by Jennifer Wagner

Created on: January 11, 2009   Last Updated: January 28, 2009

Some of my most cherished childhood memories are of making homemade ice cream with my Grandfather. We would sit on the back porch, a bag of rock salt between us, and listen to the churn of his hand cranked ice cream maker. My mouth would water in anticipation of the sweet, creamy goodness. There's nothing like a bowl of ice cream that you've made yourself. Sadly, people have forgotten the importance of creating those lasting family memories that I enjoyed as a girl.

Many people are simply intimidated at the idea of making ice cream from scratch. Sure, you will need to exert a little elbow grease to crank the ice cream maker, but other than that there's not much to it. With the promise of homemade ice cream, it shouldn't be too difficult to find helpers willing to take a turn at cranking the machine.

Obviously, a hand cranked ice cream maker is what I recommend. There are many varieties of electric machines available, but I've tried several and haven't had the same results. Hand cranked machines tend to be more durable, and much more effective at delivering a creamy consistency that freezes evenly. And with a hand crank machine, you rely solely on good old fashioned human power!

Here is the very same recipe my Grandparents used when preparing Vanilla ice cream for me.

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/8 teaspoon of salt

2 cans of evaporated milk (13 ounces each)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (not imitation)

6 eggs

You'll also need at least one bag of crushed ice and rock salt.

* Beat the first five ingredients with an electric mixer until light and foamy. Pour mixture into the churn, up to the fill line. Delicious variations of this recipe include adding fresh sliced strawberries, melted chocolate, ripe mashed banana, or crushed Bing cherries. My favorite, however, has always been plain Vanilla.

Once you put the churn inside the base, you'll need to begin alternating layers of ice and rock salt. Be sure to surround the entire churn with ice, rock salt, ice, rock salt, etc. Start cranking! The cranking process can take anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes, which is why it is good to have helpers. Take turns churning, and make sure that when the ice starts to melt around the base, that someone replaces it and continue the layering process. The rock salt is just as important as the ice, so don't consider omitting it. The rock salt works in lowering the melting temperature of the ice, which will create an ice bath around the churn.

It's hard to keep the ice cream machine still when you're cranking. I would recommend having one person hold it, or brace it with a foot while another cranks the handle. You'll know your ice cream is done when it becomes very difficult to crank the machine. Homemade ice cream is at it's best right after it's been made. That's because it's still soft and creamy. Once it has been frozen and taken on a hard consistency, it's just not as flavorful.

Aside from making delicious homemade ice cream, the memories that you'll make in the process are priceless. So for just one day, put away the cell phones and video games, and enjoy a little old fashioned fun. You wont regret it.

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