Review · Frozen-block machine
UNOLD 48805 Cream Dream
Three 500 ml tubs, eight programmes and an 800-watt motor that scrapes the already-frozen block. UNOLD's answer to the Ninja CREAMi.
500 ml
per tub
8
programmes
800 W
of motor
The short answer
The CREAMi’s direct rival
It has no compressor: the mix is frozen beforehand in a tub and the machine scrapes it until it is creamy. Eight programmes, a RE-SPIN function to run it again and MIX-IN to add pieces at the end. The approach is exactly the Ninja's, with one detail that matters: the manual asks for considerably more cold than a normal freezer gives.
Ideal if you have a freezer that goes properly low
Buyer reviews
3,5
out of 5
Our score, after reading the reviews one by one.
How the ice cream turns out
It depends on the block: if the freezer does not go below −18 °C, it comes out softer than promised.
Ease of use
A touch panel with eight programmes and the RE-SPIN, MIX-IN and cleaning buttons.
Capacity
500 ml per tub, which is two servings. Three come with it, so you can have three flavours ready.
Quality and price
Its price changes a lot from one catalogue to another, and that is where it loses its edge over the Ninja.
How well it works
Four things you notice
in use, not on the box
The block rules above all
UNOLD asks for the tub to be frozen for 24 hours at between −23 and −20 °C. An ordinary domestic freezer works at −18, and with those three or five degrees less the block arrives softer and the blade does not scrape it the same.
How long it really takes
The programme lasts a few minutes, but before it come 24 hours in the freezer. Ice cream is not decided and made: it is decided the day before.
Day to day
Three tubs with lids and a removable blade, all of it dismantles. What takes up room is not the machine: it is the freezer.
Footprint
15.7 cm wide and 5.2 kg. It is tall and narrow, and lifts with one hand.
The figure that isn't on the box
It asks for −20 °C, and your freezer gives −18
Here is the small print of every frozen-block machine, and of this one in particular: the manual asks for 24 hours at between −23 and −20 °C. Most domestic freezers are set to −18 °C, the temperature the regulations lay down for preserving food. At −18 the block arrives less hard, the blade scrapes it less well and the result comes out softer than in the photos. It is not a fault of the machine: it simply needs a freezer that really goes low.
24 h
Of freezing beforehand
−20 °C
What the manual asks for
−18 °C
What a home freezer gives
500 ml
Per tub
The balance
What you gain
and what you have to accept
The best of it
- Eight programmes, from ice cream to slush and frozen drinks
- RE-SPIN to run it again if it comes out hard
- MIX-IN to fold in pieces at the end
- Three tubs: three flavours ready at once
- 5.2 kg and 15.7 cm wide: it can be put away and taken out
What you have to accept
- No compressor: the tub has to go in the freezer 24 hours ahead
- It asks for −23 to −20 °C, and a home freezer runs at −18
- 500 ml per tub: two servings, not a family batch
- It is noisy: around 72 dB
- Its price swings a lot depending on the catalogue
Specifications
Specifications of the
UNOLD Cream Dream
800 W
Power
500 ml
Per tub
24 h
Of freezing beforehand
No
Has a compressor
Touch, 8 programmes
Panel
Three, of 500 ml
Tubs
33 × 15,7 × 37 cm
Dimensions
5,2 kg
Weight
Alternatives · Compressor ice cream makers
The UNOLD Cream Dream
against its rivals
All of these work the same way: frozen block and blade. These pages tell you what you gain and what you lose with each one.
The benchmark of the format
Ninja CREAMi Deluxe
Ninja · NC502EU
Programmes
10
Tubs
2
Per tub
710 ml
Price today
—
A much bigger tub and, usually, a good deal less money. That is the comparison that hurts.
The one that started the trend
Ninja CREAMi
Ninja · NC302EU
Programmes
7
Tubs
2
Per tub
700 ml
Price today
—
Fewer programmes, but 700 ml per tub and a price well below.
The three-tub one
Moulinex Dolci
Moulinex · MJ602A
Programmes
10
Tubs
3
Per tub
470 ml
Price today
—
The closest approach: three tubs as well, and one of the cheapest in the group.
The one right at the top
Ninja CREAMi Scoop & Swirl
Ninja · NC701EUSTGD
Programmes
13
Tubs
2
Per tub
480 ml
Price today
—
The only one that also dispenses in a spiral, like a soft-serve machine. Small tub.
The verdict
Would we buy it?
Only if you find it at the right price
The machine is well conceived: eight programmes, RE-SPIN — exactly what you miss when the block comes out hard — and three tubs, one more than the Ninjas. The problem is twofold. One, its price changes a lot from one catalogue to another and, when it goes up, the CREAMi Deluxe beats it on tub size for a good deal less. Two, it needs a freezer that goes down to −20 °C, and the one at home usually stops at −18. Check the comparison before deciding.
Three tubs
Eight programmes
Without a compressor
Answers to your questions
Frequently asked questions
Does the tub need freezing first?
Yes, 24 hours. It has no compressor: the machine does not chill, it scrapes a block that arrives already frozen. Ice cream is decided the day before.
Will my home freezer do?
The manual asks for −23 to −20 °C and most domestic freezers run at −18, which is what the preservation regulations set. At −18 it works, but the result comes out softer.
How many people does one tub serve?
500 ml is two generous servings. Three tubs come with it, so the usual thing is to have two or three flavours frozen and take out whichever you fancy.
What is RE-SPIN?
Running the blade over the already-scraped ice cream again. It is what you do when the first pass leaves it sandy, and it is the most used function.
Is it very noisy?
Around 72 dB according to the sales sheet, the level of all machines of this type: the blade is scraping ice, not whipping cream.
What would we buy instead of the UNOLD 48805 Cream Dream?
The Ninja CREAMi Deluxe: 710 ml per tub and, usually, a good deal less money. If what you want is three tubs, the Moulinex Dolci brings them too.
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