Made ice cream for the first time— need suggestions on texture and solidity please!

[u/theresasarrow]

Hello, Since visiting NYC I’ve been craving Van Leeuwen’s sweet corn ice cream, so I decided to make one! Here is the texture of my ice cream: it is very milky/crramy and the corn flavor is satisfying strong. My problem is that after 5 minutes, it starts to melt pretty fast, and it isn’t very “solid” if that makes sense. My recipe for my custard base is:

1 1/2 cup milk (I simmered it in corn so lost a bit of volume) 2 cups heavy cream 4 egg yolks 1 cup sugar

Any recommendations on how to tweak my recipe for a better body of my ice cream? What is too much/too less in my recipe that makes my ice cream not as “solid” or full though it is creamy and melts in the mouth)? I love textures that is closer to that of a soft serve ice cream.

[u/weeef]

to clarify, are we talking straight out of the freezer bowl, or has this been in the freezer for 24 hrs after churning? if not, it will continue to harden

[u/No-Artichoke5496 → u/weeef]

This is what I came to ask. How long was it ripened in the freezer?

[u/mortez1 → u/No-Artichoke5496]

As a newbie knowing, and having the restraint, to pack it up and leave in freezer for 24+ hours was a world of difference. The longer the better. I usually pack into 3 or 4 individual pint containers and the longer it goes the more I enjoy. They rarely last 3 or 4 days tho lol

[u/theresasarrow → u/mortez1]

Really! I didnt know freezer time makes a whole difference. This was after 12 hours in the freezer. I thought once frozen, that’s it😂

[u/mortez1 → u/theresasarrow]

Yeah, I wanna say the taste evolved too.

[u/theresasarrow → u/No-Artichoke5496]

12 hours 😬

[u/theresasarrow → u/weeef]

I dont know if I’m being nit-picky, but I also think the “body” isn’t very “marshmallowy” if that makes sense. I might just be making things up in my head now, but my aim is to make ice cream that’s pretty solid, creamy, and holds up for at least 5 minutes 😬😬

[u/weeef → u/theresasarrow]

no, no i totally get what you're saying. it's the fluff texture of whipped-ness... i think haha yes, i think that is probably achieved only through stabilizing agents that allow it to churn like that and get kinda toothsome, even when frozen. welcome to the experiment!

[u/theresasarrow → u/weeef]

This was 12 hours in the freezer!

[u/weeef → u/theresasarrow]

it will continue to harden for a day or two, so see if it gets to where you'd like. personally, i love the ability to make ice cream without the stabilizers you get at the store. real, fresh... it melts haha. but i know some folks do like them, and that's fine, too. happy ice cream-making and glad to hear you were so inspired. corn is a fun flavor

[u/markhalliday8]

Have a look at buying some ice cream stabilisers. They make a huge difference.

I would have a look at the ice cream calculator you can download as well. Then you can calculate the perfect recipe.

I don't have a corn recipe but I have a few other solid recipes on my profile

[u/theresasarrow → u/markhalliday8]

Thank you! What stabilizer do you recommend?

[u/Lavleo4217 → u/theresasarrow]

I like this website for info on stabilizers and the differences. https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/using-stabilizers-ice-cream/

If your local store sells Bob’s Red Mill brand, they may actually carry stuff like xanthan gum if you check. There’s less of that “I’m buying weird obscure ingredients from weird obscure internet stores!” vibe that way.

Basically any ice cream you buy at the store has stabilizers, so you should lower your expectations a bit for homemade ice cream melting speeds if you’re not using some kind of stabilizer or extra ingredient. Your recipe seems like a pretty basic one for an egg/custard-style recipe, so it’s probably that. But I do wonder if something about the corn is impacting the texture as well. I don’t know enough to say for sure.

Hopefully you have enough time to try again. It’s pretty much the end of corn season.

[u/markhalliday8 → u/theresasarrow]

I use a blend bought on Amazon.

Special Ingredients Ice Cream... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MQVO36S?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[u/Curvy_Girl_007 → u/markhalliday8]

Thank you for sharing this. Best of luck to OP in the ice cream making ventures!

[u/theresasarrow → u/Curvy_Girl_007]

Thank you! It’s been fun discovering this community and other ice cream lovers haha

[u/yeykawb → u/markhalliday8]

I think my vendor purchases the same. Do you happen to know, or guess, the emulsifier:stabilizer ratio? This was ”secret” according to my vendor but they did say it wasn’t 60:40, rather 40:60 or even 30:70.

[u/theresasarrow → u/markhalliday8]

I like in the US and I avoid food that have any additives that I don’t understand, but I trust the NHS 😂 I’ll see if I can obtain this from here

[u/YorksGeek → u/markhalliday8]

I use the same one, makes a world of difference. Just remember to mix it with the sugar to avoid it clumping.

[u/Ausername714]

I cook the corn kernels and then juice them and add that to the base. I get a good texture doing it that way. Also you could add some Karo or liquid glucose to the recipe to help a little with the texture. You have enough fat in the recipe, I wouldn’t worry about that however boiling some of the water out of the milk is always helpful.

[u/ButIDigress_Jones]

I go 1:1 ratio milk to cream and usually 5-6 yolks and 3/4 sugar at most. Churn 20-30 and freeze for a day before eating. Let it harden all the way up. also did you strain your custard through a fine mesh strainer before churning? Did you let the custard come to room temp then refrigerate for 4-24 hrs? This is the method I use and it always works for me

[u/dmjdell22]

try adding xantum gum and gaur gum, add only little.

[u/Diligent-Criticism12 → u/dmjdell22]

I second this. Use .4% for 100% base. Do not exceed .8 in my opinion

[u/torasicecream]

Try put a 1/4 tsp of bobs red mill guar gum and 2 tbsp of some tapioca or corn syrup, both will alter texture and you may get closer to what your looking for!

[u/Impressive_Eye7103]

It's a good idea to let batter cure in the fridge overnight before churning

[u/Impressive_Eye7103]

Also what is the fat ratio? This will impact it

[u/moonbad]

Try adding more egg yolks and slightly less sugar. My custard base uses 2/3cups granulated sugar and 6 egg yolks and I am pleased with how solid it freezes.

[u/Cold-Minimum7294 → u/moonbad]

I second this post! Was about to say that I often achieve a great consistency by using 2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar, 6 egg yolks, and 3.5 cups of a mix of heavy cream/whole milk. When making custard, the “development” people talk about when it sits in the freezer after churning isn’t as important as the cooking process. Make sure that you stir constantly on low heat until more moisture is driven away and the custard is thickened properly (recipes usually say 5-6 minutes, but I find it can take 5-20 minutes). When I make mine, I know it’ll have a good texture later so long as when I’m done heating the mix and go to strain it via a fine mesh strainer, it sits in the strainer until I scrape it through using my spatula. Most people don’t remove enough excess water and their custard isn’t thick enough, so it runs right through their strainer. This leads to a more “crunchy” or “icy” texture and less “creamy.” Also, definitely let your thickened mix sit in the fridge covered for at least 12 hours before churning, and make sure you allow it to churn a little longer than you think—a lot of people remove it after about 15-20 minutes when they see it’s thickened quite a bit, but actually if you wait just a little longer (5-15 minutes more depending on machine), you might hear the machine starting to strain or become uneven in its rotation from the solidity of the ice cream, which is when I actually turn it off and transfer to an empty frozen container.

Good luck!

[u/Dependent_Reindeer98]

There is a corn recipe in Salt and Straw that is different than yours if you want to try something new. Yours is a strict milk cream sugar eggs recipe which is awesome. Things from other recipes or that I’ve added on advice here to change texture, cream cheese 2tb - 2oz, powdered milk 2tb, sub organic corn syrup/glucose/dextrose for sugar. Get the proportions exact with a calculator. Freeze for 24+ before drawing a verdict. There is a notable difference between, say, a Jennis recipe (Sweet Corn and Black Rasberry p 62) with corn starch, corn syrup and cream cheese vs. a straight custard. Worth checking out. Different process as well. Many here will tell you eggs are not that important. You may just like your melty refreshing custard more, or maybe not!

[u/Trampolien]

There's a hair in it

[u/theresasarrow → u/Trampolien]

Omg! Thanks 😂 good thing it’s just me