Our Test Kitchen’s Tips for Making Professional-Quality Ice Cream at Home

09, 2024

Need the perfect summertime treat?

Learn how to make professional ice cream right at home.

Our Test Kitchen team has all the tricks to make it taste as good as your favorite store-bought pint.

Once youve made your custard, dont rush right to yourice cream maker.

Give your ice cream base time to rest.

This tip applies to more than just vanilla, though.

Use fresh fruits when possible, good quality cream and decadent chocolate when the recipe calls for it.

A good way to combat ice crystals is to see to it youre using enough sweeteners.

Sugar and other sweeteners help prevent crystalization, so dont take a stab at cut any from your recipe!

Learn how to makevanilla custard ice creamat home.

And dont worry about having eggs in yourcustard ice cream.

The eggs are cooked; its all a part of making that lush custard base.

These commercial ingredientslike gelatin, pectin and starchhelp give these ice creams the rich texture we all love.

So next time you see a recipe that calls for pudding mix, gelatin or jelly, dont balk!

Know that those ingredients will help you produce the best results.

The result is still quite indulgent, she says.

All you need is a large glass pan (your favorite 139 will do) and ahand mixer.

After chilling your ice cream base, pour it into an ice-cold pan and freeze for 30 minutes.

Then use the hand mixer to beat the mix until smooth.

Repeat this process over and over until youve reached the right consistency.

Weve got a step-by-step guide tomaking ice cream without an ice cream makerfor all the details.

This ensures you get to enjoy your frozen treat when it has the perfect texture.

Senior Food StylistShannon Norrisalways transfers freshly made ice cream into a chilled container.

That way the ice cream stays frozen instead of melting in a room temperature container, she explains.

So stash storage containers in the freezer while the ice cream is churning away.

A 30-minute stay is all you gotta cool them down.

Instead, pop your ice creamhomemade or otherwisein the fridge for 20 minutes, recommends Shannon.

It will soften much more evenly than in the microwave or sitting at room temp, she says.

And dont underestimate the power of a goodice cream scoop!

The right model can make scooping even extra-frozen pints easy.

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