Over all this is a really fun way for kids (and adults of course) to make ice cream. You fill the outer ball with rock salt and ice cubes. The metal inner core gets the ice cream base. It seals up pretty well without leaking (but I would make sure that parents are involved in the sealing to make sure it does not spill all over). You children then shake shake shake the ball until it makes ice cream. I found it works best to have multiple kids working on the ball so that they don't get tired. You need 30-45 minutes of really good shaking to get ice cream to form. Three to four kids playing toss and what not seems to work the best and fastest. Durability I have been using this for two summers now with no problems with durability. The outer plastic ball looks a little scuffed up but the inside and metal core where the actual food goes look great. Ease of Cleaning Cleaning is probably the hardest part about this, which isn't all that difficult. I just wish it was a little easier to wash it all out or put it in the dishwasher. Capacity The capacity on this is pretty small, which is fine since it's more of an activity than not.

eponas

USA

I look for ways my kids can interact with food, so this seemed like a great fit. It was easy to use-who can't knock a ball around? but overall the plastic scraper didn't work very well, and the ice cream itself was passable, but not super great. I'm sure more time and recipe experimentation will help. We're not throwing it out any time soon, but we're not making ice cream every week either. Performance It got cold, and made decent enough ice cream, just like it's supposed to. Durability For some reason, my kid plays with it more empty than when we're trying to make ice cream. It has handled getting knocked around very well. Ease of Use Pour in ingredients, add ice, shake it around for a while. That part really couldn't be easier. Ease of Cleaning The ice cream compartment was fine, it was actually the ice/salt section that was difficult to rinse completely. Capacity One quart is more than enough for 3 of us, and the leftovers don't take up much freezer space. I'm happy with the size. Design It's a basic ball with two compartments. The lids tighten pretty well, and we haven't had any leaks or other problems so far.

smithmm12

USA