Step 1

Step 2

Meanwhile, beat 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1½ cups (165 g) powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light, fluffy, and smooth, about 2 minutes. Scre down sides of bowl, reduce speed to low, and with motor running, slowly stream in 3 cups heavy cream. Beat, gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until medium-stiff peaks form and mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Transfer cream mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large straight tip (or use a large resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off).

Step 3

Stir together zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 cup strawberry jam in a small bowl.

Step 4

Place 1 sheet of pastry on a platter or clean baking sheet. Pipe a border of cream mixture around edges of pastry as desired. Spoon dollops of about half of jam mixture around, staying within border, and spread a little with an offset spatula (you won’t have enough jam to cover completely in an even layer, so no need to be that precise). Pipe a few dollops of cream mixture over jam and spread into an even layer (aim to have about half of cream mixture left). Scatter 1¼ lb. mixed fresh berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries) evenly over cream mixture. Spoon dollops of remaining jam mixture all over and gently spread as you can to create an even layer, then place second pastry sheet on top. Pipe a border of cream mixture around edges of pastry, then fill center with remaining cream mixture and spread into an even layer. Scatter remaining 1¼ lb. mixed fresh berries evenly over. Lightly dust berries with powdered sugar if desired.

What we love: The FastFreeze’s footprint is its biggest selling point. It’s a fraction of the size of its two competitors, making it enticing for anyone with limited counter and storage space. It makes half-pints of ice cream (whereas the Creami and the Chill both make full pints), which are optimal for solo ice cream enjoyers, and it’s the quietest and cheest machine of the bunch by far. If you’re looking to hop on the Creami trend without shelling out the big bucks or giving up a ton of precious kitchen space, I can understand why you’d consider it—but it’s worth noting that it comes with some significant drawbacks when compared to its competitors.

What we’d leave: The FastFreeze sounds great on per, but I was dispointed by its performance in testing. Did it transform frozen liquid into frozen treats? Yes, but neither the ice cream nor the sorbet I made reached a desirable consistency.

To operate the FastFreeze, you’ll need to press the power button and push down on the device until the blade has reached the bottom of the cup, and then repeat as needed. By the time my ice cream was fully processed, it was well past soft-serve consistency and started melting in minutes—plus it was quite lumpy. The sorbet (which I made by mashing fresh pineple in the cup before freezing per Cuisinart’s instructions) was much more scoopable but took several minutes of manual processing to reach a somewhat creamy consistency, and never got completely smooth. This isn’t exactly surprising—the FastFreeze’s motor is far less powerful than that of the Creami or the Chill.

Because the blade can’t be detached from its base, the FastFreeze was the most difficult model to clean. You’ll have to carefully hand-wash this part, though you can dishwash the half-pint containers.

How I tested

What I looked for