The 2 Best Ways To Make Ice Cream At Home Without A Proper Machine

When a sudden craving for ice cream strikes and you know you don't have an ice cream maker at home, is it possible to get creative without having to rush to the store? We consulted Tyler Malek, the co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw to see if it is possible to put homemade ice cream recipes together sans machine. "To be honest, the churning process in an ice cream maker is very unique and truly impossible to mimic," he said. "Basically an ice cream machine churns the perfect ice crystal ratios to ensure the ice cream will be scoopable on the spoon and velvety on the tongue even after sitting back in the freezer for a couple of days." Disappointing news, but not all hope is lost. 

Malek gives us two options that can get a cold sweet treat into our hands pronto. "If you just want to make something to serve immediately in a more 'soft serve' texture, the Ninja CREAMi is a great option," he says, "or you can even freeze the ice cream base in a thin sheet in a pan and then blend it in a nice blender." While both of these choices have some limitations when it comes to the texture of your frozen dish, either approach can result in a satisfactory option when you have ice cream on the mind. 

Should you decide to whip out the Ninja CREAMi or start blending a frozen ice cream base, Tyler Malek suggests eating the ice cream as quickly as possible once the recipe is made. "You'll get an easy to eat texture in the moment," he explains. Though both of these recommended techniques might be subpar when compared to ice cream made in an actual ice cream maker, sometimes a sweet treat is all you need to make it through the day. And, let's face it, once you have peanut butter ice cream in mind, it can be difficult to divert your thoughts.

With a bit more planning, you can consider making no-churn ice cream and stashing it in your freezer in anticipation of moments when your sweet tooth becomes loud, but these kinds of recipes are best when frozen for several hours in advance. However you decide to make your cold dish, break out some of your favorite toppings and enjoy the sweet rewards of your culinary resourcefulness.