You CAN Make Ice Cream at Home!
You can make delicious ice cream at home, as good as any premium
store brand, if you choose a good ice cream maker and follow a
few tips. Ice cream makers can range in price from under $100
to over $500. The more expensive models contain built in freezing
compressors. The less expensive models are perfectly suited for
use in the home and come in two basic types. There is the type
that uses rock salt and ice to cool the ice cream mixture and
the type that has a canister that is placed in the freezer.
Each of these is equipped with an electric crank or a manual
crank. Your particular needs will determine which is right for
you.
If you want to make a large quantity of ice cream, you will
need to purchase a model that uses rock salt and ice. The
canister models will only make up to 1.5 quarts at a time.
If you would like to turn ice cream making into a family
activity, you can choose the hand-crank model, which will
also use rock salt and ice. The crank must be turned manually
for a fairly long period of time, thus allowing each family
member a turn. An electric crank is quite a bit easier than
the manual crank models. You will also get more consistent
results due to the bowl turning at a constant speed. Most
electric crank ice cream makers will have an automatic cut
off feature that will stop the motor when the ice cream reaches
the desired consistency. The consistency is judged by the
amount of resistance while the bowl is turning.
After you choose which type of ice cream maker is right for
you, you will need to find the perfect ice cream recipe.
Remember that the faster the ice cream freezes, the better
it will taste and the smoother the texture will be. It will
be best to pre-mix all your ingredients and let them chill
for several hours before placing them in the ice cream maker.
When your ice cream is done, it will resemble soft-serve ice
cream. You can place the canister in the freezer for a few
hours and you will be much happier with the results. If
your canister is plastic, consider removing the ice cream
as soon as it is done, and placing it in a metal bowl covered
with foil. The metal will allow the ice cream to freeze
faster and become firmer more quickly than in a plastic
container.
You can purchase a mix that is quite easy to make into
ice cream very quickly. While the mixes are convenient,
the best homemade ice cream is made from fresh ingredients.
Milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cocoa if you desire will give
you the best results. You can find numerous ice cream
recipes, some which require cooking some which require
no cooking. The ice cream recipes that do not require
cooking are generally just as good as the cooked type,
and require a lot less time. The best ice cream recipes
usually contain eggs, however there are many recipes that
do not use eggs if you or someone in your family is allergic
to eggs.
About the Author
Sharon Chennault
This article has been provided courtesy of Kitchen Junkie, http://www.kitchenjunkie.com/.
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