Different types of ice cream churns are available for home use, including electric, salt and electric rock salt and ice, freezer bowl, and compressor churns. Hand-held churns are nostalgic but tiring, while electric rock salt and ice machines require some work. Freezer bowl machines are popular and inexpensive, but require foresight. Compressor churns are fully automated but expensive.
Churns for ice cream are a necessary tool for preparing excellent homemade ice cream. There are many different types of ice cream churns available for home use, each with different pros and cons. Some of the more popular types of ice cream churns include electric, salt and electric rock salt and ice, freezer bowl, and compressor churns.
A hand-held ice cream churn is a nostalgic piece of kitchen equipment that can be more glamorous than practical. This type of churn uses a hand crank to turn a paddle or washer in the ice cream container, which is surrounded by a frozen layer of ice and rock salt. Hand churned ice cream can take 30-45 minutes and can be quite tiring. If you’re going to use one of these nostalgic ice cream churners, consider calling a few friends or family members to take turns cranking it.
An electric rock salt and ice machine helps eliminate the physical strain of starting it manually, but it can still take some work. These machines connect the washer to an electric churner, so the machine can be turned on to churn automatically. The sundae is surrounded by a second insulated sundae, into which layers of ice and rock salt must be added to freeze the mixture. The user may need to keep a close eye on the ice and salt, adding more as it begins to melt during churning. While an electric version of rock salt and ice may be a little easier on the arm muscles than a manual version, it does require a keen eye and some cleanup.
One of the most popular and inexpensive modern ice cream churners is the freezer bowl machine. For this appliance, the walls of the ice cream tub contain a gel mix that must be frozen overnight in a freezer before using. Once the bowl is frozen, the ice cream can be automatically removed from the oven and is ready in about 30 minutes. The downsides of this model include the foresight of freezing the bowl at least 12 hours before using the machine and the fact that the bowl will stay frozen long enough to make one batch of ice cream at a time. A good way to maximize the usefulness of this type of churn is to simply keep the bowl in the freezer at all times so it’s ready when needed.
Compressor ice cream makers are aimed at the serious ice cream maker and are usually much more expensive than the more common models. They include a fully automated freezing and taking out system, so that ice cream ingredients can be poured, frozen and taken out of the oven at will. While compressors offer the benefits of not having to plan ahead or stick to single-batch chucking, they are often large, heavy, and expensive. However, for those who are true ice cream enthusiasts, a compressor may be the best choice.
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