Home Made Ice Cream (2015– )

[ElsieD]

I made both corn ice cream and roasted strawberry ice cream the other day.  Both were good, but the roasted strawberry one knocked our socks off.  I had read somewhere that adding a teaspoon of strawberry balsamic vinegar really enhances the strawberry flavour.  This particular recipe doesn't need enhancement but it piqued my interest enough to ask here if anyone has tried it?  Or maybe another flavoured balsamic vinegar paired with the same fruit?

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I made both corn ice cream and roasted strawberry ice cream the other day.  Both were good, but the roasted strawberry one knocked our socks off.  I had read somewhere that adding a teaspoon of strawberry balsamic vinegar really enhances the strawberry flavour.  This particular recipe doesn't need enhancement but it piqued my interest enough to ask here if anyone has tried it?  Or maybe another flavoured balsamic vinegar paired with the same fruit?

I've added balsamic vinegar to both strawberry popsicles and sorbet.  You can test the effect by putting a drop or two of balsamic vinegar on a strawberry and tasting.  I’m not sure I’d go for it in an ice cream but it’s quite nice in the non-dairy recipes I made.  
I also made a very nice strawberry shrub with balsamic vinegar. 
I don’t have any flavored balsamic vinegars, just various ages of the regular stuff.  
 

Edited to add that I think the balsamic would be excellent with cherries, too. 
 

 

Edited July 31 by blue_dolphin (log)

[paulraphael]

On 7/31/2025 at 11:15 AM, ElsieD said:

I made both corn ice cream and roasted strawberry ice cream the other day.  Both were good, but the roasted strawberry one knocked our socks off.  I had read somewhere that adding a teaspoon of strawberry balsamic vinegar really enhances the strawberry flavour.  This particular recipe doesn't need enhancement but it piqued my interest enough to ask here if anyone has tried it?  Or maybe another flavoured balsamic vinegar paired with the same fruit?

 

I'd experiment with just plain balsamic vinegar (or possibly PX sherry vinegar). You'll be turning it into strawberry vinegar; no need to have someone else flavor it for you. 

 

My inclination would also be to go very easy on the vinegar if you're recipe has lots of strawberries ... like over 30% by weight. Strawberries are already pretty acidic. Recipes that I see with other acids added (lemon juice, etc.) usually have a lower level of the fruit. The added acid is compensating.

[aliqaisar]

Why does my ice cream always come out soft or runny when I use my ice cream maker, even after churning for the full time? Could it be because of the ingredients I’m using, the freezer bowl not being cold enough, or some mistake in the process? What are the main reasons that prevent ice cream from setting to a firm, scoopable texture?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, aliqaisar said:

Why does my ice cream always come out soft or runny when I use my ice cream maker, even after churning for the full time? Could it be because of the ingredients I’m using, the freezer bowl not being cold enough, or some mistake in the process? What are the main reasons that prevent ice cream from setting to a firm, scoopable texture?

 

Please give us more information.  Meanwhile start reading these threads:

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/144208-home-made-ice-cream-2013–/

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/152508-home-made-ice-cream-2015–/

 

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, aliqaisar said:

Why does my ice cream always come out soft or runny when I use my ice cream maker, even after churning for the full time? Could it be because of the ingredients I’m using, the freezer bowl not being cold enough, or some mistake in the process? What are the main reasons that prevent ice cream from setting to a firm, scoopable texture?

Check the temp of the freezer where you are chilling your bowl.

Make sure you’re chilling that bowl long enough.

Make sure you are chilling your mix down thoroughly before it goes into the bowl. It should be ~ 40°F. If it’s warmer, check the temp of your fridge. 
Check the temp of your finished ice cream. 
 

And, as @JoNorvelleWalker said, provide more specifics on the ice cream maker you’re using, the recipes you’re working with and all those temperatures I asked you to check!

Edited to add that there could be multiple factors at play, but temperature probably comes into play in some way which is why I asked those questions.

Here's a link to a Thermoworks blog post that discusses some of the ways. 

 

 

Edited August 19 by blue_dolphin
To add link (log)

[Darienne]

Interesting topic.  I've used both the basic ICE-100 with the bowl you put into the freezer and now the fancy Cuisinart Commercial Quality Ice Cream and Gelato Maker also an ICE-100 ( a gift from  an American friend who as given it and who never made ice cream) and never had firm ice cream as a result.  I put it in the Dog Freezer (coldest freezer, holds our dog food) to harden.   Gets put in the kitchen fridge freezer for serving.  Never even gave it a thought.  

[Smithy]

I read over here that @Ddanno would cheerfully un-retire his sweet tooth for Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, which has been discontinued. I've just resurfaced from a long trip down the rabbit hole. Thanks to the Wayback Machine, I've recovered a recipe for Cherry Garcia that appeared in The Splendid Table (my onetime-favorite radio program) all the way back in 1997. The recipe has fallen out of their archives, so I've found it from the Wayback Machine and am posting a link to that page. I made it here at home, years ago (my sweet tooth isn't doing much these days either) and remember it being pretty good.

 

Here's the page link: https://web.archive.org/web/20001025114754/http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/dessert_garcia.html

 

And here, lest that link not work, is a PDF of the recipe and writeup.

 

Cherry Garcia.PDF

 

With thanks to The Internet Archive, a.k.a. the Wayback Machine. Like us, they are a nonprofit organization. Donations help, both there and here. Hint, hint.

[Ddanno]

Oh you're just taunting me now 😉

 

I'd definitely swap that hershey's for a real chocolate, and it was little chunks instead of shavings.

 

Can wholeheartedly recommend sending a few quid to the wayback machine. It's a very useful tool, so much so that my last employer sends them a fair bit of cash

Edited 22 hours ago by Ddanno (log)

[Smithy]

Just now, Ddanno said:

Oh you're just taunting me now 😉

 

I'd definitely swap that hershey's for a real chocolate, and it was little chunks instead of shavings

 

Go for it! I would absolutely use dark chocolate. 

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, Smithy said:

 

Go for it! I would absolutely use dark chocolate. 

 

Oh, and as I recall, the cherries needed to be cut into smaller chunks than halves, or else slightly cooked. I remember the halves freezing so solidly that they had an unpleasant quality.

 

Still, it's a good starting point. 😀 

[Smithy]

Ha. I'm defrosting my chest freezer and have excavated several containers of frozen dark cherries, washed, pitted and preserved back when I was actually making ice cream and trying the Cherry Garcia recipe. The grandsons who helped me are now fathers, if that tells you anything about how long it's been. Maybe I'll have to try that recipe again, provided I can find someone to help me eat it!