Nah... the Phantom is not starting an ice cream business... he's juz sharing with you blokes his secret of making ice-cream at home... Making ice cream at home is not an impossible task. In fact, it is fun. Of coz, while it is easier to buy it off the rack at your favourite supermarket, home-made ice cream is custom made to your taste... Though many thinks that home-made ice cream is a lost tradition... it isn't... and the phantom will show you that anyone can make his/her own home-made ice cream in a breeze... all you need is a "bucket freezer" and a freezing can with a motor or hand-crank dasher.
Preparation of the Ice Cream Mix:The mix (unfrozen ice cream) has to be cooked (pasteurized). For pasteurizing the mix, it is best to use a double boiler to prevent scorching.
Place the liquid ingredients (milk, fresh cream or coffee whitener) in the upper section of the double boiler. Beat in the eggs and the skim-milk. Mix the gelatin with the sugar and add to the liquid with constant mixing. While stirring, heat to about 70o C. Place the container in cold water and cool as rapidly as possible to below 18oC.
Aging the Mix:The ice cream mix is best if it is aged (by storing in the refrigerator) overnight. This improves the whipping qualities of the mix, the body and the texture of the ice cream. If time does not permit overnight aging, let the mix stand in the refrigerator for at least four hours. After the aging process is completed, remove the mix from the refrigerator and stir in the flavouring.
Freezing the Mix:The freezing procedure has a two-fold purpose, the removal of heat from the mix and the incorporation of air into the mix. Heat is removed by conduction through the metal to the salt water brine surrounding the freezing can. This transfer of heat depends upon the temperature of the brine, the speed of the dasher and how well the dasher scrapes the cold mix from the surface of the freezer can. The dasher speed and surface contact are important to achieve complete removal of the frozen ice cream from the wall of the freezer can. A brine made from 500g of salt and 5kg of crushed ice (one pail full) makes a good freezing mixture. While some people uses eaqual portions of salt & ice and claiming that the result is better, I prefer the traditional way that I've been taught.
Before starting to freeze the ice cream, make sure all parts of the freezer coming in contact with the ice cream are clean and have been scalded. Let the can cool before pouring in the mix. Place the empty can in the freezer bucket and insert the dasher ensuring both the can and the dasher are centred. Pour the cold, aged mix into the freezer can. The can should not be filled over two-thirds full to allow sufficient room for air incorporation. Attach the motor or crank mechanism, depending on whether your freezer is the electric or hand-cranked style, and latch down securely. Plug in the motor or start turning the crank. Immediately begin adding crushed ice around the can sprinkling it generously with salt. Try to add the salt and ice in the same one to ten proportion to maintain the proper brine temperature. After the bucket is filled with ice to the overflow hole, pour a little water over the ice to aid in the melting process.
Freeze the mix for 20 to 30 minutes. When your ice cream mix has been churned sufficiently and becomes the consistenly soft ice cream, it is ready for packing. The time can best be determined when it becomes difficult to turn the crank handle, or the motor begins to sound like it is really straining. Manually unplug your motor unit when you hear it straining, further churning will not improve the quality of the ice cream. Remove the motor or crank and take the dasher out of the ice cream. The ice cream will be softly frozen. Scrape the ice cream from the dasher with only a wooden spoon (a metal one will only allow the ice cream to freeze on it) and either scoop (again with only a wooden spoon) into suitable containers or just pack it in the freezer can. Place a sheet of waxed paper across the top of the can or container, press the can or container cover down over waxed paper and plug the hole in the cover (in the case of the freezer can) with either a cork stopper or tape.
There are two ways to harden freeze your ice cream. One is to place it immediately into a deep freezer to harden. The other is an "old fashioned way" (highly recommended) to harden freeze and this is how its done. Drain off water, repack bucket freezer with 5kg of ice and 5kg salt until the entire can lid is covered with ice and salt mixture. Next, cover with burlap bag or some suitable material for insulation. Then let stand until frozen hard.
So there you have it... your very own home-made ice cream. Try out one of my recipes with the method I suggested above and I'm sure you'll be thrilled with your tub of home-made ice cream. Click HERE for my very own Rum & Rasin Ice Cream. - (KPNN-Kitchen)
No comments:
Post a Comment