Making homemade ice cream

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Radio interview source: Lynn Blanchard, director, Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen

I have a homemade ice cream machine that gets a good workout in the summertime. My favorite flavors are raspberry and strawberry using fresh fruit from Dad's fields.

A good homemade ice cream is made with whole milk and half-and-half. It's possible to use fat-free milk, but it will turn out rather grainy and not as rich. The more butterfat you have, the creamier it will be.

Ice cream recipes can be either cooked or not cooked. Lynn Blanchard is the director of the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen and says both are good. Cooked recipes usually have eggs in them, so the mixture consistency is like custard.

"A lot of times they're a creamier ice cream, since the eggs and the fat add an extra richness," Blanchard says. "If you are going to have a cooked ice cream mixture, it's best to chill it overnight before you put it into your ice cream freezer. Just because the colder the mixture is from the start, it will set up better in your ice cream freezer."

If your recipe has eggs in it but requires no cooking, find another recipe! Raw eggs can make you sick.