cuisinart ice cream maker image
Ava
We bought a nice, Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and have been unable as yet to get the ingredients thick enough to make into ice cream! We have followed directions, frozen the bowl but when we get to the twenty minute mark, it is still not even close to being thick! Anybody else have this problem? Thanks!
Answer
With traditional home-made ice cream freezers, the procedure is known as "packing"--after the ice cream has begun to thicken, the freezer is packed with ice and salt and allowed to achieve a harder freeze for a time. With the Cuisinart unit, you might try stopping after 20 minutes, placing the bowl in the freezer for a half-hour or so, and then trying it for consistency. The earlier freezing process with agitation allows air to be worked into the mix, which causes the ice cream to freeze in smaller, softer crystals. Then, when the pre-frozen mix goes into the freezer for packing, it will not freeze into a hard, icy mass.
With traditional home-made ice cream freezers, the procedure is known as "packing"--after the ice cream has begun to thicken, the freezer is packed with ice and salt and allowed to achieve a harder freeze for a time. With the Cuisinart unit, you might try stopping after 20 minutes, placing the bowl in the freezer for a half-hour or so, and then trying it for consistency. The earlier freezing process with agitation allows air to be worked into the mix, which causes the ice cream to freeze in smaller, softer crystals. Then, when the pre-frozen mix goes into the freezer for packing, it will not freeze into a hard, icy mass.
