Magimix Gelato Expert
The high-end churner: steel bowls, a compressor and three automatic programmes, one of them for Italian gelato. It is made in Italy and Magimix backs it with a three-year guarantee on parts.
The only one with a programme designed for Italian gelato
It is not an ice cream maker with lots of buttons: it is three programmes and a manual mode, and each programme changes how it churns and how much air it works in. The Italian gelato one is what sets it apart, and the manual mode lets you run the batch by hand if you know what you are doing.
Our score, after reading the reviews one by one.
Among the best we have seen in a domestic machine. The gelato programme works in little air and it comes out dense and glossy.
Three buttons and that is it. The manual mode is for those who want to be in charge.
One usable litre of ice cream, or 1.3 of sorbet and granita.
The gelato programme, the steel bowls and the three-year guarantee on parts.
Four things you notice
in use, not on the box
How the ice cream comes out
Dense and silky with the gelato programme; lighter with the ice cream one. That control over the air is what you pay for.
How long it really takes
Magimix quotes under 30 minutes per batch, with nothing to pre-chill.
Day to day
Two two-litre bowls, one removable, both in steel and BPA-free. And spare parts for ten years.
Footprint
36 × 25 × 28 cm and 10.8 kilos: narrow for what it is, but tall.
Less air, more body
A gelato is not an ice cream by another name: it carries less air and that is why it tastes stronger and melts differently. Most domestic machines churn the same whatever happens and you have to compensate from the formula. This one has a programme that churns for that, and another for granita.
Compressor, no pre-freezing
Usable ice cream per batch
Gelato, ice cream and slush
Where it is made
What it wins and what you have to accept
- Dedicated gelato programme, with less air
- Three programmes, gelato, ice cream and slush, and a manual mode
- BPA-free stainless steel bowls, one of them removable
- Three years' warranty and spare parts for ten, according to Magimix
- Under 30 minutes per batch, according to Magimix
- One usable litre of ice cream per batch, even though the bowl holds two
- 36 × 25 × 28 cm and a weight of 10.8 kg
Magimix Gelato Expert specifications
The Magimix Gelato Expert against its rivals
Cuisinart ICE100E
It also separates ice cream and gelato, but by changing the paddle.
Springlane ERIKA
Two and a half litres and a yoghurt programme, for considerably less.
Springlane ELISA 2.0
Twice the bowl and real yoghurt, without a gelato programme.
Severin EZ 7405
Steel body, two litres and yoghurt, at another price.
Would we buy it? Only if gelato is the reason
Frequently asked questions
What does the gelato programme do?
It churns working in less air, which is what sets a gelato apart from an ice cream: it comes out denser and with more flavour.
Isn't one litre too little?
It is little, yes. The bowl is two litres but the usable amount is one litre of ice cream, and 1.3 in sorbet. It is a machine for quality per batch, not for quantity.
140 or 180 watts?
140. Some listings say 180, but Magimix's spec sheet says 140 W and that is the one that counts.
And is the silver one a different machine?
No. It is the same machine in another finish, under the same reference: we have not given it a separate page.
How long is the warranty?
Three years on parts and two on labour, and Magimix keeps spares for ten years.
What would we buy instead of the Magimix Gelato Expert?
The Cuisinart ICE100E if you want to separate ice cream and gelato for less, or the Springlane ERIKA if what you want is capacity.
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