Guide
The seven best ice cream makers to test
by Arbenita Jashari
I've tried ice cream recipes without an ice cream maker, never again
23.7.2018
Translation: machine translated
I spent a whole day making ice cream. My idea was brilliant: I don't want to buy an ice cream maker, so I can make ice cream without one. The result: I went through ice-cream hell. A word of advice: buy an ice cream maker.
I found four recipes that promise results worthy of your local Gelateria, all without a machine. I should have known better, all the recipes had pretty mixed reviews. But stubborn as I am, I wanted to see it through. The recipe #1 only requires three ingredients. The recipe n°2 requires more work: you have to stir the ice cream placed in the freezer every 20 minutes. The ice cream maker, that's me. The recipe n°3 should allow me to get a nice creamy ice cream in just 10 minutes, all thanks to a trick (which didn't work). The recipe no. 4 is vegan, it's made with bananas and in the cute language of vegans, it's called "nice cream". This recipe definitely stands out from its competitors, promising a creamy texture - without cream! To compare the four recipes, I just make vanilla ice cream and avoid the frills. I follow the recipe, apply the various methods to the letter and that's it.
Maximum motivation, great disillusionment
It's 8:30am, I'm confident in my project. Who needs an ice cream maker? I'm fed up with food processors and other useless machines piling up, I don't need an ice cream maker either! Whip the cream, mix in the condensed milk and vanilla, fold into the cream and put in the freezer. Voilà, that was recipe no. 1 and after 10 minutes, first coffee break. "It works perfectly", I say to myself innocently, but disillusionment is not far off. I make recipe no. 2 and n°3 with the same basic appliance to go faster. This is actually a frozen vanilla cream, which also goes very well with a slice of strudel. To do this, you need to cook the five egg yolks and the rest of the ingredients over a low heat without stopping to stir, or you risk ending up with vanilla scrambled eggs. I know how to do that! I make my own hollandaise sauce. The first half of the cream lands in the freezer and will spend an hour there, as indicated in recipe no. 2. Now for the most eagerly awaited step: turning the cream into ice cream in 10 minutes! For recipe n°3, I need two freezer bags: in the larger one, we put the ice cream and salt, in the smaller bag the cream. Then just seal the smaller bag, put it in the larger one and shake for five minutes. Easier said than done. After three minutes, I already had frostbite. After five minutes, the cream started to freeze. The bag slips out of my hand and opens, the ice cubes litter my kitchen floor, and the ice cream isn't ice cream. Fail.
I'm far too clumsy for this recipe. I give up for the sake of my fingers and send the cream to the freezer. For recipe no. 4, just slice the bananas and freeze them.
Sisyphus and the freezer
Remember recipe #2? Well, now the serious stuff starts: after an hour in the freezer, I mix the ice cream, as instructed in the recipe. Nothing's happened yet, the ice cream may be colder, but it's still far from frozen. I have a bad feeling about this. Every 20 minutes, the ice cream has to be stirred, but still nothing happens. Sisyphus was moving faster than I was. The recipe guarantees perfect ice cream in "four hours". That means you're going to have to mix it 12 times... I can kiss my sanity goodbye after 6 hours of waiting and 20 stirrings later. I'm throwing in the towel. It doesn't make any sense, it takes far too much effort. I'm as frustrated as this poor customer:
Read this test of ice cream makers instead:
After more than six hours in the freezer, recipe no. 2 still isn't icy, so I'll have to carry on the next day and dream that I'm drowning in a mass of half-liquid ice cream like Artax in "The Neverending Story".
The next morning
Ice cream for breakfast is not my favourite dish. I'm more of a bacon and beans person. Yesterday I spent the day making ice cream. Today, I have to change my usual menu for vanilla ice cream for lunch. I have to take them out early to let them defrost a little, just long enough to blend the nice cream, a vegan recipe based on puree and vanilla. Naturally, I use the NutriBullet, an essential tool for any self-respecting vegan. Four ice creams, all sorts of failures, time to keep score. I expect very little from the various recipes...
I rated the taste and time taken to prepare out of five.
Recipe #1: three ingredients and that's it
The big surprise of the test. The ice cream has only a few crystals and is very creamy. It tastes pleasantly sweet, without being too sweet, and the vanilla flavour comes through well. I'm keeping the recipe to make again and possibly personalise.
Time needed 😅😅 Result 🍧🍧🍧🍧🍧
Recipe #2: vanilla cream and regular stirring
I actually ended up abandoning this preparation, I am however impressed with the texture achieved - maybe it's because I stirred it 20 times. The result is very creamy and there are fewer crystals. The ice cream is a little too sweet, so I'll use a different recipe next time. But there won't be a next time, the result doesn't justify spending a day on it.
Time required 😅😅😅😅😅 Result 🍧🍧🍧🍧 (5 with another basic appliance)
Recipe #3: the freezer bag method
A total dud. As the cream hadn't frozen at all in the bag, crystals formed inside. The base was the same as for recipe no. 2. I must have done something wrong and, for the sake of my fingers, I will avoid this method in future. Never again.
Time needed 😅😅😅😅 Result 🍧🍧
Recipe #4: the vegan banana version
New surprise: very creamy and, of course, high in banana. Once blended, the ice cream takes on a creamy texture, like Italian ice cream. As the banana flavour outweighs the rest and there's no cream, the 'nice cream' is out of category. But I would happily make this recipe again, as it was delicious.
Time needed 😅😅 Result 🍧🍧🍧🍧 (for those who like banana ice cream)
In brief
Buy an ice cream maker. For example, this one:
Conclusion
Little work doesn't necessarily mean failure. The two simplest variants are the big winners of the test. I was most impressed by the version with the condensed milk and whipped cream. Especially as you can adapt the recipe to suit your tastes by replacing the vanilla with chocolate, red fruit compote or adding a flavour to the condensed milk. The ice cream is still better and creamier in the ice-cream maker. If you want to make a good quantity of ice cream, it's best to invest in a machine.
Header image: Offscreen: an editor at the end of his life.
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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