ICE CREAM
{IN A BAG!}
Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. sugar (superfine)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups ice cubes
6 Tbsp rock salt
Equipment:
1 zipper-type sandwich bag
1 zipper-type freezer bag (one gallon size)
1 dish towel
SORRY! NO PHOTOS TODAY.
- pour the cream into the sandwich bag
-add sugar & vanilla
-seal bag carefully (test to be sure it's closed)
-place that bag into the larger bag
-add ice and rock salt
-shake, rock, roll, and squeeze the bag for 5 minutes
-use a towel if it gets too cold to hold
-the ice will almost completely melt, and the inner bag contents will have hardened like butter
-remove inner bag, dip in cold water quickly to remove salty brine
-dry off bag
- add chocolate chips, berries, nuts or any flavoring you like
AND NOW, FOR THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS RECIPE:
Ice has to absorb energy in order to melt, changing the phase of water from a solid to a liquid. When you use ice to cool the ingredients for ice cream, the energy is absorbed from the ingredients and from the outside environment (like your hands, if you are holding the baggie of ice!). When you add salt to the ice, it lowers the freezing point of the ice, so even more energy has to be absorbed from the environment in order for the ice to melt. This makes the ice colder than it was before, which is how your ice cream freezes. Ideally, you would make your ice cream using 'ice cream salt', which is just salt sold as large crystals instead of the small crystals you see in table salt. The larger crystals take more time to dissolve in the water around the ice, which allows for even cooling of the ice cream.
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
SEE YOU IN THE FALL.
