I love to make homemade ice cream and with a modern ice cream maker, it couldn't be easier. My mother's old hand crank ice cream freezer produced a whopping gallon of ice cream, but most ice cream makers now hold about 1.5 quarts of ice cream, the perfect amount for today's family.

The ice cream maker is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. I keep the bowl wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer. Then, if I get the urge to make ice cream, all I have to do is prepare the ice cream mixture and let it chill an hour or so. I set the ice cream maker up, pour the mixture in and turn it on. In about 25 minutes, I have a batch of delicious homemade ice cream or frozen yogurt with no crushed ice, no rock salt and no watery mess.

The 1.5-quart ice cream makers are sold in most department and discount stores in the housewares section. Some of the companies making these machines are Cuisinart, Krups, Salton and Rival. The prices range from about $40 up to $60. Cusinart has a model that will hold two bowls that sells for about $100. I have seen two non-electric models, one made by Dovier for $45 and the other made by Nordic Ware for $36. These models have the freezer bowl and cover, but come with a hand crank. They would be great, if you want your kids to participate in the ice cream making.

I have a Krups ice cream maker that cost $60. The little machine still works fine after four years of heavy use. Through trial and error, I have found that it is best to chill the mixture and the dasher in the refrigerator for an hour or so before making the ice cream. If you keep the bowl in the freezer, it is always frozen solid and ready to use.

The ice cream makers come with recipe books, but you can let your imagination go wild with the different kinds of ice cream, sorbets or frozen yogurts that you can make. All these recipes are simple to make and have a fresh-made taste that can't be found in store bought ice cream. You can eat the ice cream "soft" as soon as it is finished making or place the bowl back in the freezer for another hour so the ice cream will freeze "firm."