World’s Best Ice Cream!
Tuesday, October 18th, 2022Ok, I haven’t tasted all of the ice cream in the world. But I have tasted enough to know that this ice cream isn’t just good, it’s amazing. And best of all, the base is easily customizable into a plethora of flavors, based on what you like and what you have on hand.
Believe it or not, this tiny contraption my son is using makes an amazing end product, but not much of it.
I absolutely recommend instead getting an electric, old-fashioned style ice cream maker. These are easy to use and have significantly more cooling capacity than most frozen bowl style ice cream churns.
Combining salt with the ice and water that surrounds the ice cream bucket makes a huge difference. Whereas an ice bath made without salt will always be 32° F, adding 2 cups of salt to the mix lowers it to 22° F, helping your ice cream base to freeze more quickly (leading to smaller ice crystals and a more pleasant mouth feel).
Best of all, machines of this type are quite affordable, particularly when you can find them used. Just be sure that all of the pieces are in good condition (e.g. show no signs of rust or corrosion and the motor works well).
The real key to fantastic ice cream, though, is the base that you use to create it. Using a high amount of fat, liquid sugars, and egg yolks all help to create a smooth emulsification and a luxurious result. I’m not going to say that this is an easy recipe to make, but I will say that it is straightforward. With attention to details like heat level and custard temperature, you can make amazing ice cream at home very easily. Here’s the basic ice cream base, and also a few variations that I can vouch for. (more…)