Even though it's been warm and sunny for a while, and you've probably been out of school for weeks, today is officially the first day of summer. What better way to celebrate than by making some homemade ice cream? It's really easy and really fun!
You can buy fancy ice cream maker balls at the store or online, but you don't really need them. A coffee can and a ziploc bag will work just fine. Keep reading for the recipe from Steve Spangler Science.
- Fill the coffee can or large plastic jar half full with crushed ice.
- Add about 6 tablespoons of salt to the ice. Seal the container and mix for a few minutes by rolling the container back and forth on the floor. Hey, you might even have to wear gloves! Why? Measure the temperature of the mixture with a thermometer. The salt and ice mixture gets down to about 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C)!
3. Use the quart size zipper-lock bag to mix the following ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of half & half cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4. Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking.
5. Place the bag inside the coffee can with the ice mixture and seal and place the lid on tightly. Here comes the fun part... find someone who will roll the can back and forth on the floor with you. Only the people who help get to enjoy the ice cream! Roll it everywhere... on the floor, over the bed, under the table, on top of Uncle Bill... just keep rolling it. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream. You might need to check on your ice cream concoction after 5 minutes to see if it's frozen. If not, keep rolling.
6. Remove the bag from the can and rinse it well with water. You don't want any salt water accidentally getting into your ice cream.
7. Use your spoon to eat the ice cream right out of the bag!
Filed under: Science
Tags: homemade ice cream, ice cream, science, Steve Spangler, Steve Spangler Science, summer
Love this method. We've done it with just a ziplock bag inside of another bag with similar ingredients plus strawberries. Delicious!