Tefal Dolci sorbet: getting the SORBET programme right

What the Tefal Dolci sorbet programme does

The Tefal Dolci sorbet programme is made for bases without milk: fruit, sugar and water. It's the same SORBET button you'll find on the Moulinex Dolci, because it's the same machine with a different name.

You freeze the base in the Tritan bowl for 24 hours at −18 °C. Then you press SORBET and the blade spins and shaves the frozen block layer by layer, for about 3 minutes 14 seconds. The result should be smooth and spoonable, not icy.

Why sugar balance decides your sorbet

As a chef I've worked sorbets on a professional Pacojet for more than 10 years, and the rule is always the same: sugar isn't only for sweetness. It controls how hard the block freezes.

• Too little sugar: the block is rock hard and the sorbet comes out crumbly, like snow.
• Too much sugar: the base doesn't freeze properly and you get a soft, sticky result.

Every fruit has its own natural sugar and water, so a lemon needs a different balance from a mango. That's why a single generic recipe never works for every fruit.

Tefal Dolci sorbet crumbly or sandy? Use RE-SPIN

If your sorbet looks powdery after the first cycle, don't throw it away. Press RE-SPIN (about 1 min 30 s). If it's still dry, add 1 spoonful of juice or water into the hole in the centre and RE-SPIN again. Usually that's enough to bring it back to a creamy texture.

If it happens every time with the same recipe, the base needs more sugar. More answers on our Tefal Dolci questions page.

Fruit sorbets to start with

Lemon, strawberry and mango are the three sorbets people search for most, and each one behaves differently in the bowl:

• Lemon sorbet for the Tefal Dolci: sharp, very little natural sugar.
• Strawberry sorbet for the Tefal Dolci: lots of water, needs care.
• Mango sorbet for the Tefal Dolci: naturally creamy.

On the site you'll find 30 free sorbet pages, one per fruit, plus the free 30 sorbets book in PDF.

Add a small amount of milk, cream or yoghurt to a fruit base and you get a sherbet: softer than a sorbet, lighter than ice cream. There's no sherbet button, so you use SORBET. Read the Tefal Dolci sherbet guide, or go back to all the Tefal Dolci programmes.

Common Tefal Dolci sorbet mistakes

Most problems I see come from the same few habits:

• Pressing SORBET too early: the bowl needs the full 24 hours at −18 °C. A half-frozen base won't shave properly.
• Cutting the sugar to make it lighter: the sorbet gets harder, not healthier, and it comes out like snow.
• Using the same recipe for every fruit: each fruit brings its own sugar and water, so the balance has to change.
• Giving up after one cycle: a RE-SPIN often fixes a texture that looked lost.

129 sorbets with the right balance

In the ICED° app there are 129 sorbets, each with the grams for your machine's bowl, the button to press and a traffic light that warns you before freezing if the base will turn out too hard. You can try it with 5 free recipes on the Tefal Dolci app page.

Step by step

1. Prepare a sorbet base with fruit, sugar and water, without milk.
2. Pour it into the Tritan bowl, put the lid on and freeze for 24 hours at −18 °C.
3. Fit the frozen bowl in the Tefal Dolci and lock it.
4. Press SORBET and let the cycle run (about 3 min 14 s).
5. If it's sandy or crumbly, press RE-SPIN.
6. Still dry? Add 1 spoonful of juice or water in the centre hole and RE-SPIN again.
7. Serve straight away, or put the bowl back in the freezer.

Frequently asked questions