I made ice cream by hand for years, putting a bowl in the freezer and taking it out every few hours to stir it until it was fully frozen. I found that if I made it from cream only, it didn't need constant stirring.
When I began to make if from goats milk, I often found it was full of ice crystals and not very smooth so after much thought, we decided to invest in an ice cream maker. I bought a Gaggia Gelatiera which wasn't cheap but as far as we are concerned, worth every penny.
It's fully automatic, no freezer involved. You can easily make any kind of ice cream and it can take as little as 20 minutes before it's ready to eat.