Ice Cream from Scratch...

[Cameraman Jenn]

www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/S ... eam-354517

allrecipes.com/recipe/very-chocolate-ice-cream/

Made both of these tonight. Did my math wrong and used only half the unsweetened chocolate however I had bought expensive dark chocolate to use instead of the bakers squares so it seemed to even out.

Double the salt on the caramel at the least, I used 1 & 1/4 teaspoon when salting to taste as I often do.

VERY RICH but incredibly delicious.

[Zarathustra]

I gave homemake icecream a try this summer. I thought it would be like brewing beer, where I could make better product for less money. That is NOT the case! You'll end up spending more, and the ice cream won't stay fresh as long. My machine broke after the second batch, so I never got to experiment very much. I returned it to the store and resigned myself to purchasing Ben and Jerry's.

[Vraith]

That is unfortunately so. You can make much tastier ice-cream as you play around but it will never be cheaper even just counting ingredients and not labor. And I've never seen a durable maker that wasn't way too expensive except really old hand-cranked ones at garage sales. [which are the kind I like, but some peeps just can't live without motors on things].

[Orlion]

Make beer ice cream!

[Menolly]

I'm a fan of the ziplock freezer bag/coffee can method of making ice cream. All that's needed is ice, salt, and lots of physical energy...

[Cameraman Jenn]

My ice cream was off the hook. I used high quality very good extra dark choc instead of the bakers choc and it was amazing. Worth it if you shop for the ingredients at restaurant supply stores or discount markets.

[aliantha]

There's a Scout recipe for making ice cream that involves packing the mix in two ziploc bags (in case the inner one splits) and then into a coffee can, sealing the end of the can, and then kicking the can around for awhile.

[Menolly]

That's the one!
Still, unless you're using the coffee can for a soccer ball, it takes a lot of running around/kicking.

[Harbinger]

I love to make ice cream. It's so much easier with an electric. Screw Ben and Jerry; they are commies.

We make cranberry ice cream every year for Thanksgiving. Except this year- we did the Cracker Barrel thing.

[Cameraman Jenn]

I buy my ingredients super cheap at either "Cash and Carry" or "FoodsCo" here in SF. Cash and Carry is a restaurant geared supply store so they have large quantity stuff for cheap. FoodsCo is where the ghetto shops and they feature a LOT of high caloric convenience food but also great prices on base ingredient stuff. The caramel ice cream cost me about $4 to make a quart and the chocolate about $5. I throw in the love for free even though it's priceless. Ben and Jerry's is over $5 a pint in SF. Not that I don't LURVE me some Ben and Jerry's.... sigh...neopolitan dynamite.... But I am just discovering the joy of making my own ice cream for the fun of experimentation and it brings up nostalgic memories of picking raspberries or wineberries and taking turns adding salt or ice and turning the hand crank of the old ice cream maker my grandparents had when I was a kid visiting them in St. Leonard, MD. They even had an old style root cellar with ice blocks we used to chip to make the ice chunks for the ice cream maker.

[TerisasMirror]

Make beer ice cream!

Ben & Jerry's did this. Well, not commercially, and it's technically a sorbet. They found that at every food expo thingee they would inevitably get stuck next to a beer booth. And they found that noone wanted to try ice cream after hitting the beer booth. So - viola! Beer Sorbet. (source: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book, Workman Publishing, $9.95. Seriously, get you a copy of this! And, yes, the recipe for Beer Sorbet is in there.)

Honestly, I have to throw in with the "Homemade" camp. We have made our own as long as I can remember and we do it often. I have even made 12 qts of ice cream & sorbets in one weekend & had ice cream socials at home. Most commercial ice cream ain't worth a toot (as we say).
When we make it at home it is always better because the ingredients are pure, honest, and simple. Yes, it will not keep as long as the stuff that has binding agents made from seaweed (carageenan) or activated by borax (guar gum). But it sure has better taste and texture. And honestly, ice cream does not stick around long enough to make a difference at our house, anyway.
If you are concerned that it keep longer, I do have some suggestions on altering your recipe that will help (I am assuming you are basically using cream, half & half or milk, and sugar). I won't bore everyone here if you are not interested, but feel free to ask if you are.

As you can tell, this is a subject close to my heart (O.K. - and my waistline!!).

[sgt.null]

i made Cinnammon Vanilla Icecream for Christmas. cooked the eggs and milk on the stove, added everything else then froze in an icecube tray.

julie really liked it. it was the first time i had ever done ice cream.

also the first cake i ever made from scratch. a Cranberry Apple Pear cake.

[balon!]

There's a Scout recipe for making ice cream that involves packing the mix in two ziploc bags (in case the inner one splits) and then into a coffee can, sealing the end of the can, and then kicking the can around for awhile.

how does it solidify?...I know, I know, im not much of a cook, but I always eat my icecream cold...

[DoctorGamgee]

There's a Scout recipe for making ice cream that involves packing the mix in two ziploc bags (in case the inner one splits) and then into a coffee can, sealing the end of the can, and then kicking the can around for awhile.

how does it solidify?...I know, I know, im not much of a cook, but I always eat my icecream cold...

I think the difference is what type of icecream you are making: Custard style with cooked eggs a la French Vanilla, or American standard which does not do that traditionally.

My wife got me an icecream maker for my Kitchenaid. I only used it once as it didn't totally amaze me...but then again, if I play with it and try it more often, I'm sure I can come up with something that is good. Does anyone have any recipes for sugar free?

Doc

[Cameraman Jenn]

I don't have any recipes for sugarfree but I find that allrecipes.com usually has some excellent recipes as well as accurate ratings and reviews and covers everything from meat to vegan as well as low fat, low carb and sugar free. Give them a look.

I am going to make vanilla, dark cherry tonight.

[Menolly]

There's a Scout recipe for making ice cream that involves packing the mix in two ziploc bags (in case the inner one splits) and then into a coffee can, sealing the end of the can, and then kicking the can around for awhile.

how does it solidify?...I know, I know, im not much of a cook, but I always eat my icecream cold...

You put the filled zip-loc bags in the coffee can with ice and salt, balon. Seal and tape up the coffee can, and then kick it around so your hands don't freeze shaking it.

[balon!]

There's a Scout recipe for making ice cream that involves packing the mix in two ziploc bags (in case the inner one splits) and then into a coffee can, sealing the end of the can, and then kicking the can around for awhile.

how does it solidify?...I know, I know, im not much of a cook, but I always eat my icecream cold...

You put the filled zip-loc bags in the coffee can with ice and salt, balon. Seal and tape up the coffee can, and then kick it around so your hands don't freeze shaking it.

Ohhhh.... of course. I've gotta try that!!

[Menolly]

I originally learned to use a smaller coffee can for the custard and put that with the ice and salt in to a larger coffee can. but ali is right even regarding using one baggie, it used to leak like the dickens. Then I learned of putting a quart freezer zip-lok with ice and salt inside a gallon freezer zip-lok and using gloves to shake them.

I never thought of combining the two methods, the way ali posted. I wonder if putting the double quart zip-lok inside a smaller sealed coffee can with ice and salt, and put that inside a larger can with additional ice and salt would speed up the process of kicking it around any.

[aliantha]

I think the really severe leaking predates the invention of ziploc bags. As long as you double-ziploc-bag the custard, leaking shouldn't be as much of an issue.

I am remembering all this, btw, from Girl Scouts, when I think we tried it just once. This would have been 40+ years ago, definitely before the advent of ziploc bags. I expect the bag-bursting issue would be lessened if you put the bagged custard into the smaller coffee can, taped it shut, then loaded it into the larger can and put the ice and salt inside that, surrounding the smaller can. That would keep sharp objects like the edges of melting ice cubes from puncturing the bag while it got kicked around. But the metal of the smaller can might not transfer the cold from the melting cubes to the custard well enough for the process to work.

[Cameraman Jenn]

I made vanilla bean with bourbon soaked black cherries in it. It's delicious.