We love this fun product, from the shape and size to how easy it is to use. Read on to get our entire review.
Ice Cream Ball Maker: The Good
The Fun Factor
This product is, quite simply, a fun one for kids to use. It’s not that more traditional methods of making ice cream aren’t fun, but rather that this method is so fun that it’s really quite impressive. The idea that you play with the ball and, thereby, create ice cream is a wonderfully sweet idea, and it’s the kind of thing that kids love!
The Aesthetic
Considering it’s a child’s toy, this product balances form and function brilliantly well. You can use it really easily to make something wonderful, while it also looks really simple, blending in with other kids toys just as much as it might blend in with a colorful kitchen.
Ease Of Use
The ice cream ball maker couldn’t be more simple to use – it’s literally designed for kids! We love that all you have to do is add your ice cream mix to the ball and then allow your kids to play with it in order to make great ice cream. That’s wonderful, and it’s something that we love to see.
The Bad
The Weight/Material Choice
This product is designed to be used by kids, but it is very heavy indeed, especially when filled with ice cream mix. This means that when filled, it could be compared to throwing a heavy bowling ball between people, which obviously isn’t safe. This is necessary to contain all the chemicals needed to make ice cream, but it is also less than ideal.
Capacity
This ice cream ball maker is built to make a pint of ice cream, which really isn’t a lot. It could be a good amount to make for two or three kids that you don’t want to overload with sugar and dairy, but for any greater number than that and it wouldn’t really be enough – especially for adults. There is a larger size, a quart, though that is substantially bigger – to the point that it would likely be too much!
Breakable
As the product is made from plastic in an attempt to reduce its overall weight of it, a number of users and reviewers have found that it is fairly likely to be damaged in the churning process. Throwing the ball around is likely, and if dropped the plastic is quite likely to crack or shatter – not ideal for a food product.
The Verdict
We would say that the ice cream ball maker would be a good purchase for a family event or a similarly large event where there will be several children around. It could make for a fun interactive time – they could choose what flavor to make, and then actually churn and process it themselves!
If you don’t see yourself using it in that context very often, though, we wouldn’t recommend purchasing this product. A countertop ice cream maker at the same price point would likely be ideal for you.