Ice Cream Ingredient Primer

In a recipe as simple as ice cream, each ingredient counts. Learn exactly how each one helps achieve your best batch.

Ice Cream Ingredient Primer

Ice cream doesn't require many ingredients, so each one counts. Here's how each affects the final quality of your batch.

 

    Cream: Traps and holds air in ice cream. Higher fat content limits ice-crystal size and creates smoother texture.
 
    Half-and-half: Lightens the texture, calories, and fat content when used in place of cream.
 
    Milk: Creates lighter ice cream than cream alone while keeping ice crystals small for a creamier mouthfeel.
 
    Egg yolk: Binds dairy products with other ingredients for a smoother ice cream that stores longer without tasting gritty.
 
    Air: Keeps ice cream from freezing as a solid block when whipped into ice cream base during churning.

Tags: storage, dairy

Product Recommendations

Interested in cooking? Need some supplies?

Check out some of the tools we like. All products featured on Cuisine at Home are independently selected by our editors; we may earn an affiliate commission from qualifying purchases through our links.