Homemade ice cream: ice-cream maker or turbine?

A few days ago, I published a recipe for custard. Maybe you saw me coming (or maybe you've been following my adventures on Insta), but the fact remains that this custard was above all an opportunity to make delicious homemade ice cream in the middle of a heatwave! And as Kenwood kindly lent me an ice cream maker (to go on the Cooking Chef) and an ice cream turbine, I was able to test both and I'm going to give you an enlightened feedback!

Ice cream, sorbet, crème glacée... What's the difference?

So let's get clear on the differences between the different ice cream names:

• Sorbet is a mixture of fruit, water and sugar. A sorbet is called "full-fruit" if it contains at least 45% fruit.
• ice cream contains at least 8% milk fat (cream or milk). Ice cream labeled "egg" must contain at least 7% egg yolk.

In all cases, the preparation (sorbet or ice cream) must weigh at least 450 g for 1 L of ice cream, i.e. an overrun of just over 50%. Whether you start with syrup or custard, the method for transforming liquid into ice is the same. Air is incorporated into the preparation as it cools to set it.

Homemade ice cream in an ice cream maker

The ice-cream maker (at least the Kenwood model and all those based on a food processor) consists of a double-walled bowl containing refrigerant. Before it can be used, the bowl must be stored in the freezer for at least 24 hours. [caption id="attachment_5330" align="alignnone" width="600"] Titanium Cooking Chef cooling bowl in the freezer[/caption] When cold, clip it onto the food processor and attach the paddle. Once the food processor is running, pour in the syrup or custard. [caption id="attachment_5320" align="alignnone" width="600"] Creaming custard in an ice cream maker[/caption] As the paddle rotates, it incorporates air and the mixture begins to swell. After 15-20 minutes, the ice cream is ready! Here, a delicious Reunion vanilla ice cream! [caption id="attachment_5324" align="alignnone" width="600"] Vanilla ice cream after whipping in an ice cream maker[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5328" align="alignnone" width="600"] Homemade scoops of Reunion Island vanilla ice cream[/caption]

Turbine ice cream

With the turbine, it's a little simpler. No need to think ahead, just place the ingredients in the bowl and start the cooling process. [caption id="attachment_5314" align="alignnone" width="600"] The De'Longhi turbine[/caption] If the liquid preparation doesn't require cooking, it's even simpler, as you can mix it directly in the bowl. [caption id="attachment_5316" align="alignnone" width="600"] The turbine in action[/caption] In terms of operation, the turbine contains a compressor that generates cold. This eliminates the "freezing" phase, which isn't unpleasant (if, like me, you're one of those people who have to get their recipe idea off the ground in a hurry ^^). The turbine also allows you to make one preparation after another, whereas with an ice-cream maker, once the bowl is cold, you're done! For example, you can follow up with a lemon ice cream right away! [caption id="attachment_5318" align="alignnone" width="600"] Turbine white chocolate ice cream[/caption]

So, what's best?

As you can see from the photos, both accessories do the job perfectly. On paper, it's clear that the turbine is much more practical. However, I'd have to take issue with the size of the thing! I live in the suburbs of Paris, and space in my kitchen is clearly limited (even if my apartment is far from small ^^). So, even if the turbine is more practical, I can't see myself devoting that much space to an accessory that only makes ice cream (maybe I don't make enough of it either). So, for my use, I'd go for the #teamsorbetière. But if you make a lot of ice cream and have the space, then the turbine is still the must-have! Kenwood product links if you'd like to take a look:

• Ice cream maker
• De'Longhi turbine