Helpful Hints When Making Homemade Ice Cream

Always follow the directions that came with your freezer/maker.

If you inherited yours or got it at a garage sale then these hints may be very helpful to you.

Only use rock salt, found in grocery and hardware stores. The coarse salt melts more slowly, and the ice cream will freeze more evenly. Only use table salt in a pinch.

Mix the ice and salt in a 6-1 ratio. Six cups of ice to 1 cup of rock salt.

For Ripening use a 4-1 ratio. Four cups ice to one cup rock salt.

On hot day (over 75 degrees) plan on changing the ice/salt mix every 2 hours during ripening. For days over 90 degrees (and we get plenty of those here in AZ) plan on ripening your desserts indoors!! Change out ice/water every 2-3 hours indoors.

DO NOT try to ripen ice cream and yogurt in the home freezer. It is just NOT cold enough to freeze them hard enough.

Use ONLY the diary products called for in the recipe. One dairy product does NOT substitute for another.
If you are trying to save on fat and calories then take the dairy product down one lower fat level (ie whole milk to 2%) to see if the final product turns out with the right consistency. If it does then you can continue to attempt to take the dairy product down another level (2% to 1%).

IF the final product turns out to be icy, watery or grainy in texture then you are NOT able to make that recipe with the lower fat dairy product you cut it back to.

Let's face it if you are trying to cut out fat and calories you shouldn't be eating homemade ice cream!! Just kidding!! Enjoy!!