Homemade ice cream is a delicious dessert at any time of year. If you have your own ice cream maker, you can try out a variety of unusual and interesting flavors that you might not find in stores, such as honey or avocado. Even if you're not a skilled cook, you can make a variety of homemade ice cream recipes that require little prep time and no cooking.

Ice Cream Makers

If you're planning on making homemade ice cream frequently, you should invest in a good ice cream maker. There are three basic types of ice cream makers: manual, electric and self-freezing. Manual ice cream makers require lots of manual labor, since you must crank them by hand throughout the churning process. Electric ice cream makers do the churning for you, but you must freeze the bowl beforehand. Self-freezing ice cream makers are more expensive and bulky than the previous models, but do all the work for you at the press of a button and are good for large batches.

Easy Homemade Ice Cream

If you want to try out homemade ice cream before you put out the money for an ice cream maker, try ice cream in a bag. Simply mix 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 cup half and half and 1/4 tsp. vanilla and seal it tightly in a small plastic zipper-sealed bag. Fill a gallon-sized zipper-sealed bag with ice cubes and 6 tbsp. rock salt, place the small bag inside and shake for about 5 minutes, until it has frozen into ice cream. This easy recipe is fun for kids, but doesn't produce much ice cream.

Custard-Based Ice Cream

Most homemade ice creams use a custard base. Begin with a milk, cream and sugar mixture, cooked until hot but not boiling. Then introduce the hot liquid to egg yolks, whisking it in a little at a time so that the yolks slowly raise in temperature but do not curdle. This process is called tempering, and it can be tricky for the inexperienced cook. Afterward, heat the mixture until it has thickened, strain it, chill it, churn it according to the directions on your ice cream maker. You can produce many different flavors from this basic ice cream, including vanilla (add the pulp from one vanilla bean to the cream mixture) or walnut (add 1/2 cup cold-pressed walnut oil to the mixture while churning).

No-Cook Ice Cream

If you find it difficult to temper eggs, or simply don't want to turn on the stove in the summer heat, you can make a quick no-cook ice cream. Just puree together milk, cream, sugar, lemon juice and fruit, such as strawberries, peaches or avocado. Chill and churn your ice cream as usual. The reaction of the acid with the milk will help thicken the ice cream, replacing the eggs in custard-based recipes.

Source:

Kaboose: Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

Homemade Ice Cream Guide

More Information:

Food Network: Fruity Oil Ice Cream

Food Network: Avocado Ice Cream