# Can You Overchurn Ice Cream? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-overchurn-ice-cream/788029 "2017-06-03T18:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-overchurn-ice-cream/788029/1 "2017-06-03T18:55:17Z")
I have heard you have to be careful not to overchurn when making homemade ice cream. But, the person telling me this could not explain. What happens if you do overchurn? …and, how do you know when enough is enough? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-overchurn-ice-cream/788029/2 "2017-06-03T19:01:15Z")
[This says](http://www.thekitchn.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-ice-cream-221722) the ice cream will get an icy texture. > [@](#): > > While the ice cream base does start to freeze while churning away in the machine, this process doesn’t end with the firm, super scoopable treat you’re ultimately waiting for. No matter how long your ice cream maker keeps churning, it’s just not going to happen. What will happen, however, is developing an ice cream with an icy texture. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-overchurn-ice-cream/788029/3 "2017-06-03T19:05:01Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [This says](http://www.thekitchn.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-ice-cream-221722) the ice cream will get an icy texture. Yep. Ice cream isn’t something you can just walk away from and come back whenever you feel like it. You have to keep an eye on the consistency. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-overchurn-ice-cream/788029/4 "2017-06-03T20:27:54Z")
Unnecessary precautionary warning. If you’re talking about a manually cranked churn, most of us mortals can’t overchurn it because it gets thicker and more and more resistant, which is not only how you know it’s time to stop churning and let it solidify, it’s also a self-limiting endeavor. You go from one-handed effortless churning to needing the second hand to stabilize the churn as you go UHHH and yank and crank with considerable effort to make the thing rotate, and if for some unexplained reason you didn’t take the hint, it would get to the point that you would need a companion to hold the churn with both hands while you grabbed the crank handle with your own two and tried to make it move. An electrical churn is also inherently self-limiting: it cuts off when the resistance gets high enough. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-overchurn-ice-cream/788029/5 "2017-06-03T21:00:21Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator