Why does home made ice cream become hard after freezing?

soft hard ice cream maker image

tommymack

I have a cuisinart ice cream maker. Immediately after the ice cream is made it is soft, but after freezing it it becomes hard and gritty. Is it that the machine is inherently deficient or are there ingredients that the commercial makers include?

Answer
let the mix sit in the fridge over night then churn it. it sounds like you have too large ice crystals. you have to churn it first then switch to a higher speed to whip in air.