Is there anything better than a bowl of homemade ice cream for your little something sweet before bed? Not in the summertime. (Or fall, winter, or spring, for that matter!) If you’ve ever tried and failed or simply never even thought about making your own ice cream at home, we’re here with some tips and tricks to help you out. The cool thing about making ice cream at home is you can eat as much as you want, then just keep making more, and no one will even know. Oh, and you get to choose any, literally any flavor you want to make. Let’s get started!
Ice Cream Makin’ Tools
Depending on how you want to make your ice cream will determine precisely what tools and materials you need, so make sure you know ahead of time what method will work best for you.
- An ice cream machine | an ice cream machine is not a necessity, but they do make the process a cinch. Don’t want to drop the cash on one? It’s possible to make homemade ice cream in a regular bowl or even a Ziploc bag
- Whisks, forks, spoons | no matter which way you choose to make it, you’ll need at least one of these things
- Ice cream scoop
- Stand mixer attachment | again, not a necessary item, only if you plan on making your ice cream with your Kitchen Aid
- Ice cream container(s) | these will make storing your ice cream super simple and they won’t take up too much space in your freezer
- Waffle bowl maker | Okay, not a necessity, in fact, store-bought cones and glass dishes work just as well, but a waffle bowl maker, are you kidding us?
- Loaf pan | also good for storing ice cream
Ice Cream Makin’ Tips
Use the best ingredients. Ice cream is one of those things you don’t want to skimp on when it comes to ingredients. So if you can swing, get the organic milk, the free-range eggs, all of the best everything.
The more fat, the better. This is not the time to be skimping on fat and calories, so don’t nab any of that low-fat, low-cal stuff. If you want creamy ice cream that doesn’t crystalize and become gritty, get whole fat ingredients.
When in doubt, chill it. Whether you’re making a custard that starts with a warm base or you’re just tossing ingredients in the ice cream maker bowl, make sure you let these things cool. When it comes to custard, you’ll need to freeze it to ensure it’s creamy, and if we’re talking about ice cream maker bowls, if your bowl isn’t freezing cold, chances are, your ice cream won’t set.
Keep mix-ins small. Whatever you’re adding to your ice cream whether it’s candy pieces or brownie bites, you’ll want them to be about the size of a chocolate chip and you’ll want to toss those in at the very end, if you’re using an ice cream maker, of course, because it only takes a couple of minutes to incorporate them.