Process
Every ice cream is of course slightly different based on flavors and ingredients, but all recipes will follow a basic process:
- Cook the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and salt into a base on the stove (using a medium stock pot or sauce pan) (~20-40 minutes).
- Cook down any produce that will be incorporated into the base (typically simultaneous with Step #1, ~ 30 minutes).
- Allow base and cooked produce to chill in the refrigerator (~2 hours), before blending together.
- Allow chilled and blended base to sit in refrigerator for 4+ hours.
- Churn base (~15-30 minutes)
- Allow base to harden in freezer (typically ~5+ hours).
Although it’s a fairly long process from start to finish with all of the time for setting and freezing included, the average batch of ice cream only requires around an hour and a half of hands-on work, in 30-45 minute spurts that can be spread out for as long as a couple of days at different stages if need be.