Ice Cream Machines

Find an ice cream maker suitable for your business
By Autumn Rivers, Lead Copywriter Webflo Studios If you own a restaurant and would like to add freshly-made ice cream to your menu, commercial ice cream machines can help you improve your business. Owning an ice cream machine is often more cost effective than buying pre-made ice cream from vendors. Once you learn your way around an ice cream maker, you may even decide to specialize in the dessert, opening up your own ice cream shop.
 

If you think the addition of ice cream could improve your sales, obtaining more information about restaurant ice cream makers will make your life easier. Before purchasing one, ask yourself the following questions:

1. How big does your ice cream maker need to be?

2. Will you serve regular ice cream, or will soft serve be on the menu as well?

3. Does your budget allow for a new ice cream machine, or would a used one fit the budget better?

Find a commercial ice cream machine that takes the least amount of time possible

When checking out ice cream machines for businesses, you need to take time into consideration. As time is money to any business, the faster the ice cream can be made, the better. Comparing the time shown on the box that it takes for each machine to make the ice cream is not enough. You also need to think about structure. One difference between many machines is whether or not they have a built-in freezer component. If the machine you're interested in does not have one, you will need to use the included pre-freezing bowl. This means that you have to freeze the bowl for hours before making the ice cream, adding time to the process.
Try: Avoid the pre-freezing wait with Lello Musso Pola 5030, available at Kitchen Kapers, Inc. Check out the Musso FUIME Stainless Steel Commercial Batch Ice Cream Maker, available from Coffee212.com. Both have built-in freezers and make ice cream in less than 20 minutes.

Decide how big you need your ice cream maker to be

If you plan to use the machine in your restaurant, you likely only need a machine that makes two to four quarts at a time. However, if you plan to specialize in ice cream, such as at an ice cream shop, you will need a much larger machine.
Try: The Coldelite-Carpigiani LB 1002 Batch Freezer makes 39 quarts of ice cream, and is available at Zama Enterprise Corp. Perfect for a small cafe or restaurant, the Gelato Chef 2500 Professional Ice Cream Maker by Nemox makes 2.5 quarts of ice cream, and is found at Zaccardi's.

Look at ice cream machines for sale that perform more than one function

Whether you plan to serve ice cream, frozen yogurt, or other frozen treats, check out ice cream makers that can do it all. Some business owners waste money on soft serve ice cream machines and ice cream makers just because they plan to serve both. But many current models make ice cream, sherbet, mousse, and frozen yogurt, allowing you to save money by buying just one machine.
Try: The Nemox Gelato Combi Pro 3000 Ice Cream Maker can make ice cream, mousse, and sherbet, and can be found at 800-espresso.com. The Cuisinart Supreme Commercial Quality Ice Cream Maker specializes in ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and smoothies. You can buy it at Cooking.com.

• If you do not want to spend a fortune, you can buy a used machine. In fact, this might be the smart way to go if you are not sure if ice cream will even be a hit at your restaurant. There is no reason to spend thousands of dollars on a new machine and not even be able to break even.