Customer Reviews

How to Make Ice Cream: An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide to Perfect Ice Cream, Gelato and Sauces (Cook's Illustrated How to Cook)

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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I've never been moved to write a review before, but after my first successful batch of ice-cream (following many miserable failures) - I decided that I must share my joy.

First of all, this is a lovely little hard bound book. It will take up a tiny space on your shelves - and, most importantly, it is easy to hold with one hand while you are fastidiously stirring custard with the other.

Texture had been a problem for me since I recieved my Cuisinart ice-cream maker for Christmas. I've had some batches that just wouldn't freeze - some with so much cream that they left a buttery film of fat on the spoon and one unfortunate creation that went directly from machine to garbage disposal. Believe it or not I was following recipes. But some are very general in describing how to know when something is done, like how thick a custard should be. It was actually very liberating to have the very specific and exact temperatures given by this book.

The introduction and Master Vanilla Recipe are priceless. As are the explanations of correct temperatures and proportions.

I have to admit that I've been egg phobic in my recipe hunting. So many recipes call for an obscene amount of eggs and the thought of six to eight eggs in a pint of ice cream gives me the heeby geebies. The authors have tested many milk/cream/egg/sugar proportions to come up with the best flavor and best texture. Early in the book they explain the purpose of egg yolks in ice cream to emulsify the dairy fat. This is especially important to home made ice cream since we won't be using chemical emulsifiers like commercial brands. What was helpful for me was the section on them trying different amounts of eggs to get the right texture - without that eggy taste.

There are also some very nice illlustrations of what the egg yolk and sugar mix should look like after beating them, and some handy tips like how to peel hazelnuts.

I highly recommend this book AND a digital candy/oil thermometer (I got mine from Williams Sonoma - but Amazon.com may have one too). I was literally stunned by the silky texture of my Hazelnut Gellato and how quickly it froze to 'soft-serve' texture - and the flavor! It was all I could do not to eat the entire batch right from the machine!

I discovered this little gem when I found that other ice cream cookbooks failed to provide specifics about the essential steps in making ice cream. For instance, many cookbooks recommend cooking a custard until it coats the back of a spoon, but when is that? Is it at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, or 180? This book spells it all out, and it does so with helpful illustrations.

It puts the Ben and Jerry's book to shame, both in terms of quality of product and with its no-nonsense practical recommendations. Nevertheless, the average cook may wish to plan in advance when preparing any of these recipes, as they are quite time-consuming.

Having used the book to prepare about five different kinds of ice cream so far, I can safely say I've had the most success with the simple chocolate ice cream recipe. On the other hand, while the pistachio ice cream turned out equally sumptuous and delicious, the quantity produced was closer to a pint than a quart.

Enjoy!

This is a small book (95 pages) that hits all the important points. It starts with the theory of Ice Cream, why do most recipes for home have eggs, why is it important to chill the mixture before putting it in an ice cream maker.

Most important: how hot must you heat the mixture (as measured with a thermometer, no ambiguous 'until done' instructions here), and how hot is TOO hot.

There aren't a lot of recipes here. A few examples and variations so you can understand the theory and techniques. So if you are looking for a collection of vast numbers of recipes (and you already know the theory and how to make ice cream) then this isn't for you. But if you are new to making ice cream and have yet to learn WHY the things the recipes call for are in there then this is for you.

A book to learn the theory from and apply it to all the recipes you find elsewhere.

I bought this little book recently and discovered that the Cook's Illustrated team has come up with, bar none, the best homemade ice cream recipe on Earth. The taste is so rich and creamy, you'll think you're eating at the world's best ice cream parlor, not in your own kitchen. Their recipe is far more time consuming than most (be sure you've got a fine mesh strainer, high quality heavy saucepan and digital thermometer on hand), but it's worth it to produce ice cream this good!

We've got a Simac Gelatio Magnum, which this book incidentally calls "The Rolls Royce" of home ice cream makers, and the ice cream we made with it in the past had been good, but not as rich or creamy as the store-bought stuff. But combine the Simac, or any other high quality maker, with this book and you'll have the best ice cream you ever tasted!

My only complaint is that there are no variations from the "Master Recipe" that provide for a lighter, or quicker version. The ice cream produced by this recipe is ultra-rich, and sometimes a more simple, cooling treat is what you're looking for. For that I recommend "Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Dessert Book" which contains a passable "sweet cream base" recipe that can be whipped up in less than five minutes.

If you make ice cream, and want to make better ice cream, get this book. It has some recipies (great recipies), but the difference is the HOW to make ice cream. Instead of vague instructions (bubbles around the edge of the pan?) it gives you exact temperatures. It tells you the difference between Ice Cream & Gelato, what makes the difference, and how to achieve it. And it tells you about the different types of ice cream makers, and how to get the best results no matter what type you own. It is a wealth of information, yet it imparts that information in clear, concise steps. By the way, if you buy this book, order an Instant Read Thermometer at the same time. I got the analog instant read thermometer from Amazon for about $7.00. You'll thank me.

This is the kind of book that teach you about how to make something. With only your imagination, you can make the ice cream flavor you want with the advices that you'll get here. I already make 4 batches (vanilla, not bad (maybe because I use extract rather than vanilla bean); chocolate, I'll use less sugar next time (but better than the commercial ice cream) and rum raisin (twice, the best yet, superb texture and flavor), but I'm improving reading the book time after time. Believe me, you don't need another book; here you will get the "why" needed.

Some advices from my experience:

1. Don't let the custard freeze after done; I found out that when churned, you will get tiny ice bits. Let the custard reach 40F and put it into the machine - Chill only.

2. You can help the machine put more air into the mixture if you stir it with a spoon (made of wood preferibly).

3. For those in my home country (maybe this apply for you also), I recommend to use the milk cream that comes in a UHT/brick container instead of the one that comes in an can; you will get a better color and texture.

I also followed some advices found here (like "start your machine and pour the custard in" and "buy an instant read thermometer") to get the ice cream that my family and I like. And with the pride of getting something good from your own hands.

The team at Cook's Illustrated has produced a gem of a book for anyone who loves ice cream. As a lover of all sorts of delectables coming from the kitchen I know that the smallest details sometimes make a big difference in the quality of the final product. In the pages of this book you will find clear, thoroughly detailed descriptions and illustrations of exactly how to concoct perfect batches of great ice cream. Have your spoons ready...

As Cook's Illustrated readers would expect, this book deconstructs ice cream making with every detail you could want. I'd get this book first, then get a book with a zillion recipes. You can use the techniques in this book to adapt and perfect recipes from any other source.

The team at Cook's Illustrated has produced a gem of a book for anyone who loves ice cream. As a lover of all sorts of delectables coming from the kitchen I know that the smallest details sometimes make a big difference in the quality of the final product. In the pages of this book you will find clear, thoroughly detailed descriptions and illustrations of exactly how to concoct perfect batches of great ice cream. Have your spoons ready...

I read all the favorable reviews of this book before my purchase. I wanted a tretise on some of the science around ice cream making, and being an advid Cooks Illustrated magazine reader, and owner of several of their books, I thought this would satisfy my needs. I am disappointed in the value. The book is now out of print I think, so the new price is $175 for a new book and $79 for a used book. I was surprised that the book is relatively light on the science (for cooks illustrated) and light overall on the amount of information. The book is tiny, which is not obvious in the advertisement/description, measuring only 5" x 7" and only 95 pages of half-page print. Reminds me of a little children's book. So not a lot of information/value here.

On content...disappointed here too (not up to a cooks illustrated standard). Authors automatically write-off Philadelphia style ice-cream (the coarser, grainier types of non-cooked ice creams), and focus only on custards (shame to dismiss such a large category when the book is titled "how to make ice-cream" not how to make custard ice cream. I wish they would simply give characteristics of food and processes instead of being so biased. They should know that food is a preference and teach pros/cons/characteristics vs. carving out a sole approach. Also, being a long-time maker of ice cream, using both new refrigeration models and old fashion bucket ice/salt models), I found some of cooks illustrated conclusions contrary to my experiences. I hope this review is helpful in saying the book just is over-priced for the content. Thank you.