Last weekend, we decided to buy an ice cream maker. In some ways, it seems kind of silly to go to the trouble of making homemade ice cream when the store probably carries a hundred different and delicious varieties. I just like the idea of occasionally making our own ice cream, though. I like for the kids to know where things come from, and how they are made. I also like being able to make things from real ingredients instead of long chemicals that we can’t even pronounce.
Making our own ice cream is fun, and it is not that hard, either. In fact the boys would probably tell you that waiting for the ice cream to be done is probably the hardest part. We bought an electric ice cream maker since turning the crank handle on a truly old fashioned one would have lost its novelty fast. And I knew my husband and I would get stuck with that job, too. I bought a huge bag of ice, but we ended up using only a small portion of it. Next time, I will buy a smaller bag, or I think we might even have enough in the freezer.
We’ve read some recipes that are very complicated, but we haven’t actually attempted those. For now, we will stick to easy recipes. Our first recipe attempt was Raspberry Sorbet. We were all very pleased and impressed with how good it tasted.
While the ice cream maker is working, the kids can experiment with melting times for the extra ice and rock salt.
The boys have decided that we need to make ice cream every Sunday for the summer. It does sound like a bit of hassle, but a very sweet summer tradition. I think we’ll take turns deciding on what flavor to make.
Also See:
Chocolate Ice Cream in a Can
Homemade Ice Cream Using the Still Freeze Method