---
title: Ice Cream Making
tags:
  - topic/hobbies/cooking/ice-cream
---
# Ice Cream Making

## Terminology

### "Ice Cream"

Depending on who you ask,
the presence of certain ingredients
might disqualify a desert from being "ice cream".
I tend to believe (sometimes begrudgingly)
that the _popular_ definition is "correct",
in this case that ice cream is everything that a normal person might call ice cream,
which includes frozen custard, frozen yogurt, and gelato.

If I am referring specifically to egg-less ice cream,
I will state as such.

### "Dairy"

In this note and my ice cream recipes,
I use **dairy** to refer to the mixture of milk, creams,
milk/cream mixtures (see [[#Half and Half]]),
eggs, yogurt, what have you,
that makes up the majority of the stuff that you put in the ice cream machine
that, after churning, becomes ice cream.

## Churning

## Storage

### Containers

Churned ice cream needs to be stored in an airtight container,
otherwise ice crystals will form and ruin the texture.

### Added Alcohol

The addition of alcohol before storage
will lower the melting point of the ice cream,
giving it a softer texture.
This is especially helpful for certain recipes
with large pieces of fruit or cookies,
which can freeze hard and crunchy.

The recommended ratio is one tablespoon of spirit
(usually vodka, brandy, or rum)
to one cup of dairy.
Add immediately after churning.

## Recipes

### Churn Time

Recipes frequently say to churn "according to manufacturer instructions"
which is funny because my Cuisinart's instructions
say to churn according to the particular recipe.

The secret is that it doesn't matter.
The ice cream is done churning when it sticks to the hook
and visually stops circulating.
That is, it's done churning when it's done churning.

### Recipe Scale

Recipes rarely mention what volume churn they're intended for
(although they might provide an Amazon affiliate link).

I have a Cuisinart ICE-21P1, a 1.5 quart model.
Cuisinart does not give direction on maximum volume of un-churned ingredients.

When making [[homemade-ice-cream#Mint Chocolate Chip]],
using three cups dairy and about a half cup of mix-ins,
there was exactly enough capacity.
Later when making [[homemade-ice-cream#Strawberry]]
with three cups dairy and 1 3/4 cups mix-ins
(at the direction of someone reporting success
with the same model of churn)
the batch overflowed aggressively.

### Half and Half

Ice cream recipes use a ratio of milk and cream
in order to control the fat content of the result.
Usually just milk and heavy cream,
but some evil people prescribe **half and half**.

I rarely consume milk or cream, and they spoil quickly,
so I'd prefer not to keep on hand
any more milks of varying fat content than necessary.
Luckily (as might be surmised from the name)
half and half can be made at home,
only not from half milk and half heavy cream
(which are the dairy solutions I keep stocked).

Half and half is half milk and half _light_ cream.
Light cream has about half the fat of heavy cream,
so one part heavy cream to three parts whole milk
is the correct ratio.

### Sugar

The source I referenced while writing [[homemade-ice-cream#Mint Chocolate Chip]]
directs one to pre-whisk the sugar into the dairy,
but other recipe sources, including mine for [[homemade-ice-cream#Strawberry]],
just have you dump everything in the churn and hit go.
I feel like this ought to be sufficient.
