How to make your own ice cream

Top tips :

1. Home made ice cream requires FAT (sorry if you don't like that word) Good quality, double cream is what you are looking for.

   
   

2. Home made ice cream does not have all the preservatives and chemicals of shop bought ice cream so won't keep as long in the freezer, usually 3 months is the maximum. Also, if it is out of the freezer for more than an hour, it is safer to discard any melted left overs. This is not a problem in our household because the ice cream never makes it back into the freezer, infact sometimes it doesn't even make it there in the first place and is eaten soft-serve style as soon as it is ready.

   
   

3. The trick to producing a creamy smooth ice cream is to create very small ice crystals. This ensures that, as it hardens in the freezer, it retains the proper creamy texture we all know and love. If the ice crystals are not broken down properly, the final product will freeze into a solid, crunchy ice ball and you'll probably break your serving spoon or teeth when you try to eat it.

   
   

4. The easiest way to achieve the result you are looking for is to use an ice cream maker. Don't worry, I raised an eyebrow at this advice too. I mean how many of us have an ice cream maker in our kitchen arsenal, and who has the money to buy one. But when I looked into it all in more detail, there are some decent ice cream makers for under £100. I know that's still a lot of money to fork out for a luxury item, and I am going to give you a recipe for a churn-free ice cream next but if you have a birthday coming up soon, maybe get a few of your family or friends to chip in for an ice cream maker birthday present. Remind them all that they will benefit from their generous gift.

If however, an ice cream maker is still a far off dream, then here is a recipe for ice cream that can be made with just an electric hand whisk.

Recipe

1. 600mls double cream

2. Half of a 397g tin sweetened condensed milk, chilled in the fridge

3. 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Use an electric hand whisk and a large mixing bowl to whip the double cream into soft peaks.

2. Slowly pour in the chilled sweetened condensed milk down one side of the bowl, add the vanilla extract and fold both ingredients into the cream with a large metal spoon until fully mixed in.

3. Scrape into a freezer container and cover with a lid or cling film.

4. Freeze until solid or else eat semi frozen as a soft serve treat.

There are other ways to create your home made ice cream without having to buy an ice cream maker.

If you want to try a proper ice cream recipe, you will have to get rid of those large ice crystals which form as the mixture freezes.

One way to do this (if you have plenty of time on your hands) is to pour your ice cream mixture into a clean stainless steel baking tray and freeze for 40 minutes. Remove from the freezer and stir vigorously with a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the ice crystals and scrape in the edges of the ice cream. Return the tray to the freezer then repeat this process every half an hour, for at least 2 to 3 hours, until the ice cream reaches the required consistencey. Just think, as you curse the oven or cellphone timer binging yet again, that you are saving yourself the cost of an ice cream maker and building your arm muscles at the same time.

Ice cream recipes that require an ice cream maker

The beauty of owning your own ice cream maker is that you can create rich, silky ice cream, add different flavours and still get plenty of time to sit in the garden and relax.

The ice cream maker will churn the mixture and freeze it at the same time, so no big ice crystals, just delicious creamy yumminess. Also, because the fat and sugar contents are lower than in the no- churn methods, you can make your ice cream as healthy as you like. ( Imagine that, healthy ice cream. My kids would love it, no more vitamins, just have a scoop of ice cream instead. But its probably not that healthy )

Ice Cream Makers

There are two main types of ice cream maker.

1. Freeze First

   These machines are cheaper to buy, but require you to freeze the bowl for 24 hours before churning the ice cream, so not the best choice for a sudden ice cream yearning.

2. Self Freezing

   These are more expensive, though I still found a few decent ones for under £100. They freeze the mixture as it is churned, so all you have to do is to pour your mixture into the bowl, plug it in and turn it on. Then sit outside in the sun with a chilled glass of wine and no kitchen-stressy timer beside you.

Vanilla Ice Cream Using An Ice Cream Maker

Recipe

1. 300mls double cream

2. 300mls full fat milk

3. 115g fine golden caster sugar

4. One vanilla pod , or 1-2 tsp vanilla extract

5. 3 large egg yolks

Method

To make the custard ice cream base

1. Pour the cream and milk into a large saucepan and tip in half of the sugar.

2. Add the vanilla extract or, if you are going fully upmarket and using a vanilla pod, then slit the pod down its length with a sharp knife and scoop out the tiny black seeds and drop into the cream mixture. Cut the pod into 3 pieces and add it in with the seeds.

3. Heat the saucepan over a low to medium heat until it is simmering, then take off the heat.

4. Beat the egg yolks and the remaining sugar until thickened. Pour a small amount of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk and stir until fully combined.

5. Reheat the cream mix in the saucepan until bubbles just start to form. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the egg/sugar mixture.

6. Return the saucepan to a low heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the whole custard thickens, then remove the pan from the heat. (By the way, this is the same technique used for making any custards. So you can now create custard dessert toppings, custard tarts and hot custard sauce. It is honestly a really useful technique to become familiar with )

   I always love recipes that have multiple uses, and this is definitely a dessert skill that can be used in many recipes. Once you have mastered it you have become a custard champion and will be welcomed with open arms anywhere.

7. Scoop out the vanilla pod pieces, then pour your delicious custard into a large bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. If you have a Freeze First ice cream maker, you can put the machine's bowl in the freezer at the same time.

8. When you take your custard out of the fridge it will probably have a skin over the surface. Here's my tip for a naughty treat, just scoop the skin off with a spoon and put in a small bowl in the microwave. Once the custard skin is warm, you can auction it off to your children or else eat it yourself. Honestly, its a luxury that beats an expensive truffle tasting any day (not that I've ever done that)

9. Start up your ice cream maker and slowly pour in the cold custard mixture. Leave to churn for up to 30 minutes, depending on which type and brand of machine you have invested in. Check your machine's instruction booklet for their timing recommendation.

10. Once churned you can serve as scrummy soft scoop ice cream, or if you want a more adult, firmer variety , just pour the mixture into a plastic container, cover with a lid or cling flim and freeze for 3-4 hours. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften a little.

The ice cream will keep in a freezer for 3 months but once you have taken it out, it is safer not to refreeze because it doesn't have all of the preservatives of shop bought ice cream - and it is all the better for it.

There are a pile of different ice cream flavours that you can try and your instruction booklet will let you know how to create them. Once you have mastered your basic custard ice cream base, adding the different flavours is a cinch and can be done as the ice cream churns.

Now get outside, take any family, friends or hangers-on with you and have a Summer ice cream relax . xxx