The KitchenAid people have come out with an ice cream maker attachment that fits all of their standup mixers. It’s comprised of a paddle (called a “dasher” in ice cream speak) and a sturdy double walled work bowl with a freezable solution within the walls. It costs about $90US. The idea is to freeze the work bowl, clip it into the mixer, pour in the ice cream batter and then churn away for 20 minutes. If you already have a KitchenAid mixer, the advantage is that you have its strong motor working for you. It churns up a quart of ice cream without a strain. We’ve made three batches of ice cream since getting it a couple weeks ago, including a heavy coffee Heath Bar crunch, and are very pleased with the results. Since we have the space, the work bowl is stored in a freezer–ready to use. Recipes for home
made ice cream abound. We got a copy of Williams-Sonoma’s ice cream
book to use for inspiration. Ice cream “batter” is really “custard” or
“Creme Anglaise.” That is, a cooked mixture of cream, sugar and eggs.
If you haven’t made it for awhile you’ll have to refresh your skills to
avoid fatal separation or curdling. The tricks are a heavy pan, medium
heat, lots of stirring and getting the pan off the fire when the custard
makes a nice spoon trace and reaches 175F. Then strain and cool thoroughly before starting the churning process.
