Creamy Concoctions There’s No Comparison Between Premium Brands And Homemade Ice Cream

Like a lot of people, I’ve been making an effort to lower the fat in my diet. An exception is the few times a year when I make homemade ice cream. Then, all caution gets thrown to the wind.

Not even the premium brands on the market compare with the rich, creamy concoctions I churn at home using quality ingredients. They don’t save me any money, but the taste is well worth the cost and effort.

My trusty, old electric-powered ice cream freezer was a gift from my father back in the mid-1960s. Its only drawback is the solid cover for the ice cream can; in newer models, the lids are made of clear plastic so you can see the mixture as it churns.

You can spend as much as $700 on an ice cream maker with an internal chilling unit, or as little as $50 for a salt-and-ice bucket model similar to mine. The manufacturer’s instruction booklet that comes with the machine is your best guide, but it may not touch on the following nuances:

Churning a batch of ice cream usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, but the time may need to be increased if mixtures are high in sugar and fat. Churning speed of the ice cream maker and temperature of the room or area where the ice cream is being made also affect timing.

The ice cream mixture should be chilled to at least 40 degrees before it’s churned; otherwise the increased churning time may produce flecks of butter and spoil the texture.

For a salt-and-ice type of freezer, a 7-pound bag of party ice may be enough to make a batch in a cool room, but you’ll need a lot more on a hot day, outdoors on a patio or deck. In addition to the amount of churning, the proportion of salt to ice is important to the texture and volume of ice cream made in these machines. The general rule is to use four parts ice to one part salt; this is rock salt (sometimes labeled ice cream salt) unless the manufacturer designates table salt.

After pouring the ice cream mixture into the freezing can (filling no more than two-thirds full to allow for expansion), assemble the machine and turn on the motor for a couple minutes. Then layer the ice and salt - 2 inches of ice, sprinkled with 3 tablespoons salt - until the ice reaches the top of the ice cream can. Replenish the ice as it melts, adding a little more salt.

The churning process not only freezes the mixture, but incorporates air into the ice cream, improving the texture. The optimum overrun, or amount of air whipped into the ice cream, is 20 to 30 percent in premium ice creams. Economy-priced ice creams may have as much as 100 percent overrun, meaning they are half air. No wonder they lack flavor.

Homemade ice cream needs to be ripened a few hours to blend the flavor and firm up. This is especially true of the following high-fat recipes, which will have the texture of soft custard after churn-freezing. Pack the ice cream down in the can, cover with the lid (plug the hole with a cork) and place in the freezer.

If a freezer isn’t available, drain the salt water from the bucket and repack the ice cream with layers of ice and salt, covering it completely. Place a towel or some newspapers over the top for insulation.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Adapted from a Rival Manufacturing Co. instruction booklet. This is less rich, but a silky-smooth vanilla ice cream that can stand alone or be enhanced by fresh fruit.

2 cups milk

1-3/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups half-and-half

1 quart whipping cream

3 cups mashed strawberries

Heat milk in saucepan until bubbles form around edge. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Pour mixture into large bowl or storage container and stir in vanilla, half-and-half and cream. Chill. Stir in strawberries. Churn-freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Yield: 1 gallon.

Note: Other fresh fruit may be substituted, or omit fruit for vanilla ice cream.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream

This is double the chocolate of most standard recipes and very creamy. Semisweet chocolate may be substituted.

1-1/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1-1/2 cups half-and-half

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 cups whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in 3-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk and 1 cup half-and-half. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer.

Pour about half of hot milk mixture into beaten eggs. Stir egg mixture back into pan and cook, stirring frequently, over low heat about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Melt chocolate over low heat and place in 4-quart bowl. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture, keeping mixture smooth. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half, whipping cream and vanilla.

Chill, then churn-freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Yield: 1/2 gallon.

Rich Lemon Ice Cream

Adapted from “The Complete Book of Homemade Ice Cream,” by Carolyn Anderson (Saturday Review Press, 1972.) This ice cream is so rich that it will coat the roof of your mouth. Milk or half-and-half may be substituted for part of the whipping cream if you find it too decadent.

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

5 cups whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon yellow food color

Combine sugar, lemon juice and zest in large bowl.

In separate large bowl, lightly whip cream just until it begins to thicken. Stir into sugar mixture along with food color.

Chill, then churn-freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Yield: 1/2 gallon.