It's cool, it's creamy, and it's one of America’s undying passions: ice cream. Thomas Jefferson wrote one of the first recipes for strawberry ice cream in his own hand. In the summer of 1790, one of George Washington’s first presidential acts was to spend a near-fortune — $200 or $1,800 in today's dollars — on the chilly treat. Our forefathers knew then what every grandparent knows today: We all scream for ice cream, and indulging in a scoop (or a few) seems to happen with surprising regularity on grandparents' watch.
In those days making ice cream was an arduous task that required hand-cranking an ice-packed machine for hours. Today, according to Bruce Weinstein a chef and author
 The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks and More (William Morrow, 1999) |
of a series of books about iconic American foods like ice cream, brownies, candy, and chocolate cookies, making homemade ice cream at home is easy enough to be a family event in which even the youngest grandchild can join
"There is plenty for children to do when making ice cream, from folding the chilled custard into the machine to folding in additions," says Weinstein, who wrote The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks and More (William Morrow, 1999).
Home ice cream makers are readily available in kitchen-goods stores and range in price from $300 to $600, for an elaborate machine with an internal compressor, to about $25 for the simplest hand-crank model — a popular favorite with children who can each take a turn at the crank. In the mid-range, electrical canister machines are the most practical choice and cost about $100. The only drawback, says Weinstein, is that the canister has to be frozen, usually overnight in the freezer, before use.
In Weinstein’s book, the recipes range from the unusual (corn ice cream), to the basic (two styles of vanilla) and each is accompanied by at least six variations. Try them out this July for National Ice Cream month. Representing the simple to the sublime, there’s a scoop for all tastes because, at any age, nothing says “summer afternoon” like the sweet, chilly sensation of homemade ice cream on the tongue.
For more ice cream how-tos, see Step-by-Step Scoops.
Continue to the recipes: Vanilla Ice Cream (Pure and Simple), Oatmeal Ice Cream, and Cherry Ice Cream, Philadelphia Style
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