Making ice cream at home is one of the easiest and most fun activities that children can help you with or can do on their own. The bag method is perfect for this purpose. On the other hand, if you are looking to create a rich, creamy, quality ice cream, prepare the base for the custard as a professional ice cream maker would. While the ice cream made with the cream base requires a long handmade process, here we offer you a couple of tricks to reduce or even avoid all this work.
Ingrediants
Ice cream in the bag (one portion): '
- 240 ml milk (or 120 ml of milk and 120 ml of cream, or 240 ml of cream)
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- about 960 ml of crushed ice
- 6 tablespoons of rock salt
Custard based ice cream (~ 1 liter):
- 5–8 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 225 g sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (or a vanilla pod)
- 240 ml condensed milk (or whole milk)
- 480 ml of cream (or milk with 50% cream)
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Make the Ice Cream in an Ice Cream Bag or Ball
Step 1. Follow this recipe to enjoy making simple ice cream
Ice cream made this way contains no yolks, which makes it less rich and creamy than the ice cream you may be used to. However it is quick and easy to prepare, especially if you have a friend or two to help you. Children usually enjoy making this ice cream, as much of the process involves shaking the ice cream back and forth or shaking it.
Step 2. Chop the ice
You can buy pre-crushed ice, or you can break it yourself from ice cubes or blocks. Put the ice in a plastic bag and hit it gently and slowly with a wooden club to break the ice. Alternatively, you can use a chopper with sturdy blades to break the ice, operating it several times for a short time.
Step 3. Fill a container with crushed ice up to halfway
Use a large container that can be closed tightly, and does not break when shaken. You can buy an "ice cream ball" for this purpose, which is sturdy and fun to throw around, but you can also use a four-and-a-half liter airtight bag or large plastic jar.
The container must be large enough to hold both the ingredients for making the ice cream and the ice. Use an even larger bowl if you're doubling the recipe
Step 4. Shake the rock salt with ice
Add 6 tablespoons of rock salt directly to the ice, close the container and shake until the salt and ice are combined. It might sound strange, but rock salt actually cools the ice! The ice cream will not freeze in a normal ice container, but it is the salt that allows it to have the right temperature.
- Rock salt is sometimes sold as "ice cream salt".
- Regular table salt can also be used, but the smaller grains may cause the mixture to cool too quickly, causing your ice cream to freeze unevenly.
Step 5. Pour the milk, sugar and vanilla extract into a new bag with a closure
Measure 240ml of milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour all of these ingredients into a lockable liter bag.
- For richer ice cream, use milk with 50% cream instead of plain milk.
- If you're using the ice cream ball, pour the mixture into the ice-free ball compartment. Go directly to the step where you need to shake everything.
Step 6. Close the bag after letting out the air
Keep the bag straight or get help from an assistant. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, starting right above the level where the ingredients arrive and moving towards the opening. Use the closure to seal the bag completely.
The more air remains in the bag, the easier it will be for it to burst and open as you make ice cream
Step 7. Close another bag around the first one
Open a bag of the same size or size. Place the bag with the ice cream mixture in the second bag, then seal it in the same way. The ice cream needs to be shaken as it cools, and using two bags will prevent it from spilling out if either of them breaks when shaken.
Step 8. Place the bag with the ice cream mixture inside the container with the ice
Seal the larger container tightly. It should now contain the ice cream mixture lined with two bags and the melted ice and rock salt mixture.
Step 9. Shake the container until the ice cream is ready
Shake the container vigorously, or if the container is solid enough and well sealed, move it back and forth. This movement prevents large chunks of ice from forming, and mixes some air into the ice cream to make it less dense. It may take 5 to 20 minutes for the ice cream to freeze, depending on the temperature, how much force you use to stir it and the consistency you want to achieve. It may take longer if you are preparing a large amount.
- Wrap the container with a towel or wear gloves if it gets too cold to touch with your bare hands.
- If the ice cream isn't ready after 20 minutes, add more ice and salt, or place it in the freezer for no more than 5 minutes.
Step 10. Clean the bag before opening it
Once the ice cream has reached your preferred consistency, remove the ice cream bag from the large container. Use a kitchen towel to wipe the salt water off the outside of the bag, or rinse it just under cold water. Now that your ice cream is not in danger of being contaminated with salt, open the bag and pour the contents into another container. You can also eat the single portion of ice cream prepared this way straight from the bag.
Method 2 of 2: Make Custard Based Ice Cream
Step 1. Use this recipe to make a rich and creamy ice cream
If you want thick, rich vanilla ice cream, you'll need to work a little harder than the bag method. Making this ice cream may take several hours to sit in the freezer, so it's best to start making it early in the morning if you want it ready for the evening.
Step 2. Separate 5-8 yolks from egg whites
You will need at least 5 large egg yolks to have the custard base for the ice cream. If you want, you can use 6, 7 or 8 to have a richer cream and therefore a tastier ice cream.
- If you know how to use small eggs, separate another yolk from the white. Follow the quantities indicated in the recipe if you are unsure of the size of your eggs.
- Raw egg whites can be frozen for future use.
Step 3. Whisk together the egg yolks, salt and sugar
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 225 g of sugar. Whisk them together until the mixture turns pale yellow, with no lumps or spots, and falls off the whisk creating thick lines when you lift it into the air.
You could reduce the amount of sugar to 170g to make it less sweet, but if you reduce it more, you could have ice cream that freezes in chunks
Step 4. Prepare a tub of ice
Fill a bowl half full with ice or frozen water, leaving enough space to put another bowl in. You will use this ice bath later to chill the finished custard mixture, without the risk of freezing it.
If you prefer, you can keep 480 ml of cream or milk with 50% cold cream in a dry bowl inside the container with ice. Otherwise, put it in the refrigerator
Step 5. Bring 240ml of condensed milk to a boil
Condensed milk is simply milk that has had a large percentage of its water content removed. This is useful for minimizing the number of ice crystals that form in the ice cream, allowing you to shake it less often and with less force.
If condensed milk isn't available, use whole milk. Milk with less fat content will give less flavor and may also affect the density of the ice cream
Step 6. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the milk and mix
Alternatively, score a vanilla pod lengthwise, take out the sticky seeds and place them in the milk. For an even stronger vanilla flavor, you can also put the vanilla bean inside the mixture, cover it and let it steep for an hour. Remove the vanilla pod before continuing.
If you use vanilla extract there is no need to wait
Step 7. Slowly mix the warm milk with the yolk mixture
Gradually pour the hot milk slowly into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Be careful not to pour too much milk all at once, as the heat can turn the yummy base for your ice cream into sweet scrambled eggs.
Step 8. Return the mixture to the heat until it thickens
Transfer the mixture you have obtained into the saucepan and heat it, stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat when it reaches the consistency of a thick cream.
Be careful not to overcook it; Remove it from the heat immediately if you see lumps from cooked eggs or cream from seared milk
Step 9. Allow the mixture to cool
Transfer the mixture to another container that can be placed in the container with ice without it filling with water. Place the container on ice and let it cool as you move on to the next step.
If you were using the container with ice to keep the cream cold, remove it before letting the cream cool
Step 10. In another bowl, whisk the cream
Beat 480ml cream or substitute milk with 50% cream for a low-fat but less rich and creamy recipe. To create a frothy cream that has doubled in volume, it could take several minutes if you whisk with the hand whisk, or less time if you use an electric hand mixer. Don't beat it too hard to make whipped cream.
Step 11. Blend the cream with the egg mixture
Once the cream is lightly whipped and the cream has cooled completely, mix them together. Use a rubber spatula or similar tool to blend the cream into the egg mixture. Keep stirring until there are no more lumps.
Step 12. Freeze the mixture in the ice trays to avoid shaking it
If you have clean ice trays, fill them with the mixture and place them in the freezer. Since most of the surface of the ice cream is exposed to a cold environment, the ice cream will freeze more quickly, preventing the formation of large ice crystals. This process usually takes 4 hours.
To give the ice cream a more traditional shape, remove the frozen ice cream cubes from the tub with a spoon and place them in a blender. Then transfer it to a larger container and freeze it
Step 13. Alternatively, freeze it in a large container and stir frequently
The most traditional way to prepare ice cream without an ice cream maker is to freeze it in a container. However, especially if you are using regular milk instead of condensed milk, large ice crystals will form which you will need to continually remove and "whisk" vigorously with an electric or hand mixer:
- Beat after about half an hour, before the center freezes. Stir until the mixture is creamy again.
- Whisk every half hour, breaking the frozen sides and mixing them into the mixture.
- Once the ice cream is almost evenly frozen (usually after 2-3 hours), leave it in the freezer until it freezes completely.
