Deni 5205 Automatic Ice Cream Maker Review

A 40-watt motor powers the Deni 5205 Automatic Ice Cream Maker, which also produces sorbet, frozen drinks, and frozen yogurt in 20 minutes or less. Deni 5205 ice cream maker reviews on Amazon and Cookware.com say the process is quick and easy and yields excellent results. Other Deni 5205 ice cream maker reviews, including some on Pricegrabber.com, suggest transferring the finished product to another container for a few hours of down time in the freezer for a firmer consistency. There's no ice-and-rock salt mix required for this cheap ice cream maker, but the double-sided gell-filled canister should get a frozen workout for at least eight hours before you start the machine.

What sets the Deni 5205 apart from other cheap ice cream makers is a candy crusher, which theoretically saves you the effort of chopping chocolate bars, cookies, fruit, gummies, and the like by hand before adding to the ice cream mix. Unfortunately, though, most Deni 5205 ice cream maker reviews say the candy crusher just doesn't work properly -- the plastic component seems too flimsy to tackle the tough task of chopping up hard mix-ins. So instead of spending money on a fancy frill that doesn't cut it, you can save a few dollars by searching for the 5200, which lacks the candy crusher and comes only in "clear," but is not widely available. By the way, the footprint on the Deni 5205 is 10x9 inches; it stands 14 inches tall and weighs 7.2 pounds.

We did find a few Deni 5205 ice cream maker reviews that carp about motor noise and shut-downs as the mixture begins to thicken but before it's really ice cream. If you've got your eye on this model because of the candy crusher, though, be prepared for some disappointment.