I have one of these ice cream makers. I bought it on E-bay a couple of years ago for $35 and I love it! You do not need to use ice, you just freeze the canister ahead of time. Genius! It makes about a quart of ice cream which is perfect for my family. The problem is that we love having people over for homemade ice cream in the summer. One quart isn't really enough to be shared. So I have been looking for an additional canister to buy. That way I could make 2 batches one right after another. Perfect.
The cheapest I had been able to find one was $30. For just the canister. I'm really cheap, but I really wanted one, so I almost bought one. Then last weekend I was at the thrift store and happened to walk down the appliance aisle. Which I never do. And right there in front of me was a Cuisinart ice cream maker. A whole entire machine, not just the canister. For $15!!! It looked like it had only been used a couple of times. I snatched it really quick before anyone else discovered it. I try to be a peaceable person, but I totally would have fought for this, so it's a good thing no one was around. 
I am so thrilled with my discovery. So, in honor of my new ice cream maker, I made some homemade ice cream. I started with the same base I use for my Peppermint Ice Cream, I just tweaked it a little. This is soooo good, you really must try it. Yum! Make sure you leave large chunks of oreos, because that is the best part about cookies and cream ice cream!
Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
1 cup milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp vanilla
2 cups cream
1 1/2 cups broken oreos
Combine milk, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together till blended well. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture barely comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Chill till cold. (I usually put the pan in a sinkful of ice water to speed the process.) Stir in vanilla and cream. Freeze in ice cream freezer according to manufacture instructions. Stir in oreo pieces and ripen in freezer for 1-2 hours.
