Ice cream has been delighting taste buds for centuries, with its origins tracing back to ancient China where snow and ice were mixed with milk and flavorings. The treat evolved through various cultures, eventually reaching Europe in the 17th century where it became a luxury dessert. In the 1840s, Nancy M. Johnson's hand-cranked freezer revolutionized ice cream making, making it accessible to American households.
Today, home cooks are rediscovering the joy of making ice cream from scratch, and for good reason. When you make your own ice cream, you have complete control over every ingredient that goes in. This means you can avoid artificial preservatives, stabilizers, and mystery chemicals that often appear in store-bought varieties. You know exactly what you're feeding your family, and you can accommodate dietary restrictions or preferences with ease.
The flavor possibilities are endless when you make ice cream at home. While grocery stores only offer limited seasonal flavors, you can try making any number of seasonal style ice creams. Maybe lavender honey ice cream, brown butter pumpkin, goat cheese with fig? The only limit is your imagination. Fresh, high-quality ingredients show through in homemade ice creams in a way that mass-produced counterparts cannot match.
Children especially love being involved in the process, from cracking eggs to watching the magic happen in the ice cream maker - my daughter Willa had a blast!
Cost-wise, making ice cream at home these days beats purchasing premium brands, especially when you consider the superior quality of ingredients you can use. A batch of homemade vanilla bean ice cream costs a fraction of what you'd pay for artisanal ice cream at the store, and it tastes infinitely better.
As far as equipment, there are several inexpensive home ice cream makers available, I got mine practically for free at a thrift store and it works great! Even vintage churns work well; you can even keep it as simple as a jar and sealed plastic bag - no machine or electricity needed. If you’re not convinced on making your own, just look at the ingredients label of your favorite ice cream next time you happen to be in the frozen food aisle. That’s what pushed me to consistently make my own at home!
Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Yields approximately 1 quart
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Inactive time: 12 hours for chilling
Total time: 12 hours + churning time
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
6 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
1. Heat the cream, milk, half the sugar, and vanilla bean (pod and seeds) in a saucepan until it begins to simmer.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining sugar until pale.
3. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the yolks using a ladle while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
4. Once heated, slowly whisk the mixture into the heated dairy in the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon (about 170°F).
5. Stir in the salt and chill completely overnight in the fridge.
6. Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, then freeze until firm.
Get your kids or young family and friends into the kitchen for activities like pasta making, ice cream, cakes and cookies. We have a kids and a teen class coming up in August, so check those out. We also have a new hands-on Family Baking: Fruity Fun on Saturday, August 9 at 10am. Bring the whole family for a fun activity in our kitchen and avoid any clean up!
