Homemade Ice Cream

I have been wanting to get an ice cream maker for years now. I don’t know why it has taken me so long. I guess I thought I would eat more ice cream if I had one. Who was I kidding? I still eat ice cream without one. At least if I had one I could control what ingredients I would put in the ice cream — could even make it healthier? What a concept.

So I was walking around a large store looking for some more items for my daughter’s birthday party when my eye caught sight of an ice cream maker. It was a “gel” ice cream maker and looked quite efficient. I figured since the only ice cream maker I was familiar with was my dad’s old noisy one that this one would be much quieter and faster. I read over the box and noticed that this ice maker didn’t need rock salt–a nice perk. I mean, who wants to keep a supply of rock salt on hand? I looked over it and put it in my cart and started rolling down the aisle.

As I turned around the corner I noticed a whole stand of ice cream makers. These were the old-fashioned ones that used rock salt and made that churning sound. My mind immediately went back to when I was a little girl waiting for my dad’s ice cream to be ready. I can still hear the sound of the rock salt being poured into the machine, and taste that incredible smooth, cold ice cream going down my throat. I looked at the price and read the box. Then I put the gel one back on the shelf and put the old-fashioned ice cream maker in my cart and grabbed some bags of rock salt. How could I make “real” homemade ice cream without those familiar noises? I realized I needed an ice cream maker more like my dad’s. I couldn’t watch my dad make his ice cream anymore, but at least with this one I could remember those times I did have with him.