We Made Homemade Ice Cream In A Bag, And We've Lost All Chill (2024)

FAQs

Why is my homemade ice cream not freezing? ›

The first thing to look at is the recipe. Have you added too much sugar, salt or alcohol? They will lower the freezing point of the mixture. And too much of any of these ingredients could stop the ice cream freezing altogether.

When you add salt to the ice in the outer bag, the ice (at 0°C) is now above its freezing point – so it begins to melt. Melting requires energy, and in this case that energy comes from the flavoured milk mixture in the inner bag.

Sugar, corn syrup or honey, as well as gelatin and commercial stabilizers, can all keep your ice cream at a softer consistency. Ice cream also stays softer when you store it in a shallow container, rather than a deep tub, and cover the surface of the ice cream with plastic wrap to keep ice crystals from forming.

A couple tips: If you decide to try this (you really should!) don't get too hung up on the kind of salt you use. I've make ice cream in bag plenty of times using plain table salt–but ideally, the chunkier the better (it lessens your chances of salty ice cream). Double bagging is also a smart move.

If you are churning your ice cream and it is not thickening, make sure that the canister is cold. Try adding some more ice and rock salt to it. Next time, put the canister into the freezer the day before you start making ice cream. This will ensure that it is cold enough.

To salvage an extra-frosty batch of homemade ice cream, leave it on the counter for 10 minutes before serving. If that doesn't do the trick, let it melt to liquid in the fridge, and then try re-spinning it, suggests editorial director of food and entertaining Sarah Carey.

Ice cream is an emulsion, which means it is a combination of two liquids that don't normally mix. In an emulsion droplets of one liquid is dispersed with another. Ice cream is made up of ice crystals, fat molecules and air. By shaking the bag, you emulsify the ice cream - dispersing the ice, fat and air together.

The greater the salt content, the lower the freezing point of the water. At the same time, dissolving salt in the liquid water causes the water temperature to drop, generating ice cream quicker.

There are two things that will lead to a homemade ice cream getting rock solid after freezing for a while: the fat content and the sugar content. First, the fat content of ice cream acts as an emulsifier, stabilising the water and fat particles in the ice cream and preventing them from separating.

One of the primary factors that contribute to ice cream melting is temperature. When ice cream is exposed to a temperature above its freezing point, its molecular structure begins to break down, causing it to melt.

How to make homemade ice cream more creamy? ›

Whole milk – I don't recommend replacing it with reduced fat or skim. Whole milk's higher fat content ensures that the homemade ice cream comes out creamy, not icy.

When salt is applied, it dissolves into separate sodium and chloride ions that disrupt the bonds between water molecules. As the ions loosen hydrogen bonds, the ice melts into water.

Salt: Rock salt, which is also sometimes labeled as "ice cream salt", works best for lowering the temperature of the ice to freeze the ice cream quickly. But coarse kosher salt or even regular table salt will work in a pinch if that's what you have on hand.

Salt lowers the melting temperature of ice. This lets you shake that bag of ice long enough to get the ice cream to solidify. The more salt you add, the lower the melting temperature. And the colder the temperature of the icy solution around the ice cream, the faster the cream freezes.

As the ice cream mixture is cooled down, some of the water freezes and forms ice crystals. The concentration of sugar increases in the rest of the water, lowering the freezing point of the sugar-water solution – just like the salt in the example above. As a result, the ice cream stays soft.

After about 4-6 hours in the freezer, your ice cream should generally be ready (if used in the ice cream, alcohol will delay – even prevent – the freezing, so do take this into account when planning ahead).

One possibility is that the temperature in your freezer is not low enough . Ice cream needs to be stored at a temperature between -5 and 0 degrees Fahrenheit in order to freeze properly . If your freezer is set at a higher temperature , the ice cream may not freeze completely .