I was pleasantly surprised with this ice cream maker. I didn't expect it to work as well as it does. It's compact, sits on the counter, and doesn't require salt or ice. It whips up a pail of ice cream in 40-60 minutes, (we let it chill a while).We've made 3 batches so far, and I need to look for better recipies, and pay more attention to when I'm adding the "add-in" ingredients. One batch I put the crushed oreo's in way to early, and they were mushy when it was done. Nothing to do with the machine, but more with the recipe and my not paying attention to details. If you haven't made ice cream before, or like me, haven't made it in a decade or two, follow the instructions until you get the hang of it.All in all the kids love it, you can make whatever flavors you like, and it's easy to clean. It gets tucked away when not in use, but it's easy to haul out, and fun to use.