Homemade Ice Cream Summer Treat!

Ice cream has got to be THE summer favorite treat! A cold scoop of sweet ice cream on a hot summer day is one of the best experiences of summer, especially for a child. Imagine being able to mix up a batch of your favorite ice cream flavor, especially knowing that all of your ingredients are fresh!

I tested the Half Pint Ice Cream Maker, available in the summer Avon living for $39.99. I am slightly obsessed with kitchen gadgets, so I jumped at the opportunity to try this one out! After trying several recipes, I would say I am mostly impressed with it, though there are a few things about it that did bother me.

Out of the box, the ice cream maker has four major parts: the magical bucket, the motor, the pour spout, and the paddle. You have to place batteries into the motor part, then attach the clear plastic pour spout onto the motor. The two piece paddle attachment is inserted into the motor, and then that whole assembly is attached to the bucket with a twist. You must wash and dry the bucket and stick it in the freezer right away - unfortunately, you will not be able to make a batch of ice cream the first day.

First of all, it does a great job of making small batches of ice cream, gelato, froyo or sorbet.The best part is that each batch can be completely customized with flavor and ingredients. The small batches allow you to enjoy gourmet flavors and blends.

Ice cream is essentially milk, sugar and flavor. Old fashioned ice cream also uses eggs. Sorbet is made from fruit and fruit juice. Gelato adds coffee flavor. Frozen yogurt is made using yogurt (Greek yogurt is best) and flavors.

There isn’t too much of a secret process to mixing ingredients. Your liquid “smoothie” mix will usually churn up into a delicious frozen treat!

The basic process is to place the bucket in the freezer in advance, mix the ingredients for your ice cream, and chill the ingredients. The next day, churn your ice cream, freeze to harden, then enjoy!

My Top Tips for Making Ice Cream:

• THINK COLD! Everything has to be cold. The bucket has to be in the freezer for at least twelve hours. The mix has to be chilled. Cold = ice cream, sorbet, gelato, froyo
• Plan ahead. Freeze the bucket, mix a batch of ice cream “liquid” and chill it. Putting the mix in the freezer 30 minutes before you start to churn won't hurt either.
• Fill the bucket halfway. ¾ at the most. Churn. Churning can be a little noisy, but it is fun to watch!
• When you're done churning, quickly transfer it to a chilled container and freeze to harden it up. At least a few hours, to firm it up. Enjoy quickly, like that day or the next.
• Tomorrow, churn your ice cream, and mix up a new batch for next time. Wash, DRY, and freeze the bucket (inside a plastic bag) again for 24 hours. Not being able to make more than one batch a day was disappointing.
• Invest in a large package of AA batteries. One thing that did annoy me was the battery door; it kept popping open when I tried to assemble the parts. Because you churn for 20 minutes at a time, this does require battery power. I would have preferred a cord. Use fresh batteries!

So far, I have tested with traditional ice cream, blueberry sorbet and frozen yogurt. I love being able to control the ingredients, especially the fruits and flavors. The ice cream maker does come with a booklet of instructions and recipes, but I am confident enough to change up recipes by swapping out flavors, and they have all churned up into yummy desserts.