The Best Commercial Ice Cream Maker. In The Whole Wide World.

~Portrait of a Regal Being~

This is the Coldelite LB 100.

It is a Masterpiece.

A Triumph.

An achievement beyond words spoken by mere mortals.

This Machine is not this machine. Don't be confused by false imitators.

out out damned spot!

If time is money than I have just been knighted a King.

Today I churned 4 Quarts of ice cream in 12 minutes.

The fabulous Coldelite, the LB 100, is a machine I know well. I have used it in almost all of my workplaces. It's a trooper. One of the best pieces of equipment you can have in any kitchen. Mostly because pastry chefs and cooks take far better care of equipment than savoury cooks and chefs. We are meticulous. We want scales to continue to measure down to the gram and we like our kitchens clean.

{Having a bit of OCD can help in a pastry kitchen.}

The first ice cream spun in my gift, my treasure?

Rosemary Caramel Ice Cream.

It's the center of my newest dessert. Slow roasted hazelnuts, valencia orange caramel, supple semolina and deeply buttery shortbread are also on the plate.

I love my new ice cream maker.

And, luckily for me, when I turn on my ice cream machine,

it returns the favor.

 

Comments

[Jennywenny]

how exciting, and oh-my-goodness that dessert sounds good. I wish I was closer than 800 miles away!!

[H.Alexander Talbot]

and now the big question...cost?

[Susan]

Yeaaaaaaa! I am jumping up & and in my seat counting the hrs down!

[shuna fish lydon]

Jennywenny,

800 miles only? Come on now, that's a weekend trip with an hour flight!

H. Alexander Talbot,

This is a great question, you know why? The price of this amazing machine has decreased substantially in 10 years. When I was at TFL and Bouchon a new one ran $15,000. But this one came in at about $8000.

It's a lot, I know, but believe me when I say I have worked with them all and a $2000 machine delivers a much diminished quality. The less expensive machines overheat easily and churn a batch of product in about 1.5 hours!

I am serious when I say it's a trooper. If you don't lose the parts and you take care of the machine you could look at repairing it once every 5-10 years.

[misterybus]

For this dessert at 800 miles, I would find a way to get to your table. Unfortunately, 3000 miles (the middle of Maine) I must rely on my sense memory of these inticing flavors. If they are as good as my memories combination - orangecarmelrosemarybuttericy-ness I would get me there! For now, this treat must stay on my wish list. I contemplate a gift for my family of some orange/rosemary scones with a caramel topping. Hmmm, to the pantry. Thank you again, Shuna, for the inspiration.

[Roberto N.]

Hands down, Carpigianis are the best ice cream makers I've worked with. I used to spin 4-5 different ice creams/sorbets daily in roughly an hour (granted we used a different, less effective machine for one of the sorbets) and the texture is just the best you can get.

[blondee47]

I am a diabetic....why do restaurants not have dessert options for any customers who are diabetics...i know many customers have different allergies ie nuts...but sugar free desserts are not necessarily eaten only by diabetics..., it just requires thinking outside the box... no splenda please...

[mare]

Shuna! We are going to try making coffee (mmmmmm...) ice cream this weekend so how's about spilling it on the best consumer ice cream maker?!

[Laurie Gauguin]

I can attest that this ice cream maker (and you) rocks! I lunched at Sens today with two pastry chef friends, and we really enjoyed your desserts. I especially loved the caramel ice cream - so intense, dark and bittersweet.

We all agreed that the lemon souffle/lemon sorbet dessert was our favorite. Lovely presentation, flavors and textures.

I was tickled by the cumin pot de creme—a haunting flavor with just a touch of sugar. And, was it my imagination, or were those specks of bee pollen scattered over the top?

You're doing great work. Congratulations on finding a new restaurant home!

[Richie]

What, no pacojet? The ice cream that comes out of that machine is amazing...and that thing is pretty quiet, eh?

[shuna fish lydon]

Misterybus,

You're welcome. and thanks for stopping by eggbeater and leaving a comment!

Roberto N.,

It sounds like you really know the Inner Power of these machines like I do. Wonderful indeed. I imagine we'll meet one day in whites...

Blondee47,

Your question is a serious one. One I don't want to disrespect by attempting to answer it in the comments section. If I have a bit of time I will write a post on this subject.

But just so you know-- many of my dessert components do not have added sugar. If fruit is ripe I like to leave it that way and I have designed whole desserts with no added sucrose.

As well, off the top of my head, I know Aziza and Chez Panisse serve fruit bowls of fruit that's absolutely the best and most ripe/ in season.

Mare,

I think it's too late and I'm too tired to understand your comment. Will you elaborate please?

Laurie!

EEK! It makes me so sad that I did not know you were at the restaurant. (Did you know that one of my assistants worked fro one of your friends?)

I'm glad you enjoyed the desserts. But, please, do tell me you are there or coming in next time. Of course I would want to say hello (and meet other pastry chefs!)

Richie,

When we have a bit of time we can discuss the pacojet. But for the record-- the pacojet does not churn ice cream. it may sound like a finer point, but it's an important one in an ice cream/sorbet discussion.

[Dad & Ellen]

Love the line, "When I turn it on, it returns the favor"--very cute and funny!

[Sara]

Little better than the L. L. Bean ice cream balls, eh? heh heh

[Sara]

Oh, and I'm not diabetic, but I'm very interested in your response to Blondee47's question and look forward to that post.

[Richie]

I have a nightmare where I wake up inside a giant paco container, with those blades coming down at me. My wife says im out of my mind.

I didnt think about the actual importance of churning....but I would like to learn more. How much overrun do you have in your ice creams?

[Aaron]

Richie brings up an interesting question. Do you think about overrun as related to a plated dessert context? Can you control it with this machine?

[shuna fish lydon]

Dad n Ellen,

I stole this line from a Cadillac ad!

Sara,

Yes indeed!!! But you can't take a Coldelite on a picnic!
and yes, hopefully I can speak to sugar free one day...

Richie,

I don't think you're crazy. but that could very well be because I am crazy and I have similar nightmares.

What do you mean by overrun?

aaron-- if I understand exactly what you all mean by overrun I can answer this...

[Richie]

Overrun...from my limited knowledge of pastry and ice cream making, I believe it means how much air is incorporated into the ice cream...gelato having zero(?) percent overrun, and an ice cream like dreyers having around 20%. I think. But ive been wrong before.

[Aaron]

Richie explained it well. Overrun is the amount of air that is whipped into your product during the spinning process. Different machines spin different amounts of air into your ice cream based on the spinning speed. Gelato machines are slow, so they spin less air in (though they still incorporate some air). The base obviously changes the equation, as a heavy chocolate base won't "take" air as readily as a, let's say, vanilla will. Is this something you think about in terms of it's role as a plated component? Can you control that with your machine? I know few machines can, but some have variable speeds so the you can change overrun. Also, some machines have an on/off cooling button, so you can whip air into the ice cream without it cooling/freezing yet. That could help for, again, a chocolate, or say a coconut, that doesn't want to accept the air as readily.

[Dr. Biggles]

I'll bet I could get that happy beast to a picnic.

xo, Biggles

[Lori S.]

Oh my. That sounds like it might be the perfect dessert for me. I think we will be seeing you again soon :)

[shuna fish lydon]

Richie & Aaron,

wow, these are the finer points indeed. I have been using this model machine for so long I guess I have the majic touch because I know what ice creams/sorbet do what when, like I know the bases themselves. Yes, they are all different. Like snowflakes.

I work hard as spinning all my bases the way they need to be spun to taste and feel best in a mouth. I teach my assistants how to temper the churned ice creams, how to scoop and quenelle and take care of frozen goods.

After that, I let nature do what it does and since I'm not selling ice cream/sorbet by weight, I don't think about air much. I might make a scoop/quenelle bigger or smaller depending on how it behaves/tastes/reads, but I don't go farhter than that nor do I have a machine that measures air content.

I've worked with a few "gelato machines" and for my bases, i don't like them, but I haven't worked with any serious ones... I mostly don't like that they take so long to churn because fat likes to separate if given the opportunity over a long period of time.

Biggles,

I don't doubt that for a minute! You are an inventive and strong man!

Lori,

O good. Glad all my tempting works even with all of you skilled tempters!

[lainie]

Oh my god! I am green with envy! Congrats on your great job at Sens. .. I can't wait to try it! Both the savory and the dessert menus look amazing!

I am spinning ice cream with an electric white mountain 4 qt machine. It's what I've got and I just feel lucky to be making my own ice cream. :)