| The ice cream maker, whether hand cranked or | | | | And the few mechanical complaints you do read |
| electric, does something few other appliances can; | | | | about are always motor failure related. |
| and that is to grace you with memories of great | | | | A hand crank machine, having fewer moving parts, |
| tasting ice cream and the fun you had making it for | | | | will be less prone to service interuptus. |
| years to come. | | | | Portability |
| If memory serves, the first ice cream maker my Dad | | | | Since a hand cranked model requires no electricity |
| bought some forty odd years ago was a four quart | | | | you can take it anywhere. If you're going out for the |
| electric with a blue plastic tub (manufacturer | | | | day on a picnic you can put the mixture in a plastic |
| unknown) which reliably served up gallon after gallon | | | | bag and throw it in the cooler. For longer trips you |
| of the most God awful ice cream I ever tasted. | | | | can cook the mix fresh on a camp stove. |
| Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the machine's fault. | | | | Speed |
| The problem was Dad's relentless pursuit of the | | | | By speed I mean the time it takes to crank out a |
| perfect Tutti Frutti recipe - whatever that is. | | | | batch of ice cream. Most electric models take about |
| Thankfully, my brother got his own place and picked | | | | half an hour before they stop - signaling completion. |
| up a 6 quart White Mountain hand cranker at a flea | | | | While a hand crank mixer can finish the job in as little |
| market. Plain old vanilla never tasted so good. | | | | as twenty minutes if you have the right person |
| Aside from the obvious difference between manual | | | | cranking away. |
| and electric power, there are some other differences | | | | Cost |
| you may or may not have thought about. | | | | There aren't a lot of choices as far as manufacturers |
| Noise | | | | go, but the 4 quart White Mountain hand crank |
| It's amazing how important the noise level, or the | | | | freezer for example runs $15 - $30 less than the |
| lack thereof, of a particular product is in influencing | | | | similar sized electric driven model. |
| someone's buying decision. If you think a space | | | | Fun |
| heater is noisy, an electric ice cream maker will drive | | | | I think watching my 8 year old great nephew with |
| you to distraction. | | | | biceps like pepperoni sticks cranking away with both |
| Equipment Failure | | | | hands with that determined look on his face is |
| Most ice cream maker complaints are the result of | | | | something I'll remember long after the whine of an |
| operator error rather than mechanical breakdown. | | | | electric motor fades from memory. |