We made homemade ice cream with just a few simple ingredients, and it was really good! Making ice cream was one of the activities on our summer bucket list, and everyone was very excited about it. I loved how easy it was.
First, we put 2 TBSP sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 cup of half and half into a quart size plastic storage bag. Then, we put 1/2 cup Kosher salt into a gallon size plastic storage bag and filled the bag halfway with ice.
Next, we placed the sealed smaller bag with the ice cream ingredients inside the larger bag and sealed it.
Finally, C and R began to shake, shake, shake their bags. This lasted about 30 seconds until they said, "MOM, these bags are too heavy. Can you shake them for us?" So, I danced around the kitchen for five minutes shaking their bags until they each had a bag of ice cream to eat.
I put some toppings out and they each enjoyed an ice cream sundae! I had a few bites myself. It was good!
I don't know why, but C likes to wear winter pajamas in the summer. It was 100 degrees on this day!
On a science note, T asked me why salt is added to the ice to make ice cream. I had to look it up. 32 degrees is the melting point of ice, but the ice cream mixture will not freeze unless the temperature gets below 27 degrees. The salt changes the melting point of the 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 and the ice cream freezes.
Speaking of T, he made his own bag of ice cream, but I did not get any pictures. He thought it was a little watery, but it certainly did not stop him from eating all of it.
I am linking this to Science Sunday at Adventures in Mommydom.
12 comments:
We tried doing this last year but had lots of leaking bags! It looks like everything worked well for you though- we may have to give it a try again!
One of my favorite summer activities! Thanks for the very clear explanation of why the salt is added :)
This sounds good! Thanks for explaining how to do it!
When I was little we would fill a big coffee tin with ice and the ice-cream ingredients and roll it around on the floor. Sounds like you got a work-out in doing the science experiment!
That's great Christy, thanks for the explanation on the ice and salt, my son was fascinated. He by the way noticed your sons pajamas and commented, "see Momma, I'm not the only one who does it!" He's 8, so I figure if he is too hot he can figure out that he needs to change. But it does make me feel better to see someone elses kid do it too!
What a yummy experiment! My kids would love this!
We did this once, too. If you put the bags in a shirt or towel and then have two kids swing it, it is easier.
http://homeschooljournal-bergblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/secret-formula-ice-cream.html
What a great question! We have an ice cream maker but forgot to use it this year. We will have to remember to put it in our summer bucket list next year!
Thanks for the explanation on salt and melting the ice.
My brother used to run around in a sweat suit (it was his Superman outfit) in the middle of summer in California with cowboy boots on. So, he's not alone. And my boys pull on whatever they can find that I let them wear.
Glad someone was able to successfully make ice cream. We still haven't tried again.
Well, at least both kids tried their hand at icecream making before "delegating" it. My husband explained it to me about ice and salt once - he claimed that if salted ice touches bare skin, it will result in a frostbite. I even investigated it further online and came to a conclusion that it won't happen unless you leave this salted ice on your skin for a long while.
I remember trying to make ice cream before but mine came out watery as well. Coming thru from Science Sunday
We did this last summer. Thanks for the ice explanation! My boys (and I) stay in our pajamas a lot!
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