Sorbet: Tips, Techniques, Troubleshooting, and Recipes

[R Washburn]

I gave up on the pre-frozen removable liner type ice cream makers, because my freezer doesn't really get cold enough to pre-chill the liner thoroughly. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. If you ran it too long your icecream started melting again.

Just this past weekend I splurged and bought the new Cuisinart icecream maker with a built in chilling unit for $250 at Williams-Sonoma. It is a bit noisy, but it seems to do a decent job.

Link : Cuisinart Supreme

[Bicycle Lee]

Well, the container is filled with a material that will not quite freeze entirely at the level of most home freezers....that is how it freezes liquids like sorbets and ice creams. I have one of the cuisinart models as well and I have never been fully satisfied with it. The bowl has to be kept in the freezer pretty much indefinitely, whether you have sorbet-making on the horizon or not. Plus, it helps to have the mixture very well chilled. On top of all that, after spinning in the machine, it usually has to spend a few hours in the freezer. My favorite way to make nice, "creamy" sorbets is to take the mixture, freeze in on a sheet tray, break it up into chunks and smooth them out in the food processor....it makes for some very nice sorbets...great consistency. And just another thing I've found: if you have a problem with the mix ending up too icy, try sweetening it up with honey as well as simple syrup...the viscosity of the honey leads to the finished product being nice and smooth. That is if you think the flavor could stand a little honey nuance.

HTH

[andiesenji]

For many years I had a Simac ice cream freezer that finally died, the coolant kept leaking out and it got to be very expensive to recharge it.

I now have two, one of the small Lello Gelato makers $199.00 and one that is a little bit bigger, this one.

It is slightly larger and makes a slightly large batch but is still small enough to move around.

I use them all the time because they are right there, ready to go any time.

I make up several batches of a basic recipe and store in a large container in the fridge and just pour enough into the freezer for one batch, adding the particular flavor I want (such as blackcurrant syrup, peach or preserves, or fresh strawberries macerated in sugar.

Tomato/basil sorbet is on the menu for this evening.

This weekend I am going to make a fresh coconut gelato to top individual pineapple upside-down cakes I am making for a birthday party. It gives it a sort of piña colado taste.

[tan319]

Man, that cuis machine is what I'm talking about!

That's nice!

If you're cheap though, or on a budget, those 4 qt, 'salt and ice Rivals at wal mart will make some good stuff.

Your formula has to be right but I make all the ice creams and sorbets for my restaurant ( around 12/14 flavors between the two) and they're great!

[Wendy DeBord]

My favorite way to make nice, "creamy" sorbets is to take the mixture, freeze in on a sheet tray, break it up into chunks and smooth them out in the food processor....it makes for some very nice sorbets...great consistency.

This is how I make sorbets. You don't need an ice cream maker for sorbet.

You got alot of great information, have you been able to resolve this Gul_Dekar?

P.S. Welcome to the pastry and baking forum here at egullet!

[Bond Girl]

I have the same cuisinart ice cream maker, and the first time I was dissatisfy with it was when I had to make a whole recipe of peach ice cream this summer. I usually half the recipes. And, with a whole recipe, I had to do it in two batches over two days and both batches was quite soft in the end. The cylinder permanently resides in my freezer when I am not using it. And, I chill a huge container of creme anglais base in my fridge and mix it with flavors that I want.

As for that Cuis supreme.....I am sooooo in love with it.

[Ore]

wooooooow,

Don't forget about the egg test! The egg test:

Clean an egg well in water. Dry it and place it into your sorbet mixture - the egg should float and the tip should stick out about the size of a dime. If it is more than a dime - there is too much sugar. If the egg doesn't break the surface - there isn't enough sugar!

This always works - good luck and also get that cool freezer moxer thing!

Ciao,

Ore

( I hope the Egg test works for you!)

Oh ya - if there is too much sugar, your mox wont freeze. If it doesnt have enough sugar, you wont achieve the proper consistency!

Edited August 4, 2004 by Ore (log)

[Bond Girl]

wooooooow,

Don't forget about the egg test! The egg test:

Clean an egg well in water. Dry it and place it into your sorbet mixture - the egg should float and the tip should stick out about the size of a dime. If it is more than a dime - there is too much sugar. If the egg doesn't break the surface - there isn't enough sugar!

This always works - good luck and also get that cool freezer moxer thing!

Ciao,

Ore

( I hope the Egg test works for you!)

Oh ya - if there is too much sugar, your mox wont freeze. If it doesnt have enough sugar, you wont achieve the proper consistency!

Wow, I've never done that. May be that's why my sorbet does not freeze well.

[andiesenji]

I have the same cuisinart ice cream maker, and the first time I was dissatisfy with it was when I had to make a whole recipe of peach ice cream this summer. I usually half the recipes. And, with a whole recipe, I had to do it in two batches over two days and both batches was quite soft in the end. The cylinder permanently resides in my freezer when I am not using it. And, I chill a huge container of creme anglais base in my fridge and mix it with flavors that I want.

As for that Cuis supreme.....I am sooooo in love with it.

The main problem with these ice cream/sorbet makers with the jacket that has to be kept in the freezer is that it can't get any colder than the temperature of your freezer and that is not cold enough to make really good ice cream.

The old-fashioned ice cream makers, in which you had a metal cylinder that turned insize a bigger container that held ice and salt, worked so well because once the rock salt is mixed with the ice it will drop the temperature to minus-5 degrees and it will maintain that temperature steadily with no fluxation up or down for at least an hour.

The jackets may be close to zero when they come out of the freezer but within a few minutes that temperature will have risen (you can check it yourself by putting cold water in the thing and using an instant-read thermometer) and while you can achieve a soft-serve consistancy, you will never get the consistancy that you would have gotten in one of the White Mountain-type freezers. By the time you have been running the machine for the 25 or 30 minutes it takes to reach a semi-frozen states, it will have become too warm to maintain it.

You can, of course, transfer it to another jacket, newly removed from the freezer, but that is assuming you have a second one.

Otherwise you have to put the mixture in the freezer to let it firm up and really should take it out and mix it before it gets completely hard to make sure it is the right consistency.

[Bond Girl]

Because I cook for one, I normally make small amount of the ice cream at a time. So, the sleeve was never really a problem as I keep my fridge extremely cold. But, may be I will buy myself the cuis supreme for my B-day this year.

[andiesenji]

Because I cook for one, I normally make small amount of the ice cream at a time.  So, the sleeve was never really a problem as I keep my fridge extremely cold.  But, may be I will buy myself the cuis supreme for my B-day this year.

This is a better machine, for less money. Makes 1 1/2 quarts see it here

And this is a 1 quart machine for even less money and it works very nicely. I have one as it is easier to carry around than the bigger machines.

Edited August 4, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[dexygus]

andiesenji-

do you know what the differences are between the oxiria and the gelato chef 2200? i can't tell from the specs. it looks as though it may be just a cosmetic difference. i'm almost ready to buy...

[andiesenji]

andiesenji-

do you know what the differences are between the oxiria and the gelato chef 2200? i can't tell from the specs. it looks as though it may be just a cosmetic difference. i'm almost ready to buy...

When I bought the Oxiria, the Gelato Chef was not yet available, or I didn't see it and I looked at just about every vendor that carried these appliances. They do look exactly alike except for the color.

The only other one I considered was the Lussino 4080 but the 45 pound weight put me off.

I wanted something I could take with me when I went to visit (and cook) at the homes of my friends, or to the office when we have a party. Both the little Gelato II and the Oxiria are transportable.

(On the other hand, my old Simac weighed almost 80 pounds and it was NEVER moved except when a service man had to pick it up to take it in to be recharged.)

These new units are wonderful.

[origamicrane]

of course if any of you want the best ice cream machine try www.pacojet.com

but then again at almost US$3000 it bloody should be!!!!!!

I have tried the ice cream/sorbet from this machine and it is pretty amazing!!

The coconut sorbet had the creaminess and texture or ice cream!!!!

[dexygus]

andiesenji, thanks for the reply. i think i'll send an email to the website you linked. maybe they can shed some light. i'll post my findings here in case anyone is interested.

[Moopheus]

The jackets may be close to zero when they come out of the freezer but within a few minutes that temperature will have risen

I get around this problem with my Krups by keeping it in the freezer while it runs. This keeps it from thawing and the ice cream gets firm without crystals.

[tan319]

Because I cook for one, I normally make small amount of the ice cream at a time.  So, the sleeve was never really a problem as I keep my fridge extremely cold.  But, may be I will buy myself the cuis supreme for my B-day this year.

This is a better machine, for less money. Makes 1 1/2 quarts see it here

And this is a 1 quart machine for even less money and it works very nicely. I have one as it is easier to carry around than the bigger machines.

Well, that gelato chef looks like the S-it!!!

Nice one

[Bicycle Lee]

I'll tell you a great way to make fruit ice cream, and it only takes a couple minutes. Cut up your fruit and freeze it. Chill your cream very well and then begin spinning it in a food processor, add sugar and the frozen fruit. When the cold fruit hits the cream it thickens almost instantly. Remove and eat or return to the freezer to get it a little more firm.

[elion_84]

I get around this problem with my Krups by keeping it in the freezer while it runs.

Wow, this is hard core! Did you have problems with the motor getting wet from condensation?

I have the ICE20 machine and haven't had problems with ice cream or sorbet not freezing. I usually chill the mixture overnight before processing in the machine. I think this also helps develop flavor. I keep the bowl in the freezer between uses. After making the sorbet last night, I had trouble drying the bowl after washing it because the water would freeze in seconds.

[dexygus]

in case anyone wants to know, 1-800-espresso.com responded to me very quickly, and confirmed what i suspected. the oxiria and the gelato chef 2200 are identical except for the exterior. with the $130 difference, the plastic white housing is fine by me.

[tan319]

I have some zatarains root beer extract and am going to make a sorbet with it.

Hopefully it will be part of a new menu item that I'm working on.

Kind of ties in with chefettes thread.

But, what I'm thinking is to simply flavor my S/S base and add water and adjust for baume that I want to hit.

Good idea?

BTW, I tried some of those sorbet syrup recipes that are on the back of the 'cremodan' sorbet stabilizer can and I'm not real impressed.

The one for acidic fruit I used to make lemon sorbet and feel it is not as creamy as the one I usually make.

The reason I experimented was that my usual lemon recipe crystallized on me recently, maybe due to people not putting away right, it was a drag, nonetheless.

Back to the drawing board, I guess.

Anyways, what do you think of the approach to the RB sorbet idea?

I'm all ears.

Thanks!

Edited August 9, 2004 by tan319 (log)

[artisanbaker]

"avant-garde"

[Wendy DeBord]

Rootbeer sorbet sounds good to me, I'd love it. Being a traditionalist type chef I think it would be well recieved big time and a fun flavor to play with.

Your approach sounds fine to me. I keep wondering about actually using some rootbeer in your recipe with the ss and extract to intensify. One of those things I'd have to taste together to see how I'd want to make a formula for it.

[duckduck]

We had a dessert sampler in Vegas at Aqua at the Bellagio and they used a small scoop of root beer sorbet as well as a scoop of ice cream in a little mini root beer float and as far as I was concerned it was the best thing in the whole dessert tasting. It's been kind of haunting me and I've been thinking I'll have to give it a try making it. Tell us how it goes Tan.

[andiesenji]

Rootbeer sorbet sounds good to me, I'd love it. Being a traditionalist type chef I think it would be well recieved big time and a fun flavor to play with.

Your approach sounds fine to me. I keep wondering about actually using some rootbeer in your recipe with the ss and extract to intensify. One of those things I'd have to taste together to see how I'd want to make a formula for it.

It sounds good to me but I am a big fan of that particular flavor.

I grow a lot of anise hyssop, popularly known as "the rootbeer plant" - or rather it grows itself all over my yard and garden, merrily seeding itself in even the tiniest bit of earth. (I found one 3 ft tall specimen growing in an inch of soil in one of my old gardening clogs that was left under a rosemary bush out next to the fence, probably by one of the dogs.)

I dry the leaves to concentrate the oils then brew a very strong infusion to which I add sugar then cook down to make a concentrated syrup.

When I was a child I loved the rootbeer popsicles that we got as a treat when we got to go to "town" with grandpa. My cousins all loved the grape but rootbeer was always my choice.

We always had ice cream, homemade, but the popsicles were store bought so were more desirable.