How to Make Ice Cream
During hot, sweaty summer days, nothing is more refreshing than a bowl of cold and delicious ice cream. Ice cream can be bought in cans or cartons in supermarket, but don’t you know you can also create this yummy concoction with just a few ingredients found in your cupboard and fridge? Here are a few methods on making homemade ice cream.
What You’ll Need:
A tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla or chocolate syrup for flavoring
Rock salt (in some groceries, it’s labeled as “cubed sodium chloride”)
Plenty of ice
The Pot-Freezer Technique
ice creamBefore refrigeration was invented, people made ice cream through this method, using ice from lakes or ponds. They also use hand-cranked ice cream machines, but if you don’t have any, it’s all right. You can use a bowl and regular tub.
Put the sugar, milk and flavoring in a bowl.
Fill a tub with rock salt and ice, then put the bowl with the ingredients in it. The ice and salt mixture shouldn’t spill over the edges or into the bowl, though.
Vigorously mix the ice cream ingredients in the bowl. You can use a hand-held mixer or whisk. The icy and salty water will get heat from the mixture and bring it below water’s freezing point, turning the mixture into ice cream. Make sure you mix as thoroughly as you can to prevent ice crystal formation.
The Freezer Tactic
If you have a custard-based recipe, this is a good method you can try. You’ll have to do some waiting for this, though.
Mix the sugar, flavoring, and milk in a plastic bowl or a deep baking dish made from stainless steel. It should be durable enough to be placed in the freezer.
Let it stay in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Check the mixture every now and then. If it begins to freeze at the edges, vigorously stir it using a whisk or spatula, until the ice crystals have broken up.
Every 30 minutes, check and stir the mixture until it turns into ice cream. After two to three hours, your cool treat will be ready.
The Plastic Bag Technique
If you’re only planning to eat the ice cream by yourself, this is a good method you can try. All you need is a sandwich bag.
Mix the milk, flavoring and sugar in a bowl, then seal properly in a quart-size plastic bag.
Get at least two quarts of crushed ice and put in another plastic bag (gallon-sized), along with the rock salt. Half of the bag must be half-filled with the salt-ice mixture.
Put the bag with the sugar and milk in the bigger ice-filled bag. The bags must stay sealed, and the contents must not mix with each other. You can use duct tape to seal the tops more securely.
For 10 to 15 minutes, shake, massage and agitate the bags. Be careful not to burst either of the two bags, though. During this time, the smaller bag’s contents should be turning into solid ice cream.
Cover your hands with a towel or wear gloves if the bags become too cold and slippery to hold.
Remove the smaller bag from the bigger bag. Put the contents in a bowl or sugar cone and enjoy.
With these easy techniques, making homemade ice cream is no sweat. Top your homemade creation with nuts, berries, syrup or whipped cream, and enjoy!