Do you ever make your own ice cream? How did it turn out?

Question

I did once when i was in high school, but i dont remember how to do it, something to do with milk and cream and ice and salt and a hammer and a bag.

Answer 1

They way that you're thinking --

Put cream, milk, sugar in a ziploc bag, seal. Put that bag in a much larger one and fill with ice. Add several spoonfuls of salt. Shake! (I don't think you really need a hammer . . .) I won't go into the physics behind it, but you have ice cream in about 10 minutes.

A more sophisticated option is to invest in an electric ice cream maker (they're about $20-30). This applies the same principle, except the cream and sugar (and eggs or egg alternative, in most recipes) go into a metal cylinder which fits inside a lager container for the ice and salt. You basically plug it in, the inner cylinder spins, and you have ice cream in about 30 minutes to an hour.

I've made it and enjoyed it both ways, though you get a lot more out of it the second way, and it tastes a bit better too.

Answer 2

Lily, I've read all of the answers on here, and obviously a lot of people have experienced the wonders of homemade ice cream. I'm old enough to remember the wooden bucket, hand cranked version of the ice cream maker. It was called a White Mountain freezer. I'm sure the older posters on here will know what I'm talking about. Most people who made homemade ice cream where we lived (in Texas) would cook a custard first (because of the danger of salmonella from raw eggs) and then they would decide what flavorings they wanted to include. We always went to my grandmother's farm to make the ice cream, because they had a milch cow. The milk was half cream, which made the ice cream better. Nowadays you have to use evaporated milk, that doesn't taste nearly as good. To get the freezer ready, you slipped the metal canister filled with the ice cream ingredients down inside the wooden bucket, and then surrounded it with rock salt (a precious commodity back during World War II). Someone had to sit on top of the freezer on a towel in order to hold the canister inside the bucket. A second person was the "cranker". Usually the two people had to take turns, because it took about 1/2 hour to get the cream cold and solid enough. Then it had to set for another hour and "ripen". The most fun for kids was to get to lick the paddle when it came out of the churn. There was enough ice cream on it to be almost a full helping. We made fresh peach, strawberry-banana, peppermint (ground up candy canes and a drop or two of peppermint flavoring), chocolate, vanilla of course, and my favorite--maple. I don't ever see maple ice cream in bought flavors these days. I haven't seen a White Mountain freezer in years. The ones I see nowadays have plastic buckets, and I don't think they get the ice cream as hard as the old wooden freezers. I'm afraid this is a part of "Americana" we've lost along with some other traditions from the past. Besides, we're too worried about cholesterol and blood sugar problems.

Answer 3

We make it quite often in the summer. Homemade is the best. We had homemade Rocky Road tonight. Yum Yum!
You can buy an ice cream maker that makes just a quart or two at a time. That don't need ice and salt, and are really easy to use.
I recommend that everyone get one.
Homemade ice cream is the secret to world peace.

Answer 4

I tried once to make a New Zealand classic Ice cream when I got home from a trip there. The Ice cream (called Hokey Pokey) was made with butterscotch candies and vanilla ice cream. Naturally I thought the best way to make it was a blender. The candies got stuck in the blades and burned out the motor. When I mixed it with the ice cream they just sunk to the bottom and were too jagged to eat anyway. I just shrugged my shoulders and ate it. Still don't have a blender that works though....

Answer 5

You can use always an actual motorized ice cream mixer. I don't expect they're too expensive. However, I've made "kick the can" ice cream before. It involves 2 coffee cans, ice, salt, duct tape, and your ice cream ingredients. As for the actual directions, I don't remember. But you get to kick it around. :)

Answer 6

Yes I have. More than once.

It turned out nicely. I have an ice cream maker that doesn't require the ice and salt. But the custard (milk/cream, eggs, sugar, and flavouring) mixture is still necessary. ; )

Thinking I ought to make some this summer. Thanks for reminding me!

Answer 7

Once I made ice cream home made and it was better than any other ice cream I've ever had.

Answer 8

When I was a little kid, I remember taking turns with my sisters sitting and turning the handle on my grandmothers old ice cream maker. It was always vanilla, and always awesome.

Answer 9

Yes, I make it all the time. It is sooooo much better than store bought. I like banana the best (or peach). Get and ice cream churn and go for it.

Answer 10

Yes, we have one of the electric ice cream makers so it's easy. And it always turns out very yummy.