Then it beeped! It was done!
With much excitement, we removed the lid - only to find it was all just sludge. We attempted to re-start the machine, to no avail. We ate some sludge, which was too sweet and very disappointing. Finally, we put it back in the freezer. But it turns out that was the secret. Tonight, we have honest-to-goodness orange sorbet!
Stay tuned for many more icrecream experiments to come : )