The Biggest Mistake With Ice Cream That Even The Pros Make Sometimes

We were relieved to learn from Tyler Malek, the co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw, that even experienced professionals make mistakes when putting ice cream recipes together. Thankfully, we have Malek to help us learn from these kinds of errors so we can do our best to not repeat them at home.

"The biggest mistake I see even high-end pastry chefs make is that they use too much fat in the recipe by adding too much heavy cream," Malek instructs. "The typical cook will look at an ice cream recipe and think, 'If a little heavy cream is good, a lot must be even better.'" When it comes to making cold homemade treats like brown butter and pecan ice cream or no-churn pomegranate ice cream, such assumptions can doom the result. Dumping in too much cream can have a dismal impact on the overall taste and mouthfeel. In fact, your sweet creation may end up reminding you of a savory spread.

As tempting as it might be to add an extra splash of coffee creamer for a boost of flavor, contain yourself. "This is wrong because the ice cream machine will begin to churn flakes of butter into the ice cream and give the finished product an oily mouthfeel that coats your teeth in butter," Tyler Malek explains. "The reality is the ice cream base recipe should never exceed 17% butterfat to ensure you get the most unctuous ice cream without overdoing it." If you don't trust your hand to deliver a steady pour, heed Malek's warning and bring in the measuring cups for added reinforcement and culinary restraint.

Keep a controlled hand when it comes to adding cream, and you won't be left with a disappointing batch once your hard work has solidified and is ready to serve. Then, you can confidently scoop egg nog ice cream and fill pretty parfait dishes to serve an ultimate sundae without having to worry about offending dinner guests with a repulsive dish of cold, buttery cream.