The most important tip that I can give anyone who is getting ready to try this is to make sure you have enough time. It always takes longer than you think to get everyone’s bags prepared and it certainly takes longer for the ice cream to freeze than what everyone posts.

Plastic Bag Ice Cream Maker Tips

Don’t buy cheap baggies. Make sure you buy the thickest “freezer” style bags that you can so you don’t end up will holes in the bag. And don’t get the little plastic slider close…they generally leak.

Also…don’t believe that you can get all the ingredients in the sandwich bag, and then the quart for the outside. If you try and skimp on this I guarantee that at least one child will rip through their bag. Not that it won’t happen anyway—it’s just more likely if the bags are smaller than suggested.

Plastic Bag Ice Cream Recipe

The ingredients listed below are for each person to make their own ice cream. So if you have ten people making ice cream, please times the individual amounts by ten.

• Milk – ½ cup
• Vanilla – ½ teaspoon
• Sugar – 1 tablespoon
• Mix it Up – If you want to add just a bit of chocolate syrup, mashed banana or other fruit you can do that. It really won’t take more than a tablespoon of anything to flavor the ice cream.  Adding fruit or chocolate will also increase the time it takes for the ice cream to freeze.
• Crushed ice – 4 cups (Rather than buy cubed ice, this will work better if you can get someone that has crushed ice for drinks sell you a couple of bags.)
• Salt – 4 tablespoons
• Zip-loc bags – 2 quart size freezer bags and 1 gallon size freezer bag per person

Tip: Use gloves or a small towel for each individual to help keep the child’s hands from freezing.

Putting It Together

The first step is to combine the milk, vanilla, and sugar together in one of the quart size freezer bags. This works better if kids work in pairs, one holding – one pouring. It works even better if you’ve collected enough quart size jars that you can insert the baggie into the jar and gently fold the top of the bag over the top and hold in place with a rubber band. Then sit the jar on a table or workspace. This keeps the kids from dropping the bag before they seal it.

Carefully seal the baggie with the ingredients. The trick is to push as much of the air out of the bag as possible before sealing so that the baggie won’t “pop” open during the shaking phase of the project.

Now slide this first quart sized freezer bag into the second quart sized bag. Having the ingredients double-bagged will help keep the salt and ice in the next step from leaking into the ice cream. Again make sure you get as much of the air out of the bag as you can, before sealing.

Next, take the gallon size freezer bag and put in the ice and salt. Close this bag and shake a little to make sure the salt is really covering the ice. Now open the gallon bag and put the double-quart bag of ingredients into the middle of the ice. Once again make sure you seal the bag with as little air as possible.

It’s time to have the children put on their gloves or wrap up the baggie in a small towel. They get to shake, jump up and down with the bag and even squeeze the bag a bit. Make sure they keep the ice cream mixture in the center of the ice. As the ice melts, you may need to add a little extra. If you have fairly young children, you can try a little music or a game of hokey-pokey during this process.

The stated time for shaking the bag is about five to eight minutes before the mixture freezes. Every time I’ve done this, it’s been closer to fifteen or more. At the eight minute mark mine always looks more like ice cream soup.

Educational Opportunity

If this is a school or scouting project you can use the activity to talk about the chemistry of salt and ice, the history of ice cream, or use it as a simple “cooking” project depending on the age group.

Basically all ice cream makers do the same thing. They make ice cream when the recipe is churned and frozen at the same time. You prepare the recipe; pour the mixture into a container and this container is either immersed in a rock salt and water mixture or put into an ice cream maker that has its own freezing system. At this point if you have a manual machine, you turn the crank. With an electric machine you plug it in.

Any recipe can be used in any machine so if you buy a particular brand, the recipe won’t matter.

Freezing Makes A Difference

Let’s face it, if the ice cream base doesn’t freeze—its cold soup…not ice cream. In a rock salt and ice application some of the result is a technique and developed skill. You will simply get better at determining when you need to add more ice, more salt, or both.

This is your basic “freezer”—rock salt and ice. This method is still used by many of the machines on the market. The ice and salt is packed around the container holding the ice cream mixture and this method keeps the temperature in the ice cream maker below freezing.

Generally all hand-crank makers will use this method and many electric models will as well. Some ice cream makers that utilize this method will create up to six quarts of ice cream…enough for a family reunion. Just make sure you keep plenty of rock salt on hand. The process can be messy, and you can’t just fill the bucket up and go. You do need to monitor both the ice and salt and keep adding both to the bucket.

Another type freezing system that you will find in ice cream makers is a freezer bowl. This is a double-walled, insulated bowl that has a freezing solution housed between the bowls layers. This freezer bowl is put into the freezer as much as twenty-four hours before you want to use it. Basically if you shake the bowl and hear a liquid sloshing sound…it’s not ready. The bowl must be frozen solid for you to use it in the machine. Most of the freezer bowls make less than two quarts of ice cream at a time. The largest benefit to this type of freezer system is that you don’t have the salt water mess.

The next type of ice cream maker offers a self-contained compressor freezer. As a professional unit would do, these makers have their own freezer system and will allow you to just add the ice cream solution to the maker and turn it on. This ice cream maker will produce consistently creamy ice cream that is more frozen than soft serve. They are generally heavy and more bulky than other ice cream makers. These models are more expensive than the other types.

Features To Look For

If you’ve never owned an ice cream maker before here are a few suggestions on features that will either make your life easier or will help you make better ice cream.

1. Transparent lid – so you can see if the ice cream is freezing yet. Without the transparent lid you have to stop the churning, sometimes dismantle the hand-crank or top of the ice cream maker, all so you can open the lid.
2. Top spout that is large enough to add mix-ins. Without a spout you have to stop churning and dismantle everything as stated above so you can open the lid and add the ingredients. The spout makes a world of difference. Otherwise you’ll end up making vanilla. Period.
3. If you are buying an electric ice cream maker check out the models that have more than one speed. This will really make a difference if you want to make sorbet or gelato frozen desserts. It also is nice to start out fast and go slower as the ice cream mixture thickens.
4. For convenience and safety sake, a time and safety shut off should be considered.
5. If you buy a freezer bowl unit, consider buying extra bowls so you don’t have to wait twenty-four hours for the first bowl to freeze again.
6. Pay attention to how difficult the unit is to clean and find out how loud it is to operate.

Here are some great tips and tricks for making sure you are not disappointed and that you end up with homemade ice cream that everyone will love.

Tip Number One

If you bought your ice cream maker it came with manufactures instructions. If you were given an ice cream maker or inherited one that didn’t come with instructions…they are probably on the internet. Get them, read them, and follow the directions. Not just how to prepare the recipe, but how to take care of the machine. If you clean it correctly and store it as suggested, the ice cream will be better and the machine will last longer.

Tip Number Two

Don’t put hot or even warm mixture into the machine. If you are making a custard style ice cream with eggs or any mixture that has to be cooked before it goes in the machine, make sure you leave enough time to put it in the refrigerator and make sure it is cold before you put it into the ice cream maker.

Even if you don’t have to cook the mixture, make sure all of your ingredients are really cold. Don’t leave everything out on the counter for an hour before you mix up the recipe and then put it in the machine. Homemade ice cream will have a smoother consistency and will taste infinitely better the faster it freezes. If the solution is warm or hot before you start, it will take longer to freeze and will never be really creamy.

Tip Number Three

With this in mind a little pre-planning goes a long way. It works really well to make the ice cream base the day before you need it. The benefit of this is that the solution will have sat in the refrigerator overnight. This will ensure that it is cold and will allow the flavors to blend together for an enhanced flavor.

Tip Number Four

There are pre-made ice cream mixes. Some are powder base and some are already liquid. Some of them are pretty good. Many of them are just bases where you add flavor, fruit, chocolate or other items to make them your own. The advantage to using a mix is that they will freeze faster and easier. Before you use a mix at the next family reunion, try it out first. Also, make sure you Follow tip three and four and make sure it is cold and has been mixed up in advance.

Tip Number Five

Don’t fill the container to the top. The ice cream maker needs room to agitate the ingredients and add air to the mixture. As the mixture freezes, the ice cream will expand. Only fill the container two-thirds of the way to the top. Leave a little more room if you will be adding in fruit or other ingredients later.

Tip Number Six

Making fresh banana ice cream? Cut/mash the bananas the night before and freeze them overnight. Same with any berries or other ingredients as this way the fruit will not heat up the mixture. One exception is chocolate. Don’t freeze it. But do mix it with the other ingredients the night before and put it in the refrigerator. It is usually better to add the fruit or crumbled cookies to the mixture about five minutes before it is done. This way the add-ins won’t sink to the bottom and in the case of crumbled cookies they might still retain some crunch.

Tip Number Seven

Chop it up. You don’t want big, honking chunks of anything in your ice cream. For one thing the bigger chunks might damage the machine. Think chocolate chip size or very thin slices of fruit.

Tip Number Eight

Scooping ice cream out of the container with a metal spoon or label may scratch the interior and ruin your ice cream maker. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula instead.

Tip Number Nine

Put an empty, metal or foil covered container in the freezer when you start the ice cream. Once the ice cream is finished you will need to take it out of the ice cream maker and put it in something else for serving and storing. Metal freezes faster and stays cold longer. If you put ice cream in a warm container it starts to melt. A frozen container will keep the ice cream at its peak.

Tip Number Ten

Keep your ice cream frozen. If it melts and you re-freeze it, not only will the ice cream lose its creaminess and form ice crystals…but it’s a health hazard. Make sure the container that you use to store the ice cream seals tight or it will absorb food odors from other foods in the freezer.

The first think you need to do is consider how you will use it. Is it a once a year family reunion item. Make one batch of vanilla, torture the teenagers with a turn at cranking, and everyone gets a small taste? Or will you use it more often and experiment with different recipes and come up with your own monthly or even weekly favorites?

Ice Cream Maker – Manual Labor

They haven’t changed much since the first one was made. They might be made of hard plastic instead of wood and metal but there is still a bucket for the ice and rock salt and a paddle attached to the lid and a hand crank.

They are easy to use. You just put the ingredients for your ice cream recipe in the smaller container. Now insert the paddle churn and attach the lid. Then you put the smaller container inside the larger, outer bucket or bowl. There will be space between the two and this is where you put in the crushed ice and rock salt mixture. Keeping the ice and salt mixture going is what helps freeze the ice cream.

It this time you attach the hand crank to the lid on the inner container and start cranking. This is the important part. The more you aerate the mixture, the more uniform the consistency of the ice cream. Aerating the mixture is what keeps the solution from forming ice crystals. If you keep up a constant pace the frozen product will be creamier.

Ice Cream Maker – The Wonders of Electricity

These are pretty much the same as a manual machine. But instead of using whatever child labor is around to turn the crank, the paddle is driven by electricity. There are some models that have their own freezing system. These are usually more expensive. Most of the models still require you to use crushed ice and rock salt to freeze the ice cream.

Ice Cream Maker – In The Freezer

There are ice cream makers that utilize a thick walled bowl for the interior container instead of what looks like a large coffee can. This bowl has a solution injected between the double walls. You have to freeze the bowl before you put anything in it. The time needed to pre-freeze the bowl can be from 8 to 24 hours.

You will know the bowl is frozen when you shake it and can’t hear any liquid inside. Once the bowl is frozen you put it in the ice cream maker and put the ice cream ingredients inside the bowl.  Now just put the lid on and plug in the electric-powered churner. There is no ice or salt to add for this type of ice cream maker and no salt water mess to clean up at the end.

Ice Cream Maker – Self-Contained

These ice cream makers allow you to add the ingredients to the machine and turn it on. No ice, no rock salt, no pre-freezing a bowl. These ice cream makers have a built in freezing system and an electric paddle to turn the ice cream.

Ice Cream Maker – Magic Salt

For those machines that need ice, the salt is very important. And you really do need rock salt. Don’t waste your time with table salt or sea salt or anything else. The ice cream won’t freeze as fast or as hard.

Why salt on the ice? Think about your icy sidewalks in the winter. To get the ice to melt you throw out salt. Salt will lower the freezing point of ice. Without salt, water freezes at 32 degrees. If you add 10% salt, the water won’t freeze until it gets to 20 degrees. Increase the salt in the water to 20% and the water won’t freeze until it drops to 2 degrees. The more salt, the colder it gets around the ice cream mixture and you’ve created an environment that allows the milk mixture to freeze.

Depending on the type of machine you select, the next step is to look at the features offered to you. Most hand turn models do not have any type of features as they are designed to be old world like, simple and straightforward.  On the other hand, you may want to consider the various options you have with electronic ice cream makers. A variety of makes and models are available, some providing a better finished ice cream than others do.  Yet, it is very important to take into consideration your budget when buying these models.  More features often means more cost, but not necessarily a better ice cream.

There are some things you should look for in ice cream makers whenever possible. For example, some of the better quality machines will have a double insulated freezer bowl on them.  This will allow them to produce a larger amount of ice cream than other models.  A double freezer bowl will likely produce up to two quarts of ice cream at a time (or another frozen desert you choose to make!)  Size is important here, but dependent on your family size too.  If a smaller model is all you need, there’s no benefit to using a larger bowl unless you want to make two different products at the same time.

Durability is often a factor.  A well-selected ice cream maker will last you several years, if not longer.  Durability should come from a well-constructed frame and stainless steel housing whenever possible.  Look inside the machine.  Does it offer a durable bowl and scraping device?  Is the motor equipped on the machine highly durable and long lasting?  The motor will be the most expensive piece of the machine to replace, should you need to.  You may be able to replace some of these parts over time, but not always.

Perhaps the most important part to ice cream makers for many people is the time factor.  Some machines will produce ice cream in as little as 20 minutes.  Others will produce a variety of levels of frozen treats.  For example, you may find that some make a soft freeze, which is a good option for frozen drinks.  If you want hard ice cream, you’ll need a machine capable of making it (not all can do so.)  The size and strength of the motor is often the reason behind ice cream making that’s fast.

Next, look at the usage of the ice cream maker.  Before you buy the machine, be sure that you can make the types of products you like.  Besides the quality of the freeze, you also want to consider if the machine allows you to add product to it and how well it does suspending that product in the ice cream.  Adding mix-ins such as pieces of fruit, candies or chocolate makes for a better ice cream, but if the machine does not allow this, you should not do it!

The final step to making fantastic ice cream is the quality of ingredients you use.  Ice cream makers can do a great job but if you have used less than high quality ingredients in the making of the ice cream, chances are good that you will have a substandard product.  Finally, use the machine as directed to get a great final product.  All machines will come with the details you need including a variety of recipes to try, tips on using the machine and step-by-step instructions.  Use them to get the best results for your ice cream maker.

Finding an ice cream maker that you love is one of the best ways to get fresh, flavorful ice cream regularly.  The quality of ice cream is improved, but dependent on what type of machine you purchase and the quality of ingredients you use in it.  Today’s marketplace offers a variety of ice cream makers to choose from. Many of them are designed with excellent quality and they work well to provide you with soft ice cream.  Choosing the best ice cream maker will mean looking at several models and finding the features you want.

Automatic Or By Hand?

The biggest distinction between makers is if they are operated by hand or if they are operated automatically/electronically.  This is an option you’ll need to choose wisely.  Hand crank ice cream makers are like older styles.  The first ice cream makers were these types of machines.  They use a combination of manpower (you will turn the crank by hand to produce the ice cream) and rock salt.  The rock salt is placed surrounding the tube containing the ingredients.  As the crank is turned, the edges of the container are scrapped, creaming ice cream.  The rock salt keeps the temperature of the machine so low that it forms very small ice crystals, making some of the highest quality ice cream possible.

The hand turned ice cream makers are perhaps the best at producing quality ice cream, but they do require a lot of physical work to make happen.  Most hand turned makers will require constant turning for at least 20 minutes to produce the soft ice crystals necessary.  If you want to use the ice cream maker infrequently, then this type of motion is the best bet for you.

Those who want to make homemade ice cream but do not want the overwhelming requirement of turning ice cream by hand, will like the automatic machines.  The concept is the same.  The machine produces a very cold chamber for the ice cream to be formed in.  As very small crystals form on the edges of the container of ingredients, they are scraped away by an automatically turning device.  This is done without the aim of you.  You can plug it in, add the ingredients, turn it on and walk away as it works on producing good quality ice cream for you.  Most electronic machines do not use any type of rock salt, which also simplifies the process for you.