Very cold ice cream is a must! Impossible to dish out is just about right. You see, it must be able to freeze up some of the milk before the mixer is started.

In my case the mixer consists of a spoon, a cold glass, and a kitchen towel wrapped around the glass. Towel serves dual use, insulator and mess control.

edit: You did buy a NON frost free freezer to keep the ice cream in. Todays frost free freezers make getting the ice cream cold enough, hit or miss.