# Ice Cream Emulisifier Substitute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497 "2003-08-20T18:19:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SandWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@SandWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/1 "2003-08-20T18:19:16Z")
Hey All, I like to make Ice Cream at home with my Krupps electric ice cream maker. The problem I have is cooking the egg. To make the ‘ice cream mixture’ I have to spend an hour standing by the stove, continually stirring the milk/sugar/egg as it slowly cooks into a pudding consistency with no chunks. I believe the egg acts as the emulsifier, keeping the milk/sugar/cream from freezing into big chunky crystals. If that is true, then I think I can use some other emulsifier, soy lecithan or guar|xanthum gum, something to eliminate the time spent cooking the egg, and create a smoother ice cream. Am I thinking correctly? Where could I buy an emulsifier, and how would I use it instead of the egg? i.e. a recipie and procedure? Thanks, -Sandwriter ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/2 "2003-08-20T20:48:49Z")
I make ice cream all the time, you don’t _have_ to cook the “custard” mix first. You can just mix it thoroughly and place in the ice cream maker. Cooking it first helps make it creamier and smoother. Plus the sugar can slightly carmelize and this adds to the taste. Some folks are a bit squeamish about the raw egg aspect of this but, hey, you only live once. As for substitutes… yuck (no offense meant, I’m a purist, leave the substitutes for the grocery store brands) But, since you asked: Marshmellow cream (don’t forget to cut down on the sugar) Corn starch Library paste 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/3 "2003-08-20T21:48:49Z")
> [@](#): > > _BMalion_ > Some folks are a bit squeamish about the raw egg aspect of this but, hey, you only live once. Yes, that’s exactly _why_ you need to cook the eggs. Salmonella kills. Anyway, you don’t have to cook it for an hour, mine is done in less than 15 minutes. Just use a food thermometer to check that the mixture has reached 160 degrees F, enough to kill the bacteria; it doesn’t need to have a pudding consistency, just thick enough to coat the back of a wooden (some say metal, too) spoon. There are also pasterized whole eggs that are fabled to exist, but I’ve never seen them in stores. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/4 "2003-08-20T22:08:20Z")
A lot of recipes use evaporated milk or condensed milk. Just do a search for eggless ice cream recipes. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/5 "2003-08-21T06:29:26Z")
You can buy pasturized egg in pint cartons. Or use duck eggs - they don’t carry salmonella. (One here’s that it’s not so much a problem with chickens these days, but I don’t risk it beyond licking the beaters when I make cakes and cookies.) ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/6 "2003-08-21T12:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*Yes, that’s exactly _why_ you need to cook the eggs. Salmonella kills. \*\* I just object to the notion that _every_ egg in _every_ store contains salmonella. That seems to be the general consensus 'round here. But then again, I used to ride my motorcycle without a helmut so what do I know. ---
**Author:** ![SandWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@SandWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/7 "2003-08-21T14:45:41Z")
Thanks for the advice! p.s. turns out salmonella only kills the weak 1/150 [http://yourhealth.stlukesonline.org/HealthNews/reuters/NewsStory1016200232.htm](http://yourhealth.stlukesonline.org/HealthNews/reuters/NewsStory1016200232.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/8 "2003-08-21T16:03:28Z")
First, if you’re using eggs, you’re not making ice cream. You’re making frozen custard. Frozen custard, while very nice, is an entirely different beast from real ice cream. An emulsifier is not necessarily necessary for home-made ice cream. I’ve successfully made it myself many times. Basic ingredients: Cream Milk Sugar Flavorings Stir together until sugar is dissolved and chill. Stir before adding to ice cream maker. The stirring action of the dasher will keep things nicely emulsified at the scale of home production. Works like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/9 "2003-08-21T21:33:47Z")
Yeah. And if it freezes too hard, 15-30 seconds in the microwave thaws it nicely. ---
**Author:** ![SandWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@SandWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandWriter)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-cream-emulisifier-substitute/196497/10 "2003-08-21T22:28:26Z")
Thanks Dogface. slight hijack, how does that charm work anyway? Is it a Lucky Charm?