Electric Ice Cream Makers are one way of helping you make ice cream at home. But is it cheaper to make or buy? Well the answer to that is both Yes and No, and it also depends on what ice cream you usually buy.
I have kids that eat a lot of ice cream, so mine is nearly always cheaper. Sometimes for special occasions, I dress it with an expensive or exotic fruit, but not for the kids. The fruit usually ends up on the floor or up a nostril. Mostly if I am using fruit, it’s tinned or frozen and tastes just great.
Seasonal fruit is cheaper. So I buy it at its cheapest and freeze it. Crush it and mush it up if it makes it easier to store in your freezer. I also go out picking with the kids if I can, blackberries and blueberries.
Frozen and tinned fruit work fine. Whether you put them through the mixture or serve on the side or top of the ice cream. Drain off the juice from the can if you want to keep it lower fat. Here’s some other things that will help your ice cream.
1. Ice cream should never be re frozen once it has truly thawed out. It will look terrible as the texture changes, and you run the risk of getting food poisoning.
2. The use of an electric maker can cut down on labor. If you are going to make ice cream regularly then its worth reviewing a selection of electric machines and considering investing in one. With the right care, they last an age.
3. Remember that home made ice cream will not have all the preservatives that store bought has in it. This means that it will not last as long. So try to use within a couple of weeks in the freezer.
4. Don’t serve too cold, you’ll get a headache! So leave out of the freezer for 10-15 minutes before eating.
5. Freeze all left over chocolate and chocolate sweets (you can use these when you want to make a choc flavour version). You can grate them over the top for a lovely effect.
6. If you are using blueberries, crush them BEFORE you put them into the mixture, seriously, if you put them in whole, they come out like bullets and act like little weapons in your mouth.
Home made ice cream tastes great, and you know exactly what goes into it. Involving the children if you have them is good fun and starts getting them interested in how things are made. They love to bring it around to their friends houses to show off. All around great value for money.
