Yeah, so for the big 3-0 (today, thanks for asking) my pal phatlewt bought me the Cuisinart ice cream maker I have been so selfishly craving lo these many months.
I also received the Ben & Jerry’s book of ice cream recipes.
In short, it freakin’ rocks my world.
So far, I’ve made 2 flavors:
Chocolate -Orange ice cream with pieces of chocolate-covered orange jelly candies
Almond-flavored ice cream with chopped chocolate and bits of marzipan
They both turned out stupidly, stupidly delicious.
[strongbad]I am Awesome!!![/strongbad]
So, don’t be shy, tell me all about your genius ice cream concoctions. I am especially interested in full-fat, sugar free options. I’ve heard powdered Splenda doesn’t work but liquid Splenda does. Any experiences?
The machine simply agitates and cools whatever liquid substance you put in it. Including sorbet and frozen alcholic girl drinks.
There’s really nothing to it. A frozen bowl, which chills. A stir-y thing, which stirs. A motor, to make it turn.
I don’t really know what the difference is between gelato and ice cream. If it is simply a different combination of ingredients, then definitely. If there is something special about the cololing process, then no.
Funnily enough, I’ve started pondering an ice cream maker now that summer’s here. (In theory – the +80F weather we had here over Memorial Day was apparently a freak of nature and we’re now back to soggy 60F)
And you’re not helping with those descriptions of yummy ice cream flavors!
I take it that your Cuisinart ice cream maker is working just dandy so far?
My favorite ice cream lately is coffee toffee crunch. Just make your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe, and to a pint of ice cream add about two heaping teaspoons of espresso powder and, after this has been churned into ice cream, a handful of Heath toffee bits.
In my mind, I’ve broken ice cream makers into three types:
The old fashioned ice and rock salt ice cream makers. They’re the ones that used to have wooden sides and a hand crank on the top. They can still have those, although cheaper models substitute a plastic bucket for the wood. Generally, these ice cream makers substitute a motor for the crank.
The machines that have a metal cannister filled with a gel or similar material. The cannister is frozen for several hours prior to making the ice cream, and the machine turns a paddle to keep the freezing consistent.
The machines that have their own compressor. These have a refrigerating unit included, and they both cool and stir the mix at the same time.
Advantages/Disadvantages:
The first type can get a little pricey if you go for the authentic wood look. This is the one you want to see on the porch on the 4th of July (preferably with strawberry ice cream). They can get messy with icy salty water. It’s a good way to keep kids out of your hair if you get the hand crank type, though
The second type seems to be the cheapest. It makes sense to get a second cannister if you are planning on any serious amount of ice cream making, because the pre-freezing time for the cannisters can be many hours. It also makes sense to get the ice cream as cold as possible before putting it into the cannister, because once the cooling properties are gone you are out of luck.
The third type is the most expensive, about $200, but in my opinion it is the way to go if you can afford it. The only affordable one that I have found is made by Lello [disclaimer] I own one [/disclaimer]. However, if you are serious about ice cream making, this is worth its weight in gelato. And it does have serious weight. The nice thing is that you can pour the mix in, at almost any temperature, turn it on and watch TV. It stops when the mix is frozen.
Just a note here: Ice cream has two freezing phases. The first is when you are stirring it to keep the frozen crystals distributed consistently; this won’t really make the ice cream cold enough. The second is when you put the prepared ice cream in the freezer for a few hours, and is called hardening. This will get the ice cream to the right temperature.
I’ve got a Lello, too, Plynck! I’ve been cranking out the ice cream and gelato ever since receiving it as a birthday present last year. As I posted in another thread, even the very best store-bought ice cream tastes like nothing in comparison to the homemade stuff. The downside is one always has a pint of irresistible ice cream in the freezer, and this plays hell with the waistline and the cholesterol level.
