Few things can touch the pure, sweet joy that ice cream brings to little kids (and big kids) on a hot summer afternoon. There are countless ice cream novelties and frozen concoctions available to buy, but nothing beats the flavor of real homemade ice cream.

Ice cream makers take simple ingredients like cream, milk, sugar and flavorings, and magically create delicious ice cream at the touch of a button. These marvelous machines can also deliver frozen beverages, sorbets, yogurt and fruit juice slush. If you or your kids are looking for a frozen tasty treat on a hot summer day, your ice cream maker can whip one up.

This machine that brings so much sweet pleasure is actually a very simple concept:

1. Inside the ice cream maker, seated in its belly, are storage containers. You will pour your blended ingredients into this storage container.

2. The mixture is drawn into a freezing chamber that's been edged with refrigerant liners.

3. Next, electric motors attached to agitator blades of the mixer fluff up the ingredients to make them creamier.

4. The ice cream sets in the refrigerated chamber and begins to firm up.

5. When it's time to serve, raise the handle on the dispenser unit. Your fresh ice cream will fall out of the machine and right into your bowl.

In the past, entire families would take turns cranking the old-fashioned ice cream maker. Ingredients were mixed in a prepared metal container, which was kept cold by storing it in a mixture of ice and salt. All of the kids, mom and dad would help by turning the crank to move the paddles, or by stirring the ingredients with a wooden paddle. This took a lot of effort, but the results were so sweet. Over the years improvements were made to the ice cream making process. For example, motorized paddle agitators were fitted into metal containers. Of course, today's machines can churn out the same quality of tasty ice cream at the push of a button.

If you have kids or grandkids, pick up an ice cream maker to create a sweet treat for any occasion.