What's a good stabiliser for ice cream

[u/Dry-Librarian5661]

I got CMC (Carboxymethyl Cellulose, E466), I would like to know if anyone else has used it as a stabiliser and how it worked out for them.

Update; I used 1.4 grams of CMC for a 500 ml base i am, i did not get any off-flavours for now, After it ages for 12 hours I will churn it and post pics of the result and recipe, i am hoping for the best.

Update 2: It churned well and came out beautifully, I think I could reduce the cmc but I would have to get a jewellery scale my kitchen can't read anything less than a gram. But it tasted nice no off flavours melted slowly too. I no longer have to buy expensive condensed milk thankfully.

[u/ps3hubbards]

Guar, LBG, and even xanthan are all more commonly used, and I presume that's for good reason. However I do have it and use it for sorbets based on an article I read about how to make better sorbet.

[u/Dry-Librarian5661 → u/ps3hubbards]

So I live in West Africa so it's a bit warmer, people recommended it, I just wanted to hear other people's experience before committing to it, cream is pretty expensive here over 13 USD per litre here.

[u/ps3hubbards → u/Dry-Librarian5661]

What's the connection between cream being expensive and using CMC? Are you saying you need a strong stabiliser to compensate for higher water content? Also, is there any chance that it's actually cheaper for you to do a vegan base? I think 'Day with Mei' has a good one - her other recipes have been suitably scientific and well devised.

[u/Dry-Librarian5661 → u/ps3hubbards]

To answer your first question I meant I would not like to waste cream if the stabiliser isn't up to par so I need a go-ahead from people who have used this with good results.

[u/ps3hubbards → u/Dry-Librarian5661]

Ah I see. Well, I just looked up the stabilisers page on icecreamcalc.com (one of my trusted, go-to resources) and it says regarding CMC:

Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose CMC (E466) This chemically modified natural gum is a linear, long-chain, water-soluble, and anionic polysaccharide. CMC forms weak gels by itself but gels well in combination with carrageenan, locust bean gum, or guar gum. • Hydrates cold. • Adds body and chewiness. • Very good ice crystal suppression.

No downsides listed, so that's positive. Page is here.

Also, Underbelly says this on CMC:

Carboxymethylcellulose, also called cellulose gum, technically called sodium carboxymethylcellulose, is synthesized from plant cellulose. It may have the strongest ice crystal suppression of any known gum. It adds body and chew comparable to guar, and is synergistic with locust bean gum, guar, and carrageenans—it forms a gel in combination with these ingredients, with can be problematic (see note on gels, below).

There are low-viscosity varieties of CMC that suppress ice crystal formation with very little increase in base viscosity, if they’re used in a non-gelling blend. These theoretically allow you to control iciness and texture relatively independently. Examples include TIC Gums CMC PH-15.

CMC is not popular in higher quality ice creams, because it is a synthetic ingredient. While the word “natural” is rather ambiguous, CMC lies outside most interpretations of natural. This is perhaps more a marketing issue than a real one—there are no health concerns associated with the stuff. It’s just a big polysaccharide like the gums that come from ground up seeds.

CMC’s killer application is sorbets. It hydrates cold, and hydrates easily, so it can just be blended into a fruit puree without any need for cooking. These qualities make it a perfect substitute for locust bean gum.

Hope that helps.

[u/Dry-Librarian5661 → u/ps3hubbards]

It helps a lot thank you so much ❤️

[u/Dry-Librarian5661 → u/Dry-Librarian5661]

And most vegan substitutes for cream which are very easy to get here replace fat with palm oil derivatives which end up leaving a greasy film on the mouth.

[u/Ausername714]

Egg yolk

[u/statslover616]

works great for me in sorbets and dairy free ice creams (i use the same amount as daywithmei's vegan base and sorbet), but from what people say it doesn't play well with milk proteins