How cold does the ice cream base have to be before it's put in the
>>machine? What can I expect the consistency of the ice cream base to
>>be like after 20 minutes of churning? After 40 minutes

I just bought a Krups myself, and put it in my freezer overnight...it worked
fine when the ice cream mix was cold (refrigerator overnight) but not very well
when the mix was room temp. Someone clued me in that after 45 minutes in the
mixer, the temp starts to go up so there's no point in continuing on after
that. After about 30 minutes, my proper batches are hardened but not HARD, so I
can transfer them into permanent freezer containers. I don't get the ice
crystals one would expect if the mix was poured into a container and frozen
statically.
-Jen

Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright