Merchsource Discovery Kids Ice Cream Maker

This was a great little ice cream maker! We were very leary to use it after reading all of the negative comments. But, there was a positive one in particular, that mentioned putting the canister in the freezer before using it. I think this was a great idea. We kept the canister in the freezer for about 4 hours today and in place of salt, we used rock salt. We FOLLOWED the rest of the directions and in about 25 minutes, we had some ice cream! You just need to be patient. We have 6 year old twins and our daughter received this as a gift for Christmas. We have been waiting for spring...here in PA, it has felt like spring all year!!Anyway, it is not the best ice cream maker out there. We had to improvise with a plastic spatula to help to take the ice cream off the drum/canister. It's all about spending quality time with our children and helping them see how the process of making one of their favorite treats can happen in our own kitchen.Would definitely recommend this to anyone else with younger children.

We purchased this for my daughter's birthday, and it is complete garbage. We tried to get it to work for a couple hours to no avail. The ice cream forms on the drum just fine (that's just science happening), but the unit is constructed so poorly that nothing stays together when you start turning the crank. Within a minute or so of use, most of the liquid was on the kitchen table. Further, the plastic tongue that is supposed to shave the ice cream off the drum is so flimsy that it simply rides atop the formed dairy treat. The only way to get ice cream from the drum to your bowl is to remove the drum and whittle it off with a knife (adding to the tabletop mess). This is not fit for its intended use, and obviously saw no product testing time. We're returning this in the morning. Save yourself time and birthday heartache by buying a actual ice cream maker rather than a toy.

This machine reminds me of my Snoopy Snow Cone Maker from the 80s. It looks cool, but is made cheaply. The finished product never looks like what is on the box and it is not as easy as they say (but, hey - I paid $13 on clearance. I did not expect much!)However, the kids and I had fun. This seems unlikely given the other reviews here. However, I read them and made it work based upon the complaints. I got the scraper to work by lightly brushing the drum with olive oil. The ice cream slid off with no problem using the cheaply made, plastic scraper. I added a little extra cream to help with the iced milk problem. With this approach, the kids and I were able to get enough ice cream (not much though) to make them happy. I also warned them before we made it that it might not work (I told them about the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine - those who grew up in the 80s may remember the problems with the crank!!) Good luck, but be sure not to pay too much for this.

We got this as a gift, I would have not bought it myself because we have an ice cream maker. We make our ice cream on a regular basis because my daughter has food allergies, so it is just easier and cheaper. The grandparents got this because my daughter would eat ice cream morning noon and night if she could. So, the review from someone who regularly makes ice cream and knows the quirks that sometimes ice cream doesn't turn out through no fault of the ice cream maker.I used rock salt, because we have it, not regular salt like the instructions state. I think it made a difference. We had ice cream pretty quickly, it was soft and easy to get off the turning thing. However, it is incredibly messy, like there is a ton of little pieces to clean and take apart. You can't put any of it in the dishwasher, so it is a lot to clean when you are used to cleaning out just a container or two from an ice cream maker. It is messy. I also needed more than one set of hands, so you have take turns with the kids, one kids spins while you pour, then one holds the scraper tight while spinning. It is a group effort for sure. Kids could not do this alone, adults couldn't do this alone, I needed my husbands help too, so you can't just leave kids to it. You will not get a lot of ice cream. And I wouldn't pay anything more than $10 for it.I was leary of having discovery products...most of the time I think they are pieces of crap (the grandparents buy cheap and not quality, we have the Princess Play Castle Pink Play Tent and Discovery Kids Indoor/Outdoor Play Tent and those are RIP OFFS, broke in the first week pure CRAP and we didn't even pay for them) but this isn't that bad. I will say, if you are buying an ice cream maker, then don't get this. If you find it cheap, the under 6 set might think it is cool, it entertains my 5 and 2 year old for a while and and my 5 year old thought it was fun. The recipes could be better. So I don't know....it's not as horrible as other reviewers say, but I had no issue making ice cream. Be prepared to clean lots of the pieces and the countertop, and make sure you know it is a group effort. It's for the kids anyway, so if they like it, then it's worth it. I think my 5 year old likes it because she can help with it more than when I make it in the ice cream maker.

good price good quality

I couldn't help write a review after seeing all the negativity. I got mine and it worked great. It does take some time and patience which most kids don't seem to have these days. We turned for 30 minutes, learnd about ice-cream and got to eat some! I put the drum in the freezer before starting and think that helped. So did having a lot of salt in the drum. As for the scraper.... mine worked fine. You get what you pay for. Other ice-cream makers are like $50 bucks and they aren't clean either!