You guys, I'm totally cracking up. Yesterday, I broke down and bought a food dehydrator (so as to dry my herbs for winter use when my poor plants are limping along inside my not nearly sunny enough house and are not fit for harvesting from) AND an Ice Cream Maker.
I shall never buy ice cream from the freezer section of a grocery store again. And you shouldn't either. That stuff they sell at the store---it ain't real ice cream!
Seriously, this vanilla ice cream was so simple to make and so delicious that I can't imagine ever buying store-bought again!
My ice cream has four ingredients in it: milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. All organic.
The recipe made 1.5 quarts and cost probably just under $3.00 to make. Sure, that might be pricey compared to an off brand but this is much better tasting (and better for you because it's organic and calorie free! <--haha! I wish! ) and well worth it. Besides, I think this type usually goes on sale at the local grocery store for 2 for $6:
Natural vanilla ice cream with a creamy, buttery taste.
1.5 Quarts
INGREDIENT LISTING: MILK, CREAM, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, EGG YOLKS, NATURAL FLAVOR, NATURAL GUAR GUM, SALT, ANNATTO (FOR COLOR), NATURAL CAROB BEAN GUM.
....and it's got corn syrup, natural flavor (just what is that? does it come in a bottle or a package?), natural guar gum, salt (why is salt in ice cream?), annato and natural carob bean gum. Those sound tasty. After reading the wikipedia entries for those things the latter highlighted two don't seem to be too bad but I think I'd rather avoid eating something that can also be used as a disintegrator in tablets in the pharmaceutical industry or as a as waterproofing agent in the explosives industry. Yikes! I'm sure there's someone out there reading this that could enlighten me to all the wonderful things that can be done with guar gum (I read the rest of the wiki entry too) but I'd rather not have it in my ice cream, thank you!
Now, I only have to find instructions to make our own waffle bowls and/or ice cream cones!
Williams-Sonoma carries the exact Ice Cream Maker I purchased but I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond for nearly $20 less plus I had a 20% off coupon. I didn't get the extra bowl WS offers if you purchase it from them online but I wasn't sure if that would be necessary having not ever made ice cream before. Your waistline will thank you for NOT getting the second bowl that would allow you to make consecutive batches.
The only thing that is a little misleading is that I think it really needs about 30 minutes to freeze properly and not the 20 minutes it claims. You can pour your ingredients into the machine and set it to churning while you have dinner. Dessert will be ready by the time you are done with dinner or you could store the ice cream in the freezer. It is not a very loud machine but I'd suggest not eating dinner in the same room as it because it does make some noise that can be distracting during conversations.
Now.....me and my treadmill have a ice-cream induced date....so goodnight!
