Ice Cream

I used to be one of those poor suckers who would read an ice cream recipe lustfully until I’d get to the portion that said:

“Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.”

And then, since I would forevermore be excluded from the ice-cream making community because of a lack of proper equipment, I’d slam the book shut and turn my attentions to some other sort of porn.

But then, one fine fall day, we happened upon a gay couple selling an ice cream maker for $5 at a stoop sale. I brought it home but didn’t use it for a while, because it looked rudimentary and old, but not the charming sort of old that has a crank and some rock salt — more like a VCR looks old.

Also, there was no instruction booklet. How was I supposed to know how this thing worked if I didn’t even have the manufacturer’s instructions? Ice cream making was like a secret club that I still didn’t belong to.

I do have some friends who make ice cream, and occasionally I would pester one of them for a non-custard recipe, since if I tried it out, I didn’t want to be bothered cooking eggs just to put them in ice cream. Yeah. Because cooking eggs is really hard.

Finally I jumped in and realized that all the machine has in an on/off switch. And that you just get the bucket cold enough, and then churn it until it becomes ice cream. The $5 machine works perfectly.

And this is the best chocolate ice cream I have ever had. Make it tomorrow.

Tips:

Put the canister in to freeze overnight the day before you make the ice cream.
Add some salt to the batter if you like things like salt. Or sprinkle it atop at the end.
Watch it as it churns because it will exceed the canister before it is done, but you can just add the excess to a Tupperware or some such container and stick it into the freezer.

I’ve got a great lemon recipe too if you want it: and it doesn’t require custard.