ice cream handles

Ever wonder why people make ice cream with salt? It not that salt went into the ice cream, but it did have a necessary part in it. In the 1600s, people used ice, even in the summer, to keep things cold. Salt lowers the freezing temperature of ice. Ice cream history tells us that a method known as the still pot method was used to make ice cream. Salt and ice in a bucket were placed around a bowl filled with ice cream ingredients. This mixture would help the ice cream ingredients freeze.

The next type of automatic ice cream maker does not use ice and salt to get a freezing temperature. Instead they use a special double walled bowl (also referred to as a cylinder, tub or canister) This bowl is filled with freezer gel; similar to those reusable freezer gel packs. The gel freezes and melts slowly allowing it to keep things cold for a while.

As soon as the mixtures of milk, condensed milk, eggs and sugar were made and put in the freezer, the ice was packed in the tubs and powdered with ice cream salt. The men started turning the handles of the ice cream freezers, then allowing some of us boys to do some of the work. As kids will, we soon became bored and turned the job back over to the adults who had stronger arms and more patience than us.

This small and simple frozen dessert machine does exactly what is exactly what it is supposed to do. There have been many times when I have made many different flavors of ice cream, sorbets and wonderfully whipped gelato. Anytime my cravings hit, I can have a delicious frozen dessert in just under 30 minutes. It also comes with some great recipes and an instruction booklet.