Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker (The Ice Cream Ball) Reviews

• I'm not unreasonable, but this sucks.

  
  By AA0FC05YW6I4O on 2005-11-06
  I'm not unreasonable, but I'm apparently the only one who thought this ice cream ball was crummy. I bought it for my three young children and I to make ice cream, and found it to be a pain. First, the capacity is only 2 cups, which is not a lot. Second, ice cubes from a standard ice cube tray are too large to fit into the opening for the ice and salt. You either have to have a crushed ice ice maker, purchase comercial ice or spend 15 minutes crushing the ice with a meat tenderizer mallet, like I did. I hoped that 5 ice trays of ice would be enough ice, but you need at least twice that much to keep the ball filled for the time required.
  
  The instructions for the ball say that after ten minutes of mixing, to stir the ice cream. Sounds easy, but after you pry the lid off (with a special wrench they include with the ball so the ice cream mix can splatter everywhere) you have less than a 3 inch diameter to stir ice cream which is liquid on the inside core and frozen solid on the metal wall of the chamber six or seven inches deep. But wait, don't use anything metal to chip the rock hard stuff into the liqid stuff! I tried a silicon spatulta, a wooden spoon, and eventually took the silicone head off the first spatula and scraped the sides with the wooden handle wedge. (My neighbor and I both tried making ice cream and stiring every 5 minutes instead, didn't help to hard ice cream mixing very much.)
  
  Of course, you get ice cream dripping down the sides, but the ball has little raised decorative ledges that catch the drips and funnel them into tight angled crevices that you need to use a mashed up paper towel corner, or a sharp knife tip with a dishcloth stretched over it to get out so you don't end up rolling sticky ice cream batter into what ever surface you are playing with the ball on. There are mini chocolate chips stuck in some of those grooves I haven't been able to get out after multiple washings, as well.
  
  If you get this far, the end result is not very creamy or very smooth. We tried rolling, shaking, tossing, in many different combos and still couldn't get smooth textured ice cream. The recipes enclosed that I tried tasted cheap and not like any ice cream I'd pay for twice. I tried my own recipes, but the inability to mix adequately through the small opening into the deep canister made for hard crystal type lumps.
  
  Overall, it may be a fun novelty for children, but it is a pain in the rump to use. You can do the same thing for a lot less with the same 2 cup capacity with a gallon and quart ziplock bag and just squishing it. I wish we had put the thirty bucks towards a hand crank or electric freezer, instead.
  
  

• Have a Ball!! (and make ice cream)

  
  By A2UOLGKD8UNNQB on 2006-05-18
  I received the Ice Cream Ball (in Green) for Mother's Day after I mentioned it would be fun to have when I saw it on the Food Network. Even though it does not make a large amount of ice cream, it makes enough to satisfy one's cravings without going to all the trouble of a normal ice cream maker. You put ice and rock salt in one end and the ice cream mix in the other. I made vanilla the first time. Then my family and I went outside and rolled the ball, tossed it short distances to one another (it is much too heavy with all the ice to throw far,) and generally shook the heck out of it. I did have to drain the melted ice once and refill with more ice and rock salt. After 20-25 minutes I opened the ice cream container and ice cream had been made. It was a little soupy in the middle, but I had to scrape the sides to get the solid portion out. If I would have "played" with the ball a little more all of the mix would have been solid. This method of making home-made ice cream definately would not work for a large number of people or a b-day party. But it works to satisfy a craving for 1-3 people. I guess you could say that you burned enough calories making the ice cream, that you should not feel guilty eating it!!
  
  

• neat idea, just doesn't work well

  
  By A5N60O5P83HSX on 2006-07-04
  I got this for Christmas, and finally got around to using it this summer. It's a great idea (one of the 2 stars), and on the box it looks very easy to just kick or toss around and make ice cream! However, it is HEAVY once it is loaded with ice, salt, and cream ingredients. If you tried to kick it, you'd break a toe. It's quite a workout to toss around, which can be a good thing, so there's the other star.
  However, after a half hour of hard work, we ended up with some soupy sweet cream in the middle of the container (softer than a milkshake) and some rock-hard ice sort-of-cream around the edges. It was difficult to get the hard parts off the edges of the container, and even though anything with that much fat and sugar has to taste good, the texture left a lot to be desired.
  No stars for the actual ice cream part of this ice cream maker. Get a nerf ball instead if you want something to throw around, and buy some "slow churned" ice cream that's healthier and tastes much better.
  
  

• Works, but ouch & are we done yet?

  
  By ALSCZHYMC5JVD on 2006-12-06
  A family member bought the large size for a summer get-together. It worked and the ice cream was great, but there are drawbacks. We found we wanted gloves to protect ourselves from the cold of the ball and from the hard edges of its outer structure. The kids (ages 7 & younger) quickly gave up & the adults were left to suffer through it. I suppose pre-teen boys might enjoy it despite the drawbacks.
  
  Pros: Makes homemade ice cream
  Keeps the kids busy for a while
  
  Cons: Pain & cold
  Kids give up before it's done
  
  Alternative: Cuisinart automatic. Benefit: Let the machine do the work.
  
  

• Ice cream ball anything but fun

  
  By A1VJRS00TS5QOL on 2006-06-29
  Bought one for Mother's Day. Used it once. Disaster. Messy. Takes too long. Kids lose interest quickly. Difficult to remove ice cream from container. And, worst of all, it was near impossible to remove the cap from one end of the thing in order to clean it. One of the most disappointing products I have ever purchased.
  
  
• Play & Freeze Ice Cream Ball a Big Hit!
  By A1IOWE0LX334HK on 2006-08-09
  Thank you Onlinecomponents! I received my first Ice Cream Ball only two days after I ordered it on Amazon. I took it camping with my family as a suprise about a week later. My two little boys were memorized with the ball, and after about 20 minutes of playing around in the grass, we all shared some of the best homemade ice cream I have ever tasted! My family enjoyed it so much that I came back to ordered the new MEGA ball and can't wait to try it. I would highly recommend this product to anyone who loves fun and ice cream -what a treat!
  
  
• Too much fun!!
  By A3ENE1WGLLLLSS on 2006-06-10
  I bought this for my kids age 3 and 5 and we have had so much fun with it. We took it to a park and played with it and then enjoyed the ice cream. The kids loved the ice cream in fact my 5 year old, who loves vanilla ice cream, said it was the best ever! I like that it encourages fun, team work (it is a little heavy for the smaller kids), and exercise while having a special treat. Highly recommended!
  
  
• Experienced user tells his tale....
  By AVEV8VQO542TI on 2005-11-12
  Ok....I'm now on my second Ice Cream Ball but its not the ball's fault....you see we were making ice cream at the summit of Monadnock (NH), tossing the ball back and forth as we enjoyed the weather and scenery and looking forward to our reward for making it to the top. Jake had a momentary lapse of concentration and my toss went right by him and over the side. We watched it roll down the side of the cliff out of of grasp... I didn't care that we lost our favorite ice cream maker....I JUST WANTED MY PINT OF ICE CREAM!!! Its a good thing we had a few granila bars left to give us strength to make it back down. I ordered another blue beauty as soon as I got home.
  
  Bottom line....in the past 6 months I've used this thing:
  1) Hiking,
  2) Camping
  3) Boating (yes the thing floats!) - if you have a net you can tow it behind the boat to make ice cream.
  4) Bowling in the back yard
  5) Playing hot potato with my little bro and sis
  6) RV camping
  Anywhere you have ice, you can have great ice cream.
  Peace!
  
  
• You wonder why you didn't think of it first...
  By A2GMWRJ5T5ZSF3 on 2006-05-26
  i don't usually get excited about products...but the play and freeze really puts even more fun into ice cream, and i thought that would be hard.
  
  thirty-five minutes of fun, rolling, light tossing, and shaking the ball produces amazingly heavenly ice cream. me and a couple of friends made insanely good strawberry ice cream in a field in Marysville as we picked the strawberries and rolled the ball along with us.
  
  half the people who saw it wanted to know what it was, but everyone who sampled the devilishly simple concoction of sugar, fresh Washington strawberries, cream, and a dash of mint extract wanted to know where to get one. in short, a fun device that makes ice cream that bests anything my stupid hand-crank machine could ever make. even on a half-milk half-cream mix, it produces lovely, hard but just airy enough ice cream. i'm taking it to Georgia in August when i go on vacation. i can't wait to throw it around a peach orchard!
  
  
• Seems overpriced
  By A3KP4ZBOGUU4VD on 2006-07-18
  Sure, it's fun to make ice cream this way once in a while as a novelty, but I've been making ice cream in a similar fashion just using a pair of emptied out coffee cans (nest the little one inside the big one, with the salt and ice packed between them) for years. I guess what you're getting for your $30 is something that's cuter than a coffee container. Personally, I'd pass on the cuteness and pocket the $30.
  
  
  
• Does what its supposed to... and fun.
  By ACL1708FIXCFD on 2006-07-13
  Rube Goldberg device (as stated in a snarky review below)? Give me a break. Heads up, food snobs: This isn't a Kitchen Aid. In case the pictures didn't clue you in.
  
  It makes a quart of ice cream. Good for portion control and satisfying cravings. And rolling the ball around with the wife made for a good little workout. Sort of like a medicine ball, but with this one you eat back the calories you've burned.
  
  And its fun to chase the dogs through the house with is ball of rolling noise!
  
  Not for a family of 40. Not for the National Ice Cream Eating Contest.
  
  Tip: Like with anything, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.
  
  It says roll the ball for 10 minutes, stop and scrape the sides. It is pretty amazing how thick the sides became on our first try (and considering that it was over 100 degrees outside testament to the cooling feature).
  
  Scraping the sides keeps the ice cream from being overly "soupy" as complained about below. During the remaining 5-10 (we only went 5 as we were hungry) minutes of rolling.
  
  Then PRESTO! Good soft-serve quality ice cream. Not Ben and Jerry's. Not Italian Gelato. Good soft ice cream that was made in 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of work out.
  
  Don't use anything bigger than mini chips as they tend to suffer from centripetal forces and don't evenly spread through the ice cream.
  
  Are there better ice cream makers? Yes. Is this one fun and worth the money/effort? Certainly. Maybe there is a Rube Goldberg quality to it. But that gives it the charm.
  
  
• Hey, this is fun and makes great ice cream too!
  By A3LGV5SLXFKR9Y on 2006-06-28
  Well, I saw a demonstration of the Play and Freeze and just had to buy one. I was a little concerned, thinking it would find its way into my ever-so-tiny pantry and never get used. Boy was I wrong. When my friend and her daughter visit, the first thing the daughter asks is if we can make some ice cream. It is very easy to make up the basic ice cream, and at that point, you are only limited by your imagination as to what flavor you make. Our favorite so far has been made with shredded coconut! Yum. After putting the cream in the cylinder, it is simply a matter of filling the ball with ice and rock salt, then let the fun begin. We have mostly rolled the ball back and forth, so as not to accidentally drop it. We have played games while rolling the ball back and forth and just had a great time interacting. After one check at about 10 minutes, you scrape the cylinder and add more ice, then just a few more minutes and you have the best ice cream ever. I love this product for not only the ice cream, but for the old-fashioned human interaction outlet it provides, without electronics!
  
  
• Cannot remove the seals!
  By AIQKL8427LXMI on 2007-07-21
  I am a homeschooling mom who purchased this item this summer to make ice cream with my child. It worked wonderful, but we are completely unable to get the seal holding the saltwater undone from the container.I had two strong men and my contractor, who used torque, try to remove the seal and couldn't get it to budge. We are sitting here with an item we have used once and can't use again.We have contacted the company, who made recommendations,which we tried to no avail and when asked for a replacement, recieved no reply. They have been unresponsive to us since. A bad, bad deal!
  
  
• A coffee can will do the same thing.
  By A47YAFT67TGC6 on 2006-08-08
  Save your money. We made ice cream in Girl Scouts by filling a coffee can with ice and rock salt and putting a smaller can inside that with the ice cream ingredients. That won't cost you anything or if it does, at least you get coffee. You can use any two air tight containers and put on in the other.
  
  
• We luv'd this thing
  By A3IV05BUNW3UEU on 2006-05-22
  We took this to our company picnic and followed the directions that came with it....shazam!!! it was like having a gourmet dessert in 15 minutes from scratch! We'll be using it at our next picnic.....I just may get another so we have enough for the whole family. (We like alot of ice cream)
  
  
  
• Ice Cream Ball review
  By A2MQQW1AZ4TANI on 2005-12-10
  I liked the ice cream ball. It makes delicious vanilla ice cream with little work. Myself and my children shook and rolled it for about 8 minutes and them we just let it sit for a while to stay cold in the refrigerator. I then took it out, shook it some more, stirred it with a small wooden spoon and served it up (this worked for us). It was very good with half and half, but would probably be more creamy with cream. There are two things I would change about it: the company should include some kind of scooping device that will easily scrape the frozen ice cream off the sides without ruining the barrel, also I would make the opening for the ice a little bigger to accommodate regular size ice cubes. Crushed ice works the best, but you may have to buy it. Overall, we enjoyed this item and it was pretty easy to use and clean up. It makes 1 pint of ice cream which was well enough for three children or a couple adults. If it had a scooper and a wider opening for the ice I would have given it a 5 stars.
  
  
• Fun for kids and grownups both!
  By A1CN7DDERU5214 on 2006-07-17
  I brought a Play and Freeze to a party and it was a big hit with everyone. The older girls, ages 5 and 3, in particular enjoyed rolling the ball back and forth across a rug in the kitchen. Grownups took turns shaking the ball and throwing it back and forth. The bigger kids seemed pleased to be strong enough to shake it and be involved in the process.
  
  We made vanilla ice cream, following the recipe that came in the box, and after 20 minutes or so of rolling and tossing the result was great, tasty and creamy. We were all excited.
  
  A pint of ice cream was enough for five adults and several children, as we had it along with other desserts that the families had brought.
  
  The process was a big part of the fun. The kids were so engaged in the idea of making ice cream, and they came up with games as they rolled the ball to each other. So this was a group activity as well as a taste treat. I'd recommend it highly to families and friends.
  
  
• Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker
  By A35Z6YMCEJBLL1 on 2007-09-06
  I got this so I could make ice cream with my grandkids. First let me say that I used the recipe that it came with and made the chocolate chip one. It turned out fabulous. My grandchildren loved it and one said that she had never had any ice cream this good ever...even store bought. She is 11 years old!
  
  My grand children ranged in age from 11 to 2 1/2. The 2 1/2 was not at all interested in doing it (but did like eating it). The ll, 8 and 6 year olds did like doing it, though the 6 year old stopped for awhile. They made up games as time went on. They would sing songs while doing it. I turned on a cable music channel and would mute it as they played "musical ball" with it. The last thing they did was whoever the ball would be rolled to, would add a word to a sentence. They made up a story as they went.
  
  All this being said, the thing that I did not like the most was that the ice cream really stuck to the sides and made scrapping down almost impossible without carefully using a kitchen table knife (which it says not to). Having some arthritis in my thumbs did not help the matter. It was a bit messy too.
  
  Also be sure to check the top, periodically, to be sure it's still tight as it seemed to loosen as the ice cream cooled and started to leak a bit. I used 3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup milk and it took 45 minutes to make, plus the break in between to scrape down, and add more ice* and salt. It got to be a long time for the kids and ended just about the right time for the older ones as they were tiring of it too.
  
  *Ice...have plenty or buy a bag of ice. I have an electric ice maker and started with a full container of ice and it nearly wiped out all my ice. It took 3 days to get back to a full bucket again (with using ice normally each day).
  
  I was surprised how it fed all the kids (5 & me) and there was still a cereal bowl left over for their parents to try. I am a big ice cream eater, but was satisfied with less...I think it's due to being so much richer then store bought, so I didn't want/need as much to satisfy my "ice cream" tooth!
  
  
• Dad loves it!
  By A3GL40VVVTV4NR on 2005-11-12
  Great way to spend time with the kids....especially if ice cream is what you like. We found the directions easy to follow and the results great! We invented a recipe that you may not want to share with the kids....Kahlua and creme....Use about 1/4 cup Kahlua instead of the same amount of half n half and you end up with a savory fare! This ball is going to make my holiday shopping a bit easier as we know what to get for those who are tough to buy for.
  
  Also try the strawberry recipe that comes with it....
  
  
• I luv this thing!!!! (Don't drop it on your foot)
  By A2J5TW7FAMAJ2V on 2005-07-09
  We got this for the kids and have now bought a second that we can use for the "adult activities". It makes a mean Strawberry Dacquiri with the fresh strawberries now in season. It also helps build muscles when you are playing with the ball as it weighs about 5 lbs when filled! We have a ball when we use it.
  
  
• Had fun in the pool on the 4th!!!
  By A32O6PJ5ZE8BBS on 2005-07-05
  This thing is pretty neat. I don't think they intend it to be used this way but we made 2 batches of great ice cream in our pool today. We played a bit of water polo while making dessert. It seems to work fine regardless of the hot weather and most importantly.....IT FLOATS!!!
  
  
• Fun & easy to use!
  By AJYXQH4BDWE85 on 2005-07-16
  Fun & easy to use, so everyone participated. So easy that we experimented & used it all 4 days of the 4th weekend, never tiring of making or eating the ice cream. Best product!!!!
  
  
• Amazing! Tasty Ice Cream in a Ball!
  By AVTMEYTS5E9W3 on 2005-07-16
  We took this to our company picnic and followed the directions that came with it....shazam!!! it was like having a gourmet dessert in 15 minutes from scratch! We'll be using it at our next picnic.....I just may get another so we have enough for the whole family. (We like alot of ice cream)
  
  
  
• Great Family Fun!
  By A2H0L62H6SL0AO on 2005-09-05
  I got this to take camping with my kids and grandkids. This makes for great family fun with a sweet reward at the end! We had everyone involved, from an almost one year old on up! The three year old loved it. It seems that it will really hold up, and we look forward to using it for many camping trips to come!
  
  
• Get the kids away from the computer games.
  By AMF7EFFVW14UX on 2007-08-30
  I borrowed 3 friends kids ages, 9,11, & 13. They love my house because I'm cool with making a mess. The hot summer made me thing of making ice cream, having something to shake should wear them down, right? Well it does keep them very busy with the shaking and rolling, AND the Mad Scientist part of deciding what flavors to make let them be more creative as well. The resulting flavors were all great and the texture was very thick. As soon as one batch was ready they would scrape it out and start the next one since each kid HAD to have their OWN flavor. I used the 1 quart Glad plastic containers for each batch to store in the freezer.
  The kids need to be at least age 7 and above if they are going to lift and pass it. The ball doesn't roll easily on our lawn but they put a quilt down on the hard wood floor and rolled it to each other. The nice thing is that unlike the electric home ice cream makers you don't have to store in your freezer.
  Maybe a whole class of kindergarten kids could use this by rolling it on the floor.
  
  
• Family fun - with delicious results
  By AYCJVWEJ5RXNR on 2005-04-26
  This item was great fun even just in the living room. Works just like advertised -- pack it with ingredients, roll it around for 20 minutes or so and you've got ice cream. Great for rainy days with the kids -- it gets them away from the video games for a while. It'll be great outdoors this summer too!
  
  
• Don't toss, kick or throw!
  By ABE60T729OSXC on 2007-04-04
  I was a little surprised at the warning when I first read the instructions, but once you fill the MEGA ball with Ice you really won't want to toss, kick or throw this thing anyway. It's 9lbs when filled. Plus the plastic is hard and I imagine would crack of you drop it on another hard surface, or worse it would crack bones in your foot if it landed on it. Even so it was great fun passing and shaking the ball. We used the Strawberry Rival ice cream mix packet along with a mixture of heavy cream, half and half and milk. YUMMY. Took 30 minutes total to freeze. I would recommend the smaller ball for smaller children to help with, even though that is 7lbs filled - still a bit heavy.
  
  
• Our kids love it.
  By A6LGBHEDDU55N on 2007-06-27
  Our girls (ages 5 and 3) really enjoy planning, making and eating the ice cream they make with this ball. The novelty may wear off after a few more uses, but we have already had $30 worth of fun with it. We liked it so much we purchased a second ball for a gift. My only complaint is that the product packaging is slightly larger than the shipping carton used by Amazon. Rather than using a larger shipping box, the Amazon employee simply crushed the packaging to make it fit in the undersized box. While the ball itself arrived undamaged, the product packaging is in such poor shape that my wife is now embarrassed to give the ball as a gift. I'm sure she'll change her mind once she sees my attractive duct tape repair job.
  
  
• COOL!!!!!! Better than Store Bought Ice Cream
  By A19NR0ITMHOI0G on 2005-06-04
  I was a little skeptical of whether the Play & Freeze would work but I'm now a believer! One recommendation is to use Light Cream instead of Half n' Half for richer tasting ice cream.
  
  
• Rip Roaring FUN!!!
  By AUZE79RR98D7P on 2005-06-26
  We bought two of these and used them at our backyard barbeque....made just the right amount of strawberry ice cream for the 7 of us! Use a hard plastic or wooden spoon to scrape the hard ice cream off the can when you mix after 10 minutes. This results in the best consistency of ice cream after another 7 minutes of fun with the ball.
  
  

• Flavor Fountain 4 pack
• Play & Freeze Flavor Fountain - Flavor: Cinnamon Spice
• Play and Freeze Flavor Fountain - Butter Pecan
• Play and Freeze Flavor Fountain -Mango
• Play and Freeze Flavor Fountain -Bubble Gum

• Rival 5-Pound Bag of Rock Salt
• Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book
• Flavor Fountain 4 pack
• Flavor Fountain Ice Cream Flavoring - 1.7oz bottle
• Chocolate Fudge Fountain Flavoring, 1.7 oz.