How to Make Vanilla Ice Cream

June 09, 2015
Learn how to make the quintessential vanilla ice cream recipe. Cooking guru Scott Peacock offers the inside scoop on making a simply perfect bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream -- and yes, a little slow churning is in order.
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Making a Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

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Wholesome, rich, and delightfully creamy, ice cream is a classic summertime favorite, and vanilla ice cream reigns supreme.

Get Scott's insider tips on working with the simple, high-quality ingredients that he uses to make his vanilla ice cream recipe: eggs, milk, cream, and vanilla. Tip: Seek out the best quality cream.

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Twist the Vanilla Bean

Tip 1: Twisting the vanilla bean helps it release its flavorful oils. If you slit the vanilla bean and stir the seeds into the ice cream base, you'll get the speckles in your mixture.

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Temper the Egg Yolks

Tip 2: Add hot milk slowly to the egg yolks to keep the yolks from curdling and ensure a smooth and creamy texture.

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Cook the Custard Carefully

Tip 3: Never allow custard to simmer or boil. Instead, stir constantly until the surface bubbles dissipate and the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

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Strain for a Silky Texture

Tip 4: For silky vanilla ice cream, remove any small bits of cooked egg and the vanilla bean by straining the custard through a fine-mesh sieve.

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Taste Your Ice Cream

Tip 5: After straining, it's important to taste the custard. The flavor should be rich with egg yolks and cream, yet full of vanilla from both the vanilla bean and the vanilla extract.

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Add Salt to the Freezer Canister

Tip 6: Salt combined with ice lowers the temperature in the freezer. Having the right ratio of salt to ice is important to maintaining the right temp for a smooth, creamy result, so follow the manufacturer's directions.

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Slow-Churn by Hand

Tip 7: Hand-churning is best and incorporates less air into the ice cream for denser texture and richer flavor. Aim for one even turn every two seconds.

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Freeze for a Scoopable Ice Cream

Tip 8: Fresh-churned ice cream is generally a soft-serve consistency. For more scoopable ice cream, transfer it to a shallow glass dish, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until the ice cream is firmly set, about 4 hours.

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Classic Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

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Ready to make a batch for yourself? Get our ingredients list and step-by-step instructions to make our classic vanilla ice cream recipe.

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Host an Ice Cream Social!

Now that you've got the perfect vanilla ice cream recipe, invite friends over for a taste! Get our free pattern, below, to make this adorable ice cream social invitation.

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