I bought one. Yay! Anyone else? I’m planning on making sorbet, too. Does anyone have any recipes for ice cream or sorbet that they love?
We bought an ice cream maker for DD’s science project six years ago, and we haven’t bought store bought ice cream ever since. The homemade version is just so much better.
My favorite plain vanilla and plain chocolate recipes came from the manual that came with the machine. I tweaked the chocolate recipe to include 1/2 cup regular chocolate cocoa powder and 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa, which gives it a very rich and fudgy texture. I also stick vanilla beans in my sugar jar, which adds to the flavor.
I got an excellent coffee ice cream recipe and a maple walnut recipe from the book printed by the Serendipity Parlor in NYC. I forgot the title, but you can search online. My library actually has the book as well as others on ice cream making, so I would start there. Experimenting is part of the fun.
Along with your ice cream maker, I would invest in spatulas of varying stiffness and, if you are going to make gelato, a candy thermometer to help keep you from curdling your eggs.
We inherited an ice cream maker with the house we currently live in. The finished product was so amazing, we had to give the machine to our son when he moved out of state. There’s not enough exercise in the world to offset my love of ice cream, so we can never buy it or own another machine. I agree with @Groundwork2022 that homemade is so much better than anything you can buy. Enjoy it, and may your willpower be vastly superior to mine.
My S has been making small batches of ice cream in a small ice cream maker we got for Christmas decades ago. Vanilla and haupia sorbet have been the favorites so far. It’s an old cuisineart, where you freeze a section that has antifreeze to keep it cold while it churns. His batches serve up to 10 at a time.
So far, he’s been relying on the booklet that came with the machine and tweaking here and there.
My H and I have had an ice cream maker since we were engaged. We went through 2 manual Donviers and now have an ice cream maker attachment for our Kitchenaid mixer. We have always used the Ben and Jerry’s recipes: https://www.amazon.com/Jerrys-Homemade-Cream-Dessert-Book/dp/0894803123
It has a great recipe for mango sorbet and the homemade cherry garcia is amazing!
Our Family Fave: https://allshecooks.com/copycat-ben-jerrys-cherry-garcia-ice-cream/
I agree that some of the best we’ve made is when we toss in what we have. Banana Walnut was great, strawberry banana very good. Mint Chocolate chip too.
Must.look.away.from.this.thread…
I love having an ice cream maker. As a kid, we made homemade ice cream at my grandma’s house every summer, all the kids taking turns cranking the hand crank makers. My grandma made vanilla and peach - I can still taste that peach! It was always fantastic.
I’ve had two Rival makers with the wood buckets. I use one of the vanilla recipes in the manual. We really love vanilla and add toppings more than add-ins to the ice cream itself.
Enjoy your ice cream maker! Nothing says summer quite like fresh churned ice cream!
Yum—just sent son the Cherry Garcia copycat recipe. It sounds amazing!
I purchased a Cuisinart and the bucket insert is freezing now. I will be scanning this to see what great ideas to add to list.
@gosmom That Cherry Garcia copycat will be at the top of the list!
@Groundwork2022 Serendipity has been on the list of must eats whenever we finally make it to NYC. I will check that out.
@cellomom2 Oh wow. That Ben and Jerry’s book could get me in serious trouble 
because there’s a fat chance I would have more willpower than @ChoatieMom , especially when @HImom just mentioned Haupia sorbet. I never knew what I was missing!
Thanks @psychmomma I am hoping it becomes part of good memories from the summer of Covid Summer
David Leibovitz has great ice cream recipes on his blog and in book form. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/category/recipes/ice-creams-and-sorbets/
You are going to think I’m nuts…but…add a couple of tablespoons of vodka to your ice cream recipes. The alcohol in it will prevent any crystallization in the ice cream, and it will be really really creamy.
If you make something like mint chocolate chip, add creme d menthe.
Oh yes! And you could soak a couple vanilla beans in a cup or two of vodka for a homemade vanilla extract.
Almost any type of alcohol improves ice cream. Just sayin’
Or is it that any type of ice cream improves alcohol?
IME you have to be really careful adding uncooked alcohol to ice cream, because even a little too much and it won’t freeze.
I have the Ben and Jerry cookbook, and a Donvier. Somewhere in the house is an old electric one of the traditional type where you use salt and ice.
I made this at Christmas because two people sent us amazing pears and I had to use them up. It is pretty amazing, but mine was a little too salty.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/pear-riesling-and-ginger-sorbet.html
I had wonderful, pure pear sorbet at the Cafe des Artistes in NYC years ago that I managed to duplicate back then…I think a vanilla bean was involved. Something great to make when fresh local strawberries are in season is a strawberry sorbet with a little fresh basil. Just puree the berries and a few basil leaves in the food processor and add simple syrup.
I wish I could find a really good recipe for ice cream or sorbet with no sugar.
We have a great ice cream maker. It’s by Cuisinart. Highly recommend.
From Dr. Google search…
Good to see you, @Consolation !!
Re: alcohol. Chemist here. The typical booze has alcohol content of 40% or below. A few splashes of that will not prevent the ice cream mix from freezing.
This is a dangerous thread!!! Ice cream ? is my dessert of choice.