Vanilla Ice Cream

Cooks Science

http://www.cooksscience.com/recipes/9049-vanilla-bean-ice-cream/

• • 325 g whole milk

  • 1 vanilla bean, split and cut crosswise into 3 pieces

  • 110 g sugar

  • 80 g nonfat dry milk powder

  • 0.8 g kosher salt

  • 355 g heavy cream

  • 85 g corn syrup

Place milk and vanilla bean in blender and process on high speed for 1 minute. In small bowl, whisk together sugar, milk powder, and salt. Whisk vanilla milk (do not strain), sugar mixture, cream, and corn syrup together in large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around edge of saucepan and mixture registers 190 degrees F/87.8 degrees C, whisking frequently to dissolve sugar and break up any clumps, about 5 to 7 minutes.

• • 50 g whole milk

  • 15 g cornstarch

Meanwhile, whisk remaining milk and cornstarch together in small bowl.

Reduce heat to medium. Whisk cornstarch mixture to recombine, then whisk into milk mixture in saucepan. Cook, constantly scraping bottom of saucepan with rubber spatula, until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour ice cream base through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl; let cool until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes. Cover bowl, transfer to refrigerator, and chill to 40 degrees F/ 4.4 degrees C, at least 6 or up to 8 hours. (Base can be chilled overnight. Alternatively, base can be chilled in about 90 minutes by placing it over ice bath of 750 grams ice, 113 grams water, and 42 grams salt.)

Churn base in ice cream maker until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers 21 degrees F/-6.1 degrees C. Transfer to airtight container, cover, transfer to freezer, and freeze until hard, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

ATK.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

The quicker it freezes, the smoother the ice cream, so we sped up the freezing time of our homemade Vanilla Ice Cream recipe by starting with a colder base. Supplementing the sugar with corn syrup gave us a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe that produced ice cream that froze faster, remained hard at home-freezer temperatures, and was devoid of large ice crystals. (less)

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

Two teaspoons of vanilla extract can be substituted for the vanilla bean; stir the extract into the cold custard in step 3. An instant-read thermometer is critical for the best results. Using a prechilled metal baking pan and working quickly in step 4 will help prevent melting and refreezing of the ice cream and will speed the hardening process. If using a canister-style ice-cream machine, be sure to freeze the empty canister at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating ice-cream machines, prechill the canister by running the machine for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring in the custard.

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 vanilla bean

  • 14 oz heavy cream

  • 10 oz whole milk

  • 5 oz sugar

  • 2.5 oz light corn syrup

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 6 large egg yolks

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Place 8- or 9-inch-square metal baking pan in freezer.

  2. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out vanilla seeds.

  3. Combine vanilla bean, seeds, cream, milk, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, corn syrup, and salt in medium saucepan.

  4. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is steaming steadily and registers 175 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

  5. While cream mixture heats, whisk yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in bowl until smooth, about 30 seconds.

  6. Slowly whisk 1 cup heated cream mixture into egg yolk mixture.

  7. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and registers 180 degrees, 7 to 14 minutes.

  8. Immediately pour custard into large bowl and let cool until no longer steaming, 10 to 20 minutes.

  9. Transfer 1 cup custard to small bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap.

  10. Place large bowl in refrigerator and small bowl in freezer and cool completely, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. (Small bowl of custard will freeze solid)

  11. Remove custards from refrigerator and freezer. Scrape frozen custard from small bowl into large bowl of custard. Stir occasionally until frozen custard has fully dissolved.

  12. Strain custard through fine-mesh strainer and transfer to ice-cream machine.

  13. Churn until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers about 21 degrees, 15 to 25 minutes.

  14. Transfer ice cream to frozen baking pan and press plastic wrap on surface. Return to freezer until firm around edges, about 1 hour.

  15. Transfer ice cream to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve. (Ice cream can be stored for up to 5 days.)

https://food52.com/blog/17663-this-super-creamy-vanilla-ice-cream-required-many-taste-tests-to-perfect

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 vanilla bean (see note)

• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (50 grams) premium nonfat milk powder (I like Organic Valley or Bob's Red Mill)

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (28 grams) golden syrup

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1 cup whole milk

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Method:

1. Pour the cream into a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the point of a pairing knife to scrape the seeds into the cream. Drop the scraped pod pieces into the cream as well. Heat the cream until it simmers around the edges, cover the pot, and remove it from the heat. Let the cream and vanilla bean steep for 30 minutes. 

2. While the cream is steeping, combine the sugar, milk powder, salt, golden syrup, egg yolks, and 1/4 cup of the milk in a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Whisk in the remaining milk. Set aside. 

3. When the cream is ready, fish out a piece of the pod. Hold it against the inside of the pot, cut side facing out, and use the edge of a silicon spatula to press and scrape any remaining seeds into the cream. Drop the pod back into the cream. Repeat with the remaining piece. Scrape the egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk to blend. 

4. Set a medium-coarse strainer over a 6- to 8-cup bowl and set it up in an ice-bath, and set it aside for the finished ice cream base. 

5. Retire the whisk and continue with a heatproof silicon spatula. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring with the spatula, sweeping the bottom, corners, and sides of the pan constantly to avoid scorching, until the mixture registers 178 to 180° F on an instant-read thermometer. 

6. Immediately scrape the mixture into the strainer set over the bowl. The strainer will catch the pod pieces and any bits of cooked egg white that might have been attached to the yolks—the vanilla seeds should pass through. Transfer the pod pieces to the finished ice cream base and stir in the vanilla extract. 

7. Set the whole business in the fridge until the base is cold. Remove the bowl from the ice bath and cover airtight. Refrigerate overnight. Twenty minutes before freezing, fish out the pod pieces and set the bowl in the freezer for an extra cold start. (If your machine is electric, pre-chill it for 5 minutes before adding the ice cream base.) 

8. Freeze according to the instruction with your machine. Transfer the ice cream to a covered container with due haste and put it into the freezer until needed. Ice cream will get too hard to scoop after 2 or 3 hours; to soften it, place the container in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more, or microwave it on defrost for a few seconds at a time, until scoopable. 

Note: If you do not want to use vanilla bean, don’t heat the cream. Start with the empty saucepan. Add the sugar, milk powder, salt, golden syrup, egg yolks, and 2 tablespoons of the milk, and whisk until blended. Whisk in the remaining milk and the cream. Cook as directed. Strain as directed and add 4 to 5 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Refrigerate and freeze as directed.