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My Experimental Journey

As a true Science geek, I delved into "experimental mode" by researching recipes online and using some good ole trial and error. Here's a log of my learnings: Updated: 11/11/2019

Trial 1: Chocolate Coconut Crunch (Coconut milk-based)
I tried going healthy for the first bout in search of a sugar-free, healthy alternative to my Salt and Straw addiction.

- cocoa powder
- coconut milk
- vanilla
- agave
- salt

- unsweetened coconut flakes

Taste: Awesome!!
Consistency: A little icy, but still yummy. More like a frozen hot chocolate consistency.
Storage: ROCK SOLID, hard to melt. The high water content in the coconut milk acted just like ice blocks in the freezer. Sad news.

*Got to find something more smooth and that will keep well in the freezer... It tastes AMAZING when it comes right out of the machine, but it doesn't freeze/thaw well. 
Turns out, the fat in cream and whole milk as well as sugar help to keep ice cream soft in the freezer. Eggs are said to make the base more light and creamy.



Dairy-free cookies and cream
Trial 2: Cookies and Cream (Lactaid milk, eggs)
- Lactaid milk
- eggs
- vanilla
- sugar
- salt

- Oreo Cookies

Taste: Amazing
Consistency: Smooth, creamy.
Storage: Hard, but thaws ok.

*You have to temper the eggs, meaning you warm up your liquids and slowly pour it into the eggs while whisking. It doesn't quite cook the eggs, but it increases the temperature a bit so you're less likely to get salmonella, lol. Doing this requires you to let the base cool back down before churning. Time-consuming.
*Don't add in your mix-ins too soon. If so, it will change the color/flavor of the base, and can prevent the ice cream from freezing right in the mixer. Adding oreos too early made it turn gray, haha.


Trial 3: Mint chip (Cream and Milk 1:1)
Mint chip (without the choco chips)
Made this to take to Spartan Allstars Camp at La Canada High School, my summer job. Co-workers were stoked.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Whole Milk
- vanilla
- sugar
- salt

- Chopped 74% chocolate chips

Taste: So good! Refreshing, light.
Consistency: Smooth, a little icy
Storage: Hard, but thaws ok.

*A 2:1 ratio of cream to milk gives a great consistency and allows the ice cream to freeze well!





Butter pecan
Trial 4: Butter Pecan (Cream and milk 2:1)
Made this one for my Papa's bday because it's his favorite ice cream!
- Heavy whipping cream
- Whole Milk
- vanilla
- sugar
- salt

- buttered pecans (chopped pecans pan fried in butter)

Taste: Very nice!
Consistency: Smooth, silky, creamy
Storage: Great! Takes 10-15min thawing on the counter before eating.

*Now I'm really getting the hang of this! It's nice not having to use eggs. Too much work, haha.



Trial 5: Rocky Road (Cream and milk 2:1)
Made this for a friend's dinner party; it was a hit!
- Heavy whipping cream
- Whole Milk
- vanilla
- sugar
- salt

- mini marshmallows
- toasted pecans (chopped)

Taste: Great!
Consistency: Smooth, silky, creamy
Storage: Okay, needs some thawing.

*Discovered the Chocolate Shell sauce at this point! See blog for details.
*Best thawing technique: Place in fridge for up to 1 hour before serving.



Trial 5: Salted Caramel (Introducing eggs!)
I wanted to get to the bottom of the big old question: How do you keep ice cream soft in the freezer? After talking with my sister-in-law, Erica, she told me to try the French style base, which is basically a custard. And so, I did and it came with miraculous results!
- 3 eggs. Temper with warmed milk/cream. Whisk, strain, chill, then make.

*Soft as soon as you take it out of the freezer!
*Tastes so silky, creamy, and thick. Very satisfying. My new go-to!


Conclusion:
And so, after accumulating all my findings, it turns out that all you need for good ice cream is:
- a good base with a 2:1 cream to milk ratio
- some form of sugar/fat (eggs) for best results for freezing
- add in mix ins just before the ice cream is done
- a creative mind and a store to buy your mix-ins

Other notes:
- eating it right out of the mixer is the best part
- a nice chocolate shell sauce on top
- Try ice cream with homemade cookies!!!
- when dealing with real fruit, cooking them in sugar makes it store best in freezer without freezing.

Welp, the great thing about all of this experimenting is that there was never a "bad" ice cream flavor. Happy churning! 

Dabbling in the Vegan/Dairy-Free Realm (Updated: 3/18/2020)
- As we switched to a Plant-based diet, I'm starting to use the Dairy-free base a lot more. I have tons of Coconut Cream and Coconut Milk stocked up (which is great for these days of #socialdistancing because of COVID-19). The products are all coming out very creamy and refreshing!
- Using Coconut sugar has been great! It does make the base a light brown color, but as long as you don't mind that, it tastes great.
- Storage and thawing: On Day 2, you can thaw the ice cream out in 15-20 minutes. After that, the ice cream tends to be more clumpy. You can try stirring it very well to try to smooth it out again. You can also microwave it for 20 seconds at a time, then stir well.
- The best Vegan flavors so far:
Choco-Covered Strawberry, Thin Mints, Cookies and Cream. Anything that 

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