I’ve recently developed a taste for Italian Ice.
Is there a way to make it at home, without buying expensive commercial equipment?
Not really, assuming you’re talking about the frozen stuff that’s somewhere between a popsicle and ice cream in consistency.
About as close as you’ll get at home is a granita, and that needs nothing more than a jelly roll or sheet cake pan and freezer space. You just pour the <whatever>* into the pan, and when it starts to freeze, stir it up with a fork to break up the ice crystals. Repeat every 20 minutes or so until it’s a uniform slush - it’ll take about two hours all told.
- espresso, lemonade, cranberry juice, etc…
A friend of mind did the same thing, but in a large mixing bowl rather than a flat sheet pan, and every 30 minutes instead of 20. Good luck!
Buy a home in Italy
Actually its very easy, as long as you understand that you’re going to have a more “crystalline” texture than what’s commercially available.
italian ice is also called “water ices” - basically its just water, sugar and flavor. Lemon is one of the cheapest to try at home. You can also find lots of recipes online.
Mix up a batch of water, sugar, and lemon juice. Make sure the lemon flavor and the sweetness is very strong because you can’t taste flavors as well in a cold medium.
Get a flat pan (one with sides) large enough that the liquid is about a 1/4 inch deep. Put in freezer for 1 hour. Take out of freezer and use a spatula to scrape up and mix the frozen part into the unfrozen part. Put back in freezer.
Repeat at 1/2 hour intervals until all is frozen and mixed.
You can use fruit puree (watch out for chunks, they turn into icicles), I’ve done chocolate by mixing cocoa in, once I made vanilla by taking the vanilla water in which I had poached pears and adding a bit of cream… etc.
I use a frozen yogurt maker. The machine cost over $20, but less than $40 and works great.
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Adding finely minced lemon zest helps the flavor come out.
Well, to start with, give it a nice comfy chair. Offer it some tea, and some light snacks. Ask it how its journey was, and mention that you have a guest bedroom if it wants to spend the night.
koee’s recipe for absolutely perfect Strawberry Lime Water Ice
Throw 1 can of frozen Bacardi Strawberry Daiquiri concentrate into a blender
squeeze in the juice of 1 lime
add 1/4 cup water, or rum (I make virgin ice, myself, but you can make it like Og intended)
fill up the blender 1/3 of the way with frozen strawberries
fill the rest of it up with ice
blend the crap out of it
pour it into a container and freeze
Enjoy.
I love mine. Love it, love it, love it, love it, love it… one of the best gifts ever.