Ice Cream Makers
Amazon.comIf you feel slightly panicky if you don't have a quart of your favorite flavor in the freezer at all times, then it might be time to spring for an ice cream maker. What distinguishes homemade ice cream from even the fanciest super-premium brands is its extraordinarily fresh taste. You will also never have to worry about what's for dessert again.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN ICE CREAM MAKER

Most ice cream recipes make 1 to 1 1/2 quarts, so look for a machine that can handle that capacity. And the simpler it is, the better: A rocket scientist would have a tough time figuring out how to assemble some of the models out there, and lost or damaged parts can be a pain to replace. Ease of use, no-fuss cleanup, storage space and noise were other key considerations in the price categories below.

THE BEST INEXPENSIVE ICE CREAM MAKERS

Both the Cuisinart ICE-20 1 1/2-quart ice cream maker (under $60 at amazon.com) and the Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-quart ice cream maker (about $67 from amazon.com) are gel-cannister ice cream makers, which means they come with an insulated workbowl that must be "prefrozen" before using, so it pays to plan ahead -- or keep the bowl in the freezer as a matter of course. Custard and mix-ins are easy to add through an opening in the top, and you'll scream "Ice cream!" about 20 minutes later. I wouldn't describe either machine as quiet, but they perform well: The finished ice cream is smooth and creamy.

If you already have a KitchenAid stand mixer, then the KitchenAid KICA0WH ice cream maker attachment (about $59 from amazon.com) might be the ideal solution for you, especially if your kitchen is short on storage space. Another gel-canister model, it can produce 2 quarts of creamy, light, almost mousselike goodness in under 20 minutes, and cleanup is easy. The downside? Because of the stand mixer's design, pouring custard into the bowl requires a little concentration and finesse.

PRICIER ICE CREAM MAKERS

Genius chef Bill Smith cranks out some of the best ice cream on the planet at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He swears by White Mountain electric ice cream freezer/makers ($199.99 for the 6-quart model; $189.99 for the 4-quart) that he orders from Red Hill General Store in Hillsville, Virginia.

The Lello 4070 Gelato Junior (about $170 at amazon.com), like the following machines in this category, is self-cooling, with a built-in compressor freezer. Junior is a heavy little brute and the feed tube is on the small side, but it makes 2 quarts of ice cream in about 30 minutes. The creamy, dense end result is very similar to gelato.

The Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme ($248 from amazon.com) takes almost twice as long to churn as the other machines here, but makes multiple batches of mousselike ice cream without overheating.

Lello's 4080 Musso Lussino 1.5-quart ice cream maker ($699 at amazon.com) is sleek yet sumptuous-eye candy for the kitchen counter. Relatively quiet, it still has lots of power under the hood for multiple batches, and it effortlessly produces 11/2 quarts of airy-but-creamy ice cream in about 30 minutes. A toy this expensive shouldn't really have a downside, but the fact that the machine is heavy and that the bowl is nonremovable make both removing the ice cream and cleaning the bowl a bit of a chore.

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