I am an ice cream addict. I love, love, love all things ice cream and have spent a considerable amount of dosh on Baskin Robbins, Amy's Ice Cream, Ben & Jerry's and Hagen-Daz. In fact, I really ought to own stock in those companies by now! Unfortunately, it's not so easy to get your hands on good ice cream in central Europe. Oh... there's ice cream... but it's got a bizarre liqueur taste to it and I can't stand it. And if you want Hagen-Daz or Ben & Jerry's it will cost about the same as a new car, being that it's an import that few people are interested in. Therefore, the obvious solution for ice cream addicts is making their own. And guess what? It's EASY. Honestly, it's easy even if you don't have a special machine -- but if you've got a special ice cream maker, it's just that much more fun and a lot less time consuming.

Note: If you love snow cones and slushies, see my Top 5 Snow Cone Machines!

The Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic Ice Cream maker is a very, very popular gadget, and with good reason: it makes 1.5 quarts of ice cream in 20 minutes! 20 minutes!! Unlike some ice cream makers, the Cuisinart ICE-20 doesn't need salt or ice, and it will actually let you choose how hard or soft you want your ice cream to be. You can keep an eye on your ice cream via the transparent top and Cuisinart has even included a recipe book for you to use. Mess free, easy to clean up and very simple to use. Note: This awesome machine also makes frozen yogurt, ice cream, sherbet, sorbet and frozen drinks!

The Cuisinart ICE-30BC ice cream maker is just as popular as the previous model and it does everything the ICE-20 does. The difference? This one is BIGGER and a little fancier looking. 2 quarts of ice cream! Muahahaha! Recommend buying a treadmill with this, as you may need it after awhile!

The Rival Bucket Ice Cream Maker makes 6 quarts of ice cream! Woot! It also makes sorbets and yogurt, if that's your thing. It has a transparent lid to check on the progress of your yummy ice cream, and it's easy to use and clean. You will need ice and salt for this and do be sure your ingredients are already cold and ready for creaming!

The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is awesome -- but please note that this is an ATTACHMENT for those of you who already have a KitchenAid machine. If you've already got one, you are going to love this! It will make you 2 quarts of ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt in only 25 minutes! You have to pre-freeze the bowl for 15 hours (which you could just leave in the freezer when not in use so it's always cold and ready to go) and then the machine pretty much does the rest once you've got your custard ready to go.

The Hamilton Beach Ice-Cream Maker makes 4 quarts of delicious ice cream, frozen yogurt, custard, sherbet, and gelato in 20 to 40 minutes. Simply put your ingredients in, put the parts together, add your salt and ice, and go, go ice cream maker! This little machine is very popular because it works wonderfully and doesn't cost a lot of money.