Storing Your Ice Cream

■For best results, chill nuts, fruits, alcohol, and garnishes before adding to the frozen treat. Generally these products are added at the end of the freeze cycle.

■For pre-cooked recipes, make the mixture one day before. This will allow it to cool completely and increase in volume. Chilling recipes will produce better results.

■Recipes that do not require cooking are best made with an electric mixer to increase the mixture’s volume.

■Cream, sugar, eggs, and milk are the most common ingredients in ice cream. Substitutions with similar ingredients may be used depending upon your preference. For example, any type of cream can be used, however, there will be a difference in color, texture and flavor. The richer the cream you use, the richer the results. Heavy cream contains about 36% fat, which is the richest. Whipping cream, coffee (light) cream and half-and-half contain approximately 30%, 18%, and 10% fat respectively.

■4 oz. of egg substitute is equivalent to two eggs.

■When using or adding eggs or egg substitute in any of our recipes, we recommend heating/cooking the recipe mixture.

■Artificial sweeteners can be used in place of sugar; however, they should be added when the mixture is cool, at most, room temperature. If sugar is dissolved by heat in a recipe, omit this process when using a sugar substitute. Instead, add sweetener into the mixture until it is thoroughly dissolved.

■Adding one small egg white will volumize most mixes.

■If a recipe calls for alcohol, add it last, about one to three minutes before the end of the freezing process. Otherwise, the alcohol may stop the freezing process.

■The taste of sorbets is largely affected by the ripeness and sweetness of fruit or juice. For tart fruit, add sugar or omit sugar if fruit is very ripe. Once frozen, the sorbet or other frozen desserts will taste less sweet than the mixture.

■Long -term storage of homemade ice cream in the freezer should be done in airtight freezer-safe containers.

■Ice cream and other frozen dessert mixtures stay fresh in the refrigerator for several days. However, they should be mixed well minutes before being added to the container.

■Mixture will increase in volume during the freezing process; therefore, pour no more than 4 cups mixture into the bowl.

■When the ice cream is ready, it can be kept in the ice cream maker for 10-20 minutes with the paddle motor off.

■You can store ice cream in the freezer for a limited amount of time. Keeping it too long reduces its flavor and quality. Store ice cream in a well-sealed freezer container at a minimum temperature of 12°F.