Homemade ice cream with an ice cream maker: cool tips
Fancy cooling down? Your ice cream maker is guaranteed to be the star of the kitchen this summer. With this clever gadget, you can whip up sorbets, gelatos, and trendy ice cream recipes in no time and with no stress. So, how do you get started? Here are our cool tips!
Quick ice cream maker recipes: what you need to know
Ice cream makers for home use work in different ways, but they all share the same goal: delicious homemade ice cream.
- Self-freezing ice cream makers work in a similar way to professional machines. They actively cool the ice cream mixture while churning it to prevent ice crystals from forming. The result? Creamy ice cream, just like you'd get from a dessert chef.
- With ice cream makers with a separate freezer bowl, you'll need to use your freezer first: simply pour the mixture into the bowl, freeze it, then churn it in the machine and serve.
Great results are possible with both types of machine. If you want to make your own ice cream with an ice cream maker, it all comes down to the recipe and ingredients. The base for creamy ice cream is sugar, fat and flavourings like fruit or nuts. To ensure as few ice crystals form as possible, follow these tips:
- The fattier, the better: The higher the fat content of the milk or cream, the less water it contains. This in turn means that fewer ice crystals can form.
- Not all sugar is the same: Standard granulated sugar lowers the freezing point of your ice cream, but other types can do even more: mix caster sugar with dextrose for your ice cream recipe. Dextrose lowers the freezing point by around 130 percent!
- Add coarse ingredients last: Pieces of nut or fruit should only be added to the ice cream mixture in the last five minutes. Ice crystals can form on them.
- Create a bond: A little cornflour or locust bean gum will create a strong bond in the ice cream mixture, giving ice crystals no chance.
- First boil, then cool: If you boil the ingredients together before putting them in the ice cream maker, they will form strong bonds, water will evaporate and the ice cream will be creamier.
Extra tip: Vanilla or chocolate? Anyone can do that! In the Lidl Recipe World, you'll find lots of unusual ideas for ice cream creations with a gourmet touch.
Quick recipe: Strawberry ice cream with an ice cream maker
You will need (for 4 portions)
- 150g fresh strawberries
- 70g sugar (ideally 50g caster sugar + 20g dextrose)
- 125ml whole milk
- 50ml double cream
- A splash of lemon juice
Wash and hull the strawberries, then blend with the sugar, lemon juice and milk. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks and fold it into the mixture. Leave to churn in the ice cream maker until it reaches your desired consistency.
Feel free to adapt this quick ice cream maker recipe however you like. Use other berries, swap some of the milk for Greek yoghurt or add other flavours like vanilla or a hint of balsamic vinegar.
No ice cream maker? Swap the fresh strawberries for frozen ones and put everything into a powerful blender. Serve the ice cream immediately.
The ultimate summer dessert: barbecued ice cream!
Ice cream is a summer essential, just like delicious food from the barbecue. So why not combine the two? Grilled ice cream sounds impossible, but it's actually very simple:
- Whisk the egg whites with the icing sugar until stiff. Make sure you use a clean, grease-free bowl. The quickest way is with a hand mixer.
- Place ice cream from your ice cream maker onto tartlet cases. You can simply buy these ready-made. For perfect scoops, it's best to use an ice cream scoop.
- Cover the ice cream on the tartlet cases with the meringue mixture. There should be no gaps. Work carefully to ensure the meringue doesn't collapse.
- Place the tartlets on your barbecue rack, close the lid and bake briefly until the meringue forms a lightly browned crust. Serve and enjoy immediately!
