Why wait 24 hours after turning an ice cream maker on its side?

[Danny D]

My wife sometimes takes warnings too literally.

She bought a Cuisinart CIM-60PC ice-cream maker from Costco today:

The instructions say (verbatim): "If unit is turned on its side or upside down, you will need to put it in upright position and wait 24 hours before using."

Huh? She asked me if it was ok to use, since it was sideways in the car for transportation. I said "yes" with sheer confidence (luckily she doesn't know about the USENET) as she proceeded to make strawberry ice cream, with fresh-squeezed lemons and cream, milk, vanilla extract, & sugar.

I can "guess" that there is a viscous liquid in the freezing bowl, but it must be *really* thick to take 24 hours to settle.

Despite my show of confidence, between you and me, I have no good idea *why* the instructions say what they say. Do you?

[krw]

The refrigerant flows to places that it shouldn't be. The refrigerant contains oil to lubricate the compressor. Until it's allowed to settle back to the bottom of the unit, the compressor may run short of lubricant; outcome not good. Wait the 24 hours.

[Danny D]

My fault for not explaining, that even I didn't realize there is no compressor.

The label says "just add ingredients and turn on and you're done" but they neglected to say you have to freeze the bowl in the freezer overnight first.

It's weird. There is no refrigeration whatsoever. It's just a cold bowl (from being in the freezer).

[krw]

Sounds strange but it's likely still a fluid flow problem. Call the manufacturer. There is usually a phone number somewhere in the instructions.

[nestork]

Prolly the ice cream maker was a refrigerator in a previous life.

[Jon Danniken]

There is some substance in the cavity which has a melting point at the temperature you use for making ice cream. While the substance is in the transition between a solid and a liquid, it will maintain a set temperature, which provides you a time window within which you can make ice cream.

Jon

[Danny D]

I had called Cuisinart before I posted (800-726-0190) and after bouncing from technician to technician, I spoke to a Mary Rogers in marketing, who said I wasn't the first person to complain that the package intimates that you can make ice cream right away, when, in effect, it takes 12 to 24 hours to freeze the container beforehand.

Nonetheless, she had no clue what the fluid was but she said there was mention of saline in the technical literature, and she wasn't sure why you can't tip the thing on its side.

[Danny D]

I called back, and asked for a supervisor right off the bat. Spoke with "Angela" who said that it must be a typo because they can't figure out why it says that.

Hmmm... scary thought. They don't know why they have the warnings they have in their own instruction booklets?

Further details were that this part number (CIM-60PC) is a Sams Club/Costco part number, whereas her part number is ICE-30BC, so her instruction booklet "may" be different because her Instruction Booklet was IB-5611 whereas mine was IB-10824A.

Funny thing, all they know about their fluid is that it's non toxic (I guess that's a good thing, if they can be believed at this point); and, that a second freezer bowl (PN ICE-30BCFB), which is needed for a second batch of ice cream, costs as much from them as the entire ice cream maker cost at Costco.

Anyway, it's a bit scary how little they understand about their own products - but - for now - I'm going to have to assume that warning is a typo (but that's always a bad thing when warnings can't be believed). Sort of like when train track signals are flashing for no good reason.

[trader4]

The only reason I can think of for this warning is that someone writing the instructions heard that refrigerators and freezers, at least in some cases, need a period of a day or so to allow the refrigerant/oil to return to it's normal location, if the unit has been on it's side. This ice cream maker uses completely different technology, has no compressor, etc. but it's possible that some dummy that wrote the instructions doesn't have a clue.

AFAIK, this type of machine just uses a liquid that freezes when placed in the freezer. Can't imagine why any such rule would apply.

[Jim Elbrecht]

For father's day you should get her David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop" -- in the meantime, google some of his recipes.

Start with Vietnamese Coffee if you like coffee--- otherwise, there is a good Chocolate Sorbet that he has osted to his blog. . . .

Is this one with its own refrigeration, or does the bowl get frozen first? [if it is the latter- don't waste your time with it in your refrigerator freezer-- it really needs a deep freeze.

If it has its own refrigeration, then you need to let the coolant settle before using.

Jim

[Danny D]

Me neither. Which is why I had asked.

I *can* conjure up all sorts of theories about lopsided refrigerants filling a honeycomb and swelling them were the bucket to be frozen on its side - but - that would be sheer conjecture on my part.

You'd think they'd know their own product though; or, at least, use a semblance of critical thought in the proofreading.

[Danny D]

This has it's own bowl which is frozen in the freezer overnight (via a mystery fluid, which they won't say what it is).

Same as this one at Amazon, only with the standard Cuisinart part number and not the Costco-specific part number:

[Gordon Shumway]

You could be on to something here. However, if some clueless dummy wrote those instructions let us not forget the higher paid, but just as clueless, dummy that approved them.

That is a big problem we are facing today is that we have an abundance of highly educated idiots in the work force. That reminds me of a story.

I'm a mechanical engineer who retired about five years ago. A few years before I retired we hired a very young engineer who spoke English... sort of. He spoke whatever language they speak in India a whole lot better though.

I had recently bought a new BMW 530i and was fairly happy with it except for the fact it didn't have a limited slip differential. It wasn't even available from the factory anymore because of the use of electronics. Being an old gear head I knew their had to be a better way.

I found a place online that sold a complete center section with LSD that would replace the stock unit. I ordered it and installed it with the help of my son-in-law one Saturday.

When I got to work on Monday I was talking to one of my friends about what I had done over the weekend and the new engineer overheard the conversation.

After my friend left the new guy was so amazed of what he heard he asked if I really did what I said I did, giving me the impression that he believed what I did was almost God-like.

At that point I said if you don't know how to do that kind of work there is no way you can do this job well.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I have the a similar thing. It does take about 24 hours for it to really freeze through. I've tried it after 8 hours and it did not work as well. Not sure what is inside the bowl, but some sort of liquid. I store it in the freezer all the time so it is always ready.

I wonder if the instructions are "universal" and applies to self contained refrigerated units?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Makes you wonder. My brother was an ME too. He did that sort of stuff in high school, as did most of the ME students back then.

[DD_BobK]

Gordon.... truer (or more applicable) words were never spoke.

[Jim Elbrecht]

[cool-- I've got both of the books they suggest-- I've never made anything from the Ben & Jerry's book-- but Lebovitz is an ice cream God]

With that style it is imperative that all that fluid is down at the bottom of the bowl where the cream is turning to ice. I imagine it is the same mystery fluid that is in my Kitchenaid attachment.

I wonder if part of their concern is also freezing up near the top of the container where there isn't room for expansion?

I like mine-- The price was right-- and the bowl [and paddle] lives in the freezer until needed.

If frozen to -20F you *might* get a second batch of ice cream in before it quits freezing. Chill the mixture overnight, too.

There is *no* commercial ice cream that come close to what you can do with one of these.

Jim

[Steve Barker]

I'd just throw that away, and get a proper White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer and do it properly.

[dgk]

The warning probably goes into all the models. I recently bought an ice cream maker from a company called NewAir and it DOES come with a compressor. That's why I bought it. Cuisinart also makes some models that have a compressor:

So I guess the booklet goes into all the boxes but that bit only applies the the compressor models.

[trader4]

What exactly is "improper" about the machine Danny has? Other than using a newer method to get the cold temps required, it's the same method of making ice cream, no?