated to make great ice cream in this machine. Our favorite recipe for this machine just consists of vanilla, cream, and sugar. After the ingredients are put into place, you shake the ball or play with the ball for 30 or 40 minutes until you have wonderful homemade ice cream.

The ball itself weighs about three pounds empty, but full it tops out at about 9lbs. So, while you can't really throw the ball too far, the kids will enjoy rolling it around on the floor or in the grass to really shake it up. Don't worry the Ice Cream Ball is made of a strong polycarbonate and as rough as we have been on ours, it is still in great shape. Like other ice cream makers, you must be sure to mix the ice cream up enough by playing or shaking the ball for around 30 minutes or more, otherwise your dessert will be soupy!

The best thing about it is because it requires no electricity; you can take it to the park, on camping trips, or even out on the boat! My only complaint is that it only makes a small amount of ice cream (1 quart or less) so each batch will only serve two or three people. However, with all the exercise you can get playing with the ball, you may not even feel guilty about rewarding yourself with your ice cream creation!