Have you tried incorporating herbs (like basil with strawberries)? Or you do not like that kind of things?

Yes, I have, and this is a bad idea (strawberry + mint). The problem is that the herbs become harder than the ice cream, creating an unpleasant sensation in the mouth. I had a similar issue with a toffee ice cream where I tried incorporating small cubes, but they became too hard when frozen.

One possible solution could be to candy the herbs (though it’s a lot of work) or to soften the toffee by turning it into a kind of cream, freezing it separately, and then folding it into the ice cream at the last moment. This challenge is addressed in the article,

>We need to add sugar to the fruit to make sure it is softer than the ice cream itself – you don’t want to bite into ice cream and find a hard, frozen berry.

and considering you almost never see artisanal ice creams with chunks (unlike industrial ones like Ben & Jerry’s, for example), this is where culinary engineering becomes essential I guess.

Perhaps if you grind the herbs very finely they'll disperse better in the ice cream

Indeed this is what I do with lemon zests. I put them in a blender with the juice for 10 minutes at maximum power (as a result, the mixture must become hot). Add two egg whites beaten into stiff peaks for 3/4L, and you'll get the softest, tastiest lemon ice cream you've ever eaten.

If one is too lazy to infuse, it’s nice to add homemade caramel or compote. Snacks like Lotus biscuits are excellent too.

Or infuse them in the milk/cream and then strain out?

If you don't care about having the bits for texture and only care about the taste you could infuse the cream. Heat the cream (stop before boiling of course), add the bits, let it rest for a while and then sieve it. I will add some time but it should work.

I'm also not a fan of ice cream with solid stuff. If you can't lick it pleasurably, it's not really ice cream in my book.

I would blend the herbs in rum, then strain and use the rum with simple syrup.

Similar to this: https://www.seriouseats.com/dave-arnolds-thai-basil-daiquiri...

>The problem is that the herbs become harder than the ice cream, creating an unpleasant sensation in the mouth.

The obvious solution to this is to make an syrup infusion and use that instead of sugar or as a topper.

I make herb and floral syrup all the time. I do 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, handful of herbs. Heat and simmer for around 10 minutes. Strain.

I see what you mean about the herbs and the texture issue...

Thank you very much for this! I remember eating a very "cheap" icecream as a kid, that was more "ice" or "frozen" than the creamy (expensive) goop I find everywhere these days. I think it's down to a combination of less creaminess, and more crystallization (to follow your list). But this kind of concise guide or explanation really let's me try to recreate that texture, as I don't think it's something that anyone would "sell" traditionally.

The ice-cream was "cheap" I think because it was made in a "failing" country that still had a relatively functioning dairy and manufacturing chain, so they were doing their best to still make icecream whilst dealing with the loss of key ingredients and dwindling margins stemming from the economic situation.

that would be a sorbet?

Might be? But I've only ever had fruity or flavored sorbets. So maybe I just need to find one that's leaning more on the plain/traditional ice cream flavors like vanilla and chocolate.

The worst offender is when the ice-cream feels "airy". Icy is nice for fruity bases, while not great for creams.

Airy ice cream is also lighter. Beware pints that weigh less than expected. At a minimum, it indicates a ton of air whipped into the mix. But it's also a decent proxy for low-quality ingredients or garbage fillers.

In the grocery store / mass market context, it's hard to do much better than Häagen-Dazs. Just be aware that their "pints" are now only 88% of a pint (this baffles me -- are the ingredients really a meaningful contributor to total COGS?).

Well, for Haagen-Dazs, perhaps yes. It’s decent stuff because it’s mostly cream and eggs. Also, smaller packs are not just about COGS: you’ll probably buy more or buy again sooner.

I know this is a simplified version but sugar is not detailed enough (different types of sugar, like dextrose), also I see no mention of carob seeds, also very important to get a creamy texture.

Indeed, I tried glucose to get a sligthly smoother texture, but it's a bit hard to source and pricey. I take note of carob seeds.

The "ice cream parameter space" above was generated by ChatGPT and I've been interested in building a recipe website where that kind of representation would be generated and later improved by users. I think this could prove to be quite unique.

I think dextrose or also called "grape sugar" is very commonly used in Italy to get decrease the freezing point without feeling o overly sweet.

The sweetness intensity is different across different types of sugar.

kind of weird question is it cook? does one cook ice cream? always assumed cook implied fire or some sort of heat source

The cheap answer is "yes" -- see custard ice creams as an example.

Typically though, "cooking" requires heat, and most non-custard ice creams wouldn't be cooked. Even in the same phrase when talking about cooking other things, you'd say something like "I'm cooking steak and also making ice cream."

I'm sure some regions use the word differently, and adding a bit of ambiguous context might make on-the-fence regions more likely to use "cook" for cold-prepared dishes. E.g., if you talk about cooking dinner or cooking a meal and then list the things being prepared (one of which is ice cream), the verb "cook" is, in some sense, being applied to the ice cream. That ambiguity can color the verbs you subsequently choose when referring to just the ice cream.

oh cool to know always learning something new about English in my country we don't have ice cream but we have words that loosely translate to make or cook food but none of them feel ergnomic with ice cream

> does one cook ice cream?

Yes. Many recipes require heating of the ingredients.

Here is one example picked randomly: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ultimate-vanilla-ice-cre...

"Step 4: Return the pan to a low heat and cook, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, for 8-10 minutes, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon."

Yes, you typically cook the custard before freezing it.

You can also make ice cream what's called "Philadelphia-Style" which doesn't have eggs and requires no cooking before churning/freezing.

But the custard method is more typical.

Short of constantly stirring a pot full of the ice cream custard, do you have any solutions for getting the mixture up to temperature without scalding the milk/cream?

ChatGPT suggest an immersion heater. Maybe add a pump or a magnetic stirrer.

I received two downvotes for this comment, presumably because of the ChatGPT mention and the "weird" recommendation that triggered this knee-jerk anti-hype reaction.

https://gourmantissimes.com/creme-anglaise-sous-vide-inratab...

https://www.milord-sous-vide.com/categorie/cuisson-sous-vide...

GP could have asked how to guarantee an even sugar density when the sugar content of the fruits is unknown/subject to variation, and I would have replied: "ChatGPT recommends using a refractometer or an areometer". Pretty sure I'd have received the same reaction, even though this is the very first subject Escoffier talks about in his well-known Culinary Guide:

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65768837/f753.item

https://www.deco-relief.fr/fr/accueil/1518-refractometre-suc...

Was one of these supposed to be Lightness ↑ and the other ↓?