Customer Reviews:
  Ice cream Ball June 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This works great when you have lots of kids to help you. Let them toss and roll it around. Takes a bit of time and kids may get fidgety we are currently on our second Ice cream ball we got the larger size after our daughter broke the last one on the tile floor. other reviewer said that they kicked it wow !! good luck with that !!!
Everyone in the campground looks forward to when we have Ice cream night ; )
Great in the classroom June 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have used the ice cream ball with many groups of students over the past 3 years with great success. It is quick and takes fairly common household ingredients to make a batch of ice cream. We have made enough in one time around for 8 students to enjoy a small bowl. It is a great learning tool for math as well as motor skills. I was surprised at some of the reviews I read as people indicated it was too heavy to kick for fear of broken toes and too heavy to toss very far. The directions clearly state this ball is not a toy and is only to be rolled. It is not meant to be kicked or thrown. I have found that when the directions were followed, it works well to create a frozen treat in just about any location, (campground, hotel room, backyard, or classroom) that may be desired. I enjoy this product and plan to get many more years of lessons and use from the one I own.
 Not as fun as they say June 17, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great idea in theory. It doesn't take 10mins like the directions say. It takes about 45 mins and you need to keep adding ice and salt. My kids lost interest after about 15 min and I ended up rolling the thing around the house until I gave up and stuck the whole thing in the freezer to finish the job. For as much work as this thing takes you don't get much ice cream as a reward. I'd rather pay $5.00 and buy some ice cream.
 Fun and easy! June 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've used it about 5 times. My son (3 years) and myself roll it back and forth on the floor. It's a very fun alternative to shaking plastic bags or an automatic maker :) Its easy to clean and easy to use, very simple. I would suggest using a long soft scrubber to clean the inside, my hand wouldnt fit in with a sponge well. Also, I found tht using fat free half and half makes a good creamy texture and (obviously) no fat like whole cream! I recommend this highly as a fun toy for summer and a great cooling treat after!
Fun Ice Cream Maker - heavy..but fun June 10, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Keep in mind that you are ordering the larger of the two Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker balls.
1. Size: It is quite large and when filled with the ice cream products and ice/salt, it is quite heavy. Not recommended for little children and their fragile fingers. Because it's heavy, it gathers some momentum and I can see how someone might get their fingers/toes hurt. But the end product is enough to feed 5 people a good coffee cup full of ice cream.
2. Noise: because the ball is larger, it does make a lot more noise. Just with the ice slushing around in there along with the ball rolling on the floor. We have hardwood floors so over the rug, we placed another blanket and rolled the ball around. Luckily, our walls aren't too thing.
3. Ice Cream: I used half n half because I didn't have cream, sugar, vanilla, bananas, strawberries, and chocolate chips. It turned out great! The consistency wasn't like soft serve, but actually more like Breyers ice cream. Light and with a bite to it. PLenty of recipes you can try.
4. Time: It does take longer to make this ice cream. I'd suggest 15 min, scrape down the sides, give it a gentle mix, another 15 minutes and then check it. Depending on how hard you roll and how much ice you put in the beginning, you don't even need to refill it with ice and it's done in 30 minutes.
5. Removing the ice cream: I didn't get a special spoon like someone did with their order from another company... so I used a wooden spoon. Didn't really work ..only with the ice cream in the center. So I had to carefully scrape the ice cream off the walls with a butter knife. Another option is to empty the ice end, and dunk the ball in warm water just for a few seconds. The ice cream on the wall of the cylinder will melt and it will be easier to scoop.
Again, not perfect ice cream and it's not instant...but if that's what you're looking for, why buy an ice cream maker :) It's fun I have to admit, especially since you can get really creative. And we are people in our mid 20s...put on some music and it's pretty fun. So, if you get it while it's on sale, I'd say go for it.
And lastly, if you have kids, I'd stick to the smaller one if you want them to help make the ice cream. This ball gets heavy, gathers momentum and can really easily bruise or sprain a little finger.
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