1. It’s easy to make
Making ice cream is very simple. Start by making a custard base. Cook the cream, milk, sugar and egg yolk mixture until thick.
2. You can flavour it to your liking
You can then add flavour to it, such as maple and nuts or chocolate. Let the mixture cool before transferring it to the ice cream maker, which freezes it as it churns.
3. Homemade is just better
After going through the ice cream maker, the ice cream will be set but still soft. Take this opportunity to add any ingredients you prefer, and then place it in the freezer for a few hours to firm up. All that’s left is to enjoy it and feel proud at what you’ve accomplished!
How it works
- The inner wall of the container: chills the ice cream base.
- The paddles: rotate continuously around the central axis, scraping the inner wall of the bowl, keeping the mixture uniform and breaking up ice crystals. The movement of the paddles, known as churning, whips air into the mixture, increasing the volume of the finished ice cream.
- The temperature: of the mixture and the ice cream maker is key to the success of homemade ice cream. The quicker the mixture freezes, the smaller and more delicate the ice crystals will be, creating a fine, silky-textured treat.
Passive cooling: With this common type of ice cream maker, the thick-sided removable bowl or canister is chilled in the freezer beforehand (at least 24 hours) rather than by the device itself. The device can be manual (the paddles operated by a hand crank) or electric. These efficient and economical ice cream makers are ideal for beginners.
Active refrigeration: These more sophisticated machines rely on a built-in compressor to chill the canister. They are much more expensive than their passive counterparts, but worth the added cost for ice cream aficionados.
With all this information at your fingertips, you’re now ready to make your own ice cream: