Ice Cream Week

Today is the last day of ice cream week. We have had fun bringing you lots of information, tips and ideas on how to make delicious homemade ice cream. Today is your last chance to get 10% off all ice-cream and waffle makers at our store www.buyqualitykitchenware.com

We spoke of the dangers of using raw egg recipes for ice-cream making, so we have included 2 recipes today for non egg ice-cream, one for a custard style ice-cream and one recipe for a non dairy ice-cream.

Egg free ice-creams usually have a base of cream, milk and sugar with very few ingredients.

Quick chocolate ice cream recipe

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons of cocoa,
1 can (large) condensed milk,
1/2 pint (250ml) milk

Mix together the milk and condensed milk. Dissolve the cocoa in a little hot water. When fully dissolved stir it into the milk/condensed milk mixture.

Transfer mixture into your ice cream maker and according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Quick Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 quarts half-and-half cream
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Directions

Combine half-and-half, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt in freezer container of ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Custard ice cream is, as the name suggests, made from a custard base. Egg yolks or whole eggs are whisked together with hot milk or cream and sugar, and cooked gently until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Custard recipes make ice cream that is smooth and very rich.

Decadent Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Combine sugar, milk, salt, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer. Place the egg yolks into a small bowl. Gradually stir in about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid. and return to the saucepan. Heat until thickened, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate until chocolate is melted. Pour into a chilled bowl, and refrigerate for about two hours until cold, stirring occasionally.
When chocolate mixture has completely cooled, stir in the cream, and vanilla. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Non-Dairy Espresso Ice Cream

2 teaspoons kosher gelatin

1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee, room temperature

1/4 cup maple syrup

3-1/4 cups vanilla soy milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons ground espresso beans

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over coffee. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved and softened, about 10 minutes.

2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together maple syrup and 2 cups soy milk. Cook until just hot, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Add softened gelatin to hot milk mixture, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in remaining soy milk and vanilla; let cool, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.

3. Spoon chilled mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions, adding ground espresso beans halfway through freezing time.

Makes about 1 quart.

We have a had a great time compiling all the information and we hope you have had a wonderful time reading our information.

Ice Cream Week

Ice Cream Facts…What’s it Made of?

It’s comforting to know that ice cream is not just a bunch of ingredients mixed together and frozen under the name ice cream!

As with all foodstuff Ice cream legally must conform to government and food safety standards.

Ice cream must have:

Have at least 10% milkfat
Have at least 20% milk solids
Have at most 0.5% stabilizers
Have at most 0.2% emulsifiers
Adding air can only double the volume of the ice cream
A gallon of ice cream must weigh at least 4.5 lbs

On average:

Super premium ice creams have 16% fat
Average ice creams have12% fat
Cheap ice creams have 50% air

Ice cream does not freeze solid because of its composition of sugar, fat globules, ice crystals, and air.

Ice Cream Headaches

Ever suffered a headache sensation after eating Ice Cream? This sensation only lasts about 30 seconds…but why does it happen in the first place?

Everyone has a nerve center located on the roof of their mouth and when something cold touches this spot, people get the sensation known as an ice cream headache.
You will be happy to know it doesn’t last too long and is actually caused by a dilation of the blood vessels in the head.
It often occurs only in hot weather when we are eating lots of ice-cream.

Solution: Try to limit the amount of cold ice cream touching the roof of your mouth.

Interesting Facts about Ice Cream

DID YOU KNOW?

# That the favorite topping of all is still chocolate syrup.

# The biggest ice cream sundae ever made was 12 feet high and made with 4,667 gallons of ice cream and 7,000 pounds of toppings in Anaheim, Calif., during 1985.

# Super premium and premium ice cream represent about 41.4 percent of the total dollar sales of ice cream.

# Incredibly the Ice cream industry is an $11 billion retail industry.

# That 80 percent of the world’s Vanilla Bean used for ice cream is grown in Madagascar.

# That the novelty ice-creams we enjoy today (e.g. ice-cream on a stick) was introduced way back in the 1920’s.

# As adults we consume nearly one-half of all ice cream novelties.

# Ever wondered why some ice cream feels lighter? The cheaper ice-creams add air to the mixture. The heavier the ice-cream the better it will be.

How do ice-cream makers work?

HOW DOES AN ICE CREAM MAKER WORK?

When it is a very hot day and you want an ice cream it’s always great to have a homemade one. The great thing is that you made it yourself, so you know what’s in it & it’s your favorite flavor.

All ice cream makers work on approximately the same principle:

# A paddle, called a dasher, fits inside a canister that holds the ice cream mixture.

# The canister fits inside a container that holds the freezing agent: ice and salt, an electric refrigerating unit, or a chemical coolant that’s sealed inside the container walls. (This is sometimes called a “freezer bowl” and requires 24 to 48 hours in your freezer before it is cold enough to make ice cream.) This will depend on what type of ice cream maker you have decided to purchase. (See previous post in ice cream week).

# The dasher stirs the ice cream mixture as it freezes to keep it smooth and aerated — without air, ice cream would be brick-solid — and to keep ice crystals from forming and ruining the taste and texture.

# If you own a crank handle ice cream maker then you already know that you require lots of people-power to keep the dasher turning. Some machines need to be cranked manually for 30 to 40 minutes to make four to six quarts of ice cream.

Here are the directions on how to use the very popular Rival electric ice cream maker:

What You Need:

Rival Ice Cream Maker
Crushed Ice
Rock Salt

Directions:

After preparing and refrigerating your ice cream recipe, pour chilled ice cream into cooled ice cream can.
Fill ice cream can 3/4 full; mixture will expand.
Insert the dasher making sure it is positioned correctly into the can indentation.
Place cover on ice cream can and place filled can in bucket.
Place the motor driver over the ice cream can cover and plug in the maker.
While it’s running, add 2 inches of ice on the bottom of the bucket.
Sprinkle about 1/4 cup salt over ice.
Continue layering ice and salt until the ice level reaches the top of the rotating ice cream can.
In about 20 to 40 minutes, the ice cream maker should stop churning.
Carefully clean lid, remove, and pack down ice cream in the can.
Place ice cream can in freezer for several hours to harden.

Some other handy hints:

Add more ice and salt as needed while the maker is churning.
Ice cream will be very soft at the end of the churning process.
If desired, place more ice around the can in the bucket instead of putting into the freezer.

Food Safety with making home made ice cream

Food safety with making homemade ice-cream

Every summer we look forward to homemade ice cream as a special treat. However, lurking in the background may be the risk of food poisoning through the Salmonella strain.

If your favorite ice cream recipes use uncooked eggs, it’s time replace or revise them. Those raw eggs may contain salmonella bacteria that can cause food borne illness. Freezing doesn’t kill bacteria but cooking does.

At the FDA they advise consumers to start with a cooked egg base for ice cream. Because the hens transmit the organism to the egg yolk before the shell forms, we can no longer assume that a clean, uncracked egg is safe to eat. Although salmonella bacteria will not grow below 40°F, freezing does not destroy those organisms already present in the raw egg. Only recipes that call for cooking the egg mixture are safe to use.

You can also use egg substitute products or pasteurized eggs in your ice cream, or you can find a recipe without eggs.

With the egg substitute products, you might have to experiment a bit with the recipe to find out the right amount to add for the best flavor.

Pasteurized eggs can be substituted in recipes that call for uncooked eggs. Commercial pasteurization of eggs is a heat process at low temperatures that destroys any Salmonella that might be present, without having a noticeable effect on flavor or nutritional content. These are available at some supermarkets for a slightly higher cost per dozen. Even if you’re using pasteurized eggs for your ice cream, both the FDA and the USDA recommend starting with a cooked egg base for optimal safety.

Main Ingredients of Ice Cream Making

There are so many varieties of ice cream recipes. So I have selected these main ingredients listed to be the more common ingredients. Don’t be afraid to try new and interesting recipes calling for different ingredients and milks. You may find a new favorite recipe!

Main ingredients

Ingredients
Cream	Whipping cream will give your ice cream a smooth texture and creamy taste.
Milk	There are many varieties of milk available today. There is whole, skim, lactose free, skim, soy milk, rice milk, goat’s milk and sheep’s milk available. Because of its low fat content avoid using skim milk when making ice cream as it produces a more watery flavour and does not have that richness that comes with the fat in full cream milks. Additionally, it’s important to only used pasteurized milk and cream products in making your homemade ice cream.
Eggs	Eggs are used when making custard style ice cream. The use of eggs allows the fats and water to mix together better, which adds richness to the ice cream. They also allow the ice cream to hold up better against melting. An important warning from the FDA and the USDA. They advise consumers if you use a recipe that contains a cooked custard base when using eggs in your ice cream recipe. The custard base must reach 160 degrees F, measured with a food thermometer, to kill the salmonella bacteria.
Sweetener	Sweeteners include, honey, maple syrup, honey and sugar. Because it dissolves quickly sugar adds texture and a sweet taste.
Cornstarch	In some recipes cornstarch is added to the egg custard to help prevent curdling and it thickens the custard faster and this in turn reduces cooking time.
Flavorings	Vanilla is the flavoring added to most all ice cream recipes. After that the choices are endless and are only limited by your imagination.

Features of an ice cream maker

What features do I need?

People often ask me what features are best in an ice cream maker. I have listed what I believe to be convenience features based on my experience over the years. When considering features of any machine, it all depends on your particular situation and budget.

Large spout for adding mix-ins
Transparent lid
Dual/multi-speeds
Timer and auto safety shut-off
Dual bowls or option to purchase a second bowl (for freezer bowl units)
Easy clean-up
Quiet operation

Happy Ice Cream Making!!!

Types of ice cream makers

Types

What features should I look for when choosing an ice cream maker?
You need to begin your quest with some research and thought about your choice of ice cream maker.

Hand Crank Models

Some say it is still the best.

For instance, if you like the bucket type churn-style unit, it can either be bought in the manual style with a hand crank or an electric motor, saving you the extra labor of churning by hand. The hand crank is great if you are feeling nostalgic or have extra time on your hands as it is time consuming. If you are considering having a party maybe your guests would love to help for a little bit at a time but ultimately it takes around half an hour to fully crank the ice cream maker. You must use ice and rock salt with these.

Not all that easy to clean.

Frozen bowl

The other style is the ones where you must first pre-freeze the bowl before you can make the frozen treat. It requires at least 8 to 9 hours in the freezer. I consider that there are two drawbacks occur with these ~ Space and Space. You must make room in the freezer to freeze the bowl, and you must refreeze the bowl for another 8 to 9 hours for a second batch, also time-consuming!
Some come as double-bowl units, but that’s TWICE the amount of space that’s needed to freeze the bowls. The bowls are double-walled, containing a sealed-in freezing liquid that expands when frozen.

Batches don’t take long and the apparatus is easy to operate and clean.

Compressor

Finally, for the ultimate convenience in ice cream making are the self-contained units. These have their own sealed refrigerating systems built right in!

Ice Cream Week

Is your favourite ice cream among the 15 most popular ice cream flavors?

Rank	Flavor	Percent preferring
1	Vanilla	29%
2	Chocolate	8.9%
3	Butter pecan	5.3%
4	Strawberry	5.3%
5	Neapolitan	4.2%
6	Chocolate chip	3.9%
7	French vanilla	3.8%
8	Cookies and cream	3.6%
9	Vanilla fudge ripple	2.6%
10	Praline pecan	1.7%
11	Cherry	1.6%
12	Chocolate almond	1.6%
13	Coffee	1.6%
14	Rocky road	1.5%
15	Chocolate marshmallow	1.3%

All others, 23.7% ~
Source: International Ice Cream Association, 888 16th St., Washington, D.C., 2006.

Ice cream week

Ice Cream week starts tomorrow. Each day we will post something of interest regarding ice-cream; could be what to look for in an ice cream machine, what milk you can use and lots of different recipes. If you would like a questioned answered please post a comment.

Remember what J.Fiebig says about ice cream and disappointment ~ “Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone”

Ice Cream Week

Ice Cream Week

Interesting Facts about Ice Cream

How do ice-cream makers work?

What You Need:

Food Safety with making home made ice cream

Main Ingredients of Ice Cream Making

Features of an ice cream maker

Types of ice cream makers

Ice Cream Week

Ice cream week

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