Have You Ever Made Your Own Ice Cream? How Did It Turn Out?

@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
July 25, 2011 4:12pm CST
Oh, my, I've always wanted to make my own ice cream. I don't possess one of those churner machines BUT I do know that with some recipes at least, they're not required. Earlier I made some orange/lime flavoured ice cream using icing sugar and far too much fattening double cream. But, do I care? Nope. Has it turned out OK? Yep! It needs to freeze a bit more but I'm confident it's going to taste yummy. Far better than the shop-bought rubbish. All this came about after reminiscing about an Italian Ice Cream man who used to visit my street in the 70s and give us such delights as orange, banana, lime, lemon, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, choco-mint, toffee, and my personal favourite LIQUORICE!! If I couldn't decide what to have he'd bung 'em all on one cone and not charge any extra. I will make liquorice ice-cream one day but for now I'm content with orange and lime. It seems a good thing to do seeing as the weather is set fair all week. Whoopee!
5 people like this
19 responses
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
25 Jul 11
sounds lovely! I'd like to make my own ice cream as well, but not through an ice cream maker, they're kinda expensive, but I would like to get my hands on some recipes for home-made ice creams myself, for my family. I would like to make vanilla flavour, since it goes everything :-)
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
25 Jul 11
Check out the healthy ice Cream recipes that I posted the link to below Masihi. I am sure that you will find something there that you will like.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
I have a juicer and a blender combined. Only used it about 3 times! I don't have a dishwasher and it's a pain to wash up. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
1 person likes this
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
25 Jul 11
Thanks, rawbill, I saw the video, very nice, now, I don't have a juicer but I have a tiny magic bullet blender.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
25 Jul 11
We (well my wife...lol) have made our own vegan ice-cream many times over the last few years. We have an ice cream maker which makes it really well. We also have made ice-cream with our juicer by just putting frozen fruit through it, like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HKOxOORCrM but the ice-cream maker makes really creamy ones that are delicious! Check out some more amazing ice-cream recipes here Jane. http://raw-pleasure.com.au/index.php?option=com_rapidrecipe&page=viewcategory&category_id=155&Itemid=100032 It is winter here, but you might be having some weather that is warm enough to enjoy these treats now!
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
26 Jul 11
Yes, it does help when you are in an industry where you sell kitchen gadgets and have access to friends who sell you ice cream makers really cheap! Our ice cream maker actually was used to kick start two successful businesses. One we bought the ice cream maker from when they went industrial and the other started when we lent our maker to them to get started. Now they are booming and it all started on our little machine! http://fromearthandwater.com/ http://cocoluscious.com.au I make my own bread with only one ingredient. Organic wheat. Nothing else! Except time of course!
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
What an industrious person you are Bill. Well done, you!
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Great if you've got all the gadgets! My speciality isn't using any. My next challenge (when I can be bothered lol) is to make my own bread. I'm determined to do this at some point as the shop stuff is - well, a tad bland!
• Canada
25 Jul 11
Well, sounds like you're becoming quite adventurous in your cooking now. Good for you!! I do remember you saying you were looking for work, so why not cook for others who dont have time to cook but would love some home-cooked meals? You sure seem to be enjoying it and I know you'd do very well. As for gelato, mmmm Ive never made my own because I cant have milk but Ive made sorbets and they were delicious!! We're having very hot weather here and theres nothing like something cold to lick......lol.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
25 Jul 11
Oooo, you are naughty..but I like you. That's what D!ck Emery used to say lol. Check him out on the net. No-one round here works (well, not many) so I'd be redundant. However, there is a bakery round the corner and I've been dying to take a couple of my..er, creations round. Haven't found the courage to do so for fear of ridicule!
2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
25 Jul 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6LstzLXJdg Actually, he used to say, "Ooo, you are awful..but I dooo like you!" but I was close!
1 person likes this
• Canada
26 Jul 11
Thats a funny one. Oh Im sure nobody will make fun of your creations. If you dont try, you'll never know. So go on.......give it a try and let me know then!!
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
26 Jul 11
There has always been an icecream maker in my house. As a child it was the kind where the bucket held a brine water and an inner bucket held the good stuff. you had to work for the icecream, but it was always worth it. For my wedding we got an ice cream maker and the Ben and Jerry's Ice cream book. We have made some amazing ice cream with it.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130088)
• India
26 Jul 11
We too had the same. I remember I had a cooking get together for my office mates and each was given a responsibility, including churning the ice cream. Good memories!
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
26 Jul 11
Every fourth of july, we would sit in a circle and talk, all the while passing the ice cream maker around the circle. The longer you cranked time wise the harder it became. So the kids would go first, and the dad's would be last.
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
26 Jul 11
Yep, the rock salt one. My parents still pull it out on occasion, but I did buy them an automatic kind for Christmas last year. They are making a bit more ice cream than they used to.
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
27 Jul 11
I have made home made ice cream. It all started when I became diabetic. I could not eat regular ice cream, so, I found a recipe on the internet and decidedI could make sugar free ice cream. So, I bought an electric ice cream maker, the type where you have to free the tub for a day. Then I added all the ingredients along with equal instead of sugar. Wow, it was great and I was happy again.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Jul 11
I'd not realised that a machine could be used by diabetics but it makes sense when I think about it. Good for you!
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
28 Jul 11
Well, why not? All I do is use equal instead of sugar to make the ice cream. Like anyone else, too much ice cream is no good for you, but I do not eat it all the time. So, it satisfies my taste buds and I'm okay.
@murkie (1103)
• Philippines
26 Jul 11
in my earlier years at school, we have this home economics subject wherein we were taught, you, home economics. part of it is cooking. in one occassion, we had a recipe for a sherbet. probably i'm wrong, but i looks kinda an ice cream to me. so i hope my experience counts anyway, we (my class group) followed the instructions by the book. and guess what, it turned something like a milk shake more than anything else i dunno. maybe i'll try making an ice cream some time. but for now, i'll just settle for "sorbetes". i like it better than the commercialized ones.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Yes, sorbets are supposed to be fresher aren't they? Ideal ice-cream weather today though..the sun is out for a change!
@murkie (1103)
• Philippines
27 Jul 11
not where i am from.. it's actually the rainy season in this part of the world. and as of now, we have a typhoon blowing across the country. wish you have a great time, though.
@shaggin (71573)
• United States
26 Jul 11
I have never made my own ice cream. My husbands aunt makes it a lot and its delicious. My reasoning for not ever making it is I would need to buy a ice cream making machine and a container to keep the ice cream in and then the flavoring and all the ingredients and by the time I buy all the ingredients to make the ice cream it would just be cheaper to go to to the store and buy whatever flavor of the generic ice cream I want. It only costs around $2.50 for a half gallon of ice cream for the generic and they have great flavors. Right now we have peanut butter swirl ice cream in the freezer.
@shaggin (71573)
• United States
27 Jul 11
Well a recipe like that where the ingredients just get mixed and then put in the freezer would be pretty neat. Its fun to make things from scratch so some people might like to make it rather then buy it. I would like to try it sometime with my kids as they would really enjoy it I will just have to look up recipes that you can make how you said instead of using an ice cream maker.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Jul 11
Let me know how you get on..believe me there are LOADS, I was quite surprised.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Well, the recipe I had to hand doesn't use a machine as I don't possess one either. Just bung everything in the bowl, mix it then shove it in the freezer. There are many recipes like that..but I know what you mean, shop-bought ice-cream is very cheap and takes the hassle out of it!
1 person likes this
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Jul 11
Yes yes yes and yes! I love ice cream, have a simple churner - one thst you have to put the churn in freezer - and used to PYO to get the soft fruit, bring it home and mix mix mix. Nothing beats home made ice cream. My favourite is plain old vanilla. I have vanilla pods that can be left in warm milk to infuse before adding the milk, cream, sugar and egg to the frozen churn. Then comes the patient delight as it all mixes. Oh rapture. But my blood pressure, chloresterol and weight problems deny me more than a very occasional ice cream now. Every once in a while I get the kit out and play ice cream Russian Roulette. Such fun. Look on EBay and buy a reputable make. Magimix is good. If you want to spend John's bonus then buy a Gaggia with an internal freezer! Happy ice creaming.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
I've not done anything with vanilla pods but I probably will at some point. I have vanilla essence but that's not the same. Magimix eh? Ironically, I bought Mum a Magimix..er..mixer, years ago and she's still got it. The best feature is its quiet motor. Amazing machine. As for John's bonus he's not expecting a fortune but if he does I'll be first in the queue begging lol.
1 person likes this
@elitess (5070)
• Ipswich, England
26 Jul 11
Hello Janey ! Just got back from holidays with my girlfriend yesterday. About time i made another ice cream come to think about it. I have made chocolate, vanilla and lemon along the years, but preferred the first two. Most turned out okay, but i did add too much cocoa at one time and it was to sour at taste.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Hello, I hope you enjoyed your holiday with your girlfriend. I shall be going to Mum's next week (after she's spent the weekend here with us) so I'm looking forward to that. Yes, I can imagine getting a bit carried away with the cocoa! I think I probably would too if I was using it. Did you use a machine or plain old elbow-grease?
@millertime (1394)
• United States
1 Aug 11
I remember my dad making homemade ice cream when I was a kid and I thought it was the best thing ever. Back then, it was a hand cranked churn and he was pooped out by the time it became ice cream. I got a hankerin' for that homemade ice cream taste so a while back I went out and bought a new ice cream maker, electric this time, and it works great. I've made several batches and it turns out really well. I can't do it too often though or I would weigh 400 pounds.
• United States
26 Jul 11
It is such a delight to hear of you adventuring in the kitchen! This is wonderful and who knows maybe a catering business for you in the future? I have never made my own ice cream but read recently how some make some in cans. I would like to try one day and see if it turns out well for me. I think it would be fun to create my own ice cream. If anything I will get to eat it all. lol
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
I don't want to get too far ahead of myself with this cooking lark. At the moment me and John are the main..er...testers..or should I say "tasters!" You're quite right about eating all the ice cream yourself as I think my creation might be a little too sweet for John. More for me then! Haha!
• China
26 Jul 11
Over here,Ice cream that originate from the west is very popular now,particularly on the hot summer days.When I was child,I seldom saw ice-lolly,much less ice cream.I have never thought about making ice cream by myself.I know nothing about its recipe. I feel an interest in liquorice,It is a Traditional Chinese Medicine most in use.I reckon It is surely its extract for you to use.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
The local chemist near Mum's house used to sell liquorice sticks and I loved them. I'm not even sure they're sold by anyone other than specialist health food shops now. Barley sugar is another one I like. Yes, the liquorice ice-cream from the Italian guy was awesome, it really was and is the main reason I want to visit Italy..wouldn't be short of stuff to eat like pizza and ice-cream!
2 people like this
• United States
26 Jul 11
We have made homemade ice cream several times. We have used two different methods. One is the coffee can method in which our ice cream turned out so very yummy! And the other way was with an electric machine. That one wasn't so great. The flavor was okay but the consistency was way off. The kids ate it anyways.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Well, that's the main thing, keeping the children happy!
@TheDwarf (138)
• United States
26 Jul 11
Yes, I have made my own ice cream before. I have an ice cream maker that is like a giant soccer ball. You put the stuff in the middle and ice around. Then you roll it around to make the ice cream. It's a fun idea, and the ice cream tastes great. The only problem is that it is a lot of work. If you don't have the time or patients, it will never get used. I want to buy one of the automatic ice cream maker. It would still take some work, but not as much. I can then add whatever candy I want. Ice cream is a great treat in the hot summer.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Well, the recipe I used means I just used one bowl and a bit of elbow-grease...just like I would do if I was doing cream for a cake filling. Once that's finished it all goes in the freezer! I have seen another one that uses strawberries but I haven't got any of those, unfortunately.
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
25 Jul 11
LiCORICE!!!! YUMMMMMM!!!! I've gotten that twice in my life (the ice cream I mean) and I would KILL for more! My mom's fav was mint chocolate chip, I think of her when ever I see it. I love lime too, orange is also nice... if you make licorice, let me know!!!!
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
26 Jul 11
The first time it was BLACK, made my tongue black! and it was the better of the two the second time it was called "white licorice" and while it was still good, it wasn't quite as intense - or maybe I was just that much older...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Wayhay, another liquorice ice-cream fan. You remember the colour? Dark grey if memory serves and it was so yummy it was untrue. When I go to Mum's next week I shall make a point of looking for some real liquorice sticks (or whatever they are) in a really good shop we always go in when we visit Fleetwood..so, if I remember to pick some up, I can make the ice-cream!
2 people like this
• Australia
2 Aug 11
Wow interesting combination for your first time! I hope it turns out well! I love home made ice cream! I got a home-made ice cream maker in a sal it only makes like 12 scoops at a time like 1 litre but i only have 1 son so it's ok i couldn't imagine trying to whip up icecream for the whole family in it because it produces icecream quickly but then you have to keep the bottom in the freezer so i don't know how many times it would work before having to refreeze it before putting in the wet ingredients. It's hard to explain unless you have seen one in use but they are very simple and cheap! I liked honeycomb, boysenberry and maple syrup& macadamia nut
@allknowing (130088)
• India
26 Jul 11
I have done it several times. I used to have an ice cream pail but now I do it in the refrigerator where I need to take it out whip it and put it back. I do this three times. Only then there will be no ice crusts. I use my own home grown fruits.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Oh wow, that must be so satisfying, using fruit you have grown yourself. Good for you!
@JohnRok1 (2051)
27 Jul 11
Nobody's mentioned frozen yoghurt - it tastes surprisingly like ice cream. Somebody gave me an ice cream recipe years ago involving putting a can of evaporated milk into boiling water for, I think, 45 min, then opening and blending with icing sugar and flavouring (I used purple-brown passion fruit before passion fruit ice cream became available - you got crushed black passion fruit seeds in the ice cream - something different) and putting in the freezer. It was fine, but you could taste that it had been made from evaporated milk, unless that was sufficiently disguised by the flavouring. I also used evaporated milk for making yoghurt (my recipe: 2 parts of evaporated milk to 1 part of boiling water in a "thermos", add yoghurt seed - in those days there was only St Ivel and Eden Vale and St Ivel worked - put on lid and leave for 6 hours). Again, you could taste that it had been made from evaporated milk.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Jul 11
Yes, I've noticed many ice cream recipes use evaporated milk. To be honest, I don't really like it which is why I found one with icing sugar, double cream and flavourings. It's OK I suppose but I reckon I can find a better one..somewhere!
• United States
26 Jul 11
oh yes haha xD. i failed at making homemade icecream. when i was little i saw zoom, pbs show, and they used big ice cream cartons. nowadays we use ziplock bags and i have tried like 3 times in my life. they all failed :T.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
26 Jul 11
Oh dear, perhaps you're not destined to make ice cream BUT you could always get someone else to do it!