Reviewer: sparksfly - See all my reviews
I have owned a hand-cranked White Mountain 4-quart freezer for twenty-three years. All freezer parts have held up extremely well. White Mountain has a reputation for quality that has withstood the test of decades.
The day before you plan to use the freezer, fill the wooden bucket with water and let it stand overnight. This causes the wood to swell, so the process is neater the next day. Empty the bucket before you set things up to churn.
If you set the churn up on a sturdy plastic stepstool, churning will be easier ergonomically. Use the recommended ice-to-salt ratio and be sure to keep the bucket topped up. As you churn, make sure the drain hole in the bucket doesn't get blocked and the brine flows out freely, or you will have salty ice-cream. It is a good idea to put the whole contraption in a shallow plastic basin to catch the brine, because the brine that drains out will murder grass, corrode metal, and stain some wooden surfaces. Churn slowly until the crank will not budge. The best way to do this is to have a small person sit on a folded towel on top of the churn while folks take turns cranking. After the ice cream is firm, remove the dasher, replace the lid, and put a cork in the hole in the lid. (You may have to buy your own cork.) Drain off as much brine as you can without letting brine slip in through the edge of the lid. Add more of the ice-and-salt mixture, mounding it over the top of the bucket. Cover with the towel and let the ice cream "ripen" for a little while in a cool place.
After serving, put any leftovers in a plastic box in the freezer. If you want to reclaim some of the salt for future use, you can turn the slurry in the bucket out slowly onto several sheets of newspaper, letting the water run off. Let the salt dry thoroughly in the sun. It is important to wash all parts of the churn thoroughly within a few hours of using them, since the salt slurry is highly corrosive.
Kids love the whole process - I frequently tease them into sharing the cranking duties by telling them they may not have any ice cream unless they help.
My favorite flavor is peanut butter! Closely followed by mint-chocolate-chip, Butterfinger, peppermint, peach, strawberry, Heath Bar crunch....
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White Mountain 4-qt. Electric Ice Cream MakerProduct Description: Many summers ago, ice-cream socials centered around families getting together, each cranking out its favorite ice cream for all to enjoy. You can still carry on that tradition (without all the cranking) with this authentic-looking Electric Ice Cream Maker. The White Mountain Freezer company, which crafts these Makers, has been in business for over 145 years and knows all about making ice cream the good old-fashioned way. In fact, they've developed an exclusive method of mixing the ice cream ??? a triple-motion gear action that properly mixes and beats the entire cream contents of the canister, resulting in the smoothest, creamiest ice cream in just 20-30 minutes. Each Maker is equipped with a commercial-grade motor which allows you to stop the freezing process midway as you add fruit, berries or nuts, and restart right afterwards. The aluminum canister is designed for faster freezing, and the cast-iron dasher and blades will never warp out of shape. The freezer tub is made of New England pine that has been sealed, stained, lacquered and bound with strong galvanized hoops.
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When I first got this I followed the directions on the box for chocolate cookie ice cream exactly (which specified refrigerating the mixture for 30 minutes and freezing the gel canisters for 24 hours).This gave me something at about the consistency of a runny milkshake.My second try involved refrigerating the mixture for 18 hours and freezing the gel canisters for around 36 hours.That was more of a thick milkshake.
