To find the best soft ice cream machine for your needs, you must know what those needs are, and what to look for in a soft ice cream machine. That is why, in this buying guide, we’re walking you through what you need to look for and consider, when searching for the best soft ice cream machine!
What Is A Soft Ice Cream Machine?
A soft ice cream machine is a machine that makes soft serve ice cream. Soft serve ice cream is just like any other cream, but it’s mixed with air, and this makes the ice cream a lot creamier and fluffier. The main difference between a soft ice cream machine, and any other ice cream machine, is the fact that a soft ice cream machine is designed for making soft serve ice cream, specifically, rather than other types of ice cream.
Why Should You Purchase A Soft Ice Cream Machine?
A soft ice cream machine is a wonderful machine to purchase if you love ice cream and, in particular, if you love soft serve ice cream. Making soft serve ice cream with a soft ice cream machine is easy and convenient, which means you can make the ice cream very quickly, allowing you to enjoy it after just a little bit of time has passed.
Buying Guide For The Best Soft Ice Cream Machine
What Type Of Soft Ice Cream Machine Should You Purchase?
As a general rule, there are two types of soft ice cream machines available. The first of these is that of a countertop unit. The second is a floor unit. Both types of soft ice cream machines have their advantages and disadvantages.
For most people, a countertop unit is ideal, since a countertop unit fits on the top of your counter. Most countertop units are, in order to fit on your countertop, small and compact. The small and compact nature of these machines allows you to put them on your countertop and, when they’re not in use, to put them away.
Since countertop units are small and compact, though, they offer fewer features and produce less ice cream than a floor unit.
A floor unit soft ice cream machine is larger and, rather than resting on your countertop, rests on the floor. Since these machines are larger, they can produce more soft ice cream than a countertop unit, and they produce that ice cream far more quickly. But, along with that, they offer more features, which lets you customize the ice cream you are making more thoroughly.
The main difficulty that arises, when using a floor unit, is finding a place for the floor unit to go. These are big machines that can be cumbersome to set-up and use.
What Production Style Should You Look For?
Every soft ice cream has its own production style. A production style is the manner through which the soft ice cream machine freezes the ice cream you are making, and then dispenses that ice cream.
Many soft ice cream machines possess a production style known as “batch production”. Batch production is, as a production style, ideal for countertop units, since it requires less capacity, but is less convenient.
A soft ice cream machine with batch production will need to be refilled between every batch of ice cream. Every batch of ice cream will, likely, take one-hour to freeze. Nothing about this set-up is particularly convenient, but these are simple machines that are great for basic home-operations.
Most commercial operations prefer a continuous production style, since a soft ice cream machine with a continuous production style will make soft ice cream perpetually, as long as the ingredients are present, without needing to slow down to freeze and mix together. But, these machines are more complex and more expensive, so they may not be ideal for your needs.
How Much Ice Cream Do You Want To Make?
The final trait to consider is the amount of ice cream you want to make and, in turn, the output that you would like your soft ice cream machine to offer.
Most soft ice cream machines measure the amount of ice cream they can make in either “servings per hour” or “gallons per hour”. For a commercial operation, these figures are very important, since they determine how much you can make and sell with the machine within a certain period of time. But, if you are making ice cream at home, this is less important.
Make sure to think about the amount of ice cream you need to make, and how much time you have to make it. Take that figure and turn it into gallons or servings. Then, with that figure in mind, you won’t have any problems finding a soft ice cream machine that can product that amount of ice cream within the timespan you have.
Conclusion
In the end, a soft ice cream machine is a fantastic machine to own, especially if you love soft serve ice cream! By following this guide, you won’t have any issues finding the right soft ice cream machine for your needs!
