I haven't bought ice cream in over a year now.

[hippywife]

I bought one of these for my husband for his birthday last year and we just love it:

http://www1.epinions.com/Hamilton_Beach_68220_Ice_Cream_Maker

I can make any flavor I want, add yogurt if I want, and only the ingredients I want. It was one of the best investments in kitchen equipment.

:9

[MagickMuffin]

1. I have one of the ice cream makers where you add the ice and salt

I think it's a 4 qt. canister. There is only me and hubby, but we usually will eat until we're sorry we ate so much, and freeze the leftovers. The rest last about 3 days.

I love making my own ice cream. I usually just make plain ol' vanilla, and if someone wants to add chocolate then they have the choice to do so.

This your machine the kind you freeze the canister and then attach to the machine.

However, I still buy Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

If you care you share recipes, then I might consider making some.

[hippywife]

2. I started using the recipes in the booklet

but now I just eyeball and approximate everything and experimenting. I can post the booklet recipes for you if you like.

This machine does make it lots easier to make. And it makes just enough to last the week. Four quarts would be too much. And it's so easy I can do it every weekend without a problem. It only takes about 45 mins. or so.

[kestrel91316]

3. An ice cream maker would be an EXTREMELY dangerous

thing for me to have. If you get my point......

[hippywife]

4. I do get you but

it's an addiction for the husband. I eat very little of it, myself. It's nice to be able to make it for him without all the additional crap they put in everything these days.

[MelissaB]

5. Crazy question

My husband and children eat ice cream every night. We've moved to the frozen north and can't find a vanilla we like as much as Blue Bell home made vanilla. On the other hand, I'm hooked on McDonald's McFlurrys (M&M thank you). Is it possible a little machine like this would help us get what we want (a good vanilla and frozen yogurt)? Is there a site for ice cream or frozen yogurt recipes?

[hippywife]

6. It does make a very good vanilla

because it's all in what you put in with your own ingredients. You can have very good ice cream without all the HFCS that comes in most of the brands and most especially everything at McDonalds. I use all fresh ingredients -- good dark chocolate, fresh fruits, extracts, my own homemade yogurt.

When you make it, it comes out like a soft serve. Then in the freezer firms up more. To keep it from getting too hard, I beat the ingredients for a few minutes with my mixer before adding to the machine. That way there's enough air in it to keep it from becoming hard as a brick.

[MelissaB]

7. When we moved this summer we started making milk shakes because a local

sandwich shop has The Best frozen yogurt with strawberries I'd ever had. If I can get close, I'm buying an ice cream machine.

BTW, some of my favorite childhood memories are of home made ice cream. YUM!

[hippywife]

10. My mom used to make us the best

banana milkshakes when I was a kid. Loved them! I've made banana ice cream once because the husband eats most, if not all, of what I make and he usually doesn't want banana. Just as well, I probably would eat more of it if I did. :P

[MelissaB]

8. Somebody save me! I looked on Amazon and look what they recommended buying with it.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51z0TGqlE%2BL._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,32,-59_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg


Our favorite ice cream makers. :)


http://www.amazon.com/Jerrys-Homemade-Cream-Dessert-Book/dp/0894803123/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1205277525&sr=8-1

[hippywife]

9. I only use

eggs occasionally because you really do need to cook the mixture if it has eggs in it. That requires doing it ahead of time and chilling the mix in the fridge until later. Usually when I'm making it, it's later in the evening after dinner since it only takes about 45 mins. or so. When I want to make chocolate, I do make a ganache earlier in the day and chill it, add it to the mix with a couple tbsp. of cocoa. It comes out as a really good chocolate chocolate chip.

[MelissaB]

11. Okay, I bought and and finally received it and tried it tonight with a Ben & Jerry's

chocolate recipe. It was to die for!

Ben's Chocolate Ice Cream is about as rich as they come. The pinch of salt helps to bring out the chocolate flavor.

Ben's Chocolate

Ingredients :

4 oz Unsweetened chocolate
1 cup Milk
2 lrg Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Heavy or whipping cream
1 tsp Vanilla
1 pch Salt


1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Gradually whisk in the milk and heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light anf fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Add the cream, vanilla and salt and whisk to blend.

3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1-3 hours, depending on your refrigerator.

4. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 1 generous quart.

The main problem I encountered is that the ice cream was really soft serve. From reading the reviews on Amazon I should have left the base in the freezer for a couple of days when making the first time instead of a few hours, but the kids couldn't wait. This was a real gourmet ice cream treat, and I'm so glad we got it. The ice cream costs a fraction of what we would pay at the store for a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Thanks, hippywife! :hi:

[hippywife]

12. Most of the time

it does come out soft but then firms up more when the it's put in a container in the fridge. I use on of those old Tupperware lunch boxes. It's the perfect size! I also find if I use the hand mixer to mix the ingredients, on low and not too much, it incorporates enough air into the mix that it doesn't get too hard when it's put in the freezer.

Glad it worked out for you! :hi:

[BarbaRosa]

13. We just ordered the ice cream

maker for my KitchenAid I got for Christmas. It's our birthday presents to each other (we're getting to that age where we have just about EVERYTHING) my birthday was Sunday and MamaRosa's if April 10. Looking forward to homemade ice cream.

[kestrel91316]

14. I want an ice cream freezer, but it's just me (and the cats) and

you DON'T want to know the trouble I could get myself into if I actually owned one. Because after you make the ice cream, you EAT it.

[MelissaB]

15. Don't do it! I'm sampling EVERYTHING and it's all bad.

:evilgrin:

[hippywife]

16. Today I made

a dark chocolate ganache with the zest of 1/2 a large navel orange. The recipes I was seeing called for only a tsp of zest and then either Grand Marnier or Countreau. I didn't have either and was gambling that additional zest would have the desired effect. Used that to make my ice cream with yogurt in addition to the cream and half and half I normally use. It came out fabulous! I served it with fresh raspberries.

I had a luncheon for my MIL and SIL. It was a success! :)