The Key Step For Velvety Smooth Milkshakes Every Time

Whether sipping chocolate milkshakes from your favorite diner or savoring a strawberry milkshake at a restaurant, the texture of these rich, smooth sweet treats makes for an order that is tough to beat. Creamy and decadent, milkshakes may seem straightforward to put together at home, but a few strategic moves can help place your homemade creations on par with what you've sampled at restaurants. 

Letting the ice cream you use to make the milkshake soften slightly before adding it to your food processor or blender may sound like a small move without much impact, but it's actually the crucial tip you need for the best texture. Slightly warmed and softened ice cream added to your milkshake recipe will result in a creamy texture that rivals milkshakes poured out of cold tin containers at a classic diner. Setting a carton of ice cream on your kitchen countertop before getting to work will eliminate any ice crystals that may have formed while the ice cream waited for you in the freezer. The goal is to scoop the ice cream easily out of the container instead of having to dig it out of the pint forcefully.

Should you have the prudence to plan your milkshake-making activities in advance, you can set your ice cream into the fridge to soften gradually so that a half hour later you have exactly what you need to blend up a creamy drink. If a sudden milkshake urge strikes, a microwave can also be used to melt your ice cream faster, but you may find that your scoops won't have evenly softened, and your ice cream is then cold in some sections and melty in others. So, if you can, wait for that extra 30 minutes.

Once your milkshake has been blended to smooth perfection, don't forget to top it with home-whipped cream, flavored syrup, crumbled cookies, shavings of chocolate, or ground nuts of your choice. The beauty of making it a home is that you can put whatever you like in there: From adding tahini to splashing in a bit of booze to your milkshake, making a shake at home puts full creativity into your hands. The extra effort you put in to nail your milkshake recipes may have you whipping up the treat with more regularity. After mastering the artful technique of pouring yourself a decadent milkshake at home, you may be using the money you save to stock your freezer with even more ice cream varieties.