Celebrate summer with homemade ice cream!

Ice cream is a popular treat during the summer. Some of my fondest memories include turning the crank in anticipation of a bowl of that sweet tasting treat!  In fact, July was declared as National Ice Cream month back in 1984, by President Ronald Reagan.

Eat ice cream in moderation

First, ice cream is a treat that should be enjoyed occasionally. Although ice cream is a dairy product and does fit on the MyPlate, it really should be enjoyed in moderation. Rich ice cream is high in calories and fat and more than half of the fat is saturated fat, which tends to raise blood cholesterol levels. Therefore, you will need to balance it with total calorie intake for the day. How can you do this? When you know you will be eating ice cream, balance your other meals during the day with lower fat options. For example, eat a healthy salad as the main dish with a low-fat dressing. Then enjoy the ice cream for dessert.

When eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet, ice cream can be a source of high-quality protein, riboflavin, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals. When deciding what flavor and type of ice cream to choose for nutritional value, look at the Nutrition Facts panel on the food package to determine the serving size, calories, and carbohydrates are in a single serving. A typical serving size of most ice cream is half a cup or about the size of a half a baseball. Many people do not eat that amount and will need to double or triple the information found on the Nutrition Facts label, if you decide to consume more than one serving.

Recipe of the Week

Many people have family recipes for homemade ice cream that uses raw eggs without cooking them. This can pose a potential food safety problem. Eggs should be cooked properly to destroy any possibility of salmonella food borne illness. It’s easy to prepare that family recipe, just make a custard base by cooking the eggs before freezing. If you don’t have a recipe that uses a cooked base, enjoy this recipe. By far, this is the best tasting homemade ice cream I have ever had! It is rich and creamy and uses a custard base; thereby making it safe!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

• 4 eggs
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 7 cups milk
• 3 cups whipping cream
• 2 ½ Tablespoons vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt

Additional supplies needed

• Ice cream freezer
• Cooking thermometer
• Crushed ice
• Rock Salt
• Wax paper or foil

1. Beat eggs till light.
2. Add sugar gradually, beating till thick.
3. Add 3 cups of the milk.
4. Heat mixture in a large pan until thickened, stirring constantly.
5. Cook until thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film and a thermometer shows 160° F or higher. 
6. Add remaining ingredients; mix well.
7. Pour into a 5-quart ice cream freezer.
8. Fit can into freezer. Adjust dasher and cover.
9. Pack 6 parts crushed ice and 1 part rock salt around can.
10. Turn dasher slowly till ice partially melts and forms brine – add more ice and salt to maintain level.
11. Turn handle constantly till the crank turns hard. Remove lid and dasher.
12. Plug opening in lid. Cover can with several thicknesses of waxed paper or foil; replace lid.
13. Pack 4 parts ice and 1 part salt to fill; cover with newspapers.
14. Ripen 4 hours. 

Makes 1 gallon ice cream.

*Note: recipe suggests a manual ice cream freezer, but this recipe works beautifully in an electric ice cream freezer. Just follow manufacturer’s directions for freezing.

By Jean Ince
Howard County Extension Agent - Staff Chair

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