Texans, an ice cream recipe I am going to try tomorrow

[Ridgetop]

So I bought Blue Bunny instead of Blue Bell. That is a relief, because I really didn't want to offend you by asking why you would waste your time trying to recreate Blue Bunny ice cream. It was ok - cold and sweet - but there are a lot better ice creams out there.
I guess the thrill of tasting Blue Bell ice cream is still on my bucket list! Next time I come to Texas . . . .

 

[Baymule]

My favorite Blue Bell is Pralines and Cream. My other favorite is Moo-llennium Crunch. And another favorite is Mint Chocolate Chip. Coffee flavor is another high ranking favorite. Home made vanilla is in a class of it's own and is my favorite. Dutch Chocolate is my favorite.

Basically any Blue Bell is my favorite. Touring the creamery should be on everyone's bucket list.

https://www.ranker.com/list/best-blue-bell-ice-cream-flavors/ranker-food

 

[greybeard]

I am not overly fond of flavored ice creams other than vanilla, but I do have to confess Blue Bell's Blackberry Cobbler is something wonderful.

At the mamachallenge website, there was some discussion whether making ice cream with uncooked eggs was safe or not. Maybe it is, maybe it is not, but I used them...uncooked. Actually, I used egg yolks as I have always heard that the greatest risk from egg borne salmonella comes from the white of the egg, specifically the albumin and chalazea.
I have posted the following comment at the website that has the copycat recipe..it is awaiting moderator approval.


Regarding the eggs and whether to cook them or not, and whether Blue Bell cooks theirs:

Blue Bell does not list eggs as an ingredient in their home made vanilla ice cream., and I would think if they did use an egg product they would list it as so many people have allergy to eggs. We use eggs in our ice cream to give it some solids, to bind it together and as a thickener, Blue Bell and other ice cream makers use vegetable gums to do the same thing , to give it stability, retard ice formation, and act as a preservative of sorts.
Carob gum for instance, which is also sweet..it is another name for locust bean gum.
The other predominant gum Blue Bell uses is Guar Gum. It has thickening properties far surpassing other thickening agents such as corn starch and it is what give Blue Bell Home Made vanilla it’s creamy and not icy consistency.
From Wiki:
“Guar gum retards ice crystal growth nonspecifically by slowing mass transfer across the solid/liquid interface. It shows good stability during freeze-thaw cycles. It is therefore used in egg free ice cream. Guar gum has synergistic effects with locust bean gum and sodium alginate. May be synergistic with xanthan: together with xanthan gum, it produces a thicker product (0.5% guar gum / 0.35% xanthan gum), which is used in applications such as soups, which do not require clear results.”

As a native Texan, I am a life long ardent fan of BB home made vanilla…I’m closer to 69 than 68 years old so I have eaten a LOT of it. I did survive the Great Blue Bell Ice Cream Famine of 2015, but barely.
I have now tried this recipe on July 4 2018. Thank you so much for posting the recipe!!! It is very close but still not quite Blue Bell and I do not mean that in a critical fashion. It is the closest I have seen. It will need a little tweaking.., some salt, perhaps a bit more vanilla as well. Mine did seem a lot more icy than Blue Bell, probably because the absence of the veg gums. I did use egg yolks, uncooked. Since I was making 6 qts, I increased each of the ingredients by 1/3.

I did have to temper the ice cream in my freezer after it got hard to turn. 35-40 minutes tho I do believe had I just removed the dasher, covered the churn with a rolled towel, and left the can in the icy brine. it would have firmed up nicely as well.

I will be buying a smaller churn soon, to try out different variations of this recipe. 6 qts is too much to make for a failed attempt.

I am not happy with the 6 qt churn I have either. It was a gift from one of my sisters, in 2016 I believe, from TSC and I've only used it a few times. The same churn is sold by several different stores under slightly different names.
It is an Amerihome ICM6T churn, which came with both a hand crank and an electric motor. In both cases, once the ice cream started firming up, the plastic gear on the can lid began slipping in it's mating gear on the turning apparatus. A CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK noise it would make, then begin turning for a few seconds more, before the can stopped turning and the CLACKING began again..
It's not a rare anomaly according to the Amazon reviews for this appliance.
https://www.amazon.com/AMERIHOME-ICM6C-6-Quart-Fashion-Cream/dp/B000RY15JE#customerReviews

I have determined that one ( or both) things are evident. The gears are too loose..too much backlash or slack between the male gear and the female gear. But the major problem is the gear on the can lid only goes up into it's mating gear on the power unit about 1/4 inch. I can, with the unit all assembled in the bucket, pick the can up another 1/4"-3/8" giving the gears more area of mesh.

The fix, is to fashion a plastic spacer the same size and shape as the little hub in the bottom of the wooden bucket, remove the 2 screws from the bucket and place the spacer under the oem hub that the bottom of the can sets in. You will need to get 2 new screws, preferably stainless steel, as the original screws won't be long enough to go thru the now thicker hub and spacer and still hold it in place.

 

[greybeard]

An addendum..
Before someone chides me about whether these vegetable gums are healthy for me..save your breath. Honestly...I don't really care.
People tell me all the time I don't live or eat as healthy as I should and that I won't out live them and my usual and accurate reply is "I already have".

 

[Ridgetop]

Why would you want to make a smaller amount of ice cream? Is there only one of you to eat it? Like I said, why make less?! LOL

I usually cook my ice cream base, not boiling or very long, it helps to thicken it. Then I cool it down before putting it in the ice cream freezer. I usually make the base the day before we are going to freeze it. It doesn't seem to get ice crystals.

 

[greybeard]

Why would you want to make a smaller amount of ice cream? Is there only one of you to eat it? Like I said, why make less?! LOL

I usually cook my ice cream base, not boiling or very long, it helps to thicken it. Then I cool it down before putting it in the ice cream freezer. I usually make the base the day before we are going to freeze it. It doesn't seem to get ice crystals.

For vanilla, yes, just me. My youngest child is 39, the oldest is 45 and 3 of the 4 live out of state and all their kids are teenagers now so there aren't a bunch of linoleum lizards running around here, and the rest of my family is the same...we're all old folks. My wife does not eat vanilla ice cream.
Blue Bell Home Made vanilla goes on sale all the time for about $5/half gallon so it's not like I can't just go down and get the best vanilla ice cream in the world..the point is to be able to duplicate that at home. I don't want to make up a full 1 1/2 gallons and it not be what I seek, tho the biggest expense to making ice cream is usually the ice. I do at times add real strawberries or peaches to vanilla but that's usually the extent of flavored ice cream for me.
If someone wants chocolate, they better bring their own or bring some choc syrup topping.

I have in the past cooked my mixture, but don't really see the need.
Blue Bell does not cook theirs...I've been to their plant in Brenham several times. (was disappointed they only gave out a tiny little cup at the end of the tour)

 

[Mini Horses]

Basically any Blue Bell is my favorite. Touring the creamery should be on everyone's bucket list.

I've been to Brenham a few times in years past and never to BB. So I missed the tiny portion.

BUT...….way back then I also went to Coors while out West and they give you a full glass after their tour.

Just sayin....

Since I had no other ice cream in the house and the discussion made me want some -- I ate a Snickers ice cream bar just now. It was tasty. Not a luscious homemade vanilla but, cold with caramel, nuts and hard chocolate coating. Yeah, I liked it all! Like you, don't care if it was good for me or not.

 

[Ridgetop]

I believe that Caffeine, Coffee and anything with Calories are food groups! Healthy is good, but you have to enjoy sometimes!

 

[Baymule]

Ice cream has milk and cream in it. Dairy food group.
Sugar comes from sugar beets. Vegetable food group.
Vanilla comes from vanilla beans. Vegetable food group.

What is unhealthy about vegetables and dairy?

 

[Ridgetop]

Ice cream is one of those complete food groups - like milk and potatoes, and corn, beans and squash!
It's a perfect food!