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Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Review: Is it worth the money?

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Review: Is it worth the money?

Last Updated on May 5, 2024 0 Comments

The Lello 4080 Musso Lussino is the Rolls-Royce of domestic ice cream makers! It's huge, it's shiny and it's very expensive. But it also makes the smoothest ice cream, gelato and sorbet you'll ever taste from a domestic machine.

The Lello 4080, along with its bigger brother the Lello Musso Pola 5030 Stella [Amazon], are the only ice cream makers in (what I call) the "first tier" of domestic machines.

Yes, they are domestic ice cream makers, but they have an industrial build quality and can make commercial quality ice creams.

But is the Lello 4080 worth all the extra money? Read on, and we'll find out!

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker

Musso Lello 4080 Specs

Width:

12"

Height:

12"

Depth:

18"

Weight:

38 lb

Paddle Rpm:

80

Loudness:

75 Db

Overrun:

26%

Warranty:

1 year

Manual:

My Ratings

Build Quality

Usability

Ice Cream Quality

Value for money

Overall

Pros and Cons

  • Makes incredible quality ice cream
  • Built like a tank
  • Compressor and paddle work separately
  • Casing doesn't stain
  • It's very expensive!
  • Timer keeps going when it's stopped
  • Mine has a wobbly leg!
  • 1 year warranty only

In this review of the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino, I'll look at the quality of the ice cream it makes, I'll briefly cover how it works and how to best use it, and to finish, I'll suggest some alternatives in case this isn't the right ice cream maker for you.

What I like about the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino ice cream maker

1. It makes the best ice cream I've ever had!

Forget about fancy features. What we really want from an ice cream maker is a smooth and creamy final product. And the Lello 4080 is the only domestic machine that can make ice cream that's as good as you get in a high-end restaurant.

2. No need to harden my gelato in the freezer

The Lello 4080 produces ice cream that has almost the same consistency as gelato from a gelateria. So it's softer than regular ice cream. But it is hard enough to serve straight from the machine.

Lello 4080 with finished ice cream

The ice cream is frozen enough to serve straight from the machine

To be clear: it will still benefit from an hour in the freezer. But if you want to, you can serve it immediately.

3. Solid Build Quality and Basic Controls

The Lello 4080 has a solid, all metal, industrial style build, that is clearly made to last. The controls are all mechanical (rather than digital), and very basic (just a timer dial and two on/off switches, for the compressor and the dasher). This means it’s easy to use and there is very little to go wrong.

4. It can handle all sorts of mixes and shortcuts

Because the Lello 4080 is so powerful, you're not limited by the type of ice cream you can make, and you can even take shortcuts in your preparation. Low fat and low sugar? High water content? Uncooked? Forgot to pre-cool the bowl? Didn't fully chill the mixture? The Lello will usually take these issues in its stride, and still produce great ice cream.

5. Easy to clean

The bowl in which the ice cream is churned is simply a depression in the top of the Lello 4080. It’s all made from one sheet of metal. This means you can’t remove the bowl to clean it.

Lello 4080 emptied of ice cream

No bowl = easy to clean

So simply take a warm bowl of soapy water to the machine, wipe it out, and then dry it with a kitchen towel. It takes 3 min max and the machine comes up super shiny!

What I don’t like about the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino ice cream maker

1. The price

Once you've tried the ice cream, you realize why it's so expensive. And to be honest, I haven't thought about the price since. But it's an eye watering amount of money to consider spending on a kitchen appliance. And sadly, many people will just not be able to afford it.

2. The 1-year warranty

The Lello 4080 comes with a 1-year warranty. While this is pretty standard for compressor ice cream makers (only the Cuisinart ICE-100 does better), for a machine that costs so much, it seems a little mean.

Lello 4080 is built like a tank

Only a 1 year warranty but the Lello 4080 is built like a tank

On the other hand, it is built like a tank, so I'm hoping that not only will I need not need the warranty, I'll still be using it without problems in 10 years time!

3. The capacity

This isn't an issue for me at all, as I prefer to make small batches. But I'll include it here, as I know for some people it will be. The official capacity of the Lello 4080 is 1.5 quart (1.4 litre). If you need more, look at the Lello Musso Pola 5030 Stella instead.

4. A dodgy foot!

I don't think a machine that costs this much money should have one foot that's shorter than the others. It doesn't affect the way it works, and it only wobbles slightly if you press one corner. But come on! At least make the legs adjustable, so I can level the machine myself!

How good is the ice cream from the Lello 4080?

I was a bit worried the first time I used the Lello 4080. Once the initial excitement of unpacking such a high-end piece of professional looking equipment had subsided, I started to get nervous.

I'd read reviews that said: yeah, it makes better ice cream than the other domestic machines, but it's not that much better.

I was annoyed that one of the feet was uneven. The biggish gap between the dasher blade concerned me. It seemed to take a long time to pre-cool, only reaching a fairly average -15 °F (-26 °C) in one part of the bowl, while other parts were much warmer.

And even when I started churning, it didn't seem to be freezing any faster than the super cheap Knox Gear ice cream maker (which I was running alongside as a comparison). In fact, I extracted the Knox Gear ice cream 5 minutes before I turned my attention to the Lello 4080, after 30 minutes.

Lello 4080 with finished ice cream

The ice cream from the Lello 4080 blew my mind the first time I tried it!

But as soon as I stopped the dasher and pushed a spoon into the ice cream, I knew something was different.

It was so firm. It was like gelato from an ice cream store. And when I tasted it, it was incredible. Buttery smooth. Dense. Super, super smooth. It had the same texture as ice cream I've had in high-end restaurants. And this was from a no-cook, relatively low fat and low sugar base!

I think the ice cream that the Lello 4080 makes is on a completely different level to any other domestic machine. For me, it really is that much better.

So why is the Lello 4080 so much better than the competition?

If the compressor is only able to cool the bowl to pretty average -15 °F (-26 °C), and there's a fairly big gap between the dasher blade and the sides of the bowl, why is the ice cream so good? Why is it better than the stuff from those domestic machines with colder bowls and smaller gaps?

I think the answer is power. The power of the compressor and the power of the motor...

When you add the mixture to an ice cream maker, that mixture is warmer than the bowl. In machines with weaker compressors, the mixture warms the bowl, and it takes the compressor a long time to lower the temperature again.

With the Lello 4080, the initial temperature may not be spectacularly low, but when the mixture is added, the compressor is strong enough to prevent too much warming and the temperature is lowered much quicker.

Lello 4080 top panel

No removable bowl = better cooling

Plus because the compressor is only separated from the ice cream mixture by a thin layer of steel (there is no removable bowl as with other machines), the Lello 4080 is able to cool the mixture much more efficiently.

Equally, in machines with weaker motors, as the ice cream hardens, the machine just doesn't have the power to keep cutting through and churning the mixture. Whereas, the Lello 4080 is powerful enough to keep mixing, even when the ice cream has reached an advanced state of hardness.

Why do some people say the Lello 4080 is better, but not that much better?

If you use a really well-balanced ice cream base that's high in fat, stabilized and emulsified with plenty of eggs and has the optimal proportion of MSNF, then (as long as everything is pre-cooled) you can put that base in any ice cream maker, and you'll get good results.

And in this case, while the difference between the ice cream from a cheaper compressor machine (like the Cuisinart ICE-100), and the Lello 4080 will be noticeable, it might not be that significant. And it might not be worth the huge difference in price.

Lello 4080 with no-cook mix

The Lello 4080 has no problem with no-cook mixes

But while I love this sort of ice cream, sometimes I want to make low fat ice cream, or no cook ice cream, or ice cream with tons of fruit. Sometimes I want to serve the ice cream straight from the machine! And this is where the differences between the Lello 4080 and other domestic ice cream makers become much more pronounced.

The cheaper, less powerful machines just don't cope very well when you start experimenting and pushing the boundaries a bit. While the Lello usually takes these things in its stride.

So yes, if you only make super optimized mixtures, then maybe the ice cream isn't that much better. But if you want to get experimental or start taking chances, it certainly is that much better!

How does the Lello 4080 work?

There are three distinct types of ice cream machines, and how they differ is in the way that they freeze the ice cream mixture:

  1. With ice and salt
  2. With a removable bowl that you pre-cool in your freezer
  3. With a built-in compressor (or freezer)

The Lello 4080 is a compressor machine. It has a built-in freezer that cools the ice cream mixture as it's being churned.

Compressor machines are the most convenient type of ice cream maker. There's no need to pre-plan anything. And you don't have to find room in your freezer for a big bowl. When you want ice cream, you just turn on the machine to pre-cool and then add the mixture.

Voilà, in around half an hour, you'll have ice cream!

However, compressor machine are bigger, heavier and more delicate than other types of ice cream maker. They're also more expensive. If you're unsure whether this type of machine is the best choice for you, check out my guide to choosing the best ice cream maker.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: the parts

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: the parts

Unlike most domestic ice cream maker, the Lello 4080 comes with just 3 main components (plus a spatula):

  1. The main body that contains the compressor and the motor
  2. The paddle (or dasher) that churns the ice cream
  3. A transparent plastic lid
  4. A plastic spatula to help you remove the finished ice cream

The body of the Lello 4080

The Lello 4080 is the biggest and heaviest ice cream maker I've tested so far. It measures 18" long, 12" wide and 12" high (with the lid) (46 x 30 x 30 cm). And it weighs 38 lb (18 kg).

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino from the front

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino from the front

Yes, it's a beast! It takes up a lot of room, and you're going to have to think carefully about where it's going to go.

The electric cable is a lengthy 60" (152 cm), which will give you loads of options when you're looking for somewhere to put it though, so that's a some consolation!

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino from the top

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino from the top

The housing is a lovely mirrored stainless steel on top with a slightly less shiny, brushed steel around the sides. Unlike every other compressor machine I've tested, the housing cleans well, without showing horrible watermarks!

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino from the side

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino from the side

There are extensive air vents around the sides and a small band of them at the back, and they're wide enough to give you a good view of the internal workings. In order for the machine to cool properly, these vents must be kept clear. So I'd recommend leaving 15 cm of space on either side of the machine when it’s running.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino chamber

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino freezing chamber

On top of the Lello 4080 there's a shallow chamber. This is molded from the top panel; there's just one sheet of metal that dips down to form the cavity. From the center of this chamber emerges the drive shaft that turns the paddle (or dasher).

At the front of the Lello 4080 is the control panel. No fancy LCD or touch sensitive electronic buttons here. Everything is manual, and it's very, very simple!

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino control panel

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino control panel

There's a chunky, plastic dial that you turn by hand to set the time that the machine will run for. The maximum amount of time is 60 minutes. Once it starts running, you can hear it ticking and the dial moves past the time markers like an old mechanical clock.

And then there's just two manual switches. One to turn the compressor on and off. And one to make the paddle start or stop rotating. Nothing else. No temperature gauge. No pre-cool function. You're on your own!

Underneath are 4 plastic feet that keep the steel body raised off the surface by about almost 4 cm. Disappointingly, for a machine that costs this much money, on my Lello 4080, the feet aren't level and the machine can be rocked slightly if you press down on one corner.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: the dodgy foot!

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: the dodgy foot!

It's such a heavy beast, it doesn't seem to make any difference, and it's only noticeable if you go looking for it. But I'd expect better from a machine that costs this much money. Why aren't the feet at least adjustable? If IKEA can do it, why can't Musso!?

Overall, the Lello 4080 doesn't look or feel like a domestic appliance. It feels industrial. It looks like it belongs in a hospital or a laboratory. It doesn't make any concessions for the home cook.

And this makes it incredibly exciting!

The dasher of the Lello 4080

The “dasher” is just another name for the paddle that mixes the ice cream in the machine. The Lello 4080 has a heavy solid steel dasher with just one blade. It's the only domestic machine with a metal dasher; all the others are plastic.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: the dasher

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino: the dasher

The dasher of an ice cream maker has 3 very important jobs:

  1. Scraping frozen mixture off the sides of the bowl and moving it into the middle
  2. Adding air to the mixture
  3. Encouraging the fat to clump together to support the air

The dashers impact on the smoothness of the ice cream

We all want smooth ice cream. How smooth it is, is probably the clearest indication of how good an ice cream really is. And if we read our ice cream science, we know that the faster an ice cream freezes, the smoother it will be.

One of the things that will influence how fast a mixture freezes, is the gap between the dasher blades and the side of the bowl. While commercial machines have spring-loaded blades that actually touch the sides of the bowl, on domestic machines there is always a small gap.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino dasher gap

There's a 2-3 mm gap between the dasher blade and the sides of the bowl

This means that as the blades rotate, they will always leave a thin layer of frozen mixture on the sides of the bowl. This layer insulates the rest of the mix from the coldness of the compressor and slows the freezing process.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino insulating ice layer

The insulating ice layer

So we're always looking for the smallest gap possible. On the Lello 4080, the curved blade leaves a gap which varies between 2 and 3 mm, which is actually pretty wide compared to other domestic machines.

But the other job of the dasher is to smash the fat globules together so that they start to group and form strings that support the air bubbles, which it's also introducing to the mix. And it's such a substantial piece of metal, you can be sure it's going to do a good job of that!

The dashers impact on the lightness of the ice cream

The amount of air that the dasher whips into the mixture has a profound effect on the consistency of the final ice cream. More air produces lighter, fluffier ice creams. Less air makes denser, creamier ice creams.

The shape of the dasher and the speed that it rotates will determine how much air the machine is able to incorporate into the mixture. However, the recipe you're using and the amount of mixture you've added to the machine also has a huge effect.

The Lello 4080 dasher is similar is shape to the dasher of the Breville Smart Scoop, both of which rotate much faster than the very different, two bladed dasher that comes with Cuisinart machines. The Lello 4080 dasher rotates at 80 rpm, which is the fastest of all the domestic machines I've tested.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino dasher in chamber

The dasher rotates at 80 rpm

However, this is still much, much slower than commercial machines, which can rotate as fast as 200 rpm. Almost all domestic machines spin relatively slowly, so they tend to incorporate less air and produce, denser ice creams.

The Lello 4080 lid

Like all domestic ice cream makers, the Lello 4080 comes with a transparent plastic lid. However, this is the lightest and flimsiest of them all. It's literally just a see through, plastic plate.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino lid

The transparent plastic lid

It just sits on top of the machine. There's no way to lock it in place. There's no hatch to add mix-ins. Why would you need one? Just lift the whole lid, and you’ll have easy and complete access to the mixture.

The Lello 4080's spatula!

The Lello 4080 comes with a substantial plastic spatula. It's actually more like one of the spades that is used to serve gelato in Italian ice cream stores.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino spatula

The spatula is thick and strong

It's much stronger than the little spatulas that come with other domestic ice cream makers. And it's actually pretty useful when it comes to extracting the finished ice cream from the chamber.


How to use the Lello 4080 ice cream maker

Like every other domestic machine, making ice cream with the Lello 4080 usually involves 5 steps. However, the Lello 4080 is so good, you could drop a couple of them...

  1. Make the mixture
  2. Pre-cool the Lello 4080
  3. Churn and freeze the mixture in the Lello 4080
  4. Transfer the mixture to the freezer to harden
  5. Clean the Lello 4080

Step 1: Make the mixture

Depending on what type of ice cream you're making, this step will either be done well in advance of Step 2, or it could actually be done at the same time.

If your recipe needs to be heated, then it should be cooled down before you can put it in the Lello 4080. I'm thinking of recipes that use eggs or starches here. These mixtures will also benefit from "aging" overnight in the fridge (although this isn’t essential).

Preparing a no-cook ice cream base

Preparing a no-cook ice cream base

But if your recipe doesn't require heating, (for example Philadelphia style ices or some sorbets), once all the ingredients are mixed together, it can go straight into the machine.

The recipe is really, really important when you're making ice cream. You can't throw any combination of milk, cream and sugar into an ice cream maker and expect it to pump out amazing results. Everything needs to be in balance, and it's useful to know a little bit about ice cream science before you start experimenting.

So I recommend starting off with some tried and trusted recipes before you starting inventing your own. The Lello 4080 comes with 8 recipe cards and a gelato base.

There are also plenty of recipe books available. I've been using Ices: The Definitive Guide and Gelato Messina: The Recipes, a lot recently, with fantastic results.

Lello 4080 Musso Lussino with recipe books

A tried and tested recipe book is a good place to start

Once you've mastered a few of these, then you can start tweaking them and of course inventing your own!

One very important thing to remember, though. The Lello 4080 has 1.5 quart (1.4 litre) capacity. So I would advise you generally put less than 1 quart of mixture into the machine as, otherwise, when it expands, as it's mixed, you're likely to get some overflow.

When your mixture is made and chilled, keep it in the fridge until the next step in done...

Step 2: Pre-cool the Lello 4080

You don't have to do this step. And the Lello is so efficient, you may not notice any difference in your final ice cream. But generally, it's always a good idea to pre-cool your ice cream maker.

As we know, the faster we freeze the mixture, the smoother the final ice cream. And if we add the mixture to a bowl that's already very cold itself, it will definitely freeze faster. So of course, time spent here, is saved later too!

The Lello 4080 makes pre-cooling reasonably easy for you. There's no automatic function like you get with the Breville Smart Scoop. But it certainly feels more intuitive than machines like the Cuisinart ICE-100, which you need to turn on fully, so the paddle's turning as it pre-cools.

With the Lello 4080, there's one button to start cooling and a separate button to start the dasher rotating. However, you need to set the timer before you can do either. So rotate the dial to include enough time for the machine to pre-cool and freeze your ice cream.

Pre-cooling the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino

You can cool the Lello 4080 without churning

You should be generous here, as you don't want the machine to turn off before it's done. However, one of the few annoying things about the Lello 4080 is that you can't turn the timer off. So if you set it to 60 minutes and your ice cream’s finished after 50 minutes, you can stop it churning and turn the freezer off, but the timer will still be ticking down (loudly) for another 10 minutes!

I usually set it to 50 minutes, so I get 20 minutes pre-cooling and 30 minutes churning, which is always more than enough. Usually I get around 10 minutes of annoying ticking at the end. Anyway, after 15 to 20 minutes pre-cooling, the bowl should get down to around -15 °F (-26 °C).

The Lello 4080 tends to take a little longer to get down to its lowest temperature than other compressor ice cream makers, and when I was reading the temperature it seemed to vary around the bowl. So I'd definitely recommend you give it 20 minutes if you can.

Step 3: Churn and freeze the mixture in the Lello 4080

So your mixture’s pre-chilled and your ice cream maker’s pre-cooled. It's time to get down to business. Set the dasher spinning and pour in your mixture.

Mixture just added to Lello 4080 Musso Lussino

Mixture just added to Lello 4080 Musso Lussino

Now, ice cream makers are loud. All of them. But even the sounds that come out of the Lello 4080 are different from other domestic machines. While the Cuisinarts and the Breville and all the third tier machines can get a bit screechy, the Lello purrs!

True, it's not a quiet purr. At 81-83 Db, it's definitely no fun to watch television in the same room. But it's no louder than a hairdryer and for me, the low throb of the Lello 4080 is definitely more bearable than the other machines!

As always, how long it takes to finish your ice cream will depend on your recipe, how cold the mixture was and how cold you got the bowl before you started.

Usually, when the mixture starts to look like whipped cream and starts coming away from the edges of the bowl, it's close to being ready. At this stage, the temperature of the ice cream will be close to 21°F (-6°C), which is another way to know it's ready.

However, if you can leave it in longer and the motor is still able to mix the ice cream as it hardens, you'll get a smoother ice cream. And this is where the Lello 4080 really starts to shine.

In around 25 minutes, this machine can produce ice cream that is significantly harder than any other domestic machine I've tested.

All domestic ice cream makers will automatically cut off if the mixture becomes too hard to mix. If this happens, it's not a problem. However, I don't recommend you make a habit of it, as it places unnecessary strain on the motor. I tend to turn them off as soon as hear the tone of the motor change, as if it's beginning to struggle a bit.

With the Lello 4080, the motor and the paddle just power through. And after 25–30 minutes, you'll end up with a lovely, firm consistency. But of course if you do hear the motor start to strain, you should turn it off.

Now's the time to remove the finished ice cream.

Step 4: Transfer the ice cream from the Lello 4080 to the freezer

With any domestic ice cream maker, you can eat the ice cream straight from the machine and it will taste great. However, with other domestic machines, the ice cream will be really soft and will melt incredibly quickly.

With the Lello 4080, the ice cream is actually hard enough to serve straight from the machine! For sure, it has the consistency of Italian gelato rather than American ice cream. And ideally, you'd want to harden it the freezer for just a little longer.

But you don't have to! And that is incredibly liberating, as it means you genuinely can make ice cream on demand. If you're entertaining guests, you can make the ice cream right in front of them and serve it to them immediately. For me, this is a huge bonus.

Removing the ice cream from the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino

Transferring the ice cream to the freezer

Of course, you may want to harden it in the freezer. Or maybe you want to eat some now and store some for later! If that's the case, as always, the secret is speed (and coldness)...

While you're churning the ice cream, you should have a container pre-chilling in the freezer. I prefer wide, shallow containers made from thin plastic or metal, as they'll freeze the ice cream faster.

Get the ice cream out of the Lello 4080 and into the container as fast as possible. Unlike other domestic machines, the dasher is held in place by a screw on bolt. So first of all, you should unscrew this and remove the dasher.

You need to be careful now as the manual specifically tells us to not allow the central pin, (which is exposed when we remove the dasher) to get wet. Hopefully your ice cream will be firm enough that it's easy to avoid drips.

I put the bolt that keeps the dasher in place back (after removing the dasher), to protect the pin from any stray ice cream, and I haven't had any problems so far.

I put the bolt back after removing the dasher to protect the pin from stray drips

Once you've scraped the ice cream into your container, place a layer of cling film or baking paper over the surface of the ice cream before you put the lid on. This will discourage ice crystals forming on the surface.

Then place the container in the coldest part of your freezer, which is usually the back. Usually homemade ice cream needs two to three hours in the freezer to harden, but the ice cream from the Lello 4080 is already pretty hard, so it will definitely be ready sooner.

Step 5: Clean the Lello 4080

Since the Lello 4080 doesn't feature a removable bowl, we need to clean it in a slightly different way to other domestic ice cream makers.

The dasher and the lid can obviously be cleaned at the sink in warm, soapy water, just like any other ice cream maker parts.

But for the bowl, once it's warmed and any remaining mixture has melted, you'll need to take a dish of warm soapy water to the ice cream maker to clean it in situ.

Cleaning the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino

Cleaning the Lello 4080 is much easier than they say

I've read plenty of complaints about this, and even one commentator who bought a different ice cream maker because he thought it would be too much hassle! This is just ridiculous. It's really easy and should take no more than 3 minutes at most.

First of all, you use a kitchen sponge to soak up any excess mix. Then you use a bowl of warm soapy water and the sponge to wipe it clean. And then you dry it with a tea towel. Because the bowl is one smooth plate of metal, there are no crevices to get into, and it cleans up very, very quickly.

I find it quicker to clean than doing a removable bowl in the sink to be honest! What's more, the shiny steel of the Lello 4080 actually comes up much cleaner than all the other machines I've tested, which tend to develop water stains that are difficult to shift.


Alternatives to the Lello 4080 ice cream maker

If you think that the Lello 4080 isn't the right ice cream maker for you, then don't despair, there are alternatives. I look at two possibilities below...

Looking for something cheaper?

If the Lello 4080 is just too expensive, then how about the Breville Smart Scoop? It's a level below the Lello 4080 in all respects. But it usually costs 40% less too!

Breville Smart Scoop bci600xl front

The Breville Smart Scoop is a lot cheaper than the Lello 4080

It has a similar paddle to the Lello which spins at a reasonably fast 55 rpm. But the Smart Scoop just hasn't got the power to give you anything like the same level of smoothness as the Lello.

However, the Smart Scoop is probably capable of making the hardest ice cream of all the other domestic ice cream machines. It's not really serve-able straight from the machine though. And it takes over 40 minutes to get there! Which means the ice cream can suffer a little.

The Smart Scoop does have a lot of fancy features, though. It has an automatic pre-cool, twelve pre-set hardnesses to choose from and a three hour keep-cool function.

The bottom line is this: you're not going to get the same level of ice cream from any other machine than the Lello 4080. But if you can't afford it then the Smart Scoop will provide you with a well-built, feature filled and cheaper alternative.

Looking for a bigger capacity?

The Lello 4080 is a domestic sized, professional level, ice cream maker. And back to back 1.5 quart batches should be enough for most households!

Lello Musso Pola 5030 Stella

The Lello Musso Pola 5030 Stella

But maybe you need more? Maybe you're looking for something to use in a café or a restaurant? In which case, the Lello 4080 has a bigger brother: the Lello Musso Pola 5030 Stella [Amazon].

The Lello 5030 is just a bigger version of the 4080, with a 2 quart (1.9 litre) capacity. The dasher, the lid and the control panel are almost identical, as is the ice cream it makes. There's just more of it!

It is of course bigger, heavier and more expensive! But if you're looking for the same top quality ice cream in bigger batches, then the Lello Musso Pola 5030 Stella is definitely your best option.

Final thoughts on the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino ice cream maker

I've got to admit, I was starting to feel a bit jaded by making at ice cream at home. I mean, I still loved ice cream, but it never turned out like I imagined it in my head.

The Lello 4080 has changed all that. Finally, I'm making the sorts of ice creams I dreamed about. Low fat? Low sugar? Lots of fruit? No problem, says the Lello 4080!

It really is on a totally different level to every other ice cream maker I've used. And it's so good, I don't even think about the price anymore.

There's no getting away from it: it's incredibly expensive. But it's also got an industrial build quality, so I'm hoping it's going to last me many, many years.

And the thing is, with the other domestic ice cream makers, after a while I can imagine the frustrations would get the better of me and I would make less and less ice cream.

With the Lello 4080, that's not going to happen. I'm constantly thinking about what my next invention will be, confident that this ice cream maker will be up to the task, and I'm only limited by my own imagination.

We have all sorts of different considerations and priorities when we're choosing an ice cream maker.

If cost or space is your main priority, then I'd recommend the Cuisinart ICE-21. If convenience is your main priority, then I'd recommend the Breville Smart Scoop.

But if the best ice cream is your main priority, then there's only the Lello 4080 [Amazon].

If you can't afford it right now, get the Cuisinart ICE-21, work on your recipes and save up until you have enough money to buy the Lello 4080. I guarantee you won't regret it!

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Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker

Musso Lello 4080 Specs

Width:

12"

Height:

12"

Depth:

18"

Weight:

38 lb

Paddle Rpm:

80

Loudness:

81-83 Db

Overrun:

26%

Warranty:

1 year

Manual:

My Ratings

Build Quality

Usability

Ice Cream Quality

Value for money

Overall

Pros and Cons

  • Makes incredible quality ice cream
  • Built like a tank
  • Compressor and paddle work separately
  • Casing doesn't stain
  • It's very expensive!
  • Timer keeps going when it's stopped
  • Mine has a wobbly leg!
  • 1 year warranty only

Summary
recipe image
Review Date
Reviewed Item
Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker
Author Rating
51star1star1star1star1star
Product Name
Lello 4080 Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker
Price
USD 679
Product Availability
Available in Stock

About the author 

Carl

Wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I'm always looking for the perfect ice cream. The "dream scoop". I document my findings, my successes and failures here...

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