When my sister went to college, as a gift we, her siblings gave her an ice cream maker.  We thought it would be a great ice breaker, something to sit around the dorm with your friends and do.  I don’t know if she ever used it  or if it was a ridiculous gift.

  My husband liked to tell the story of how his family used to take turns cranking the handle of an old ice cream maker at their 4th of July picnics.  He said all day long, someone was cranking away.  Then one year, his father bought an ice cream maker. They filled it up, plugged it in and huh, that was it.  He wasn’t sure if it was such a great thing, he thought it took some of the fun out of the ice cream making camaraderie. 

I don’t own an ice cream maker, but I’m not adverse to one, I just never bought one.  I guess if I had a fat-free, sugarfree ice cream recipe with nuts and an ice cream maker, it would solve my mother’s quest for the perfect ice cream.

Huh, I never thought of that before….

• How to Make Homemade Fat-Free, Sugar-free Premium Ice Cream …

And a couple of others, for those of you who aren’t my mother…

• Heather makes some Oreo cookie ice cream - Perfect picnic fare homemade Oreo ice cream
• Marye has a really cool glowing ice cream - Green Tea Mango Ice Cream

In case you were wondering about how to choose an Ice Cream Maker - How to Buy an Ice Cream Maker

Here are some ice cream tips from foodies.com:

Tips on using ice cream makers (electric or manual)

• To ensure that the egg yolks and sugar of the ice cream base are completely mixed, do it by hand.
• Let the base flavors develop overnight in the refrigerator. Adjust the flavor before churning.
• Don’t chintz on the flavorings - why risk the rest of the expensive ingredients? Choose natural, top quality flavorings and extracts.
• Consider adding flavorings with alcohol toward the end of the churning process - alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than the other ingredients and may slow the process.
• What NOT to do with salty waste water from the ice cream maker - don’t dispose it on the grass or any living thing! (The Romans dumped their nasty old saline on Carthage in 146 B.C. decimating a perfectly good city, but the gelato sure hit the spot!)

How to scoop, serve and serve ice cream
A crust of ice crystals on leftover ice cream is sure a let-down for that midnight hankering! Follow these tips to prevent crystals from forming.

• "Temper" ice cream before you scoop - leave it at room temperature for 8-10 minutes before serving. Return ice cream to the freezer immediately after it has been served to minimize the formation of ice crystals.
• Forget what your brother-in-law told you about nuking it for 10-20 seconds. Resist the temptation for immediate gratification! Ice cream is a good enough treat on its own!
• Serve ice cream in chilled bowls, preferably glass. Not only is the frosted bowl refreshing to look at, but the ice cream will retain its shape longer.
• Scooping ice cream: A variation on a theme. Try this! Have a large Pyrex measuring cup or other heat proof container filled with just boiling water standing by. Dip the metal scoop into the hot water, let it heat up for a moment, and then DRY the scoop on a towel. Quickly drag the hot scoop across the ice cream creating tight rolls of the divine stuff. Do not smash the ice cream with the scoop. Think ribbons, not chunks. Repeat the process for each serving.
• To store opened ice cream, first place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and smooth it down lightly with your fingers. Then close the lid securely (use a rubber band if you have to) and return to the depths of your freezer.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 6:16 pm and is filed under Desserts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.