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Specs
- Type: Compressor
- Size: 12.5″ x 10.75″ x 14.25″
- Capacity: 2.1 quarts
- Weight: 24 lbs
- Warranty: 1 year
The Whynter 201-SB is another excellent compressor machine and it’s $400 cheaper than the Lello Musso Lussino. The interface is straightforward, with buttons to toggle different modes, like churn only, freeze only, and the “ice cream” setting (churn and freeze), as well as buttons to start and stop the machine and adjust the time. Because it is a compressor machine like the Lello, no pre-freezing of a canister is necessary—once your base is made and chilled, you can start churning right away, and it turns out perfectly creamy, silky-smooth ice cream in about 30 minutes, with texture that’s almost as good as the Lello.
The bowl lifts out for easy cleaning and, like all the other models, must be hand-washed. The footprint on this machine is also smaller than all of the other compressor models we tried, which are designed with the compressors alongside the churning bowl, making the machines much wider. This Whynter, on the other hand, has the compressor directly under the churning bowl to create a much narrower, but slightly taller body. For those wanting a machine that requires less planning ahead than a canister model, takes less counter space to operate, and is a significant price cut on the Lello, we definitely recommend the Whynter 201-SB.
The construction of the churning paddle is a bit frustrating—the blades on it are fairly close together, which makes scraping the churned ice cream off of it difficult, and it’s also made of plastic, which feels quite flimsy compared to the Lello’s stainless-steel churning blade. And even with its relatively small footprint for a compressor model, this is a large and quite heavy machine that isn’t super easy to move around. Ideally, it’d have a permanent space on your countertop and get frequent use.
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What’s the difference between canister and compressor ice cream makers?
You probably noticed that we’re recommending two very different kinds of ice cream makers that came at two very different price points. These two most popular types of ice cream maker for home kitchens are canister-style machines, and compressor machines.
Canister-style machines are typically made up of four parts: a base that includes the motor, a plastic cover, a dasher or paddle, and then a canister that holds the ice cream base while it’s churned. The canister is heavy, made of aluminum and plastic to seal a nontoxic saline solution (similar to an ice pack) inside the lining. The cream mixture inside the bowl freezes at a lower temperature, stays frozen longer than plain ice. With these machines, it’s absolutely critical that the canister be thoroughly frozen, for 24 hours or more, because it’s this frozen bowl that actually chills the ice cream, frozen yogurt, or gelato during churning. The easiest test is to give the canister a quick shake; if you hear any sloshing at all, it’s not ready. These types of machines are generally less expensive, with great options (such as our top pick) costing between $50-$80.
Compressor machines, on the other hand, require no pre-freezing of the parts. They’re fitted with a refrigeration compressor that uses a coolant to freeze the ice cream as it churns. There are several advantages to these types of machines—they have fewer parts, you don’t have to plan ahead by pre-freezing your canister, you can churn multiple batches in a row without any interruption, and, most importantly, they typically make great ice cream. But they’re quite heavy and all the convenience comes at a cost. Compressor-style ice cream makers typically start at around $250 and go up from there.
How we tested the ice cream makers
We used the same ice cream base to test every machine, taking care to use the exact same weight of each ingredient for every batch. We let every batch cool to room temperature and then put it under refrigeration overnight, fully chilling them to 40°F. We adhered to the manufacturer’s instruction to churn each base to a soft-serve consistency, watching the process closely and taking note of churn time. After these tests, we experimented with other bases, including sorbet and frozen yogurt on high performing machines.