1. “Why does my custard look like scrambled eggs?”
This occurs when custard has been overcooked. Here are a few steps to remedy this:
- Cook over very low heat, using a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- To prevent lumps, add 1 tsp of cornstarch for every 1 cup (250 ml) of liquid.
- Stir the mixture continuously during cooking. Use a straight-blade wooden spatula or a heat-resistant rubber spatula and carefully scrape the bottom and corners of the saucepan, where the mixture tends to stick. Do not bring to a boil.
- Cook until it coats the spatula (generally when the thermometer reads 180°–185°F/82°–85°C). Quickly halt the cooking process by immersing the saucepan in cold water.
2. “Why is my ice cream turning into butter or forming large ice crystals?”
This happens when either the ice cream base and/or the ice cream maker isn’t cold enough. In this instance, churning takes longer and a warm base also increases the risk that the milk will turn to butter.
To avoid this, before churning, the mixture must be left to chill in the fridge for several hours or until very cold. Better still, place it in the freezer and stir frequently, until it reaches 34°F (1°C). Then transfer it to the ice cream maker. The ice cream maker bowl should be chilled for several hours in the freezer before use. The colder the container and the ice cream base are, the faster the ice cream will freeze and attain the desired texture.
3. “Why are my mix-ins (fruit, purée, caramel) hard as a rock?
The reason for this is that they contain too much water. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces to avoid having to bite into large frozen chunks. Caramel and fruit purées should be cooked slowly to reduce their water content and concentrate their sugars, which will make them less likely to harden when frozen. You can also replace fruit purées with homemade or store-bought jams; their sugar content makes them less likely to harden.
CREAM DESSERTS, MOUSSE AND MERINGUES
Frozen Raspberry Mousse
To better understand how essential ice cream ingredients work to give it the perfect texture, read this article: