Paleo Ice Cream Recipe - The Big Man's World ® (2024)

FAQs

How to make homemade ice cream creamy and not icy? ›

To ensure your homemade ice cream will come out creamy, use heavy cream, half-and-half or milk with a higher percentage milk fat, such as whole milk. If the ice cream is made with a lower percentage milk fat, it has the potential to become icy.

Have you ever had homemade ice cream leave an oily film in your mouth? It is because the ice cream was over-churned. Adding candy pieces, nuts, or dried or fresh fruit to the ice cream will add a flavor and texture dimension.

Homemade ice cream usually contains much less air than the stuff you buy in the store. Air keeps ice cream soft. So the less there is, the harder your ice cream. It can also be caused by low fat or sugar content.

Using dairy with a low fat content.

This sweet frozen treat is reliant on dairy with a solid fat content, like heavy cream. It's what gives ice cream its rich flavor and smooth, creamy texture. Substitutes like low-fat or skim milk don't freeze as well, seriously lack in flavor, and leave ice cream with an icy texture.

Keep It Creamy

Sugar, corn syrup or honey, as well as gelatin and commercial stabilizers, can all keep your ice cream at a softer consistency.

The cream cheese helps create an ice cream with a denser, smoother texture. As explained by TASTE, cream cheese acts as a stabilizer in ice cream, preventing water from seeping out of the milk and cream as well as preventing the formation of ice crystals that detract from ice cream's creaminess.

Sugar also keeps ice cream soft. How does it do this? Well, it's a bit complicated. But it does this by lowering the freezing point of water...

Chill Your Base Well

The initial mixture should be very cold before it hits the ice-cream machine; ideally, you'll want to refrigerate it overnight. It'll need less churning time this way, and that will keep ice crystals from snowballing.

If the freezer is freezing but your ice cream seems to soft, check the temperature setting is correct. The recommended setting for a freezer is 0°F (-18°C). The freezer should be operated in an environment between 55°F (13°C) and 110°F (43°C).

You can add up to 3 tablespoons of 40 proof liquor to 1 quart (1 liter) of your frozen dessert mixture prior to churning. I use vodka if I don't want the taste of the liquor to intrude on the flavor, but will switch to another liquor such as Grand Marnier or Armagnac to enhance the original flavor if it's compatible.

What milk is best for making ice cream? ›

Don't worry too much if you don't have whole milk or heavy cream. Nearly any milk will work, and you can substitute half-and-half for the cream. Ideally you want ingredients with a high fat content because these will create a creamy texture when cooled.

Egg Yolks: The most traditional thickening agent, egg yolks contain natural proteins and fats that contribute to a rich and luxurious texture in custard-based ice creams. Cornstarch: Often used in non-custard ice creams, cornstarch mixed with milk helps thicken the base and create a smooth mouthfeel.

Although you won't necessarily see it with the naked eye, the longer your ice cream churns, the more icy it becomes. This ruins the overall mouthfeel of the ice cream, making it more watery than creamy overall.

Really make sure to cool down your ice cream base before churning. It should be cold to the touch before it goes in (otherwise it won't freeze properly). You know your ice cream is done churning when it gets to the consistency of soft-serve. It'll set up the rest of the way once it's in the freezer.

It is also used in toothpaste as a binder and in ice cream to help enhance the mouthfeel and add creaminess to the texture. Xanthan gum just may be one of those ingredients that sounds worse than it is.

Air exposure is ice cream's worst enemy. After cutting or scooping the portion you're serving, flatten a layer of wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap against the ice cream's surface before replacing the lid. Or, put the whole pint in an airtight plastic bag for even more protection.

At its core ice cream is a successful emulsion of fat into water, sugar, and ice with air mixed into the batch. An emulsion is a mixture of two substances that typically separate (like oil and water). But, instead mix together to form the consistent creamy base used for ice cream. It's Science!

The most common ones used in ice creams are guar gum, cellulose gum and carob bean gum. They are used to reduce ice crystal growth, deliver flavour cleanly, increase smoothness, body and creaminess and slow down melting. They also help hold the air bubble structure together and give the ice cream a better texture.

So you can up the fat in your ice cream by substituting cream for milk or half-and-half in recipes. Even more effective, is that you can also add more egg yolks if making a custard-based ice cream, which will increase the creaminess due to their emulsifying properties.