How to make ice cream at home: tips, recipes & equipment

现在太阳终于从云层后面探出头来了，天气越来越暖和，我们脑子里只有一件事:冰淇淋!正是这些美食唤起了人们对阳光下的假期、花园中的派对以及远处冰淇淋车叮当作响的回忆。如果你曾经想知道如何在家做冰淇淋，你可能会惊讶地发现，这比大多数人想象的要容易得多。世界杯波兰vs阿根廷谁会赢？

We’ll take you through how to use an ice cream maker; how to make the best homemade ice cream; how to make vegan ice cream; common problems you might face when making ice cream, and so much more. So, stick with us and before you know it, you’ll be making the best ice cream in town from the comfort of your kitchen. But first, let’s break it down and look at some of the fundamentals of ice cream making.

The 4 main ingredients you need to make ice cream

对于那些不了解的人来说，制作冰淇淋似乎有点神秘——毕竟，它通常是装在蛋筒里递给我们的。But you’ll be pleased to know it’s not actually that complex at all, and there are only a few ingredients needed to make great ice cream from home (although, despite its name, there are a few more ingredients needed than simply ice and cream – but not many more.).

All ice cream recipes start with a base, and to make it you only need four ingredients: cream, milk, egg yolks and sugar – these are all things you can get from your local shop, or even straight from the cupboard. Once the base is made, that’s when you start to add all the yummy flavourings that make your ice cream taste the way you want it to.

So, now you know some of the basic facts, we can start to look at what equipment you’ll need, how to use your ice cream maker and most importantly, how to make great ice cream from home.

How to make ice cream at home: a step-by-step guide

Making ice cream can be broken down into a few simple steps, none of which are particularly difficult. But there are a few things you’ll need to know in order to get started, including which ice cream maker will best meet your needs – otherwise your hopes of making great ice cream will melt fairly quickly…

Step 1: make sure you have the right ice-cream-making equipment

One thing to bear in mind is that in order to make ice cream you need to freeze it as you churn, otherwise, your ice cream won’t end up being the right texture. But in order to freeze as you churn, you need to have the right equipment – enter: the ice cream maker.

There’s no best or worst when it comes to ice cream makers – they all make ice cream, after all – it all depends on which one is right for you. You might want one that can make enough ice cream to feed the family; or one that can make two flavours at the same time; or even one with a compressor that doesn’t require any pre-freezing. Whatever kind you’re after, when it comes to making the process as simple and enjoyable as possible, we’ve got plenty to choose from.

If you’re looking for a straightforward, easy-to-use machine that makes up to 500ml of ice cream without breaking the bank, then theLakeland Digital Ice Cream Maker对你来说是一个很好的选择。将碗提前冷冻一晚上，你就可以在短短的30分钟内享用美味的两个人的冰淇淋，而且没有太多麻烦。

However, if pre-freezing the bowl overnight sounds like too long to wait for your ice cream, you might be more tempted by the automaticCuisinart Gelato and Ice Cream Maker，只需30分钟就能调制出你最喜欢的冰甜点，而不需要事先将碗预先冷冻。如果餐桌上的谈话时间超过了预期，它还有一个方便的“保持凉爽”功能，可以让你的冰淇淋多保持10分钟的凉爽。

Sometimes, less is more, but we’re not convinced this is the case when ice cream is involved – especially when you have the option to make two different flavours at the same time. TheLakeland Double Pot Ice Cream Makeris exactly what it you’d expect from its name. Simply pre-freeze the two pots for 8-12 hours and then in half an hour you can enjoy two pots of differently flavoured ice cream – perfect for couples who can never agree on a flavour.

Step 2: choose your favourite ice cream recipe

It’s the age-old argument that will never, ever be solved: what’s the best flavour of ice cream? It’s the question that crops up on every family holiday and has been the subject of many dinner table discussions, but after all is said and done, it’s a question that simply doesn’t have an answer – but we think that’s a good thing. The world would be a boring place if we all had the same preferences, and luckily, we’ve gathered together some of our favourite recipes to meet everyone’s ice cream needs.

Chocolate, cookies, ice cream… some would consider these to be three separate desserts. But why keep them separate when you can mix them all into one delicious ice cream recipe? Double chocolate chip cookie dough is mixed with ice cream and finished off with little chocolate chip cookies to create a mouth-watering concoction you won’t forget in a hurry.

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

• 150g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 50g cocoa powder
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 50g caster sugar¼ tsp almond extract
• 115g softened butter
• 3 tbsp milk
• 50g dark chocolate chips

For the vanilla ice cream:

• 230ml double cream
• 150ml whole or semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tsp Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste or extract
• 70g caster sugar

To find the instructions, clickhere.

Coconut Milk & Banana Vegan Ice Cream

Perfect for anyone enjoying a vegan diet, the tropical island taste of this refreshing dairy-free ice cream is enough to chill anyone out.

Ingredients

• 400ml canned coconut milk (preferably not reduced fat)
• 250ml carton coconut cream
• 1 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste
• 80g caster sugar
• 3 medium bananas
• Toasted coconut flakes, to serve

To find full instructions, clickhere.

Almond & Peanut Butter Crunch Vegan Ice Cream

我们的另一个素食最爱是这个易于制作、美味的坚果冰淇淋，是用我们的数码冰淇淋机做的。无论你是否喜欢不含乳制品的饮食，这个食谱提供的坚果嘎吱声可能很难拒绝。

Ingredients

• 25g whole almonds, roughly chopped
• 25g unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 5 tbsp maple syrup
• 400ml almond milk, chilled
• 5 tbsp peanut butter powder
• 1 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste

To find full instructions, clickhere.

Eton Mess Ice Cream

We Brits have invented some truly delicious desserts in our time, and Eton mess has to be up there with some of the best. But why leave it there? Made in the Cuisinart Gelato and Ice Cream Maker, this recipe combines two of the finest desserts to make one deliciously sweet and creamy one.

Ingredients

• 350ml double cream
• 400ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 egg yolks
• 125g sugar
• 400g strawberries
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 50g meringue, crushed into small bite-sized pieces

To find full instructions, clickhere.

Step 3: make your ice cream

Each recipe is different, of course, so it’s important to follow your chosen recipe carefully, but you’ll notice with every one you choose to follow, there are some common methods that crop up time and time again. For example, when using an ice cream maker that requires you to pre-freeze the bowl, it’s important to chill your base for at least two hours before adding it to the bowl. But this isn’t too painful, given that you’ll be pre-freezing the bowl for 8-12 hours anyway.

You may have also noticed that most ice cream makers only take 30 minutes to make delicious ice cream after adding the ingredients to the bowl – or as little as 25 minutes in the case of ourStainless Steel Digital Ice Cream Maker– which we think is pretty good going.

One thing to bear in mind is that, once formed, ice crystals are at their smallest after churning, and will only grow the longer they stay frozen, so it’s important not to freeze your ice cream for too long to avoid the texture becoming too grainy or icy.

Step 4: enjoy your delicious ice cream!

Now you’ve don’t the ‘hard’ work, it’s time for the fun part: eating your home-made ice cream. There are plenty of ways to enjoy ice cream, and not all of them involve scooping it into a bowl and going at it with a spoon. It can also be used to complement other desserts to give them the sweet, cool and creamy flavour they might otherwise be missing. Sticky toffee pudding and chocolate fudge cake just aren’t the same without a big dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side. And if you’re wanting to make everything from scratch, we recommend using ourNo Mess Waffle Makerto make your own waffles, before topping with your home-made ice cream.

Here are a couple of our favourite recipes where ice cream acts as a sweet side-kick:

• Apple and Sultana Samosas with Stem Ginger & Cinnamon Ice Cream
• Cinnamon Waffle Stack with Crunchy Peanut Brittle Ice Cream

And if you’re looking for some delicious flavours to add to your ice cream, why not head over to our website where you’ll find a range of mixes, includingVanilla,Salted CaramelandMint Choc Chip, as well as a whole host ofNielsen Masseyextracts to really get their mouths watering.

Not happy with your ice cream? Here are some common problems and how to fix them

Even though making ice cream from home is a fairly straightforward process, you may find it takes a couple of tries to get it perfect. Here are a few pitfalls you could run in to when making ice cream for the first time.

Too grainy

If you’ve found that your ice cream is turning out a bit grainy, fear not – there are a few ways to fix this common problem. It could be that your sugar hasn’t completely dissolved when making the base, which can cause a grainy texture in your finished ice cream. To avoid this from happening, allow a few more minutes when mixing your ingredients to give the sugar a chance to dissolve completely.

记住要严格按照食谱上写的去做——这样做是有原因的。如果食谱上说要将碗预先冷冻8-12个小时，那么就不要尝试冷冻4 - 5个小时——我们知道这很诱人，但碗越冷，冰淇淋就做得越快，做得越快，奶油就会越浓——所以不要试图跳过步骤。It’ll be worth it in the end.

It’s important not to try and re-freeze ice cream after it’s started to melt, as it can cause bacteria to build up, which, as we all know, isn’t great for us. Even if your ice cream has only melted slightly, we still don’t recommend trying to refreeze it, as it will only end up with the undesirable grainy texture we’re trying to avoid. Best to get it eaten before it melts.

Too soft or hard

当我们想到完美的冰淇淋时，我们不仅会想到味道，还会想到稠度;它有多软、多硬或多像奶油。再一次，这归结为仔细地遵循你选择的食谱，不要跳过步骤。只要你严格按照食谱上写的做，就不会有太硬或太软的问题。正如我们已经提到的，如果你冷冻太久，冰晶会生长，导致你的冰淇淋变硬。

Not freezing

One of the main reasons why your ice cream might not be freezing properly is that you haven’t let the bowl pre-freeze for long enough. We know you’re keen to eat your delicious homemade ice cream, but if you don’t follow the steps properly, it won’t turn out as well as it could. Make sure you always pre-freeze the bowl according to the instructions and you chill the base before adding it to the bowl.

Turned icy or has crystallised

You don’t want ice crystals mixed in with your creamy home-made ice cream. Again, it comes back to following the recipe as carefully as possible. Make sure your ingredients are nicely chilled before adding them to the bowl – the cooler the better – and make sure your bowl is properly frozen so your ingredients will churn quicker, helping your ice cream to turn out soft and creamy.

You’re all set

So, now you know the basics of how to use an ice cream maker, it’s time to put it to the test. As long as you read the instructions that come with your ice cream maker and follow your chosen recipe, there’s no reason why you can’t become an ice-cream-making pro in no time.

To recap, here are the main takeaways you’ll need to remember: There’s no best or worst when it comes to ice cream makers – it’s all about which one works for you; every recipe is different, so make sure you follow the instructions carefully; make sure the bowl is properly frozen before adding the base; chill your base before adding it to the bowl; and don’t refreeze ice cream once it’s started to melt – it’s a great excuse to get it eaten and make some more.

You can find all ourIce Cream Makerson our website, along withscoops,lolly mouldsandextractsto help you perfect the art of making ice cream, lollies, sorbet and gelato from home.

生产快乐!