We have used the Ice Cream Ball twice, and although it makes good ice cream, it is a lengthy and somewhat tedious process as you need to scrape down the sides a few times. It is also a bit difficult to get the ice cream out when it is done.
This is a great product for summer time especially!
I bought this for nieces and nephews to use during the summer when they visit. It's a great product, very durable and easy to use. Follow the instructions and plan on having about an hour to successfully get ice cream.
When you load the ice and cream and sugar into the ball, it is fairly heavy so we basically rolled it around in the grass a lot. The kids will have fun with this but may lose some interest until you tell them the ice cream is almost ready to eat, then they come running immediately!
Don't forget to buy lots of ice and salt for it. LL Bean sells the salt, be sure to look for it.
All said and done, after purchasing the ball, ice, salt, cream and sugar you'll be spending about $50 and you will be able to feed 6-8 people a small serving of ice cream.
OH -- it helps if you open the ball during shaking and stir the ice cream around a bit. You will notice the mixing vessel freezes the ice cream onto the surfaces and unless you stir it up it may take longer to solidify the entire contents!
