Whether you are at a local ice cream making shop with a solo ice cream maker or at home with a hand crank, ice cream making remains the same. The only difference is in the scale of production and operation.
There are numerous ice cream recipes. Recipes range from the traditional recipes that do not require ice cream makers to modern recipes that require sophisticated machines. All these recipes have some common steps. Let’s discuss some of the common steps taken in making ice cream.
· Select And Mix The Ingredients
Basically, you need to have an ice cream mix. Ice cream mix is readily available. You can set a specific milk fat content. The mix is made by mixing milk, sugar and cream. In most cases, the proportions will be controlled by a computer program but that doesn’t mean that you cannot mix manually at home. After mixing comes pasteurization.
· Pasteurize The Mixture
Pasteurization kills the harmful bacteria. This can be achieved by cooking the mix in a double boiler. An egg substitute or pasteurized egg product may play the trick. This is a crucial step in ice cream making as it ensures that people eating the ice cream do not suffer from salmonella contamination.
· Add Flavors
The next step is adding of flavors. Ice cream gives you the opportunity to customize in terms of the flavor and colors. There are thousands of flavors you can choose from. The most popular flavors include vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, strawberry, pineapple and coffee.
These flavors can be added using a food mixer. A hand-held blender may be all that you need. A wooden spoon will also do the job but you may miss out on consistency.
· Whipping The Cream
Having mixed the flavors, the next step would be whipping the cream. This is the stage that gives ice cream its iconic structure. Most of the ice cream in the market is whipped using huge machines. A small hand mixer or blender will come in handy at home.
· Freezing The Ice Cream
Freezing comes in as the last but very crucial step. Transfer the ice cream mixture into a pan and place it in a freezer for 20 or 30 minutes. This is enough time to make the cream start to freeze. The easiest way to tell that freezing has commenced is checking the edges.
Remove the mixture once freezing has commenced and beat with a hand blender or hand mixer. This step is necessary in giving your ice cream a smooth and creamy texture. Be careful not to overdo the beating.
Return the ice cream to the freezer. It should sit here for 30 minutes. Remove and beat again. This process will continue until the ice cream is firmly frozen. On average, four to five beating sessions should be enough. The ready to eat ice cream can then be set in a covered freezer container and served as a dessert.
Conclusion
Ice cream making is more of an art than a skill. It is something that has been evolving over the years. The introduction of ice cream makers has had a huge impact on the art and some people are slowly forgetting how to make tasty homemade ice cream.
This is an art that should be passed from one generation to the other and we hope that this post will go a long way in reminding you of the crucial ice cream making steps. Follow the guide and enjoy the freedom of making your ice cream at home. Ice cream had never been sweeter.