SEVERIN ES 7407 Maker, 2-in1, Compact, UltraQuick, 1.2 Liters, Homemade Ice Cream, Sorbets, Yoghurt, Stainless Steel, 135 W, matt Black

Making Ice-Cream is neither easy nor quick if you want to make it properly, whatever machine you might have in your house. The Severin 7407 Ice-cream maker is a well make product, nothing about it is cheap, it has an air of quality and excellent finish with an LED display. The machine is neither small nor compact whatever the angle you look at it. It is taller than some bread making machines. It is also heavy at almost 10kg but it is upright so doesn’t take up to much counter space. You can make up to a realistic 0.75 litres of ice-cream though the larger the quantity the longer you need and the ‘less than 30 minutes’ to make can be a little optimistic at times depending on what you are making. Please note that the handbook says you should not fill the bowl to more than 60% when making ice-cream as it expands when it freezes. The pre-set timer is 60 minutes. While making some flavours of ice-cream is easy, not all flavours can just be thrown in to the mixing pot and come out the other end a perfect creation. Many flavours need to be mixed and prepared on the hob before being decanted into the machine. Time and preparation are the key so don’t be under the illusion ice-cream making with a machine such as this is easy. There needs to be a little trial and error and patience to get it right. The recipe book is quite limited so you’d be better off buying a dedicated ice-cream making book if you are looking to make anything more exotic than the basic flavours. As to making yoghurt, the pre-set timer is 8 hours, though the timer can be set from 3-24 hours, it will get you there eventually if you have the time and the patience. I agree that it is relatively easy to clean and simple to operate, nothing too complex but it does make a little noise. The noise comes from the compressor. In conclusion, I’d say it is a well made product, it has a good two year warranty, it is easy to clean and with patience you will get some good results. The quality is reflected in the price. As to being a 2 in 1 maker, I think the yogurt making requires more patience that I have.

The first thing that struck me was how large and heavy this machine was. Especially when I then saw the size of the bucket that makes the ice cream. Less than a litre capacity. It is easy to use and easy to clean. It comes with a mixing paddle that fits into the bucket, a spatula (that is too rigid to be of use), a measuring pot and a recipe book. The recipe book is rather limited and doesn't give precise amounts e.g. half a bar of chocolate, whipped cream. What size bar? Whipping or double cream? I attempted the chocolate ice cream. The ingredients had to be prepared on the hob and cooled first which added to the time to make this. After the mix was poured into the bucket with the mixing paddle attached, I set the timer to a 50 minute setting; I also set the oven timer for 40 minutes (just in case). Luckily I passed through the kitchen as after 30 minutes the ice cream was set solid and the mixer had stopped (a safety cut off to prevent damage to the motor). I then spent several minutes trying to remove the ice cream from inside the bucket and from all around the mixing paddle and then put lumps of it into a separate container to freeze. Next time I am going to try stopping before the mix is totally set to see if that makes transferring it easier. The ice cream tasted very rich and creamy ( with cream and 2 x half bars of chocolate not surprising) but needed to sit out of the freezer for a good ten minutes before it could be chiselled out of the container. I will try a few other recipes and will seek a few low fat ice cream recipes too. I prefer my old ice cream maker even with it's pre-freezable bowl. It was much smaller and the results were just as impressive without the cost involved. For the size and expense of this machine I was amazed at the small amount of ice cream it actually produces.

Ice cream making at home is never straightforward no matter what tech you use, and whilst this machine makes it simpler than doing it completely manually, it's still a faff. You definitely won't be able to get it done in 30 minutes; the preparation of the mix before you chuck it all in and set it going takes as long or longer. We didn't find it unexpectedly noisy, and not having to pre-freeze the bowl is a benefit. It does tend to err on the side of over-freezing the ice cream (so don't expect to be able to serve straight away unless you keep checking it) and whilst it's a chunky piece of kit it's nice and easy to clean. We didn't attempt to use it to make yogurt. Included you will find a basic recipe book, spatula/scoop, and measure cup.