I've been looking into buying an ice cream maker and was wondering if they are worth the hassle. I'd really like to make my own frozen custard which I can only find in specialty shops and is pretty expensive. Will I save much money making it myself and will it come out as smooth as the store bought? Is frozen custard easy to screw up?

We make our own every Sunday. We use raw cream and raw cacao powder along with other quality ingredients. It is by far the best ice cream I have ever had. It makes other ice creams taste like frozen water.

It is not hard at all and is the best you will ever have.

I don't feel like it saves much money, but it is pretty darned good.

You won't save any money if your trying to make the Good stuff.

Ingredients like vanilla beans and heavy cream get pricy fairly quick but you can make great ice cream!

Make sure you have enough ice on hand

Production could never keep up with consumption here, so we opt for buying it.

Homemade ice cream blows store bought stuff out of the water. It isn't easy or cheaper but it is so much better. 

Its not cheaper, but what people fail to realize is that storebought ice cream tends to be about 50% air! Simple experiment: let store bought ice cream melt...... look at the difference. Use this ratio:

-12 Egg Yolks

-1 qt Heavy (or raw) cream

-1c sugar

-1 Vanilla bean, split and seeded (dont be cheap)

 

Put the cream, sugar and vanilla bean (including seeds) in a sauce pot. bring to boil and immediately remove from heat (you're essentially melting the sugar).

 

Next, beat your egg yolks in a bowl, and slowly ladle the hot cream mixture into the yolks while CONSTANTLY whisking the yolks. The goal here is to temper, or slowly raise the tempurature of, the egg yolks. If you do this too fast, theyll curcle and youre SOL. Once the yolk mixture is hot, add all of the liquid.

 

Wait for this to cool. And there you have it; ice cream base. You can also use milk, just use more yolks. You can ALSO make Creme Brulee with this, french toast, bread pudding.

 

I used to be a chef, so it should work. Enjoy!

I have a kitchen aid mixer and been thinking of getting an ice cream making attachment.

Since I have a farmall cub with the PTO I've seen ice cream made using that to drive the churn too. It's awesome watching the tractor making it I seen the video. Collecting IH tractors is my other hobby.

If you search for,farmall making ice cream on you tube it will come up.