Review · Frozen-block machine

Cecotec Gelatec 2100

Eleven programmes, three 700 ml pints and real slushes. When it works, the texture convinces; and that “when” needs explaining.

11 programmes
from ice cream to slush
3 tubs
of 700 ml
24 h
of freezing
Heladera-Cecotec-Gelatec-2100-cabecera-horizontal
Heladera-Cecotec-Gelatec-2100-cabecera-vertical
The short answer

Creamy, with a big asterisk

It works like a Ninja: you make the mix, freeze it in its own pint for 24 hours, and the machine works it until it turns creamy. It chills nothing: it shaves a block that is already frozen.

Ideal if you want three pints and proper slushes
Buyer reviews
3,7
out of 5

Our score, after reading the reviews one by one.

What works well

Texture, above everything. “Just freeze it and then, in five minutes, it is ready and creamy” is what repeats most. An Italian buyer coming from a Ninja Deluxe that broke within a month says that, handling the materials, the Cecotec “is another thing entirely”.

Ease of use

Easy to drive and to clean. “It looks hard to use but it is very easy”, and the programmes make sense without fighting the manual.

What people complain about

The bottom of the pints: “almost a centimetre of mix is left unprocessed”. And it makes some noise, although nobody returns it for that.

The real doubt

The blades that do not rise. One buyer reports it with two units in a row: “exactly the same thing happened with both; it looks like a fairly common fault or a design problem”. Another describes it as the lid not turning. That is, in large part, the 23% of one-star reviews.

How well it works

Four things you notice
in use, not on the box

It works with tubs, not with a bowl

It is a frozen-block machine: the mix freezes inside its own pint, 24 hours ahead, and the blade shaves it until it turns creamy. There is no compressor and it does not chill: if you have not frozen, there is no ice cream.

Two litres and change, but split up

It comes with three 700 ml pints: 2.1 litres in total, but in three batches. It is not two litres in one sitting.

Three tubs, and here that matters

Every batch needs its own overnight freeze, so the number of pints sets the pace of the house. Three means three flavours ready at once; with one, each ice cream is 24 hours from the next.

Five hundred watts and a touchscreen

Cecotec quotes 500 W and the CreamOn and Re-spin technologies: the second runs the blade again when the block has come out uneven, which is exactly what rescues a badly frozen batch.

Heladera Cecotec Gelatec 2100 horizontal 2
Heladera-Cecotec-Gelatec-2100-cabecera-vertical
And slushes too

What it does best, according to those who own one

Going through the 115 reviews on amazon.es, the praise repeats in one word: creamy. And underneath, two more things: it explains itself, and it cleans up fast. The slushes and milkshakes come up as the extra that gets it out of the cupboard midweek.

11

Programmes

3 × 700 ml

Tubs included

Touch

Control panel

Creamy

What its reviews praise most

The balance

What it wins and what you have to accept

The best of it
  • Three 700 ml pints: 2.1 litres in total
  • Eleven programmes, with slushes and milkshakes
  • The creamy texture is what its buyers praise most
  • Re-spin: it runs the blade again if the batch comes out uneven
What you have to accept
  • 23% give it one star, almost always over the same fault
  • Blades that do not rise: one buyer had it with two units in a row
  • Almost a centimetre is left unprocessed at the bottom of the pint
  • The mix has to be frozen 24 hours ahead
Cecotec Gelatec 2100: análisis a fondo
Specifications

Cecotec Gelatec 2100 specifications

11 programmes

Ice cream, gelato, sorbet, slushes and milkshakes

3 × 700 ml

Tubs included

2.1 L

Total capacity, split up

Touch panel

Controls

24 h

Pre-freezing the base

Without a compressor

It works an already frozen block

CreamOn and Re-spin

Manufacturer technologies

500 W

Motor power

Alternatives · Frozen-block machines

The Cecotec Gelatec 2100 against its rivals

En su franja compiten estas tres. La Gelatec 2100 cuesta hoy : these reviews tell you what you gain and what you lose with each one.

Heladera-Ninja-CREAMi-NC302EU-cabecera-horizontal
If you want the proven brand

Ninja CREAMi

Ninja · NC302EU
Programmes
7
Tubs
2 included
Own reviews
293
Price today

Four programmes fewer and one pint fewer, but with 293 reviews and a 4.2 behind it.

Heladera-Moulinex-Dolci-cabecera-horizontal
If you want to be able to repair it

Moulinex Dolci

Moulinex · MJ602A
Programmes
10
Tubs
3 · 1.4 L
Own reviews
46
Price today

Fifteen years of declared repairability and three bowls, but 700 ml less total capacity.

Taurus Gelato Flow ice cream maker with the mango sorbet tub and three more tubs beside it
If you want the cheapest

Taurus Gelato Flow

Taurus · 925022000
Programmes
9
Tubs
3 × 500 ml
Own reviews
213
Price today

Cheaper and with nine programmes, but 600 ml less capacity and a 3.8 rating.

Ninja CREAMi Scoop and Swirl NC701EUSTGD serving a soft-serve cone
If you want soft-serve

Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl

Ninja · NC701EUSTGD
Programmes
13
Tubs
2 · 480 ml
Two flavours
Yes
Price today
Thirteen functions and a swirl dispensing nozzle, on the most expensive and largest in the range.
The verdict

Would we buy it? Yes, and we would return it without hesitating if it fails on day one

It gives 2.1 litres across three pints, eleven programmes and a texture its buyers vouch for. The risk is in the blade mechanism, and it is a risk you see on the very first batch: if it rises and turns, the machine is fine. Buy it somewhere you can return it and try it the same day.

Three 700 ml pints

Creamy, according to its buyers

Slushes included

Buy today
Amazon price as of
Answers to your questions

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn’t the average rating say much here?

Because the spread is split: 53% five stars and 23% one star. It is not an “average” machine: it is a machine that works very well for most people and reaches a minority with the same mechanical fault.

What is this about blades that do not rise?

The fault that repeats most in the one-star reviews: the blade does not rise and the machine will not start. One buyer had it with two units in a row. Before writing yours off, read the next question.

Is there anything to try before returning it?

Yes. A Belgian buyer warns that the sticker on the front face has to be removed before first use, and suggests that could explain other buyers’ trouble. It is the first thing we would check.

Does it chill the mix?

No. Like every frozen-block machine, it works a base you froze 24 hours earlier in its own pint. Without a freezer there is no ice cream.

Does it do slushes as well?

Yes, and it is part of the appeal: eleven programmes covering ice cream, gelato, sorbet, milkshakes and slush drinks.

Is it worth it against the Ninja CREAMi?

It gives more capacity — 2.1 litres in three pints against 1.4 in two — and more programmes. The Ninja has 293 reviews and a 4.2 rating, which is peace of mind. If track record matters most, the Ninja; if capacity and price do, this one.

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