Ice cream makers have been the "ice breaker" at many of our summer parties for friends and families. There's nothing like a shared task to bring people together and get them started talking. And if that task involves the preparation of food, it does seem to bring out the best in them! Children always love to pour the simple ingredients into the ice cream maker and the watch as it magically turns into delicious ice cream.

If you live on Cape Cod or visit it regularly, I know you've been to the Four Seas Ice Cream Shop, which is a Cape Cod legend. Several years ago the owner Dick Warren published his recipes in a book "The Idiot's Guide to Homemade Ice Cream." Since that time it has become our bible for making ice cream. His Simple Vanilla Ice Cream has since delighted many folks at our summer barbecues. The ingredients couldn't be simpler: 5.5 C. Heavy Cream, 1.25 C. Sugar and 2 Tsp. Vanilla. When the ice cream is finished I scoop it into homemade pizzelle bowls and top with fresh strawberries from my garden and real whipped cream. For the chocolate lovers I always include a chocolate sauce.

Some folks want to go way back to the beginning of ice cream making and get a hand-crank ice cream maker. I honestly don't get that. I've made ice-cream that way and I've then tasted it. I don't think it tastes any better. And I don't know anyone who has the strength or patience to crank for that long. I think that these ice cream machines should go the way of the butter churn.

Then there's the ice cream makers that have to have salt and ice. Not such a big deal if you get in the habit of keeping enough salt in your pantry. And make enough ice ahead of time. It can be a pain in the summer getting ice home from the grocery store before it melts.

You also have to consider how long the ice cream chamber needs to be frozen. For some units it's about 8 hours between batches. So it's necessary to purchase additional chambers if you want to make more or different flavors. If you use a compressor model you don't have to refreeze the unit.

Make up to 1.5 quarts of ice cream in about 20 minutes with the 1-1/2 Quart Autuomatic Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. It's a really convenient ice cream maker because you don't need any salt or ice. Just a few less things to think about on busy days. You do have to remember to put this ice cream maker's chilling chamber in the freezer for 8 hours. This is the time it takes the liquid between it's walls to freeze. And that's why you don't need to remember to make or pick up ice. The transparent top makes it easy to monitor your progress. The top locks into place for added safety. The ice cream chamber is non-stick, to help with clean up. And you get an ice cream recipe book.

The 4-Quart Automatic Hamilton Beach Ice-Cream Maker 68330R is a great choice if you like to feature ice cream making at your summer barbecues and parties. You can make up to 4 quarts of ice cream in under 40 minutes. With is model you do have to have salt and ice, so put it on the shopping list or to do list. If you're an ice cream gourmet, you'll just keep salt in your pantry! In addition to ice cream, you can make frozen yogurt, custard, sherbet, and gelato. Twenty recipes are included in a booklet.

This Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker features a commercial style compressor so you don't have to prefreeze the ice-cream chamber. These means you can make batch after batch of ice cream. The capacity however is only 1-1/2 quarts. So you may have to keep making batch after batch of ice cream, even if you're making the same flavor. One of the nicer features is the ingredient spout so it's easy to add ingredients like chocolate chips or blueberries.

Make one quart of gelato in about 30 minutes with the Lello Gelato Junior. Gelato in Italian means frozen, it does not mean gelatin. There is a misconception that Italian gelato includes gelatin, it doesn't. Sometimes eggs are used, but gelato is just the name for an ice cream like dish that comes out of Northern Italy. The consistency may seem a bit denser because it is usually whipped to be less than 55 percent air. The Lello Gelato Junior is compressor driven so you don't need to pre-freeze the ice cream bucket.