denise@cca.UUCP (Denise Higgins) (07/18/85)
Here are a few ice cream making tips: Make sure you use a sufficient amount of salt/ice. If the mixture seems to be taking an unusually long period of time to freeze (more than 45 minutes) try adding more salt and ice. Table salt can be used however, more of it is usually necessary. A few things might also account for ice cream not freezing: liquor is used in the recipe, ice melting too fast (snow is a poor substitute for ice - TRUST ME!) or ice not melting at all. I always pour 1 cup of water over my ice/salt mixture to speed up the process. My ice cream manual suggested it and it really works. For that creamy texture: This tip was shared by a very successful ice cream vendor in the Boston area. Add two tablespoons of unflavored gelatin to 1/4 cup of hot water (that's only to dissolve it completely before adding). Mix this into the recipe before churning. Rationale behind it is that it apparently reduces the size and number of ice crystals. Another tip is to use a metal container for freezing. It causes the partially frozen ice cream to freeze faster. Fast freezing is the surest way to reduce the ice crystals. One day prior to making ice cream, decrease the freezing temperature as much as possible. Once frozen, maintenance of this temperature is not as critical. The best recipes are those that are cooked and cooled before churning. The reason is simple, the sugar is disolved resulting in a creamy texture. One last tip: The creamy and yummy taste is typically a result of a high fat content. If that's what your interested in, substitute the light cream for heavy cream and the milk for light cream. Are any of you interested in some ice cream recipes?