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!!

Ripening Frozen Desserts

Homemade ice cream and frozen yogurts taste better, and melt more slowly, if they are "ripened" before serving.
To ripen ice cream or frozen yogurt in a traditional-style ice cream freezer, after churning, remove lid and dasher (the mixing paddle) and cover the top of the freezer can with with waxed paper or foil. Plug the hole in the lid with a piece of cloth, a cork or a ball of foil; replace the lid. Place in the outer freezer bucket enough ice and rock salt to cover the top of the freezer can, using a 4-1 ratio (4 C ice to 1 C rock salt). Cover freezer with a towel or newspaper. Ripen for 4 hours, or follow your manufactures directions for times on ripening.
When using an ice cream freezer with an insulated mixing can, after churning, remove dasher; replace lid. Cover the lid with ice and cover with a towel. Ripen 4 hours.

You will definitely want to do the ripening part inside the house here in Arizona!!

Do NOT try to ripen in the home freezer, its NOT cold enough to harden the ice cream enough.

Cooking Temperatures

Thought I would add this VERY helpful information for first time and even seasoned users.

On the kitchen oven is a really cool dial. I turn it to 350 and trust that the oven will heat up to and remain at 350 degrees. I put in the food, set the timer, and go do something productive. When camp cooking in the outdoors, there's a bit more hit-or-miss.
On my dutch oven, there's no dial, nothing to tell me how hot the oven is. Since cooking food at a fairly consistent and known temperature is important for success, there are 3 ways I know of for estimating temperature. Depending on your skill level and how you'll be cooking, one of them should work for you.

Also keep in mind that there are many environmental factors that will influence your oven temperature. Wind might blow heat away; colder air temperature, higher humidity and higher elevation reduce heat generated by coals; direct sunlight makes a black oven a bit hotter. You might consider making an aluminum foil wind shield to place around your oven, but if it is that windy, I would recommend you not have an open fire.

Nearly all dutch oven cooking will come out OK if your dutch oven is about 350 degrees. Some things should be cooked hotter and some cooler, but that's the temperature for all recipes that fail to include a temperature suggestion.

Hand Test

Use your hand to feel the heat. Of course, every person has a different sensitivity to heat but this works well for me. Just remove the lid from the dutch oven and place your hand just above or just inside the oven. Count how many seconds you can keep your hand there before it gets too hot. It is about 50 degrees per second counting down from 550, so I just count - "550, and 500, and 450, and 400, and 350, and 300, ...".
Seconds Temperature
1 500+
2 500
3 450
4 400
5 350
6 300
7 250
8 200
This is my preferred method. It is consistent and detects temperature instead of estimating the amount of fuel. You do release heat so you need to do the check as quickly as you can.


Counting Charcoal

Lots of dutch oven cookbooks tell you how many charcoal briquettes to put under and on top of the oven. This is the easiest way to cook since every coal is similar and consistent. If you are like me and use real wood for your outdoor camp cooking coals, it doesn't help much. Also, different brands of charcoal give off different amounts of heat. But, let's say you are going to use charcoal...
The normal formula is to use twice the number of briquettes as the diameter of the oven. For a 12 inch oven, you would use 24 briquettes. Depending on the type of cooking you are doing, you need to make the heat come more from the top or bottom of the oven. For example, too much heat on the bottom will burn bread.
To do this, you place more or less of the briquettes on the lid.

Here is a simple chart:
Baking More heat from top so bottom does not burn.
Place 3/4 coals on top and 1/4 underneath.
Roasting Heat comes equally from top and bottom. Place 1/2 coals on top and 1/2 underneath.
Stewing, Simmering Most heat from bottom. Place 1/4 coals on top and 3/4 underneath.
Frying, Boiling All head from bottom. Place all coals underneath.

Rule of 3

This is a real simple estimate of briquettes. Take the dutch oven diameter and add 3 briquettes on top. Subtract 3 briquettes underneath. So, a 12 inch oven would have 12+3=15 on top and 12-3=9 underneath. This works for any size dutch oven. Then you need to adjust briquette placement depending on the type of cooking.



Rings of Coals

As it turns out, the sizes of briquettes work out so that the recommended briquettes count above can be estimated easily. As an experiment, you can take a 12 inch dutch oven and 24 briquettes. On the lid, make a ring of briquettes all the way around the outer edge. How many did you use? I bet it was 15 or 16!
Now, see how many it takes to make a ring just under the oven. There should be 3 or 4 briquettes between each leg for a total of 9 to 12.
That is pretty close to the recommendation for a 350 degree roasting set up, isn't it? It works pretty well for any size dutch oven and any size briquettes - smaller briquettes means you need more of them, but its about the same amount of burning mass to make a ring!
A ring around the top and the bottom is about 325 to 350 degrees.
Remove every other briquette underneath to make 300 degrees.
Add a second ring to the top to make 375 degrees.

If your camp cooking calls for stewing or frying, you'll want to drop most of those top coals down and shove them under the oven. If you're baking breads, then maybe move a couple from underneath up to the top.
Just remember that a ring around the top and a ring around the bottom is your base starting point and tweak it from there.
Oh, I forgot to mention that this is exactly how I do it with real wood coals. Since coals are irregular and you can't count them, I put a ring of coals around the top and bottom and it works out practically perfect. I'm lazy and like the simplest way to do something. :-)

Maintaining Even Heat

No matter how evenly you distribute your coals above and below your dutch oven, there will be some spots that get hotter than others due to wind, quality of fuel, and phase of the moon. To prevent burned and raw portions of your meal, you should just rotate your oven occasionally, maybe every 10 minutes. You can do it however you like, but I've got an easy way - remember, I'm lazy.

Lift the whole oven off the campfire cooking coals by the wire bail.
Turn the oven clockwise 1/3 of a revolution.
Set the oven back down on the coals - with three legs on your oven, it should sit in the exact same spot it started in with coals between the legs.
With a lid lifter or pliers, grasp the lid handle.
Twist the lid counter-clockwise 1/3 turn - the logo on the lid should be in the same position it started at.

I like this way because both the top and bottom heat moves in relation to the food inside and there's nothing for me to remember except that the lid logo always looks the same.
Taking a quick look inside at this time will give you an idea if the coals are cooking too fast or slow. Just be careful to not drop ash in or let heat out.

Maintaining Long Heat

Your first batch of coals will probably keep the oven hot for 30 to 45 minutes. That's long enough to cook most things, but you sure don't want to let the oven go out for those 1 hour or longer meals.
Just make sure you check your oven every 20 or 30 minutes to see that the coals are ok. Where you see spaces with just white ash, fill in with a few more coals. Or, you can just brush all the ash and coals away and put on a new batch all at once. If we're just sitting around the campfire cooking s'mores, talking, or playing cribbage, I tend to do the former but if the fish are biting I do the latter so I don't need to keep checking on it.

Stacking Heat

When you really get going and have 3 or 4 dutch ovens outdoors cooking, there is a lot of ground space chewed up and a large part of the heat from the coals is heating the surrounding countryside instead of the ovens. I recommend that the first dutch oven you buy is a 12 inch model and then your second purchase is a 10 inch model. This allows you to stack the ovens.
Stacking your dutch ovens is a great way to save ground space, fuel, and time - besides, it looks really cool to have 3 ovens making a tower.
The coals on the lid of one oven serve as the 'underneath' coals for the oven stacked on top. And, the oven on top helps trap heat for the oven underneath. All this makes heat estimating more difficult so you should only tackle this after you've got some experience and are willing to practice on a few meals.
The most important thing to remember is that items needing more heat should be on top. Your bread or dessert should be the bottom-most oven since it wants very little heat underneath. Then, your meat to roast in the middle and a stew on the top. It takes some planning, but an entire meal can be fixed this way so it all gets done at the same time.
Rotating stacked dutch ovens takes a bit more work. Take off the top ones, rotate the bottom one, and then work your way back up the stack. Move as fast as you can without spilling so you keep the ovens hot.

Temperature Tips

Finally, just a few tips to tuck away for later:

You can cook food, but you can't un-burn food. Use less heat and cook longer rather than overheating.
Preheat your dutch oven for frying or searing meat. Otherwise, put the food in cold and let it all heat up together.
Keep adding wood to your campfire to ensure you have a supply of camp cooking coals available. If your fire burns too low, it may take extra time to finish your cooking while you make coals.
Some briquette users just set new briquettes next to burning ones around the dutch oven so they light and continue providing heat as the first batch burns out.

Chocolate Candy Making 101

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/easter-recipes/article/478/28909

If you have never tried it, the words “candy making” can strike fear into your heart. It might very well bring to mind worries over scorching chocolate, finding the perfect temperature for the sugar to make hard candy, and maybe the time you got molten caramel on your finger and it left a blister for days. After all that, you’re probably ready to give up and head to the store.

However, you do not have to go through all that trouble just to make your own candy. In fact, all you really need are the right ingredients, a refrigerator, and a microwave. Making your own candy is so simple, you could do it at the office if you had the time and, if you like your coworkers enough, share your candy with them.

Of course, to pull this off, you will need some chocolate that has already been tempered, it's called melting chocolate. It comes in both white and dark chocolate packages. This means that your selection of candies will be limited to what you can make with chocolate, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It is chocolate, after all.

Ready to try it? The following guide will lay out the steps for making the candy and shows how to make a s'mores-style candy with dark chocolate and marshmallows. This candy making guide is just a start; feel free to tinker with it as much, or as little, as you desire.

How to make candy
Step 1: Preparing to Make Your Own Candy
The first step will be to prepare the container that is going to hold the candy. You want a fairly deep (minimum 1-inch), non-reactive vessel; a glass lasagna pan would work perfectly. You also will want to grease it with butter or cooking spray. This example will assume a 9-inch lasagna pan.

Step 2: Making the Candy Crust
This is an optional step. You may or may not choose to put a non-chocolate layer at the bottom of the pan. For our s’mores dessert, you will want to smash up about 20 graham crackers and spread them on the bottom of the vessel. You also could use cereal mix, pretzels, potato chips, etc. Just spread it out so that it evenly coats the entire bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Make Your Own Candy’s First Chocolate Layer
Now it’s time to use the microwave. To make the chocolate layer, mix 8-ounces of melting chocolate with two tablespoons of butter and microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and then microwave again for 15 seconds. You also can stir in about 2 teaspoons of extract or flavoring, if desired.

Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into the pan and spread it evenly so that it coats the entire pan. If you are going to add more layers (see step 4), then put the pan into the refrigerator to let the chocolate cool. If not, go to step 5.

For our s’mores we’re going to use 8-ounces of dark chocolate, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 teaspoons of orange extract. The orange is not traditional, but it will taste good. We will not add another layer, so we’ll go to step 5.

Step 4: Candy Making is Better with More Chocolate
This step is optional. If you like, you may layer the chocolate by repeating step 3. Just melt the chocolate, then pour it into the pan and let it cool.

This is what you would do if you were making peppermint bark and wanted to mix light and dark chocolate. Just must sure the chocolate is cool before adding the next layer. For our s'mores, we’re going to skip this step.

Step 5: Topping Your Homemade Candy
This is the final step: You can add another layer of toppings to the candy like chocolate chips, crushed up candy canes, pretzels, or bacon. For our s’mores, we are going to add a layer of mini-marshmallows. All you have to do is scatter them over the top of the candy and then put it in the refrigerator until the chocolate is completely cool.

Note: it is very important that you add the toppings while the chocolate is still warm so that they will adhere to the candy when it cools.

There you have it, you can now make candy in basically the amount of time it takes chocolate to melt. Have fun experimenting with this recipe and keep it handy around Christmas. Peppermint bark, for instance, is nothing more than a dark chocolate layer, a white chocolate layer flavored with peppermint extract, and crushed up candy canes.

Now start experimenting; you have two ideas, have fun creating your own.

Replace Cream Soups in Crock Pot Recipes

Many crock pot recipes require condensed soup in a can as one of the key ingredients.

This recipe is perfect to use in place of canned cream soups in crock pot recipes, casseroles or as a base for your own soup.

It is much lower in fat and salt than the canned versions.

The trick is to have it made up and ready to use!

* 2 cups powdered nonfat milk
* 3/4 cup cornstarch
* 1/4 cup instant (vegetable, chicken or beef) bouillon powder - to taste
* 2 tbsp. dried onion flakes
* 1-tsp. garlic powder
* 1-tsp. dry basil
* 1-tsp. dry thyme
* 1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To substitute for one can of condensed soup:

Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water in saucepan.
Cook and stir until thickened. Add to casserole as you would the canned product.

This makes the equivalent of 9 cans of soup. Vary the spices to suit your own taste or the type of casserole you are making.
Yield 9 servings/cans with less than 1-gram of fat per serving.

Variations:

* Mushroom Soup: Add 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
* Celery Soup: Add 1/2 cup minced celery
* Potato Soup: Add 1 cup diced potatoes, cooked
* Vegetable Soup: Add 3/4 cup mixed vegetables, cooked
* Broccoli Soup: Add 1 cup chopped broccoli, cooked
* Asparagus Soup: Add 1 cup chopped asparagus, cooked

Super Soups (Mix and Match Soup)

Jennifer S.

So before you get started just choose your options from each list to add to your soup base. Example: Soup Base+1+A+a=Delicious!. So you just added to the soup base: chicken, carrots, celery, onions, and more broth. Now mix it up until you've tried them ALL! Then come up with your own options to add to each list.

For each "Soup Base" you will need
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing Mix
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked bite-sized pasta OR 1 cup uncooked Minute Brown or Minute White Rice
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cubed

Now mix & match your recipes from these options...(Choose ONE from EACH category)

Meat Options
1) 1 lb. boneless chicken pieces (1 in.)
2) 1 lb. ground beef
3) 1/4 lb. Pepperoni, coarsely chopped (add with the chicken broth)
4) Go Meatless (Vegetarian option)

Vegetable Options
A) 3 sliced carrots, 1/2 cup sliced celery, 1 small chopped onion
B) 1 cup corn, 1 chopped bell pepper
C) 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 small chopped onion, 1 chopped bell pepper
D) 3 sliced carrots, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 chopped zucchini

Soup Base Additions Options
a) 1 additional can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
b) 1 jar (16 oz.)Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
c) 1 can (15 oz.) pizza/spaghetti sauce
d) 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) undrained diced tomatoes, 1 can (15-1/2 oz.) drained & rinsed kidney beans

For each soup cook and stir meat option in hot oil in large saucepan until cooked through; drain. See note on pepperoni.
Add meat and vegetables option with chicken broth, soup base addition option, water and dressing mix to crock pot, stir; cook on low 3 to 5 hrs. or until veggies are tender.
ADD pasta/rice, stir and cover. Simmer 15-20 min. or until pasta/rice is tender.
Add Velveeta; cover until melted, stirring occasionally.

Family Fun
For a change of pace, cut vegetables into interesting shapes and use fun shapes of pasta, such as stars or alphabets. Because smaller pastas may cook in a shorter time, check after 10 minutes so you don't turn them into mush.

Freeze It
Allow soup to cool, then portion into smaller containers. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator as needed. Reheat small portions (about 2 servings of frozen soup) in the microwave on HIGH for about 5 min. or until heated through, stirring after 3 min.

Italian-Style Soup (In A Jar)

1 1/2 cups dried Great Northern or navy beans
1 tbs dried minced onion
2 tsp dried basil
2 chicken bouillon cubes, unwrapped
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic OR 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups uncooked medium pasta shells

Place beans in a quart size canning jar or quart size zipper bag.
Combine onion, basil, bouillon, parsley, garlic and pepper in snack size zipper bag and add to jar or bag.
Place cheese in another snack zipper bag and place on top of seasonings.
Add pasta shells and close jar or bag.

Label for jar or bag
1 Italian-Style Soup Mix
6 cups water
1 cup of your favorite pasta/spaghetti sauce
8 oz baby spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Remove pasta, cheese and seasoning packet from jar/bag. Set aside
Soak beans over night, or do a "quick soak". Drain water, replace with 6 cups fresh water and bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are tender.
Bring beans back to boil add pasta, sauce, seasoning packet and baby spinach. Cover and boil for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with Parmesan cheese.