Homemade ice cream with an ice cream maker: cool tips
Need to cool down? Your ice cream maker is guaranteed to be the star of your kitchen this summer. With this clever gadget, you can whip up sorbets, gelatos and trendy ice cream recipes in no time, stress-free. How do you get started? Here are some 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 have 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 and stir it to prevent ice crystals from forming. The result? Creamy, patisserie-style ice cream.
- With ice cream makers with an external cooling element, you'll need to use your freezer: pour the mixture into the container, let it freeze, then churn it in the ice cream maker and serve.
You can get great results with either type of machine. If you want to make your own ice cream with an ice cream maker, it all comes down to the recipe and the ingredients. The basis for creamy ice cream is sugar, fat, and flavourings like fruit or nuts. To ensure as few ice crystals as possible form, 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 sugars are the same: Standard granulated sugar lowers the freezing point of your ice cream, but other types can do even more: for your ice cream recipe, mix granulated sugar with dextrose. 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 cook, then cool: If you boil the ingredients together before they go into 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 servings)
- 150 g fresh strawberries
- 70 g sugar (ideally 50 g caster sugar + 20 g dextrose)
- 125 ml whole milk
- 50 ml cream
- A splash of lemon juice
Wash and hull the strawberries, then blend with the sugar, lemon juice and milk. Whip the cream until almost stiff and fold into the mixture. Allow to cool 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 to hand? Swap the fresh strawberries for frozen ones and put everything into a high-performance blender. Serve the ice cream immediately.
The ultimate summer dessert: Grilled ice cream!
Ice cream is a summer staple, just like tasty treats from the grill. So why not combine the two? Grilled ice cream might sound impossible, but it’s surprisingly easy:
- Whisk egg whites with icing sugar until stiff. Make sure you use a clean, grease-free bowl. A hand mixer will get the job done fastest.
- 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 completely with the meringue. There should be no gaps. Work carefully to prevent the meringue from collapsing.
- Place the tartlet cases on your grill rack, close the lid and let them bake briefly until the meringue forms a lightly browned crust. Serve immediately and enjoy!
