Summer is finally here and it’s the perfect time to make some homemade ice cream. It’s fresh, delicious, fun to make, and great for the family. Plus, you get to choose the flavours and put your creativity to test. But how do you get that perfectly smooth and creamy consistency that makes even better ice cream than store-bought ones? Follow these secret techniques to ice cream making at home.
Choose the best ingredients
Whether you’re into cooking or not, you know only the best ingredients make the best meals. The same thing applies to making homemade ice cream. If you want a rich and smooth ice cream, try to use good quality and fresh ingredients such as milk, cream, and eggs to build the foundation for a super smooth and easy-to-scoop homemade ice cream.
Indulge in fats and calories
Avoiding high-fat and high-calorie food? Maybe consider a cheat day to enjoy homemade ice cream. A good, rich, and creamy ice cream needs a lot of fat to create a smooth texture that won’t get crunchy, icy, and gritty in the freezer. But to lessen the guilt, maybe have smaller and less frequent serves so you at least get to taste your creation. It is quite hard to resist ice cream after all!
Know your flavourings and toppings
Not all fruits are created equal. So before you put in some flavour into your ice cream base mixture, you have to know if your flavourings and add-ins need some prep. Candies, for one, won’t work as mix-ins as they become really hard after freezing. Watery fruits like strawberries can be a bit tricky too as they cause your ice cream to become really icy, if used fresh. Fruits like these require dehydration to remove the water content and concentrate the flavour even more. Or you can simply buy dried fruits
Get thorough with the freezing technique
When making ice cream, expect to do a lot of freezing. So to start, freeze your mixing bowl as cold as you can before whipping your cream and adding any flavourings. Let it “age” in the freezer overnight. If you’re to use a machine for churning, make sure to freeze the bowl first and start the machine before spinning. But if you like to do the churning by hand, make sure your bowl and mixture are as cold as possible. And when you’re done spinning the old crank, quickly transfer the bowl to the freezer to help maintain the ice crystal’s small size.
Eat your ice cream ASAP
Patience is really a virtue when it comes to making homemade ice cream. But when you’re done with all the steps and waiting, it’s best to eat your ice cream as soon as possible. While artificial stabilizers may give your ice cream a longer life in the freezer, ice cream is still the creamiest, richest, and smoothest treat when served fresh.
