Review · Compressor ice cream maker
UNOLD 48845 Gusto
Two litres of bowl, 180 watts and steel inside and out. It is the best-selling UNOLD with a compressor, and its price swings a lot from one Amazon catalogue to the next.
2 L
per tub
180 W
of power
42,5 cm
deep
The short answer
Good machine, watch the price
It has everything you ask of a compressor machine: it chills on its own, the steel bowl comes out for washing and the timer runs from 5 to 60 minutes. The problem is not the machine: it is that its price changes a lot depending on which catalogue you look at. Where it is listed as an import, there are others with the same 180 watts and the same two litres for less money.
Ideal if you catch it at the right price
Buyer reviews
3,5
out of 5
Our score, after reading the reviews one by one.
How the ice cream turns out
A self-chilling compressor and a motor designed for back-to-back batches: creamy with nothing to pre-freeze.
Ease of use
A touch panel, an LCD display with the time remaining and a timer from 5 to 60 minutes.
Capacity
A two-litre bowl, with a 1.5-litre maximum fill: four or five servings.
Quality and price
That is where it is decided: listed as an import it costs like the high end and delivers like the mid range.
How well it works
Four things you notice
in use, not on the box
How the ice cream comes out
The compressor chills on its own and the motor is designed to work back to back, so the second batch comes out like the first. With 180 watts and two litres it is more than enough for ice cream at home.
How long it really takes
UNOLD quotes about 30 minutes, and always with the mix already cold. If you put it in lukewarm, the machine spends the first quarter of an hour bringing its temperature down.
Day to day
The steel bowl lifts out whole and is washed separately. There is nothing to pre-freeze: you switch it on and it starts.
Footprint
42.5 cm deep and 13.4 kg. It demands a permanent spot on the worktop; it is not one for putting away and taking out.
Price rules
The same machine, two very different prices
This is the figure you will not find in any other review: the Gusto is exactly the same machine in every catalogue — same model number and same plug — and yet the price varies by close to a third depending on where it is listed. It is not a one-off deal: it is how each catalogue prices it. That is why we cover it, and why the comparison above carries today’s price.
180 W
Power
2 L
Bowl capacity
1,5 L
Maximum fill
5-60 min
Timer
The balance
What you gain
and what you have to accept
The best of it
- Its own compressor: no need to pre-freeze the bowl the night before
- A removable stainless steel bowl, washed separately
- A touch panel and an LCD display with the time remaining
- Digital timer from 5 to 60 minutes
- A motor built for back-to-back batches
What you have to accept
- Where it is listed as an import it costs a good deal more than others with the same watts and the same litres
- 42.5 cm deep: it needs a permanent spot on the worktop
- 13.4 kg: not one you put away and take out again
- It does not make yoghurt
Specifications
Specifications of the
UNOLD 48845 Gusto
180 W
Power
2 L
Bowl capacity
30 min
Ice cream ready in
No
Makes yoghurt
Touch with LCD
Display
Steel, removable
Bowl
28,5 × 42,5 × 26,2 cm
Dimensions
13,4 kg
Weight
Alternatives · Compressor ice cream makers
The UNOLD Gusto
against its rivals
These four compete in its bracket. These reviews tell you what you gain and what you lose with each one.
The same for less money
H. Koenig HF320
H. Koenig
Power
180 W
Capacity
2 L
Makes yoghurt
No
Price today
—
The same watts and the same litres, a good deal cheaper. That is the comparison that decides it.
If you also want yoghurt
Springlane ELISA 2.0
Springlane
Power
220 W
Capacity
2 L
Makes yoghurt
Yes
Price today
—
More power, the same two litres and a real yoghurt programme, for less money.
If you want more capacity
Springlane ERIKA
Springlane
Power
250 W
Capacity
2,5 L
Makes yoghurt
Yes
Price today
—
Half a litre more bowl and 250 watts, with an eight-hour yoghurt.
UNOLD's own sister model
UNOLD 48872 Exklusiv
UNOLD
Power
180 W
Capacity
2 L
Makes yoghurt
No
Price today
—
The same motor with three programmes and an all-steel body, and even more expensive here.
The verdict
Would we buy it?
Only if you find it at the right price
The machine is good and we have nothing to hold against it: a compressor that cools on its own, a removable steel bowl, a touch panel and a motor that takes batch after batch. What does not add up is what it usually costs: for less money you get the same 180 watts and the same two litres, and for a little more, 220 watts and a yoghurt programme. Check the comparison above before deciding: if it has dropped the day you look, the answer changes and it is a sensible buy.
Its own compressor
2 L tub
Watch the price
Answers to your questions
Frequently asked questions
Why does the price change so much from one Amazon to another?
Because in some catalogues it is listed as an imported product, not because it is a different machine. It is the same model, the same reference and the same plug. The gap gets close to a third, so check the comparison before deciding.
Two litres serves how many people?
The maximum fill is 1.5 litres of mix, which gives four or five generous servings. For a family of four, one batch per dessert.
Are 180 watts enough?
For ice cream at home, yes. A machine's watts are the compressor's, and at 180 the cold is more than enough for two litres. Above that you gain time, not texture.
Do you have to pre-freeze anything?
No. That is exactly the point of the compressor: you switch it on and it starts. What is worth doing is putting the mix in already cold, because otherwise the machine spends the first quarter of an hour bringing it down.
Does the UNOLD 48845 Gusto make yoghurt?
No. If you want yoghurt, in the same price bracket there are the ELISA 2.0 and the ERIKA, both with their own programme.
What would we buy instead of the UNOLD 48845 Gusto?
The H. Koenig HF320 if you want the same for less, or the Springlane ELISA 2.0 if you want to step up to 220 watts and get yoghurt.
Recipes to break it in
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