Everybody loves ice cream. It’s an amazing dessert, and one of the things that makes it awesome is that it can be paired with almost any ingredient to give it a different flavor. And what better way to enjoy it at your leisure than to make it yourself at home?
It can, however, be tricky to achieve the perfect balance between firmness and creaminess at the first try, and it will take a few more tries to get that balance. But don’t worry – here are some tips you can use to make awesome homemade ice cream:
1. Always use a solid sweetener
One of the biggest complaints and problems about homemade ice cream is that it gets hard and develops ice crystals when they are stored in the freezer. This is why most traditional methods used in making ice cream involve keeping ice crystals from forming.
Using solid sweetener, such as sugar or evaporated cane juice, is one way to keep these ice crystals from forming. Another is to use alcohol to lower the freezing point, but this may instead give them the taste of alcohol.
2. Bring air into the mix
If you’re wondering why homemade ice cream tends to be heavier and less fluffy compared to commercial brands, the secret lies in the air. This is because ice cream is sold commercially by volume, and is why most manufacturers whip the cream to bring as much air as possible.
3. Keep the custard chilled extremely well
You will often find many recipes having you cook custard out of eggs, sugar, and milk. If you do choose to follow this recipe (part of the process involves making whipped cream, if you don’t already have it), be sure to keep the custard chilled thoroughly.
Some recipes would even recommend allowing the custard to “age” overnight. This introduces air into the mixture, which helps in producing smooth, creamy ice cream.
4. Use a cool place to churn your custard
If you have to churn your custard to make whipped cream, be sure to do it in a cool place. Avoid doing it next to a heat source, such as a working stove or when the temperature in your kitchen is high overall.
5. Don’t start out with the best ingredients
Ice cream is only as good as the ingredients that go into it. However, if this is your first time making this sweet treat at home, not everything has to be fresh. You can start off with standard, generic ingredients: cold milk, vanilla extract, condensed milk, and salt.
Once you perfect the technique that comes into making the right consistency for ice cream, start working with the more expensive ingredients.