Rival Ice Cream Maker! What a Deal

We owned an electric ice cream maker for years, but the last time we had it out the clear plastic lid broke and we couldn't get it replaced so we threw it out. We have missed our family recipe for Lemon Velvet ice cream, as we make it on special occasions and everyone looks forward to it.

I recently found a Rival Ice Cream Maker, model 8804-BL, at my local Fred Meyer store for only $8!! It was on clearance for $19.99, and all clearance was on sale for 60% off, so it was marked down to only $8, which was too good to pass up.

Description

This definitely does not look like any ice cream maker I have seen in the past 30 years. Most of them are round shaped, but this one is rectangular. The ice bucket is constructed of a thick piece of blue plastic, and the dasher and ice cream can lid is also plastic, the lid being clear so you can see through it.

The cover on the motor drive is also made of white plastic. The version I grew up with was made of metal and wood, but this one still seems to be quite sturdy.

The ice cream maker holds 4 quarts, but Rival also makes an identical looking model that holds 6 quarts. The bucket measures 11" high by 11" wide, and 7" deep. Rival says that the "improved compact design stores easily", and they are correct, it doesn't take up much room.

Easy To Use

There are simple directions that come with the unit, so if you are making ice cream for the very first time, you should have no problems figuring out how to do so. There are recipes printed on the outside of the box, as well as in the manual, which give directions on how to make several different types of ice cream, as well as sorbet, ice milk, strawberry ice and frozen yogurt.

After preparing your ice cream mixture, you pour it into the metal ice cream can to 3/4 full. The liquid will expand as it freezes, so you need to leave some head room. Then you insert the plastic dasher, which has a rounded bottom that fits into a rounded indentation on the bottom of the can. Put the cover on securely, you don't want any rock salt getting into the can, it will totally ruin your ice cream.

When the can is filled and the lid is on, place this in the ice bucket, making sure it's centered and engages the bottom of the bucket. The next step is to place the motor onto the ice cream can cover, and fit four tabs (two on each side) into the four holes in the bucket. and turn it counter clockwise to lock in place.

Next comes the most important part, layer the ice and the rock salt and let the ice cream can turn around it. The dasher does not move, just the can. Continue layering the ice and rock salt until the ice comes up to the level of the can.

Our Experience

While this is a noisy ice cream maker, I have yet to use an electric one that isn't. When we had our large 4th of July barbecue at our home, a friend actually brought over their ice cream maker for us, and it was an old hand cranked version. I haven't used one of those since I was a kid! We used to knock icicles off the house and use for our ice! Anyway, the hand cranked ice cream maker still made a lot of noise, because the ice is continually churning against the metal can. We always make our ice cream outside on the back deck, and the noise is much less noticeable when you are making ice cream outside compared to indoors.

We've only used this once, and it took about 30 minutes for the ice cream to be done and the unit to stop churning. There is no on and off button, you simply plug it in to start the motor, and unplug it to disengage the motor. The directions say that if the maker stops churning before the ice cream is done, check to see if any large chunks of ice are jamming the can. This hasn't happened to us, and the ice cream came out just like it did with our old maker, like soft serve ice cream - just the way we like it. If you like harder ice cream you will need to place the can in the freezer, or pour the ice cream into smaller containers and freeze them.

There are a few precautions to take to be sure that your hard work isn't done in vain. When the ice cream is finished churning, make sure that you clean the top of the can off with a cloth, because during the churning process some rock salt can get thrown up there during the cooling, and it can seep down into your ice cream if you aren't careful. We learned that the hard way years ago! Nothing more disappointing that being ready to eat the fruits of your labor only to have it taste salty.

The directions also give some ideas on how to make the ice cream harder without putting it in the freezer, but we have never done this. They tell you to take the dasher out of the can and replace the cover, then secure plastic wrap over the cover with a rubber band. Drain the salt water out through the drain holes and repack the ice and rock salt layers to cover the entire can this time, including the cover. Cover with a towel to insulate it and let it harden for 2-3 hours.

Care and Cleaning

The motor never needs any lubrication, just wipe the top with a damp cloth. The ice cream can, cover and dasher all have to be washed by hand, the directions say not to put any parts in the dishwasher. You of course need to be sure that all of the salt water is removed from the can, or it can be prone to rusting.

I was pleased to read that this model, as cheap as it was, comes with a auto safety shut off. That means that if you overheat the motor, it will shut itself off. If that happens, you will have to wait about 20 minutes for the unit to cool off before proceeding.

The Rival 8804-BL ice cream maker comes with a one year warranty on parts and labor, and certain restrictions apply.

Closing Thoughts

For the price, this can't be beat. It works as well as our other ice cream maker that we used for years. I am a firm believer that the quality of the ice cream is greatly determined by the recipe you use, the quality of the ingredients, and how well you layer the ice and rock salt, making sure to have the proper proportions.

We rarely use new recipes when we make ice cream, as our Lemon Velvet recipe, handed down from my husbands great grandmother, is second to none. It came out perfectly using this Rival.

I don't think this product was a good seller for Fred Meyer, as they had at least a dozen of them that they were letting go for $8, hard to imagine the store made any profit on that price. But their loss is my gain, and we are very happy with this purchase.