Let's discuss Homemade Ice Cream.....

How long do you have?

The key is to cool the base before churning. I rest my best overnight and then dont over churn. Ive recently started using an ice cream base that doesnt use any eggs, rather it uses a corn starch slurry, as the thickener. I've had very solid results with this. Also, let the ice cream sit out for a while or you can use corn syrup in lieu of sugar, which will help "soften" the frozen status.

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The key is to cool the base before churning. I rest my best overnight and then dont over churn

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I leave my base in the freezer for at least 3 days before using it. This last batch I let it churn for about 20-25. I don't know whether or not if that's too long or not long enough.

I've read online that to use a little be of vodka to help with the over freezing issue. I haven't tried that yet.

Care to share some of your recipes?

Vodka or any booze, will help by changing the freeze point. What are you are really seeking to avoid is the "deep freeze".

For the record, I am not talking about the base of your ice cream maker (the cylinder) but your ice cream base (the creme anglaise or gelato, etc...) Let me pull the corn starch recipe from the Gramercy Tavern cookbook, but you should be able to google it as well.

Couple months ago Jeni's (using term in both the corporate sense and personal) was looking at New Orleans market. Poking around Magazine and some other locations. Will follow up and see whatever happened with that. It is great ice cream

pssst.
your freezer is set to high.




no seriously though your buddy has been doing homemade ice cream with the girls and it's perfect!
it's not from scratch though she says try using heavy whipping cream.

are you doing it from scratch?

I agree with the folks recommending Jeni's recipe. Here's a milk chocolate recipe I'd like to try.

Before you put the lid on your ice cream and put it in the freezer, cover it with some Saran wrap. Push the wrap down on the ice cream and get all the air out. That should help with the hardening or at least with freezer burn. I've had batches that get hard before but I just let them sit on the counter for a few minutes before scooping and it tastes fine.

We have one of those Cuisinart ice cream makers with the freezable base. We generally buy the mix from William Sonoma and add other goodies to it after it is out of the machine.

I don't generally have a problem with it getting too frozen in the freezer, but it's so good that there's usually nothing left to freeze.

I've seen the Jeni's pints on sale at Whole Foods, but I can't bring myself to pay $9.99 for a pint.

But the Jeni's base recipe does yield a superior homemade ice cream. It's a bit fiddly, with a bit of cream cheese, some cornstarch, and a few steps, but it doesn't turn rock hard or icy like most homemade bases.

If you like very creamy results, try using a philly style base: heavy cream, milk, sugar, flavorings...no eggs. It doesn't hold for very long, but immediately out of the churn, it's light-textured.