Make Your Own Ice Cream at Home Without an Ice Cream Maker

Homemade ice cream conjures up special memories. Somehow too, the taste far outshines the flavor of most commercially made varieties.

Besides being economical, homemade ice cream is packed full of natural ingredients and with these step by step instructions, it is super-easy to make.

If you have an ice cream maker, simply follow the manufacturer's instructions and your ice cream or frozen yoghurt is done. This article shows you how to make a delicious tasting dessert by you and your electric beater doing the churning instead.

Ice cream, whether store bought or homemade, falls into two categories:

1. French-style custard-based which incorporates egg yolks or whole eggs. A little more complicated to make but worth it for the rich, smooth taste. It also takes longer to melt.

2. Philadelphia-style which contains no egg yolks. You simply blend a few ingredients together and freeze them.

Utensils needed:

A heavy sauce pan or double boiler
A spatula or wooden spoon
A bowl
A hand held electric mixer
A shallow freezer-safe container with an airtight lid
An ice cream scoop.

Basic recipe for Philadelphia-style vanilla ice cream

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 cups cookie or candy pieces for extra crunch Prepare cookies or candy by breaking into small bite pieces. Depending on the type, leave it in the wrapper or spread between two pieces of wax proof paper and crushing lightly with a rolling pin, works well. Set aside until required.

Scald the milk by pouring it into a heavy saucepan or the top of a double boiler. Gently simmer on medium low heat until it reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit or until it begins bubbling around the edges. Then remove from the heat.

Add the sugar and salt to the scalded milk while still in the saucepan but removed from the stove and stir until completely dissolved.

Add the half and half, vanilla and whipping cream, stirring until well blended.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and cool it down as quickly as you can to below 64 degrees Fahrenheit by standing the bowl in a bigger container filled with iced water.

When the mixture has cooled down, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate preferably for 24 hours, or 4 hours at least. Allowing the mixture to age makes it easier to whip and results in a smoother texture with more body.

When the aging/chilling period is over, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and stir its contents. Transfer it to a freezer safe container, cover with an airtight lid and place in the freezer for two hours.

Remove from the freezer and with a hand mixer beat the mixture, breaking up the ice crystals being formed. Cover and return to the freezer for another two hours.

For a second time remove from the freezer and beat with the hand mixer. At this stage the mixture should be thick but too soft to scoop. If it has not quite reached this stage, return it to the freezer.

Beat and when the ice cream is thick enough, carefully stir in the cookie/candy chunks without breaking them. If you add them too early, they will all sink to the bottom of the mix.

Make sure the container has room for expansion, at least an inch between the top of the ice cream and the lid. Cover, place in the coldest part of your freezer and allow the ice cream to freeze. When hard enough, scoop out, serve in bowls or cones and enjoy!

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How to Make Ice Cream With Or Without a Machine

Ice cream is a wonderful treat any time of year, but is especially loved during the summer months. While buying it at the store is what most people choose to do, it can be made at home with or without a machine. If you want to make your own, follow these steps to learn how to make ice cream.

How to Make Ice Cream with a Machine

Making it with a machine is the easiest way to make your own. There are many different machines available on the market for less than $50. You can purchase any number of premixed flavors and follow the directions on the packet to make it with your machine. If you really want to go homemade, you can prepare an ice cream base with the recipe of your choosing and then follow the instructions to finish it based on the manufacturer of your machine. The main difference between using a machine to make your ice cream and making it without a machine is the machine makes a smoother, creamier end result.

When choosing a machine, consider the cheaper machines are known as "cold accumulating" and will likely have a bowl which needs to be frozen before you can start making the dessert. With the pre-freezing time, you can generally only make one batch per day unless you have other bowls on hand. The other, more expensive type have models that start out around $250. These are known as ice compressors and can be quite noisy.

How to Make it without a Machine

Making ice cream without a machine is possible, but many people find it more difficult than using a machine. The key to making it without a machine is to break up the ice crystals as it freezes to ensure the end result is smooth and creamy. For the best potential for a smooth and creamy ice cream, you should use a custard based recipe and keep in mind that the richer the recipe is, the easier it will be to get a creamier result. For the best result, you should eat it relatively soon after it is made.

1. Prepare your mixture as according to the recipe of your choosing.
2. Chill the ice cream mixture over an ice bath.
3. Pour your custard mixture into either a deep baking dish, or a large plastic bowl and place it in the freezer.
4. Check the mixture after 45 minutes. Take it out of the freezer and use either a spatula or a hand mixture to stir and beat it vigorously to break up the ice crystals.
5. Put the mixture back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
6. Take it out and repeat the stirring process.
7. Put it back in the freezer and check it again in another 30 minutes.
8. After about two to three hours, the mixture should be firm enough to reach an ice cream consistency.
9. Top with your favorite toppings, serve, and enjoy!

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Fat Free Ice Cream - Enjoying the Goodness Without the Guilt

The demand to be healthier is the most common demand in the market today. In answer to this, manufacturers of all kinds of food products and beverages come up with several ideas in order to meet this demand. The idea of healthier products in the market makes consumers at ease and in control.

Ice cream is known to be one of the highest contributors of fats and calories among the products in the market today. The presence of dairy products and sugars are the main reasons for this. Despite the fact that it is among the favorite desserts in the market, and the fact that it contributes to so much fat remains to be its greatest downfalls. In order to battle this dilemma, manufacturers came up with a wonderful idea. That is, they developed an product that contains no fat. This is the birth of fat free ice cream.

The development of fat free ice cream is one of the biggest innovations in the industry. The creation of this type of ice cream is a big step towards making healthier choices without compromising the quality.

In the market today, the fat free alternative is usually offered on a no sugar basis. Despite the fact that this form of it is sugar-free, much has been done to cut back on the sugar and the fat without compromising the taste of these heavenly desserts. Thus, for people who want to enjoy the sweetness and the smoothness of their favorite dessert flavors without the guilt, the fat free products are their best companions.

The big question however is that whether or not this variant really offers lesser calories than that of the regular ones. It should be noted that while the non-fat variant offers lesser calories, the calories contained by each serving is still high although not as high as the regular ice cream. Reduced calorie ice cream is said to contain calories ranging from 120 to 130 calories. That is only a few calories lower than regular.

Fat free ice cream gives the consumers the choice to eat healthy without the guilt.

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How to Make Homemade Ice Cream (Without an Ice Cream Maker!)

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COLFAX, WISCONSIN -- June is Dairy Month and what better way to celebrate than with homemade ice cream?

When I was growing up on our small family dairy farm in west central Wisconsin 40 years ago, my dad would make homemade ice cream using cream and milk from our very own cows and a hand-cranked ice cream freezer.

But you don't need an ice cream freezer to make your own homemade ice cream. You can make ice cream with your refrigerator. Here's how:

Dad's Favorite Recipe (From the book: Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam -- True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm. Coming Soon -- Fall 2004)

2 eggs


3/4 cup sugar


2 tablespoons cornstarch


1 cup milk


1 pint heavy whipping cream


pinch of salt


2 teaspoons vanilla

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for several minutes until thick and lemon colored. Add 1 cup of milk and blend into the eggs. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Add egg/milk mixture to the sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thick (about 5 minutes) stirring constantly. Allow the custard mixture to cool to room temperature.

When the custard is cool, put into a freezer-safe bowl. Blend in cream and salt. Freeze for 2 hours or until slushy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer. Return to freezer and finish freezing (several hours or overnight).

Variations:

After you have whipped the ice cream, fold in 1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit, nuts and/or chocolate before returning the ice cream to the freezer to finish freezing.

Here are some ideas for additions to your ice cream:

Strawberries


Blackberries


Raspberries


Peaches


Cherries (or Maraschino Cherries)


Chocolate chips


Butterscotch chips


Crushed Heath bars


Crushed peppermint candy


Chopped walnuts


Chopped pistachio nuts


Diced bananas


Coconut


Chocolate chip cookie dough (drop into the ice cream by small spoonfuls and carefully fold in)


Caramel or chocolate or fudge syrup (drop into the ice cream by small spoonfuls and carefully fold in)

©2004 LeAnn R. Ralph