Ice cream is a combination of milk products and other flavourings and is a popular sweet frozen dessert or snack. This food item is loved by all irrespective of their age, gender or cultural background. You can make and eat delicious ice cream at home with the aid of an ice cream maker. The ice cream maker is a wonderful kitchen appliance that comes in handy especially when you are hosting a party or special occasion.
Nancy Johnson, an American entrepreneur, introduced the first ice cream maker in 1846. The invention of the wooden bucket freezer with rotary paddles enabled ice cream to be made on a large scale. Lowering the temperature by mixing salt and ice considerably helped in boosting the production of ice cream. A similar system was used in an early version of the home ice cream maker. A metal container, to which a paddle-shaped agitator is attached, was placed in a mixture of ice and salt. The motor powered agitator kept on moving the mixture around until it froze.
The modern day ice cream maker is modelled on large commercial units. A refrigerated chamber and agitating mixer blades convert milk, sugar, cream and flavouring into ice cream. The mix needs to be whipped and frozen simultaneously to prevent the formation of ice crystals. Air bubbles are introduced to make the ice cream soft. After the ice cream has frozen in the freezing chamber, a small dispenser allows it to be served into cones, glasses or bowls.
Some ice cream makers feature a special rotating bowl with a layer that holds rock salt to turn the ice cream mix into ice cream. Besides ice cream, this appliance can also make delicious sorbets, frozen yoghurts, slush, frozen beverages such as daiquiris, and other frozen desserts like custards and Italian gelati.
Some inexpensive models have a removable ice cream bowl that needs to be pre-frozen before use. But for speed and ease of use a high-end model with a built-in freezer is recommended. You should also consider the power of the motor, because the time taken for the ice cream mix to freeze depends largely on that. The normal time taken for the ice cream to form is about 20 to 40 minutes. You also need to look out for ease of assembly and cleaning. A warranty is essential, and a recipe book, a pouring jug, a spatula and a scooper are recommended extras.
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