Over the past year or so, I’ve found myself becoming more and more passionate about food, cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. I didn’t quite realise how much of a hobby this would become for me but I’ve very much enjoyed trying new foods and experimenting with new recipes and equipment. I tend to stick to the more savoury side, as that’s what I appear to be a little better at but today, I’m trying my hand at making something completely new: Ice cream.
I love ice-cream (I mean, who doesn’t?) but I’ve never, ever tried making it before myself. Usually opting for the more convenient option of nipping to the shop and buying a Tesco Value Neapolitan and devouring more or less all of it in a couple of days. So making my own was a pretty daunting task but one I was excited about trying.
For this, I used the Savisto Ice Cream Maker – a small but sleek looking contraption which was – even for someone of my reasonably useless standard – extremely easy to put together and set up. You just had to pop the top on, secure the lid to the bowl and presto! You are (sort of) ready to go.
Now, ice-cream is a lot more difficult to make than what I thought it was going to be. But, you know what they say, it’s the taking part that counts… Or something. So let me talk you through my first attempt. I opted for Pineapple ice-cream because 1) I love pineapple and 2) I thought I’d try and be all fancy and exotic (I’m not). The ingredients were simple (I used the Savisto Recipe book that came with the maker): Pineapple, double cream and vanilla extract.
I popped the bowl of the maker in the freezer for 8 hours before use, which is what it says in the instruction manual. I made up the mixture with ease and when the bowl was sufficiently frozen, I made a start. The ice-cream maker literally has 2 options: Start and Stop. Which is a big thumbs up from me – the easier the better. And overall, the process was super easy. I churned my ice-cream then popped it in a freeze able container for later.
Now, the ice-cream end result wasn’t fantastic. I mean, it could have gone a whole lot worse but this was my first time and I think I may need some practice before I go and buy an ice-cream van. After freezing, the consistency wasn’t entirely ice-cream like. And it could have done with being sweeter. On a whole, not a complete disaster.
The maker however, was faultless. I think everything that went wrong with the end result was probably my inexperience rather than the equipment. The maker itself is very sleek looking and a lot smaller than what I’d have thought which is a bonus for taking up less cupboard space in the kitchen. It’s incredibly easy to use however which is always a plus – there’s nothing worse than equipment that requires you to be Gordon Ramsey in order to use it.
On a whole, I was very impressed and will definitely experiment more with other flavours and gain some more experience in using this machine. The equipment is easy to use and as kitchen appliances go, very attractive. Would recommend for any desert fans, anyone who loves baking and cooking!
*This product was sent to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions here are my own.
I’ve tried a few no-churn ice cream recipes and they just aren’t the same. This is definitely on my wishlist for the summer 🙂 I just have to convince my husband I need one LOL!
We love ice cream, and we used to crank it ourselves. That was in the old days when the kids were young and they helped with it. The maker isn’t as it is today. We had to pour salt into the ice and hand cranked. I do have a new one and have been thinking about using it, Jenny, particularly when my hubby has diabetes and he shouldn’t really be having ice cream. But gosh darn it, ice cream is so nice during the hot months. Have you run into a recipe using Splenda or such instead of sugar?