Temperature, for one thing, is one of the most important parts of ice cream flavor, and the common temperature of most freezers is just too cold to allow all the subtle flavors to emerge. What we call ice cream, those solid bricks in our freezers, can hardly compete with its nineteenth century counterpart in flavor or refreshment. The convenient freezer that most of us enjoy today rules out many of the pleasantries of this ancient delicacy. Our fellow ice cream addicts, Catherine de Medici and George Washington, would scarcely recognize their beloved confection in today’s stabilized, emulsified form. It was sometime after this that ice cream took what some would consider its turn for the worse. In fact, it may have been her invention that brought ice cream down from its regal, aristocratic pedestal and onto the tongues of the middle class.Īfter the turn of the century, street vendors known as hokey-pokey men peddled their confections to eager young customers, the ice cream cone was invented, and shortly thereafter the indelible names of Good Humor Eskimo Pie, and Howard Johnson crested the horizon of frozen desserts. The ice cream freezer that is still with us today was invented in 1846 by Nancy Johnson, an otherwise obscure figure on the culinary scene. In the early days of the colonies and on into the nineteenth century, ice cream was made by agitating a container of sweetened cream in a tub of salt and ice. If it’s true that I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, these cries have come up through the ages from some impressive vocal cords: Marco Polo (a devoted sherbet fan), Catherine de Medici, Richard the Lion-hearted, and our own George Washington, who was rumored to have run up some rather astounding ice cream bills during the hot summer months. When the family gathered and the temperature soared on summer Sunday afternoons, the ice cream freezer, sack of rock salt, fresh ingredients, and tub of ice were brought out for the weekly ice cream ritual, one almost as unbreakable as the visit to church earlier in the day.Įven though this summer Sunday ritual has faded along with taking a turn on the crank of the ice cream freezer, ice cream is still marked by the strong loyalty of its devotees, a loyalty with a surprisingly long historical reach. Ice cream has been a favorite dessert for a long time. Try some of our cool ice cream recipes on your own! A History of Homemade Ice Cream Put it back in the tub, pack it in with four parts ice, one part salt, then protect the tub with a thick covering (old carpet, a blanket folded over a few times) and let it sit in a shady spot for at least two hours.Ĭongratulations! Fresh, homemade ice cream knows no equal when it comes to cooling you and your family off after a hot summer’s day. Put the cover back on tightly and place a cork in the hole where the dasher was. Let the ice cream “ripen ” remove the dasher and pack the ice cream down into the can with a long-handled spoon.
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