# thickening ice cream



## redsam (Jul 19, 2007)

hello everyone 
this is my first post


i am trying to make really thick ice cream... is it the number of egg yolks i use that could help achieve this? This is a custard based vanilla ice cream.


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## jessiquina (Nov 4, 2005)

when i make ice cream, i always use ONLY yolks. and sometimes i add a few extra. sometimes the yolks vary in size ... also, im assuming you know the proper techniques of making the base, or a creme anglaise. i cook mine a lil longer to insure a thicker base. make sure you strain it. and make sure it sits in the fridge before you spin in for a day or more, it helps with the structure of the final product.


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## redsam (Jul 19, 2007)

i am definately going to try this 

thanks


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## rsteve (May 3, 2007)

Well, of course, the quantity of egg yolks used in creating the custard will impact the thickness. Remember, the basic law of diminishing returns...simply, you can use too many yolks in the custard and get a thickened eggy mess. 

I assume you're using an electric ice cream freezer. Be careful that you don't keep the custard in the ice cream freezer too long or you'll introduce too much air into the product. It sounds like you want a dense product with minimum air introduced. I hope you're not assuming that for this dense ice cream you'll be able to serve it directly from the ice cream freezer. You'll have to remove it from the ice cream freezer, pack it tightly in a sealed container and place it in a freezer until it hardens.


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## redsam (Jul 19, 2007)

thanks... and i usually let the ice cream harden overnight


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

Lecithin is a great emulsifier and somewhat a thickener. I also like the taste of it. It goes really well with dairy products.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Use all cream?  And don't churn it too fast or too much.


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## redsam (Jul 19, 2007)

will have to try this 


that sounds like a great idea ... thanks so much


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