How to Turn Ice Milk Into Ice Cream

Add just a few ingredients to a frozen bag for homemade ice cream.

It happens to everyone. You're settling in for movie night or lounging on your porch of a summer evening, and the craving hits. You want ice cream. You want it now, but you don't want to run to the store.

Even if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can turn milk into ice cream with a few simple kitchen supplies. Not only is the method fun for you and the kids, the results are healthier than commercial varieties.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups milk: whole, 2 percent or 1 percent (not skim)
• 5 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 4 ounces evaporated milk
• Heaping ½ cup kosher salt
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons flavoring extract: vanilla, root beer, orange, cherry, etc.
• Food coloring (optional)
• Bowls
• Wooden spoon
• 1 gallon plastic freezer bags
• 3 cups ice

Instructions

1. Mix all three kinds of milk, a pinch of salt, your chosen flavoring and about 10 drops of food coloring in a small bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and the color is evenly distributed.

2. Pour the ice cream mixture into a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag. The mixture will not fill the entire bag. Gently squeeze the air from the bag and seal it firmly.

3. Slip the bag filled with ice cream mix into a second gallon bag. Fill the second gallon bag with about 3 cups of ice and ½ cup of kosher salt. Seal the second bag securely.

4. Squish, mash, manipulate and crush the bags in your hands for at least 10 minutes. If you can manage up to 15 minutes, go for it. The more you mash, the more solid your ice cream will become. This manipulation freezes the ice cream while making it soft and tasty.

5. Open the first bag and remove the second. Scoop the ice cream out of the second bag into a bowl and enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• Replace the flavoring and food coloring with chocolate syrup for chocolate ice cream.

• If the bag becomes too cold, slip it inside a canvas bag or wrap it in few towels. You can also pass it in a circle with your family, making your ice cream part of a game.

References

• The Kitchn: How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
• All Recipes: Vanilla Ice Cream III