Features:

  • 1-1/2-quart capacity bowl freezes 3 quarts of ice cream or sorbet per hour
  • Fully automatic: pour ingredients into bowl, press two buttons
  • Timer controls operation for different frozen confections
  • Housing, bowl, paddle made of stainless steel for easy cleaning
  • 12 inches wide, 11 inches high, 18 inches deep; weighs 38 pounds
Excellent ice cream

Over the years we have been fortunate to eat some fabulous ice creams...Will Wrights in Dallas...Ghiardelli Square in California...at Water Tower Place in Chicago...the original Kaiser's in Oklahoma City. Ice cream from this machine ranks right up with these ice creams. Love also that we can make ice cream with highest quality ingredients and use no thickeners. Our favorite ice cream recipe for one batch is 3 cups of organic half n half, 1 cup minus 2 T of organic cane suger, 1 tablespoon of organic vanilla. Mix for 30 minutes in your Lello. I have owned several less expensive ice cream makers over the years and never found one I liked until now. This Italian ice cream is well worth the money. My husband was skeptical about the cost until he tried the ice cream. Now he is sold on the idea that this is a worthwhile use of our money.

Top-notch machine = top-notch treats!

I've wanted an ice cream maker for several years and flirted with the idea of buying one of the less expensive types that require the container to be frozen beforehand. A friend of mine had one years back (a Cuisinart I believe) and it seemed to work reasonably well - the ice cream was tasty enough - but the machine itself seemed shoddily made and only lasted a few years. I remember her complaining about having to replace the plastic paddle a few times! Plus, if the container wasn't absolutely frozen, we ended up with VERY softserve ice cream. I felt it might be worth the expense to invest in a higher quality machine so I researched several other ice cream makers before deciding on the Lello 4080. So, why this machine over any other? In a word: quality. Everything about it is top-notch. I've had it for about a month and it works beautifully. I've made about dozen ice cream and sorbet recipes so far and each one has come out perfectly. One benefit of having a unit with a built in freezer is that you don't have to chill the custard first; just pour it in, turn the machine on, and voila, delicious ice cream in 30 minutes or so. No worries about the container losing it's "chill" before finishing making the ice cream. One time, the sorbet was still a bit slushy (it contained alcohol) so I set the timer for an additional ten minutes and it was spot on! On top of it's stylish looks, the unit feels solid and works incredibly well. There is no concern about the paddle breaking because it's solid metal. Clean up is fairly easy. I know some people would prefer the bowl to be removable but once you take out the paddle, it's really not a problem to wipe up any mess. I don't think it's particularly noisy; it IS a machine with a motor after all so a bit of noise is to be expected. Also, it is a substantial appliance - about 40 lbs - so you should probably find a permanent spot on the kitchen counter if you can. Once you begin using though, you won't be putting it away anyway! ;-) If you're looking for a machine to make delicious frozen desserts with minimal fuss, I highly recommend the Lello! One last word and this is really about Amazon's customer service. Long story short: I missed the first UPS delivery attempt on a Friday and had to wait till Monday for the second attempt. I was ASSURED by UPS customer "service" that it would be delivered that day even though by the time I called, it was already past 7pm. At 9:30pm with still no package, they told me that the driver "ran out of time!" The next day, I called hoping I could just pick it up myself and I was informed that they had lost the package. In fact, they had no record of it in their system after the first delivery attempt! Honestly, I was dreading having to call Amazon but the customer service rep was very friendly, understanding, and helpful. They had another unit on it's way and delivered to me the NEXT day. So kudos to the people running the show at Amazon! UPS? Not so much!

OMG! The best thing since ice cream was invented......

because it is "less work for mother"! Worth the cost of this fabulous performer! On point perfect results every time. Quality is quality and you get what you pay for. Integrated bowl is a "no brainer" to clean. I have so far, made the following : mojito sorbet, saffron toasted pine nut ice cream, basil poppy seed ice cream, olive oil lemon rose petal ice cream, mango coconut pistachio ice cream.....WARNING ... proceed with caution, this could be fattening

If you are serious about ice cream, look no further than this machine.

lets be honest. This is one expensive ice cream maker. Worth every penny in my opinion. I was hesitant because of the price, but ice cream is serious business in our house. After researching and reading lots of reviews I saved up for this one. I made the right choice. Every batch we have made has the consistency of cold stone or Ben and Jerrys. Very thick and creamy. I usually use our Ben and Jerrys ice cream book but the recipes the machine comes with are great too. It's an investment that will not disappoint. The cleanup is easier than I thought it would be. I was worried that the bowl did not detach for cleanup. If you use hot water and a spong right away it takes about 3 minutes.

Great machine!

I have been wanting an ice cream maker of this type for a long time. I will be retiring in two years, and I decided to purchase my dream machine while I am still working. I read the reviews on several ice cream makers, and decided to purchase the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino. The machine does a good job freezing the mixture, and takes an average of 25 minutes. It is fairly easy to clean. The mixing blade fits over a post, and is held in place by a large, flat nut type device. My only complaint is that, because of the design, it is difficult to get the top of this post really clean. You have to use a paper towel, and get it as clean as possible. This machine is expensive, but I would rather pay for a good quality machine that will last for several years, than for a bargain machine that will quickly break down. I really enjoy the creativity of cooking, and have been having so much fun over the summer creating several different ice creams.

Expensive but well worth it.... Exceeded my expectations!

I don't normally write a review but I feel obligated to chime in as I had personally read through ALL the reviews on this product before deciding on this expensive ice cream machine. Personal disclaimer - this is my very first ice-cream machine. I don't have prior experience of making home made ice cream and had never own an ice cream machine myself. Don't have any friends that make home made ice cream either. I have had this machine over several weeks and made numerous batches of gelato. I'll be brief:- 1. Excellent machine! Well built and look nice but it is heavy, so I leave it on the kitchen counter (which I had planned for). It is not huge but big and heavy enough that you wouldn't want to move it in and out of cabinet for every use. 2. Cool super fast! I turn the 'chill' on for few minutes before pouring the ice cream base in. You will see a layer of frost within few minutes of chilling. 3. Easy to use! Only 2 buttons and a dial timer. The manual has some simple explanations, but it is pretty intuitive. 4. Included some simple recipe to churn gelato right away! Came out nice. 5. Work like a horse!! I have been making gelato every week since I got the machine, trying different recipes from books I found. There were days that I made 3 or 4 batches back-to-back and the machine keeps cranking yummy gelato without any issues. Every batch turned out delicious!! 6. Easy to clean! I was also (initially) skeptical with the built-in-bowl and concerned about cleaning it. But, I can testify to others' comment about cleaning the bowl. Real easy - just use a sponge and some warm water. Few rounds of sponges and wiping it down takes about 3 minutes. 7. It's not the most quiet machine! No problem having a conversation in the kitchen but I won't stand next to the machine while on the phone. A minor disappointment but I don't mind it since it gives me yummy gelato at the end of the day. For comparison, my blender and magic bullet are louder, except it is not continuous for 30 minutes. Overall, it is an expensive machine but I do believe in the quality of Italian made product vs. some made in C country. This ice cream machine has delivered and I have no regret spending the extra money. I'm hopeful it will lasts for years.... we shall see.

Warning! Use of the Lello 4080 can lead to weight gain!

I've used several other freezer canister type ice cream makers but got frustrated with the results. They were good but never great. I could never get the consistency I wanted out of the ice creams. So I splurged and bought the Lello 4080 - now it's my most used appliance. This is an awesome ice cream maker for a competitive price. The Lello is a compressor style ice cream maker, meaning no more pre-freezing canisters and no more waiting for the unmade ice cream to get cold enough to churn. It also means, you can let it run until you get the desired consistency since the ice cream gets colder the longer you allow the ice cream maker to run giving you the flexibility of making anything from soft serve style to a concrete-hard chunk of ice cream. How good is it? I've taken dark chocolate sorbet and dark chocolate ice cream to parties and the result both times were a combination of happy groans and people saying: "this is the best ice cream I've ever had!" - yes, it's that good. Throughout the summer, I've used the Lello almost every day and the results have been fantastic. The build quality is also excellent. The Lello looks like it should be in a commercial kitchen. It's metal dasher and gleaming stainless-steel finish give me confidence that it will last for years. Gripes? It's noisy. I use it in second kitchen in a finished basement and I can hear it on the first floor of the house. My wife often asks "what's that noise?" It's pretty bad. I've considered making a sound-deadening box to go around it, but it would be tricky since you need ventilation for the compressor. Until then, I just deal with the noise. I also wish it had a removable container for easier washing. As it is, I have to take a bowl of warm water and a sponge and spend 10 minutes carefully hand cleaning and drying it after each use. It does clean up easily, but it would be much easier if I could remove the container. Overall though, I am super-happy I purchased the Lello. My family is a little fatter and a lot happier this summer!

great machine

It is a great machine. Freezing starts quickly, fully metal blades rotate reasonably fast and have optimal shape to scrape and mix ice cream. Sorbets are coming out of machine in perfect condition to be served immediately. Recipe book provided with the ice cream maker contains many practical and tasty recipes of different frozen treats. This ice cream maker stimulates creativity and provokes to try more and more complex and exotic recipes :-). I'm very happy that I bought this machine just before the summer season. Both traditional sweet sorbets and non-sweet vegetable ones come out really great. Whole family likes them. Non-sweet sorbets frozen in molds go great as healthy snacks during a hot day. So far I'm quite satisfied with this machine.

Like an Italian sports car

I really like this machine. A bit of a beast on the counter, but it turns out such good ice cream that I use it a lot. My only demerits would be in the cleaning department. It’s not bad to clean, just odd. I just love having a well-made unit, and will never go back to those cheap freezer ring types. I think I love it more than my waffle-maker.

Great Ice Cream

This machine takes all of the fuss out of the churn. If the ice cream has not chilled enough, just turn the dial back and keep it going. It does not put too much air into the cream as it freezes. The only difficult part about it is the cleaning. I have to remove the excess water (from cleaning) with a sponge. Oh my, that is so tough. Ha. Really? Okay, so it takes a little time. You can walk away from this unit and not worry. I have had many times using it since the purchase. Really love it.

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