People have been making and enjoying ice cream for centuries, so much so that it is almost considered an art form. No doubt it has changed a great deal since ancient times but the process used today is mostly unchanged for the last few decades. When you make homemade ice cream, of course, you won't use the same process that big companies use to pump out thousands of gallons of ice cream to be sold in parlors and grocery stores everyday. Your process will be smaller, fresher and have a personal touch.

There will only be a slight resemblance in the taste of your homemade ice cream and the ice cream you buy at the store. Yours will taste much better. The ingredients you are going to use, fruits, nuts and other flavorings are going to be fresh, not mass produced. You will put in your flair, personal attention and care and I know you will taste the difference in the finished product. Not to mention the enjoyable experience you will have spending time with family and friends making and enjoying your unique ice cream creation.

A good place to start, of course, will be with a good recipe. As you can imagine, there are hundreds of great ice cream recipes that you can use to get you started but you will undoubtedly want to come up with your own as you get more comfortable. Check with family members to see if there are family recipes that have been handed down through the years. The connection to the past is a big reason that many people choose to make their own homemade ice cream. What's better than having ice cream “just like grandma used to make?”

Don't fret if you don't have an ancestral family recipe to start off with. The building blocks of any ice cream recipe are neither exotic nor expensive. You might do well to practice with the basics until you are happy with the ice cream that you are making. Then you can get fancy with delicious flavorings and combinations of ingredients. Here's a basic vanilla recipe to get you rolling:

Ingredients:

1/2 pint (250 ml) light cream

condensed milk, small tin

1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth

Once the ingredients are mixed and smooth, load it into the churn or ice cream machine. Follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding the ice and salt and activate the machine to churn the ice cream. Or if you're using a manual churn, turn the crank for about 10 minutes to give the ice plenty of time to freeze the cream in the interior compartment. You may need to crank a bit longer if the cream has not set up after 10 minutes.

Once you have completed the “hard labor” put the ice cream in the freeze for a couple of hours to finish freezing into your wonderful frozen treat. The last part of the process is the easiest. Take your ice cream out of the freezer and find some family and friends to indulge in your delicious creation. Now that you're an expert at homemade ice cream, start planning your next big party or family get together to show off your new skills!